BOSTON - Manny Ramirez 30 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 CLE 147 522 174 34 3 44 131 165 96 131 333 442 663 2 4 2000 CLE 118 439 154 34 2 38 92 122 86 117 351 457 697 1 1 2001 CLE 142 529 162 33 2 41 93 125 81 147 306 405 609 0 1       Ramirez was a top MVP candidate at midseason, but both his team's fortunes and his own sunk in the second half of the season. He is one of the best hitters in baseball, and is capable of winning a Triple Crown.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: Was the MVP in May, then broke a bone in his hand.

TORONTO - Shannon Stewart 28 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 TOR 145 608 185 28 2 11 102 67 59 83 304 371 411 37 14 2000 TOR 136 583 186 43 5 21 107 69 37 79 319 363 518 20 5 2001 TOR 155 640 202 44 7 12 103 60 46 72 316 371 462 27 10       Stewart is a .300 hitter who has some pop and can run the bases. At this writing, the Blue Jays haven't decided who their DH is going to be; Stewart, however, is easily their weakest defensive outfielder, so he may get the nod, though I don't think he would be too happy about it. He's a quality player, would be a better leadoff man if he could draw a few more walks.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: Apart from Ramirez, AL left-fielders are really boring.

TEXAS - Frank Catalanotto 28 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 DET 100 286 79 19 0 11 41 35 15 49 276 327 458 3 4 2000 TEX 103 282 82 13 2 10 55 42 33 36 291 375 457 6 2 2001 TEX 133 463 153 31 5 11 77 54 39 55 330 391 490 15 5       Yeah, I can see why the Tigers wouldn't want Catalanotto. After all, who needs a .330 hitter who can play every position? Not the Tigers, that's for sure!       Catalanotto may not play left field in 2002; he may play second base or third base or centre field or DH or wherever the Rangers need him. He gets on base and hits for average and has a little power; assuming that he plays every day and bats at the top of the order ahead of Greer, Gonzalez, Palmeiro and the Rodriguezes, he should score a lot of runs.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: Injured.

DETROIT - Bobby Higginson 32 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 DET 107 377 90 18 0 12 51 46 64 66 239 351 382 4 6 2000 DET 154 597 179 44 4 30 104 102 74 99 300 377 538 15 3 2001 DET 147 541 150 28 6 17 84 71 80 65 277 367 445 20 12       A solid hitter with a fearsome throwing arm. As Higginson nears the final phase of his career, it is apparent that he will never be a consistent run producer. He does a little bit of everything, and occasionally busts loose with a big year; he would be a great addition to a team that already had some better players.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: Zzzzzz.

NEW YORK YANKEES - Rondell White 30 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 MON 138 539 168 26 6 22 83 64 32 85 312 359 505 10 6 2000 MON-CHC 94 357 111 26 0 13 59 61 33 79 311 374 493 5 3 2001 CHC 95 323 99 19 1 17 43 50 26 56 307 371 529 1 0       Another year, another set of injuries. White is a terrific hitter, has now batted over .300 in four straight seasons, but he can't stay in the lineup. Knowing the Yankees, however, this will prove to be a great signing; even if White suffers his usual assortment of ailments, he is still a heck of an improvement over Chuck Knoblauch.

ANAHEIM - Garret Anderson 30 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 ANA 157 620 188 36 2 21 88 80 34 81 303 336 469 3 4 2000 ANA 159 647 185 40 3 35 92 117 24 87 286 307 519 7 6 2001 ANA 161 672 194 39 2 28 83 123 27 100 289 314 478 13 6       I keep reading about how Anderson is one of the game's more underrated and underappreciated players. He never misses a game, bangs out 180+ hits every year, hits homers, drives in runs...       Well, he certainly earns top marks for durability, and he is reasonably consistent. He's usually around the .300 mark, is never far above or below that level. Batting in the middle of the order pads his RBI numbers. But his on-base percentage is atrocious, among the worst of all the league's regular players. And his power numbers are nothing special for a left fielder who bats 672 times in a season. He's OK, but he doesn't put nearly as many runs on the board as it would first seem.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX - Carlos Lee 26 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 CHW 127 492 144 32 2 16 66 84 13 72 293 312 463 4 2 2000 CHW 152 572 172 29 2 24 107 92 38 94 301 345 484 13 4 2001 CHW 150 558 150 33 3 24 75 84 38 85 269 321 468 17 7       Lee's season was a disappointment. After establishing himself as a .300 hitter, he was supposed to start hitting for more power. Instead, he lost 30 points off his batting average. Like his team, I expect Lee to make a comeback in 2002; he is young and talented, and I wouldn't be surprised if he went .300-30-100 this year. He is also developing into a good baserunner.

SEATTLE - Mark McLemore 37 S/R and Ruben Sierra 36 S/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS MCLEMORE 1999 TEX 144 566 155 20 7 6 105 45 83 79 274 363 366 16 8 2000 SEA 138 481 118 23 1 3 72 46 81 78 245 353 316 30 14 2001 SEA 125 409 117 16 9 5 78 57 69 84 286 384 406 39 7 SIERRA 2001 TEX 94 344 100 22 1 23 55 67 19 52 291 322 561 2 0       There were many reasons why the Mariners won 116 games last season, but McLemore was one that often got overlooked. True, he doesn't have as much power as you expect from a left fielder, but did a terrific job of getting on base, and had a sensational year as a base stealer.       Now we have the makings of an interesting platoon. McLemore doesn't have power, but he can run and get on base. Ruben Sierra can't run or get on base, but he has power. Sierra in 2001 had the kind of season that he used to have - ten years ago. I could rank these guys higher, based on what they did last year, but they're not young anymore, and a repeat of what they accomplished last year would be a surprise.

OAKLAND - Jeremy Giambi 28 L/L and Eric Byrnes 26 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS GIAMBI 1999 KC 90 288 82 13 1 3 34 34 40 67 285 373 368 0 0 2000 OAK 104 260 66 10 2 10 42 50 32 61 254 338 423 0 0 2001 OAK 124 371 105 26 0 12 64 57 63 83 283 391 450 0 1 BYRNES 1999 A 96 365 123 28 1 6 86 66 58 37 337 433 468 28 8 2000 AA-AAA 134 502 159 48 3 14 104 84 74 68 317 400 508 33 16 2001 AAA 100 415 120 23 2 20 81 51 33 66 289 343 499 25 3       A Tale of Two Brothers: on the same day that his older brother signed a $120 million contract, Jeremy got busted for marijuana possession. While it would appear that the younger Giambi is not destined for stardom, he is a solid player, does a good job of getting on base and has a little power. The Athletics will need his bat in the lineup.

TAMPA BAY - Ben Grieve 26 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 OAK 148 486 129 21 0 28 80 86 63 108 265 358 481 4 0 2000 OAK 158 594 166 40 1 27 92 104 73 130 279 359 487 3 0 2001 TAM 154 542 143 30 2 11 72 72 87 159 264 372 387 7 1       Grieve's first season in Tampa Bay probably didn't endear him to the hometown fans. His power stroke vanished; I don't think that 11 homers and 159 strikeouts was the kind of production that the Devil Rays envisioned when they acquired him.       Still, it's a little early to give up on him. He's only 26, and even in a stinky season he had a good on base percentage. I suspect that he will sort out his problems and have some much better seasons. When this will happen, I can't say... Luis Gonzalez didn't figure out how to hit until he was 32.

MINNESOTA - Jacques Jones 27 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 MIN 95 322 93 24 2 9 54 44 17 63 289 329 460 3 4 2000 MIN 154 523 149 26 5 19 66 76 26 111 285 319 463 7 5 2001 MIN 149 475 131 25 0 14 57 49 39 92 276 335 417 12 9       Jones improved in some areas in his game, keeping his average decent while drawing more walks. But he had a power shortage; I expect him to do better this year, hit 20-25 home runs. He does a little bit of everything, but doesn't do any one thing well enough to put a lot of runs on the board.

KANSAS CITY - Chuck Knoblauch 34 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 NYY 150 603 176 36 4 18 120 68 83 57 292 393 454 28 9 2000 NYY 102 400 113 22 2 5 75 26 46 45 283 366 385 15 7 2001 NYY 137 521 130 20 3 9 66 44 58 73 250 339 351 38 9       Knoblauch has moved to Kansas City, where he presumably won't win any more championsip rings. Chuckie's first season in left field was not a good one; he struggled badly with both his bat and his glove (though he did have one of his best years as a base stealer). He's exactly what the Royals don't need, an old guy who is just playing out the string.

BALTIMORE - Marty Cordova 33 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 MIN 124 425 121 28 3 14 62 70 48 96 285 365 464 13 4 2000 TOR 62 200 49 7 0 4 23 18 18 35 245 317 340 3 2 2001 CLE 122 409 123 20 2 20 61 69 23 81 301 348 506 0 3       Cordova had a super-hot start to the season, then gradually cooled down over the course of the summer. Given his age, his decline over the past few years and in the second half of last season, I see no reason to be optimistic about 2002. He's not a quality regular.

CLEVELAND - Russell Branyan 26 L/R or Alex Escobar 24 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS ESCOBAR 2000 AA 122 437 126 25 7 16 79 67 57 114 288 375 487 24 5 2001 AAA 111 397 106 21 4 12 55 52 35 146 267 327 431 18 3 2001 NYM 18 50 10 1 0 3 3 8 3 19 200 245 400 1 0 BRANYAN 1999 AAA 109 395 82 11 1 30 51 67 52 187 208 305 468 8 3 2000 AAA 64 229 56 9 2 21 46 60 28 93 245 330 576 1 1 2000 CLE 67 193 46 7 2 16 32 38 22 76 238 327 544 0 0 2001 CLE 113 315 73 16 2 20 48 54 38 132 232 316 486 1 1       The Indians have a number of options in their outfield, none of which are very good. One option is Russell Branyan, whom the Indians are apparently reluctant to play every day, despite his prodigious power. They are worried that he will strike out 200 times, and they're right; he very well might. He might strike out 250 times.       Another option is Alex Escobar, whom they acquired from the Mets in the Alomar trade. Escobar was a hot prospect a couple of years ago, but last year had a poor season at Norfolk. He's got a little power and some speed, but he has no command of the strike zone; at the moment, he looks like the second coming of Juan Encarnacion.       The Indians also have Brady Anderson, who had a disastrous season with Baltimore last year. Branyan could play third if Fryman gets hurt, or the Indians could decide to use either Anderson or Escobar in centre. Or they could decide to use Wil Cordero.       I don't anticipate a big comeback from Anderson, and Cordero is probably my least favourite ballplayer. In the long run, I think that Branyan has more potential than Escobar with the bat. The Indians should just give Branyan the job; who knows, he might surprise us.       ADDENDUM: Escobar is gone for the year with a torn ACL. The Indians don't have a lot of outfield depth to begin with, and this doesn't help. On the other hand, it could make the decision over who plays and who doesn't a tad easier.

LEFT FIELDERS - BOTH LEAGUES
1 Barry Bonds	11 Bobby Higginson	21 Placido Polanco
2 Chipper Jones	12 Rondell White	22 Todd Hollandsworth
3 Manny Ramirez	13 Pat Burrell	23 Jeremy Giambi
4 Luis Gonzalez	14 Geoff Jenkins	24 Ben Grieve
5 Brian Giles	15 Brian Jordan	25 Jacques Jones
6 Cliff Floyd	16 Garret Anderson	26 Chuck Knoblauch
7 Moises Alou	17 Carlos Lee	27 Marty Cordova
8 Shannon Stewart	18 Mark McLemore	28 Russell Branyan
9 Adam Dunn	19 Ray Lankford	29 Brad Wilkerson
10 Frank Catalanotto	20 Daryle Ward	30 Jay Payton