Brandon Larson: After enduring some injuries
in the past, this former first round draft pick had a healthy and
productive 2000 season, allowing him to regain a place on the Reds top
prospects list.
As a junior at LSU, Larson hit .381 while
slugging 40 homer's and driving in 118 runs. He also piled up awards to
his college years, winning SEC Player of the Year and College World Series
MVP. With that type of resume, the Reds made him the 14th overall
selection in the 1997 the draft.
Over his first couple of pro
seasons, he had a difficult time living up to the hype as he endured some
injuries (ankle and knee) that slowed his development. Now this
23-year-old third baseman seems to be getting close to earning a big
league spot. Beginning the 2000 season at Double-A, Larson hit .272 with
20 home runs, 64 runs batted in, 26 doubles, 61 runs scored, 15 steals, 31
walks, and 122 strikeouts in 427 at-bats. He ended the season at Triple-A
Louisville (.286, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 7 2B, 1 3B, 11 R, 4 BB and 16 SO in 63
AB).
Drafted as a shortstop, Larson still has some things to
improve on before he can compete with Aaron Boone for the third base job.
First off, he needs to cut the strikeouts and improve his defense (24
errors at Double-A, 4 errors at Triple-A). Larson also must have a healthy
2001 as well. The best thing that happened for Larson last season was that
he was able to go through a full minor league season while staying as
relatively healthy as possible. Now, as long as he can stay healthy,
Larson can work more on refining his game instead of possibly having to
deal with the past injury situation that might have been lingering in the
back of his mind last season.
Look for him back at Triple-A in 2001
and he possibly could get a late-season call-up if all goes
well.