What's the rush? (Baseball).(minor leaguer Rocco Baldelli, and other news)

He's Rocco Baseball, from the tattoo of the MLB logo above his left ankle to his vast knowledge about the sport. "If you ask him who got called up to the majors that day," his roommate from Class A Bakersfield, Dan Dement, says with a chuckle, "He'll know."

Rocco Baldelli, the Devil Rays' top prospect, sends his minor league paychecks home so his father can manage his money. He sells signed items on his website to benefit his high school. His slender physique, grace in center field and Italian heritage evoke comparisons to a young Joe DiMaggio.

"Baseball needs more Rocco Baldellis," says former Devil Rays scouting director Dan Jennings, who selected ...