FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Maybe it's my short-term memory, but I can't remember another year in which we saw so many aggressively-hyped rookies make their initial appearances at the major league level in the season's first month (as opposed to the more normal September callup). It's already absolutely a huge list, and even so, I'm positive there are outstanding players I've left out ...

So far in 2007, we've seen the debuts of:

Josh Hamilton, OF, Cincinnati Reds - NL Rookie of the month for April 2007. At this point he looks like a good bet to stick with the Reds, rather than be returned to the Devil Rays as a Rule V pick, don't you think? :-)

Daisuke Matsuzaka, RHP, Boston Red Sox - OK, so he's no rookie in the conventional sense. He's had some control issues early. But flashes are there of the dominant pitcher that the Red Sox paid $103 million to lock up. And remember, he's only 26 years old.

Hideki Okajima, LHP, Boston Red Sox - OK, so he's ALSO no rookie in the conventional sense. He's a 31-year-old lefty reliever, for Pete's sake. Yet he did enough to be named the AL Rookie of the Month for April 2007. You could win a few bar bets on that one.

Akinori Iwamura, 3b, Tampa Bay Devil Rays - got off to quite a start - .339/.4(yes, 4)79/.482. If he hadn't gotten hurt in late April, he'd likely have the April trophy instead of Okajima-san.

Alex Gordon, 3b, Kansas City Royals - a very rocky start for the can't-miss kid. His stats almost certainly go up from here ... he's the real deal, even if he's digging a huge hole for his 2007 stats. By the end of the season, he should be a fantasy regular and a stud for 2008 and beyond.

Alexi Casilla, 2b, Minnesota Twins - not a familar name, but a real speedster (50 steals in the minors in 2006). Finding the majors predictably difficult for a 22-year old rookie, but remember him in years to come.

Phil Hughes, RHP, New York Yankees - stop me if you've heard his story? Unflappable 20-year old future stud starter, called to the majors out of sheer desperation, took a no-hitter into the 7th inning in only his second major-league start, before his hamstring made the dreaded 'pop' sound. He'll be back in 4-6 weeks, and while he will have his bad outings, he has nothing left to prove in the minors.

Brandon Wood, 3b, Los Angeles Angels - Only 22, and has prodigious power, but strikes out a ton. The jury seems to still be out in the fantasy community over whether he'll prosper in spite of the K's (ala Ryan Howard), or fail to make the adjustments (like Drew Henson and a host of others before him). From my point of view, it's a toss-up, but he's still young enough to make believers out of all of us.

Hunter Pence, OF, Houston Astros - At 24, he's the Astros' center-fielder of not only the future, but now the present. Has a wild batting stance, but it works for him. Was called up in late April to try to jump-start the latent Astros offense, and hasn't been awful for a rookie so far (.250/.300/.464). Bigger things are expected of him.

Billy Butler, OF, Kansas City Royals - was ripping apart AAA pitching (.337/.445/.584) at the precocious age of 21, so it was time to get him up to the bigs and let him get his feet wet. Hitting .333 through his first 21 big-league at-bats, and has only struck out 3 times. He's a professional hitter, although not the best defensive outfielder you'll see. The Royals had to find a spot for his bat, though.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C, Atlanta Braves - 'Salty' made major-league history with the longest last name - at 14 letters - in the entire history of MLB. Would have been called to the bigs before now in most organizations, but blocked behind young star Brian McCann. Big, strong kid who should hit for lots of power at the big-league level, and has a more patient eye than most hitters as well. Barring injuries, he'll be a star, although perhaps in 2008 and perhaps for a different club than the Braves.

And finally ... Tim Lincecum, RHP, San Francisco Giants - after making minor-league hitters at all levels look like little-leaguers (6-0, 0.99, 63.2 IP, 26 hits, 23 bb, 104 k) ... the prospect who has NEVER LOST A PROFESSIONAL GAME has been called to the bigs to face the Phillies on Sunday night, May 6. Baseball nation will be watching!