CHICAGO WHITE SOX - Frank Thomas 34 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 CHW 135 486 148 36 0 15 74 77 87 66 305 414 471 3 3 2000 CHW 159 582 191 44 0 43 115 143 112 94 328 436 625 1 3 2001 CHW 20 68 15 3 0 4 8 10 10 12 221 316 441 0 0       The Big Hurt was hurtin' in 2001, but will be back in uniform this year. He is a great, great hitter who is going to the Hall Of Fame, but this is the year that he can really make his legend. The White Sox haven't won the World Series since 1917, and this year's squad should be as good as any that Thomas will ever play for.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: You know it hasn't been a good season when you agree to wave your no-trade clause at the break.

SEATTLE - Edgar Martinez 39 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 SEA 142 502 169 35 1 24 86 86 97 99 337 447 554 7 2 2000 SEA 153 556 180 31 0 37 100 145 96 95 324 423 579 3 0 2001 SEA 132 470 144 40 1 23 80 116 93 90 306 423 543 4 1       Martinez just keeps rolling along, putting up the same great numbers at the plate year after year. If you really appreciate how good this guy is, then it's easy to understand how the Mariners won 116 games last year. He is getting older, and his average has dropped a bit the past two seasons, but I expect him to be good again in 2002.

TEXAS - Rusty Greer 33 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 TEX 147 556 167 41 3 20 107 101 96 67 300 405 493 2 2 2000 TEX 105 394 117 34 3 8 65 65 51 61 297 377 459 4 1 2001 TEX 62 245 67 23 0 7 38 29 27 32 273 342 453 1 2       Greer had a tough season. He had surgery to repair a pinched nerve in his hip, and also had some bone chips removed from his elbow. Meanwhile, his replacement, Catalanotto, filled in with a Rusty Greer-type season.       I don't know who is going to play where in 2002 for the Rangers, but for now it would appear that Greer will be the team's DH. He is a fine hitter, gets on base and has a little pop at the top of the batting order. Getting both Greer and Gonzalez working together again should be a plus for Texas.

BALTIMORE - Jeff Conine 36 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 BAL 139 444 129 31 1 13 54 75 30 40 291 335 453 0 3 2000 BAL 119 409 116 20 2 13 53 46 36 53 284 341 438 4 3 2001 BAL 139 524 163 23 2 14 75 97 64 75 311 386 443 12 8       Conine didn't get much credit for having a great year at the plate. He toiled in obscurity for a lousy team, and was forced to play in a park, Camden Yards, which has been transformed into a pitcher's paradise. Conine has been a solid hitter for years, and is getting more disciplined at the plate as he ages.

CLEVELAND - Ellis Burks 38 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 SF 120 390 110 19 0 31 73 96 69 86 282 394 569 7 5 2000 SF 122 393 135 21 5 24 74 96 56 49 344 419 606 5 1 2001 CLE 124 439 123 29 1 28 83 74 62 85 280 369 542 5 1       As he gets older, Burks remains a good power hitter who clocks in regularly at 120 games per year. Given his age and his history with injuries, it is unlikely that he will be around much longer.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: Still hitting home runs. I hadn't realized this before, but Burks might have the sweetest swing of any right-handed hitter in the league.

BOSTON - Brian Daubach 30 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 BOS 110 381 112 33 3 21 61 73 36 92 294 360 562 0 1 2000 BOS 142 495 123 32 2 21 55 76 44 130 248 315 448 1 1 2001 BOS 122 407 107 28 3 22 54 71 53 108 263 350 509 1 0       Daubach had a solid year, somewhere between his good rookie season and his not-so-good sophomore season. Daubach isn't a good regular - he hit just .179 against left-handers. But against right-handed pitching he is a dangerous hitter.

OAKLAND - David Justice 36 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 CLE 133 429 123 18 0 21 75 88 94 90 287 413 476 1 3 2000 CLE-NYY 146 524 150 31 1 41 89 118 77 91 286 377 584 2 1 2001 NYY 111 381 92 16 1 18 58 51 54 83 241 333 430 1 2       I don't feel quite comfortable rating three old guys (Burks, Conine, Justice) ahead of three younger guys (Fullmer, Ortiz, Johnson) who could all be better players by the end of the season. But what the heck, it's an old man's position. Justice had a lousy, injury-plagued season in 2001, but it would be hasty to assume that he is finished, only a year removed from a 40-homer season.

ANAHEIM - Brad Fullmer 27 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 MON 100 347 96 34 2 9 38 47 22 35 277 321 464 2 3 2000 TOR 133 482 142 29 1 32 76 104 30 68 295 340 558 3 1 2001 TOR 146 522 143 31 2 18 71 83 38 88 274 326 444 5 2       Fullmer's fortunes tend to bob up and down from year to year. When he debuted with Montreal, he looked like a .300 hitter with line-drive power. That didn't work out, so he was shipped to Toronto. There, he put on some muscle and hit 32 homers in 2000.       Last year he regressed again. He didn't hit for average, didn't hit for power, didn't get on base, and didn't fit into the plans of the Jays' new GM, who essentially gave him away to Anaheim.       My own feeling is that Fullmer should be a consistent .300 hitter with 20-30 home runs a year, but he is so incredibly undisciplined at the plate that he keeps falling short of his potential. Anaheim's DH's were just awful last year, so at worst Fullmer should be an improvement on what they had before. But Angels fans should beware of having both Fullmer and Garret Anderson in the same lineup; they're going to see a lot of outs made from the left side of the plate.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: Has been OK, and has plugged up a big hole for the Angels.

MINNESOTA - David Ortiz 26 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 MIN 86 278 77 20 0 9 47 46 39 72 277 371 446 1 0 2000 MIN 130 415 117 36 1 10 59 63 57 81 282 364 446 1 0 2001 MIN 89 303 71 17 1 18 46 48 40 68 234 324 475 1 0       I stubbornly continue to believe that Ortiz will have a big season some day, even if he really hasn't done anything. Last year he was playing well until an injury knocked him out of the Twins' lineup; he then struggled when he returned. That's two major injuries that he has had in three years.       Still, he's young, he's big and strong, and he's the only power hitter that the Twins have. A big season is still in the cards.

NEW YORK YANKEES - Nick Johnson 24 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 AA 132 420 145 33 5 14 114 87 123 88 345 525 548 8 6 2001 AAA 110 359 92 20 0 18 68 49 81 105 256 407 462 9 2 2001 NYY 23 67 13 2 0 2 6 8 7 15 194 308 313 0 0       Johnson missed all of the 2000 season with a wrist injury. Last year he came back and played at Columbus, but didn't have a great season. He also got a few at bats with the Yankees, but wasn't impressive.       So the Yankees are going to make him their regular DH in 2002. Why? Because he's a great young player. His 1999 season was phenomenal, and established him as perhaps the best hitting prospect in the game. Last year was a disappointment, but I'll pin the blame on the missing season; hopefully, he'll get back on track this year.       Looking 3-4 years down the road, Johnson has Giambi-like potential, and ironically will be teamed with the Big Guy himself this year. I'm not sure how far away Johnson is from stardom, but at the very least he should be an improvement over Justice and Knoblauch.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: Has struggled, but so far the Yankees have stuck with him; they don't seem inclined to either demote him or trade him. Look for Johnson in 2003.

TORONTO - Vernon Wells 23 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 AA-AAA 59 235 76 14 3 7 38 38 22 37 323 376 498 11 3 2000 AAA 107 493 120 31 7 16 76 66 48 88 243 313 432 23 4 2001 AAA 127 413 116 27 4 12 57 52 29 68 281 333 463 15 11 2001 TOR 30 96 30 8 0 1 14 6 5 15 313 350 427 5 0       In 1999, Wells rocketed through four levels of ball and established himself, at age 20, as the Blue Jays' best prospect. Two disappointing years have since passed; last year's performance at Syracuse was a modest improvement on his ugly 2000 season, but it's still hard to say with any confidence whether this guy is going to be a good player.       He's only 23, so there is still time for him to develop. The Blue Jays already have three good outfielders, so Wells will probably open the season as a regular DH; he is a centre fielder by trade, and if he performs well, a trade and/or injuries will get him playing time in the outfield.

TAMPA BAY - Greg Vaughn 37 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 CIN 153 550 135 20 2 45 104 118 85 137 245 347 535 15 2 2000 TAM 127 461 117 27 1 28 83 74 80 128 254 365 499 8 1 2001 TAM 136 485 113 25 0 24 74 82 71 130 233 333 433 11 5       Vaughn doesn't do much except hit home runs, and he doesn't hit as many as he used to. He is a self-proclaimed "team leader", but it's tough to lead a team whose best player is a washed-up 37-year-old DH who can't stick in the lineup.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: Has raised his average to .163.

DETROIT - Dean Palmer 33 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 DET 150 560 147 25 2 38 92 100 57 153 263 339 518 3 3 2000 DET 145 524 134 22 2 29 73 102 66 146 256 338 471 4 2 2001 DET 57 216 48 11 0 11 34 40 27 59 222 317 426 4 1       Palmer's season was cut short by surgery to his shoulder. He apparently will be ready for spring training, and apparently is talking about playing third again. I'm going to list him as a DH anyways; Palmer was a terrible defensive player before he had the surgery, so I can't imagine that he will be any better now. He should just DH and hit some home runs and be happy.

KANSAS CITY - Dee Brown 24 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 AA 65 235 83 14 3 12 58 56 35 41 353 440 591 10 8 2000 AAA 125 479 129 25 6 23 76 70 37 112 269 324 491 20 3 2001 KC 106 380 93 19 0 7 39 40 22 81 245 286 350 5 3       Brown was a super-prospect a couple of years ago, but he was disappointing in 2000 and just miserable in 2001. He may play right field this year if Mark Quinn can't get his act together, or he may just ride the bench. But the Royals desperately need good players; given Brown's age and ability, it's certainly worth giving him another chance.