Nippon Ham Fighters get Angel Echevaria

As a Cubs fan, I am sad about this. Echevarria was one of the bright spots to come off the bench late in the Cubs' season. Roosevelt Brown is also making his way across the Pacific. He signed a contract with the Orix Blue Wave. By the way, you spelled Echevarria wrong. Thank you.

If memory serves me correct (to paraphrase "Iron Chef"), Angel was actually something of a catching propect in his early days with the Rockies' organization, although he never caught at the MLB level even once. Saw him play with the Sky Sox (AAA) when he was younger, then got to see him as a Cub. Looked great in Spring Training last year; good instincts -- and the fact that he has never had a shot to be full-time makes his '02 K-stats look higher than they were (his longest "full season" was a 191-AB in '99 with the Rockies, which would have put him "on pace" for about .285-290, 30 & 100). All told, he could be an excellent signing.

Side note on Roosevelt Brown: The Flubs, er, Cubs, toyed with him in center field last year a bit also. He's a better runner/defensive player than he gets credit for, and his bat is the real thing. Great work ethic, real down-to-earth and accessible guy, too. Was basically a caddy to Moises "DL" Alou and his fat contract. Am thinking he'll surprise in average (.300+) while being in the 20 HR area for Orix.

I've seen Brown play in person many, many times. His defense was adequate at best in left field, and center field was a stretch. He produced a monster AAA season in 2001 (.346 BA, .990 OPS, 22 HR) as a 27 year-old -- too old to be a prospect -- but he never got it done at the Major League level in limited at bats (.718 OPS in 491 plate appearances). I think he's capable of a .300 average with power in NPB as well; then again, I expected better things from Rosie last season with the Cubs.

To be fair, Rosie has never had consistent reps in MLB, just fill-in duty. Got to see him play every day in Spring Training 2002 and got the feeling that he's just not much of a bench player. Late 20's is way too early to write off a PCL batting champ a couple o' years removed, methinks.

I think you were very hard with con Moises Alou when you say "Moises DL Alou." Alou was efected by injuries and cold Wrigley Field his first season in Chicago.

Alou's stats weren't good in 2002, but he deserve another chance. Just one more chance. Maybe he will be loved in the friendly confine in 2003.

Happy new year from the Dominican Republic.

Enrique Rojas,

Are you related to the Alous? Felipe, Matty, and Jesus paternal family name was Rojas but an American baseball official wrote down Alou, the maternal family name (example: Felipe Alou y Rojas).

Happy New Year fron the USA !

OOOOPPPPSSS!!!!! My mistake.
The example in my previous reply for the order of paternal and maternal names in Spanish should have been: Felipe Rojas y Alou. The U.S. baseball official wrote down the maternal family name,Alou instead of the paternal name, Rojas. Therfore, the three Rojas brothers and their offspring are known as the Alous.

I

Thank you for clearing things up as far as the Rojas/Alou connection. I'm rooting for Felipe Alou handling of the SF Giants.

Enrique, I'm actually a big Alou fan (all fo them). Sadly, Moises has a (well-deserved) reputation for breaking down rather often. He was "day-to-day" with assorted ailments for virtually the entirety of 2002, which wasn't much different than in 2001 with the Astros. Being a rotisserie baseballer, I am all too familiar with his injury history. (The saddest one was a few years back when he blew out his knee doing off-season treadmill work in his D.R. home.)