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TODAY: Monday, May 15
Chin-Feng Chen, Ben Broussard
By John Sickels
Special to ESPN.com

REPORT FILED: MAY 5

Here are two outfielders who made their professional debuts in 1999 and are ripping up Double-A in 2000. Both have an outside chance of seeing the majors later this year, depending on what happens with their organizations roster-wise. Both are excellent bets to be up sometime in 2001.

Chin-Feng Chen
Los Angeles Dodgers
Position: OF Height: 6-1 Weight: 190 Born: 10/28/77 Bats: Right Throws: Right

Year Team Level G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB CS BA OBP SLG
1999 San Bernadino A 131 510 98 161 22 10 31 123 75 129 31 7 .316 .404 .580
2000 San Antonio AA 23 104 15 35 10 2 2 18 9 27 13 2 .337 .389 .529

When the Dodgers signed Chin-Feng Chen out of Taiwan in 1999, they expected him to hit for power. What they didn't expect was for him to develop into a multi-skilled player with across-the-board abilities.

Chen has well above-average power to all fields, generated by excellent bat speed and sound hitting mechanics. He had no trouble hitting for average last year in the California League, and isn't having any problems this year in the Texas League either.

His strike zone judgment is adequate. He drew a lot of walks at San Bernadino, but struck out a bit too much. He's striking out a lot this year, and notice the concurrent decline in his walk rate, despite his fine numbers for San Antonio. It isn't a critical problem yet, but he'll have to watch the strike zone as he gets closer to the majors.

Chen has proven to be an excellent baserunner. He has above-average speed, but superb instincts, and is very adept at reading pitchers and advancing aggressively on the bases.

Defense is also a potentially strong suit for him. He has good range and a strong enough arm to play right field, but does tend to make errors when he misreads fly balls. He is playing center field right now, but is probably better suited to playing left or right in the majors, where he should turn out to be sound with the glove.

Overall, Chen is one of the best overall prospects in baseball today. My only concern is his strike zone judgment, which still needs a bit of work. He could use a full season in Double-A and Triple-A to get a handle on that.

Ben Broussard
Cincinnati Reds
Position: OF Height: 6-2 Weight: 220 Born: 9/24/76 Bats: Left Throws: Left

Year Team Level G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB CS BA OBP SLG
1999 Billings R 38 145 39 59 11 2 14 48 34 30 1 0 .407 .527 .800
1999 Clinton A 5 20 8 11 4 1 2 6 3 4 4 4 .550 .609 1.150
1999 Chattanooga AA 35 127 26 27 5 0 8 21 11 41 1 0 .213 .291 .441
2000 Chattanooga AA 24 81 18 28 2 3 3 17 19 16 4 1 .346 .471 .556

The Reds drafted Broussard in the second round last year from McNeese State University, where he hit .427 with 27 homers his senior year. Scouts knew he could batter college pitching, but some were concerned about whether his power would translate from aluminum to wood, and whether he would find a position. On both counts, Cincinnati's investment has proven sound.

Broussard began his career in the Pioneer League, but proved in 38 games for Billings that he was too good for the level. Promoted to the Midwest League, he was unstoppable for five games, earning a surprise promotion all the way to the Southern League. That's quite a jump from the Southland Conference to the Southern League, and while he hit just .213 for Chattanooga, he still hit for power. It was a remarkable rise.

Returning to Chattanooga for 2000, Broussard has gone on another tear. Note the big improvement in his strike zone judgment over last year's Double-A numbers, with an increase in walks and a big decline in strikeouts. He has power to all fields, and should be good for at least a .280 average in the majors. Broussard's bat is for real, and I would compare him to Sean Casey, perhaps with a bit more power.

The question then is defense. A first baseman in college, Broussard is playing the outfield now. He has limited mobility, and while he should eventually become an adequate defensive outfielder, he won't be a real help to his team out there. It is with his bat that Broussard will make his mark, and if what he has done so far in his career is any indication, it will be quite a mark indeed.

John Sickels is the author of the STATS 2000 Minor League Scouting Notebook. You can email your questions to him at JASickels@AOL.com.

 


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