CHICAGO WHITE SOX - Frank Thomas 35 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2002 CHW 148 523 132 29 1 28 77 92 88 115 252 361 472 3 0       2002 wasn't everything that either Thomas or the Sox wanted it to be. Thomas struggled for much of the year, and the Sox failed to take a winnable division. It was a bit of a surprise that Thomas ended up signing back with the White Sox, and for as much money as he did. They could have had him for a lot less — but then, maybe there is something to be said about treating well the team's best player of the past 50 years, if not all-time.       As for this season, the bad news is that Thomas is turning 35, and over his past 600 at bats has hit .249. The good news is, well, he's Frank Thomas, he hit much better after the All-Star break then before, and is still a better option than most other DHs.

TAMPA BAY - Aubrey Huff 26 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 AAA 108 408 129 36 3 20 73 76 51 72 316 394 566 2 3 2000 TAM 39 122 35 7 0 4 12 14 5 18 287 318 443 0 0 2001 TAM 111 411 102 25 1 8 42 45 23 72 248 288 372 1 3 2002 TAM 113 454 142 25 0 23 67 59 37 55 313 364 520 4 1       The Devil Rays have developed — um, how can we put this nicely? — a complex with regards to evaluating players. Huff spent all of April and most of May at Durham before the Rays called him up; he was easily their best player the rest of the year, and is one of their few bright spots entering the 2003 season.       I mean, it's not as if this guy is a sleeper or anything. Everybody knew before the season that Huff was Tampa's best young player, and yet... somehow, for two months, he was deemed not fit to play on the worst roster in baseball.

MINNESOTA - Bobby Kielty 25 S/R and Matt LeCroy 27 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS KIELTY 2000 AA 129 451 118 30 3 14 79 65 98 109 262 396 435 6 4 2001 AAA 94 341 98 25 2 12 58 50 53 76 287 391 478 5 0 2001 MIN 37 104 26 8 0 2 8 14 8 25 250 297 385 3 0 2002 MIN 112 289 84 14 3 12 49 46 52 66 291 405 484 4 1 LECROY 2000 AA-AAA 70 260 75 17 1 15 48 53 33 45 288 381 535 0 0 2001 AAA 101 396 130 17 0 20 53 80 36 95 328 390 523 0 2 2000 MIN 56 167 29 10 0 5 18 17 17 38 174 254 323 0 0 2001 MIN 15 40 17 5 0 3 6 12 0 8 425 429 775 0 1 2002 MIN 63 181 47 11 1 7 19 27 13 38 260 306 448 0 2       The Twins have so many options at this position that I can't list them all. Kielty has to play somewhere, either in the field or at DH; he was the Twins' best hitter last year and needs a chance to play every day. LeCroy is a catcher who has power but can't get any at bats; he needs a chance to play as well.       The Twins also have three young outfielders named Mike — Cuddyer, Ryan and Restovich — who are all good and need a chance to play. Obviously, someone is going to end up back in the minors or in another uniform; for now, their best bet is to give as many at bats to Kielty as they can and see what he can do.

CLEVELAND - Ellis Burks 39 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2002 CLE 138 518 156 28 0 32 92 91 44 108 301 362 541 2 3       Now 39 years old, Burks remains an injury risk but he is also a scary power hitter. He was healthier than usual last year, and never slowed down, batting .390 in September. The DH role suits him well.

SEATTLE - Edgar Martinez 40 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2002 SEA 97 328 91 23 0 15 42 59 67 69 277 403 485 1 1       For the first time in his career, Martinez played like someone who is getting kind of old. He has turned 40; he is vulnerable to injuries, and his bat speed may be slowing. But his tremendous plate discipline and knowledge of the strike zone will make him a productive hitter for another 2-3 seasons.

TORONTO - Josh Phelps 25 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 AA 56 184 42 9 1 9 23 28 15 66 228 308 435 1 0 2001 AA 136 486 142 36 1 31 95 97 80 127 292 406 562 3 3 2002 AAA 70 257 75 20 1 24 50 64 32 83 292 380 658 0 0 2002 TOR 74 265 82 20 1 15 41 58 19 82 309 362 562 0 0       Phelps is a bruiser. He is big and strong and hits the ball a mile; soon after he was called up the majors, he hit a home run into the fifth deck at the SkyDome off Roger Clemens. He drove in 58 runs in 74 games, ensuring that he is in the majors to stay.       Phelps is apparently going to be the DH. He was a catcher in the minors; even the first half of last season, when he played at Syracuse, he was a catcher. But when he was called up to the Jays, management decided that they didn't want him to catch anymore. There is some logic to this; Phelps is big, tall and lanky, whereas catchers are usually short and squat. Catching may also hurt his hitting ability.       On the other hand, he says that he likes to catch, plus he has a strong throwing arm. The Blue Jays very desperately need a catcher and still don't have one. Phelps is big, but he's no bigger than Mike Piazza, who has been a durable force behind the plate. I also find it bizarre that the Jays would use him exclusively as a catcher in the minors, when they didn't want him to play the position.       Ultimately, Phelps is probably ticketed for first base, as soon as Carlos Delgado leaves the Jays. For now, he will DH, and he should hit some home runs.

BOSTON - Jeremy Giambi 28 L/L and Kevin Millar 31 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS GIAMBI 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 2002 OAK-PHI 124 313 81 17 0 20 58 45 79 94 259 414 505 0 1 MILLAR 2000 FLO 123 259 67 14 3 14 36 42 36 47 259 364 498 0 0 2001 FLO 144 449 141 39 5 20 62 85 39 70 314 374 557 0 0 2002 FLO 126 438 134 41 0 16 58 57 40 74 306 366 509 0 2       The Younger Giambi had the best season of his career, though he acquired some warts as well. First, he was traded by the Athletics — who went on a torrid winning streak soon after he left. In Philadelphia, he crushed the ball for a few weeks, then was benched so that the miserable Travis Lee could play instead.       So, we know that Giambi can hit, we just can't figure out why teams don't want him. The Red Sox are hoping that he will be a low-cost run producer, and a significant improvement over Tony Clark and Brian Daubach (which he is). My best guess is that Giambi has just been a victim of circumstances, and will thrive in the right situation.       Also in the mix is Millar, who survived Millargate over the winter when he agreed to play in Japan then changed his mind and went to Boston instead, a move that placed great stress on American-Japanese relations and threatened to destabilize southeast Asia. Millar can hit, and will put much better numbers in Fenway than he did on Florida. Either one of these guys could end up playing first base as well.

ANAHEIM - Brad Fullmer 28 L/R and Shawn Wooten 31 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS FULLMER 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 2002 ANA 130 429 124 35 6 19 75 59 32 44 289 357 531 10 3 WOOTEN 2000 AA-AAA 117 443 145 33 5 20 75 77 35 68 327 380 560 4 1 2001 ANA 79 221 69 8 1 8 24 32 5 42 312 332 466 2 0 2002 ANA 49 113 33 8 0 3 13 19 6 24 292 331 442 2 0        The Angels in 2001 had a terrible problem at the DH position; they fixed it by picking up Fullmer from the Blue Jays, in a trade in which they essentially gave up nothing in return. The Jays didn't like his salary and his wild swings, and had other players who were younger and cheaper. But Fullmer had a terrific year, and was one of the key improvements that turned the Angels into champions. He's a good player, cut his strikeouts by over 60% last season. Wooten gets most of the at bats against left-handers and does a good job.

OAKLAND - Erubiel Durazo 29 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 ARI 67 196 52 11 0 8 35 33 34 43 265 373 444 1 0 2001 ARI 92 175 47 11 0 12 34 38 28 49 269 372 537 0 0 2002 ARI 76 222 58 12 2 16 46 48 49 60 261 395 550 0 1       Durazo made three trips to the disabled list last season, slowed by a strained back, a broken bone in his wrist and a strained oblique muscle. When he broke in four years ago, he looked like a monster who was going to eat up the league. But injuries have turned him into a very useful role player on an outstanding Arizona team.       The Athletics are going to give him a shot at the DH role this season. The thinking is that he will have a good chance of staying healthy and having a big year. I think that Durazo is capable of hitting 40 homers in a season, but I also think that he will find some way, some how, to get hurt again. Will still hit 20-30 homers.

NEW YORK YANKEES - Nick Johnson 25 L/L and Todd Zeile 37 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS JOHNSON 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 2002 NYY 129 378 92 15 0 15 56 58 48 98 243 347 402 1 3 ZEILE 2000 NYM 153 544 146 36 3 22 67 79 74 85 268 356 467 3 4 2001 NYM 151 531 141 25 1 10 68 62 73 102 266 359 373 1 0 2002 COL 144 506 138 23 0 18 61 87 66 92 273 353 425 1 1 2002 HOME 73 248 78 13 0 11 41 56 43 39 315 414 500 0 1 2002 ROAD 70 258 60 10 0 7 20 31 23 53 233 291 353 1 0              Zeile's season was ruined by a terrible July in which he hit .145 with zero homers. But even his other months were propped up by Coors Field; Zeile's skills are basically the same as those of Ron Coomer, whom he replaces in the Yankees' lineup.

TEXAS - Herbert Perry 34 R/R and Ruben Sierra 37 S/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS PERRY 2000 TAM-CHW 116 411 124 30 1 12 71 62 24 75 302 350 467 4 1 2001 CHW 92 285 73 21 1 7 38 32 23 55 256 326 411 2 2 2002 TEX 132 450 124 24 1 22 64 77 34 66 276 333 480 4 2 SIERRA 2001 TEX 94 344 100 22 1 23 55 67 19 52 291 322 561 2 0 2002 SEA 122 419 113 23 0 13 47 60 31 66 270 319 418 4 0       How quickly things changed. Sierra continued his remarkable career revival when he hit .382 in April; at the All-Star break, he was batting .299 with 51 RBI. After the break, however, he batted just .203 with two homers, nine RBI. The Mariners let him go, and he was forced to sign a minor-league deal with the Rangers.       The bad news, of course, is that Sierra is 37 years old, and his comeback was pretty unlikely to begin with. On the other hand, almost every Mariner had a terrible second half of the season for one reason or another, so maybe a change of location is all Ruben needs.       The Rangers have other options. Herbert Perry is a solid player who filled in at third base after Hank Blalock faltered. Blalock will be back this year, but Perry has power and can still help the club.       Another option is Mark Teixeira, who some consider the best hitting prospect in baseball. Teixeira will likely start the season in the minors, though if he is as good as everyone says he is then he should probably be playing in the majors. Teixeira may force his way into the Rangers' lineup early in the season.

DETROIT - Eric Munson 25 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 AA 98 365 92 21 4 15 52 68 39 96 252 348 455 5 2 2001 AA 142 519 135 35 1 26 88 102 84 141 260 371 482 0 3 2002 AAA 136 477 125 30 4 24 77 84 77 114 262 367 493 1 3       The Tigers have been trying to teach Munson to play third base, but without much progress so far. But however bad he might be, he surely can't be any worse than the current third sacker, Dean Palmer. Munson was once a top prospect with the Tigers, but his progress has been slow. He has power and patience at the plate, but struggles to make contact. My guess is that he will start as the DH, maybe move to third after Palmer gets hurt. I hope he has power to the opposite field, because the Tigers are moving in the fences in left.

BALTIMORE - David Segui 37 S/L and Chris Richard 29 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS SEGUI 2000 TEX-CLE 150 574 192 42 1 19 93 103 53 84 334 388 510 0 1 2001 BAL 82 292 88 18 1 10 48 46 49 61 301 406 473 1 1 2002 BAL 26 95 25 4 0 2 10 16 11 22 263 336 368 0 0 RICHARD 2000 STL-BAL 62 215 57 14 2 14 39 37 17 40 265 326 544 7 5 2001 BAL 136 483 128 31 3 15 74 61 45 100 265 335 435 11 9 2002 BAL 50 155 36 11 0 4 15 21 12 30 232 292 381 0 3       Segui is always listed as the Orioles' DH, which makes no sense to me because he is a wonderful defensive player, but if that's where they are going to play him then so be it. It doesn't really matter, given that he is now 37 years and missed almost all of last season with a bad wrist. He was terrific in 2000-01, but age and injuries will likely cut into his performance.       Richard also missed much of last season after having surgery on his left shoulder. Segui does a good job of getting on base, Richard can hit home runs; they could be a decent combination if either one can stay healthy.

KANSAS CITY - Michael Tucker 32 L/R and Ken Harvey 25 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS TUCKER 2000 CIN 148 270 72 13 4 15 55 36 44 64 267 381 511 13 6 2001 CIN-CHC 149 436 110 19 8 12 62 61 46 102 252 322 415 16 8 2002 KC 144 475 118 27 6 12 65 56 56 105 248 330 406 23 9 HARVEY 2000 A 46 164 55 10 0 4 20 25 14 29 335 411 470 0 2 2001 AA 79 314 106 20 3 9 54 63 18 60 338 372 506 3 0 2002 AAA 128 488 135 30 1 20 75 75 42 87 277 342 465 8 3       Tucker is a known quantity a veteran who, at age 32 and after two mediocre season, probably can't be counted on providing much offense this season. Harvey was an oustanding hitter in the lower minors but didn't do so well last year in his first year at Omaha. He's 25 and can't waste more time in the minors, he has to get his career moving now. If the Royals are lucky, he will turn into a solid Ken Millar-type hitter.