I’ve actually been meaning to write about these guys for quite some time, but for whatever reason (sheer laziness?) I haven’t gotten around to it until now. Anyway, Darr and Matthews are a couple of young outfielders who also happen to be sons of former major leaguers with the same name. Both are currently at Double-A Mobile of the Southern League and are playing quite well. Darr, ordinarily a right fielder, has taken over in center while Matthews recovers from a wrist injury.

Mike Darr

YR TEAM        G   AB   R    H  2B 3B  HR RBI   BB  SO  SB   AVG  OBP  SLG
94 BRIST R    44  149  23   41   6  0   1  18   23  22   4  .275 .376 .336
95 FAYET A   112  395  58  114  21  2   5  66   58  88   5  .289 .380 .390
96 LAKEL A    85  311  26   77  14  7   0  38   28  64   7  .248 .307 .338
97 RANCH A   134  521 104  179  32 11  15  94   57  90  23  .344 .409 .534
98 MOBIL AA   31  120  31   34  11  1   0  18   18  24   9  .283 .387 .392

TOTALS       406 1496 242  445  84 21  21 234  184 288  48  .297 .376 .424

We’ll look at Darr first since he’s the one getting all the play as a bona fide prospect these days. Darr was a second round draft choice of the Detroit Tigers back in 1994 and was acquired by the Padres prior to the 1997 season in a deal straight up for second baseman Jody Reed. Believe it or not, this was a wildly unpopular move in San Diego. Of course Reed is pretty much out of baseball now, after 122 dismal at bats for the Tigers as Damion Easley’s backup. Darr, in the meantime, had a monster season at Rancho Cucamonga, batting .344, with 58 extra base hits (including 15 homers) and showing reasonably good plate discipline (57 BB/90 K in 521 ABs). The 6’3″, 205-lb lefty also stole 23 bases in 30 attempts.

While these are impressive numbers, we must bear two things in mind:

1. The California League is a notorious hitters league.
2. Before 1997, Darr had never come anywhere near the numbers he posted at Rancho Cucamonga.

So the question now is, Did Darr reach a new level of ability last season, or was his success largely due to the league in which he played and was his production a blip on the screen of his career?

Well, although his 1997 season was wildly inconsistent with his previous record, we should remember a few things about Darr.

1. He was drafted in the 2nd round of an amateur draft, so someone at some point in time saw something in him.
2. He is the son of a former big leaguer, so he’s got good bloodlines (I know, I know, what about Bobby Bonds Jr. or Craig Griffey — still, it’s gotta count for something).
3. He was only 21 last year, so it’s not as though he’d been lingering for years doing nothing. One of the major knocks on Darr has been what some perceive to be immaturity on his part. It’s very possible that in 1997, with a fresh start in a new organization, he started to grow up a bit. Stranger things have happened.
4. He’s continuing his assault on pitchers at a higher level, although at last check he had yet to hit a home run.

With a statistical record that fluctuates like a — well, like a fluctuating thing (hey, it’s late) — Darr is hard to pin down in terms of comparing him to current major leaguers. My gut tells me he’ll probably end up being somewhat similar to Garrett Anderson, Shawn Green, Dave Martinez, Todd Hollandsworth, or Al Martin. If he learns to take a few more walks, and if he can convert some of those doubles and triples into homers, he might become Brian Giles, Bobby Higginson, Jeromy Burnitz, or Paul O’Neill.

Gary Matthews

YR TEAM        G   AB   R    H  2B 3B  HR RBI   BB  SO  SB   AVG  OBP  SLG
94 SPOKA A    52  191  23   40   6  1   0  18   19  58   3  .209 .286 .251
95 CLINT A   128  421  57  100  18  4   2  40   68 109  28  .238 .349 .314
96 RANCH A   123  435  65  118  21 11   7  54   60 102   7  .271 .366 .418
97 RANCH A    69  268  66   81  15  4   8  40   49  57  10  .302 .416 .478
97 MOBIL AA   28   90  14   22   4  1   2  12   15  29   3  .244 .352 .378
98 MOBIL AA   21   76  22   30   6  2   2  25   15  12   5  .395 .484 .605

TOTALS       421 1481 247  391  70 23  21 189  226 367  56  .264 .366 .385

While Darr gets most of the press, Matthews plods along, posting solid, if unspectacular, numbers wherever he goes. A 13th-round draft pick out of junior college in 1993, Matthews suffers from what I like to call “Mark Kotsay Syndrome.” That is, his physical tools are not overwhelming, but the guy can play.

Matthews is a true center fielder who can cover a lot of ground, and his offensive game is improving. While he’s always drawn his share of walks, this year he appears to be tightening up his strike zone a bit more. He has gaps power which could translate into 15-20 HR power down the line. And while he doesn’t have blazing speed, he can steal a base now and then.

Matthews, a 6’3″, 185-lb switch hitter, at age 23 is a tad old for the Southern League, but if he continues to progress at his current pace, he could well end up with a career similar to that of the Padres current center fielder, Steve Finley. If he gets a legitmate shot at a starting job within the next couple years, Matthews should fare no worse than, say, Quinton McCracken, Devon White, or Brian McRae.