Observations and opinions from major league scouts

Sporting News, The, Sept 9, 2005

Mike Jacobs has a good swing, and the Mets rookie has made a few scoops at first base, showing good hands. He can hit a low fastball. He does a lot of things correctly with a bat in his hands.... The Red Sox got rid of Mark Bellhorn, and to me, he's just a role player. I know he started at second for Boston a lot last year, but he's a high-strikeout guy and his defense is just average. I'd rather have a guy like Todd Walker, who is a better hitter.... Jason Vargas looks like a guy who knows what he's doing for the Marlins. He has a good changeup, a good breaking ball and spots everything well. And he's sneaky fast.... Shasta Chacon over the long haul is probably just another guy. He's probably pretty pumped to see his breaking ball move outside of Colorado and to play in New York where fans are more rabid.... Rangers prospect Edison Volquez has a very good arm. He throws up to 97 mph and pitches at 95. He kind of reminds me of OctaVo Detel a little bit. He's not that far away.... If Tike Redman knew he was a bench player, he'd be a good one. But he thinks he should be a starter with the Pirates.

Todd Jones is a reliever for the Marlins. E-mail him at tjones@sportingnews.com.