CINCINNATI - Ken Griffey 32 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 SEA 160 606 173 26 3 48 123 134 91 108 285 384 576 24 7 2000 CIN 145 520 141 22 3 40 100 118 94 117 271 387 556 6 4 2001 CIN 111 364 104 20 2 22 57 65 44 72 286 365 533 2 0       Griffey was hurt early in the season, then came back and played well. It's been four years since he had an MVP-type season, and Edmonds clearly has been the greater player the past two seasons, but Griffey is still a formidable talent, could hit 75 home runs or something when you least expect it.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: The Reds have gotten good power from their centre fielders; unfortunately, it hasn't been from Griffey, who gets hurt if you sneeze on him. Encarnacion has been as good as could have been hoped.

ST LOUIS - Jim Edmonds 32 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 ANA 55 204 51 17 2 5 34 23 28 45 250 339 426 5 4 2000 STL 152 525 155 25 0 42 129 108 103 167 295 411 583 10 3 2001 STL 150 500 152 38 1 30 95 110 93 136 304 410 564 5 5       Brilliant player, at bat and in the field. I have nothing but good things to say about Edmonds, whom the Cardinals got in return for Kent Bottenfield. Oddly enough, Michael Eisner reportedly nixed a deal this winter that would have sent Darin Erstad to Chicago, apparently because he didn't want to repeat the mistake of the Edmonds trade. This, I think, is a bit like locking the barn doors after the horse has been stolen.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: An extraordinary player, Edmonds spent some time on the DL, but otherwise is having an MVP-calibre season.

ATLANTA - Andruw Jones 25 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 ATL 162 592 163 35 5 26 97 84 76 103 275 365 483 24 12 2000 ATL 161 656 199 36 6 36 122 104 59 100 303 366 541 21 6 2001 ATL 161 625 157 25 2 34 104 104 56 142 251 312 461 11 4       His bat was a disappointment; the strikeouts were way up, the batting average was way down. But Jones still hits home runs, he is one of the greatest defensive centre fielders ever, and he is still only 25 years old. He is due for many better seasons in the future.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: He continues to struggle with hitting for average (.259), but 19 homers and peerless defense in centre were enough to put him on the All-Star team.

HOUSTON - Richard Hidalgo 27 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 HOU 108 383 87 25 2 15 49 56 56 73 227 328 420 8 5 2000 HOU 153 558 175 42 3 44 118 122 56 110 314 391 636 13 6 2001 HOU 146 512 141 29 3 19 70 80 54 107 275 356 455 3 5       I don't know what to make of him now. Hidalgo's value has bounced up and down so dramatically the past three seasons that it is very difficult to get a handle on what type of player he is. His numbers, averaged over the past three seasons, per 502 at bats: YEAR GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999-2001 141 502 139 33 3 27 82 89 57 100 277 365 516 8 6       It's not exactly scientific, but it seems like a reasonable representation of his abilities.

FLORIDA - Preston Wilson 28 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 FLO 149 482 135 21 4 26 67 71 46 156 280 350 502 11 4 2000 FLO 161 605 160 35 3 31 94 121 55 187 264 331 486 36 14 2001 FLO 123 468 128 30 2 23 70 71 36 107 274 331 494 20 8       Wilson missed a month with a thumb injury, otherwise he played about as well as he did in 2000. He's a quality player, probably isn't ever going to be a star. He also struggles at home, where his power disappears; in his career, Wilson has hit 70% more home runs on the road. Could hit 40 homers in another park.

SAN DIEGO - Mark Kotsay 26 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 FLO 148 495 134 23 9 8 57 50 29 50 271 306 402 7 6 2000 FLO 152 530 158 31 5 12 87 57 42 46 298 347 443 19 9 2001 SD 119 406 118 29 1 10 67 58 48 58 291 366 441 13 5       A Gold Glove outfielder who improves every year with the bat. Kotsay has dramatically improved his on-base percentage the past two seasons; he should remain a solid citizen in the outfield for San Diego, could still develop more power.

COLORADO - Juan Pierre 25 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 A 140 585 187 28 5 1 93 55 38 37 320 366 390 66 19 2000 AA 107 439 143 16 4 0 63 32 33 26 326 376 380 46 12 2000 COL 51 200 62 2 0 0 26 20 13 15 310 353 320 7 6 2001 COL 156 617 202 26 11 2 108 55 41 29 327 378 415 46 17       Pierre has no power, but he can run like the wind, and is a master at beating out infield hits. He also derived little benefit from playing in Colorado, batting .321 on the road. Now, if he could keep his average over .300 on the road, and boost his home average over .400, I'd really like him. It sounds like a lot to ask, but it really isn't.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: Is having a brutal season. Has no power, and hasn't hit on the road at all. The Rockies need to re-evaluate the types of players they keep in their lineup, cuz Pierre doesn't cut it.

NEW YORK METS - Roger Cedeno 28 S/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 NYM 155 453 142 23 4 4 90 36 60 100 313 396 408 66 17 2000 HOU 74 259 73 2 5 6 54 26 43 47 282 383 398 25 11 2001 DET 131 523 153 14 11 6 79 48 36 83 293 337 396 55 15       Cedeno is returning to the Mets, with whom he had his best season in 1999. Last year was a modest success for Cedeno; he was healthier, and had a decent season as a base stealer. But his on-base percentage was way down, and he really wasn't a very good leadoff man. In other words, he fit in well with the Tigers.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: Cedeno has been playing left field for the Mets, and has been just as bad as the guys they had last year. Perhaps giving all that money to a mediocre Detroit Tiger wasn't such a hot idea after all.

ARIZONA - Steve Finley 37 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 ARI 156 590 156 32 10 34 100 103 63 94 264 336 525 8 4 2000 ARI 152 539 151 27 5 35 100 96 65 87 280 361 544 12 6 2001 ARI 140 495 136 27 4 14 66 73 47 67 275 337 430 11 7       A veteran outfielder at the tail end of his career, Finley managed to contribute enough last season to help Arizona win a championship. Bob Brenly will be hoping to squeeze one more solid year out of him; like many Diamondbacks, Finley is getting older and probably doesn't have a lot left, but there is no obvious replacement for him.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: Is batting .284 with good power, giving Brenly everything he could hope for.

MILWAUKEE - Jeffrey Hammonds 31 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 CIN 123 262 73 13 0 17 43 41 27 64 279 347 523 3 6 2000 COL 122 454 152 24 2 20 94 106 44 83 335 395 529 14 7 2001 MIL 49 174 43 11 1 6 20 21 14 42 247 314 425 5 3       Hammonds put up some big numbers with Colorado in 2000, so the Brewers decided to gamble $22 million to see if he could duplicate those numbers at sea level. It didn't work out. Granted, a shoulder injury didn't help; when healthy, Hammonds is a decent player, better suited as a fourth outfielder than as a regular. But he gets hurt a lot, and he's not so young anymore. I doubt that the Brewers are going to get much in return for their investment.

SAN FRANCISCO - Tsuyoshi Shinjo 30 R/R or Marvin Benard 32 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS BENARD 1999 SF 149 562 163 36 5 16 100 64 55 97 290 359 457 27 14 2000 SF 149 560 147 27 6 12 102 55 63 97 263 342 396 22 7 2001 SF 129 392 104 19 2 15 70 44 29 66 265 320 439 10 5 SHINJO 2001 NYM 123 400 107 23 1 10 46 56 25 70 267 320 405 4 5       The Giants leadoff men were miserable last year, and were a big reason that the team couldn't make full use out of Barry Bonds' 73 homers. Benard has hit at the top of the order the past few years, but after his performance last year, the Giants decided to go out and get Shinjo.       Shinjo was a part of the Mets' outfield problem, and doesn't have much to offer except some good defense. Both Benard and Shinjo would be decent fourth outfielders; neither is a good regular, and neither is a leadoff man. Of course, we've only seen Shinjo for one season, so he may yet surprise us; my guess is that he will get the bulk of the playing time in centre.

PHILADELPHIA - Doug Glanville 32 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 PHI 150 628 204 38 6 11 101 73 48 82 325 376 457 34 2 2000 PHI 154 637 175 27 6 8 89 52 31 76 275 307 374 31 8 2001 PHI 153 634 166 24 3 14 74 55 19 91 262 285 375 28 6       Glanville has played very poorly the past two seasons. The things that he provides - speed, defense, durability - aren't enough to overcome his serious shortcomings at the plate. With little power, a low batting average and a horrible on-base percentage, he puts very few runs on the board. Glanville's raw totals - 74 runs scored, 55 RBI - are unacceptable for an outfielder who bats 634 times in a season. The Phillies, I assume, will want to stay in the hunt for the playoffs next year, but they need a new centre fielder.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: The Phillies still need a new centre fielder. Glanville has been one of the worst hitters in all of baseball.

CHICAGO CUBS - Corey Patterson 22 L/R or Roosevelt Brown 27 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS PATTERSON 1999 A 112 475 152 35 17 20 94 79 25 85 320 358 592 33 9 2000 AA 118 444 116 26 5 22 73 82 45 115 261 338 491 27 14 2000 CHC 11 42 7 1 0 2 9 2 3 14 167 239 333 1 1 2001 CHC 59 131 29 3 0 4 26 14 6 33 221 266 336 4 0 BROWN 2000 AAA 100 363 112 32 0 12 67 55 37 60 309 381 496 10 3 2001 AAA 88 364 126 34 1 22 68 77 14 67 346 381 626 3 5 2000 CHC 45 91 32 8 0 3 11 14 4 22 352 378 538 0 1 2001 CHC 39 83 22 6 1 4 13 22 7 12 265 326 506 0 0       In the ass-backwards world that the Cubs live in, Corey Patterson and Roosevelt Brown are both candidates to play centre field. Brown has been ready to play for several years, but the Cubs refuse to put him in the lineup. Patterson was just awful last year, but will likely get the starting job.       Patterson was a terrific prospect two years ago, and is still very young. He may yet turn into a decent player, but probably not this year. And while the Cubs may say nice things about Brown, they obviously have no intention of ever playing him. My guess: the Cubs start the year with Patterson in centre, then send him back down to Iowa and sign Darren Lewis.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: Patterson has stuck in the lineup, and has been better than I expected. I'm still only moderately impressed, but he's young enough to become the new Juan Samuel.

MONTREAL - Peter Bergeron 24 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 AAA 58 194 61 12 3 3 36 20 23 40 314 386 454 14 8 2000 MON 148 518 127 25 7 5 80 31 58 100 245 320 349 11 13 2001 MON 102 375 79 11 4 3 53 16 28 87 211 275 285 10 7       Bergeron had some terrific years in the minors, but has done absolutely nothing with the ample opportunities given to him by the Expos. Last year he had a horrible start, then had a sizzling hot streak and raised his average up to .250, then went cold again. He's only 24, and has probably shown enough that he will get another chance to play. The Expos don't have many other options.

PITTSBURGH - Adrian Brown 28 S/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 PIT 116 226 61 5 2 4 34 17 33 39 270 364 363 5 3 2000 PIT 104 308 97 18 3 4 64 28 29 34 315 373 432 13 1 2001 PIT 8 31 6 0 0 1 3 2 3 3 194 265 290 2 1       Brown opened last season as the Pirates' centre fielder, but tore up his right shoulder in April and missed most of the year. He should be back in the lineup in 2002; he does a decent job of getting on base and he can run a little, and the Pirates' options are limited.       Another possibility is Chad Hermansen, a young slugger who we have been hearing about for years. Hermansen had an awful year at Nashville, and his status as a prospect has come into question. Brown is probably the best option.

LOS ANGELES - Marquis Grissom 35 R/R or Tom Goodwin 34 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS GRISSOM 1999 MIL 154 603 161 27 1 20 92 83 49 109 267 320 415 24 6 2000 MIL 146 595 145 18 2 14 67 62 39 99 244 288 351 20 10 2001 LA 135 448 99 17 1 21 56 60 16 107 221 250 404 7 5 GOODWIN 1999 TEX 109 405 105 12 6 3 63 33 40 61 259 324 341 39 11 2000 COL-LA 147 528 139 11 9 6 94 58 68 117 263 346 352 55 10 2001 LA 105 286 66 8 5 4 51 22 23 58 231 286 336 22 8       The Dodgers have some problems in centre field. Grissom was just awful last year, and Goodwin is not much better. Their only other options, at the moment, are Dave Roberts and McKay Christiansen, and those aren't really good options. They desperately need to find another outfielder, anybody; both Shawn Green and Brian Jordan would be better options in centre than the other four guys.       MID-SEASON UPDATE: Wow. The Dodgers have gotten incredible production from their centre fielders, Grissom and Dave Roberts. Grissom has reinvented himself as a power hitter; Roberts is a classic leadoff man, hits .300 and gets on base and runs. They are an interesting platoon.

CENTRE FIELDERS - BOTH LEAGUES
1 Bernie Williams	11 Preston Wilson	21 Jeffrey Hammonds
2 Ken Griffey Jr	12 Mark Kotsay	22 Tsuyoshi Shinjo
3 Jim Edmonds	13 Terrence Long	23 Doug Glanville
4 Andruw Jones	14 Carl Everett	24 Jason Tyner
5 Carlos Beltran	15 Torii Hunter	25 Jose Macias
6 Mike Cameron	16 Juan Pierre	26 Corey Patterson
7 Richard Hidalgo	17 Roger Cedeno	27 Peter Bergeron
8 Johnny Damon	18 Steve Finley	28 Adrian Brown
9 Jose Cruz Jr	19 Chris Singleton	29 Brady Anderson
10 Darin Erstad	20 Kenny Lofton	30 Marquis Grissom