Drafted in the 34th round (1,000th overall) by the Washington Nationals in 1996.
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Organization Prospect Rankings
Released by the Expos after two seasons because he had elbow problems, Sadler was signed by the Indians two days later. Cleveland let him move at his own pace, and he missed all of 1998 and most of 1999 while trying to come back from two surgeries. He moved to the bullpen in 2000 and emerged unexpectedly last year. Sadler's fastball jumped from 90 to 94 mph in 2002, giving him a second plus pitch to go with his curveball. He commands both well, though he'll sometimes fall in a rut and rely on one at the expense of the other. He needs to use both pitches to be effective. He's probably no more than a lefty specialist, but he was effective in that role in the major leagues and wasn't rattled by his first callup. He's a strong candidate to make Cleveland's Opening Day roster.
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