13 September 2004

John Sickels wrote an excellent report on top prospect Andy Marte (also see last year's), including a raving review of his minor league performance so far and great expections for potential things to come (plus a nice table of Marte's minor league stats from 2002-04). I won't steal Sickels' thunder by quoting his article; it's short and to-the-point, so check it out. With Chipper Jones back at third base, chances are very slim that Marte will jump from AA Greenville to Atlanta by spring 2005. He will get lots of playing time with the MLB club in spring training, but he'll be sent to AAA Richmond for a final year of preparation, and my guess is we'll probably see him in Atlanta late next August so he'll be eligible for the 2005 postseason roster. In any case, barring major obstacles, Andy Marte will be in the big leagues at age 22 in 2006.