Knuckle Curve » dennys reyes http://www.everyjoe.com/knucklecurve Major League Baseball News from Spring Training to the World Series Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:16:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Where Are They Now: Top Prospects of ‘98, #91-100 http://www.everyjoe.com/knucklecurve/where-are-they-now-top-prospects-of-98-91-100/ http://www.everyjoe.com/knucklecurve/where-are-they-now-top-prospects-of-98-91-100/#comments Thu, 07 Feb 2008 07:09:16 +0000 Geoff Young http://www.knucklecurve.com/where-are-they-now-top-prospects-of-98-91-100/ Post from: Knuckle Curve

]]> Ten years doesn’t seem so long ago. The Big Lebowski hit the silver screen, That ’70s Show debuted on TV, and Baseball America released its list of top 100 prospects for 1998.

Lebowski became a cult classic, while That ’70s Show has seen its share of success over the years. But how about those prospects? What ever happened to them?

Thanks to the magic of the Internet, we now have instant access to all BA top 100 lists dating back to 1990. Over the next several weeks, we’ll revisit the top prospects of 1998 and see how they fared.

Our first installment covers the bottom 10:

  1. Dennys Reyes, LHP, Cincinnati Reds. The stocky southpaw never made it as a starter, but has enjoyed sporadic success as a situational reliever. Reyes is 29-32 wth a 4.43 ERA in 460 appearances over 11 seasons, including a Murphy-esque fluke with the Minnesota Twins in 2006.
  2. Orlando Cabrera, 2B, Montreal Expos. Cabrera split time between second base and shortstop as a minor leaguer, but has been a full-time shortstop for most of his big-league career. He owns a .273/.321/.403 line in 5803 plate appearances and has won two Gold Glove Awards.
  3. George Lombard, OF, Atlanta Braves. Lombard has had several cups of coffee, most notably getting himself into 72 games with the 2002 Detroit Tigers. When a team that loses 106 games can’t find a use for you, that’s not a good sign. Lombard is a career .220/.281/.340 hitter in 388 plate appearances over parts of six seasons.
  4. Lariel Gonzalez, RHP, Colorado Rockies. Gonzalez worked a perfect ninth in his only big-league appearance on September 22, 1998, against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Gonzalez later spent some time in the Mets and Cubs systems before retiring in 2001 at age 25.
  5. Geoff Jenkins, OF, Milwaukee Brewers. Not only does the former first-round pick out of USC have a cool name, he’s had a pretty good career as well. In 10 seasons with the Brewers, Jenkins has hit .277/.347/.496 in 4932 plate appearances. He made the National League All-Star team in 2003 and ranks second only to Hall of Famer Robin Yount with 212 home runs in a Brewers uniform.
  6. Geoff Goetz, LHP, Florida Marlins. Hey, there’s that name again. It didn’t work as well for Goetz, who is probably most famous for being part of the package that brought Mike Piazza to the New York Mets. (For those scoring at home, Preston Wilson and Ed Yarnall were the other players who headed to the Marlins.) Goetz never made it past Double-A and retired in 2004 at age 25 with a 3.37 ERA over 350 minor-league innings.
  7. Daryle Ward, 1B, Houston Astros. The son of former big-league outfielder Gary Ward doesn’t have a defensive home, but his bat has been potent enough to give him a career that stands at 10 seasons and counting. Ward, who played with the Chicago Cubs in 2007, owns a .265/.321/.449 batting line in 2343 plate appearances.
  8. Jackson Melian, OF, New York Yankees. Believe it or not, Melian is still playing. And he’s only 28 years old. Melian, in case you missed it, was one of the most coveted amateur players ever to emerge from Venezuela. Unfortunately the toolsy outfielder never refined his game and was unable to meet lofty expectations. In 11 minor-league seasons, Melian has hit .259/.321/.403 in 4090 plate appearances.
  9. Kevin Witt, 1B, Toronto Blue Jays. Like Lombard, Witt has ties to a terrible Tigers team from the early 21st century. He got into 93 contests for the 2003 squad that lost 119 games. Witt owns a career .233/.267/.376 line in 424 plate appearances over parts of six seasons. He also has launched 269 home runs in the minor leagues. Now 32 years old, Witt spent 2007 playing for the Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan’s Central League, where he batted just .174/.267/.348 in 40 games.
  10. Chris Enochs, RHP, Oakland A’s. A first-round pick out of West Virginia University in 1997, Enochs reached Double-A the next year and then stayed there until late 2002, when he finally reached Triple-A, where he remained until retiring in 2005 at age 29. Enochs went 45-52 with a 4.91 ERA in 250 appearances over nine minor-league seasons.

Next week, we’ll catch up with a man who once was released by the Minnesota Twins before becoming a perennial MVP candidate. Until then…

Post from: Knuckle Curve

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