CHICAGO WHITE SOX - Magglio Ordonez 29 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 CHW 153 588 185 34 3 32 102 126 60 64 315 371 546 18 4 2001 CHW 160 593 181 40 1 31 97 113 70 70 305 382 533 25 7 2002 CHW 153 590 189 47 1 38 116 135 53 77 320 381 597 7 5       One of the best power hitters in baseball, Ordonez had his best season to date in 2002, though no one seemed to notice. It is not a big stretch to think that the White Sox will rebound this year and take their division, in which case Ordonez has to be considered one of the prime candidates to win the MVP Award.

SEATTLE - Ichiro Suzuki 29 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2001 SEA 157 692 242 34 8 8 127 69 30 53 350 381 457 56 14 2002 SEA 157 647 208 27 8 8 111 51 68 62 321 388 425 31 15       Ichiro had a great first half, and appeared to have a real shot at another MVP Award at midseason. Not only was he leading the batting race, he was also drawing more walks and getting on base. But he caught the Seattle flu some time during the summer; Ichiro's average dropped for four straight months, while the Mariners dropped out of the playoff picture.       On the whole, it was still a good season. Ichiro will be up around .340 next year; I expect that he's still making adjustments at the plate as well. If he keeps drawing more walks, that would be great; his base stealing declined badly, which isn't such a terrible thing, but it would be nice to see him try driving the ball a little more.

ANAHEIM - Tim Salmon 35 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 ANA 158 568 165 36 2 34 108 97 104 139 290 404 540 0 2 2001 ANA 137 475 108 21 1 17 63 49 96 121 227 365 383 9 3 2002 ANA 138 483 138 37 1 22 84 88 71 102 286 380 503 6 3       He had a stunning comeback season. Salmon struggled in 2001, and began last year by hitting .192 in April. It looked as if the end had already come, but he rebounded and had a great season. He is, arguably, the best player the Angels have ever had; he is also 35 years old and extremely vulnerable to injuries. The next major injury may finish him.

MINNESOTA - Mike Cuddyer 24 R/R and Dustan Mohr 28 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS MOHR 2000 A 101 370 98 19 2 11 58 75 35 65 265 338 416 7 4 2001 AA 135 518 174 41 3 24 90 91 49 111 336 395 566 9 9 2002 MIN 120 383 103 23 2 12 55 45 31 86 269 325 433 6 3 CUDDYER 2000 AA 138 490 129 30 8 6 72 61 55 93 263 351 394 5 4 2001 AA 141 509 153 36 3 30 95 87 75 106 301 395 560 5 9 2002 AAA 86 330 102 16 9 20 70 53 36 79 309 379 594 12 7 2002 MIN 41 112 29 7 0 4 12 13 8 30 259 311 429 2 0       For the moment, Mohr is still a major player in the Twins' outfield; the Twins, however, have many outstanding young outfielders, and Mohr isn't one of them. He was an old rookie last season, age 27; he played brilliantly in April and had strong numbers heading into the All-Star break, but he slumped badly the second half of the season.       Mohr has earned a spot on the roster, but the Twins also have to find playing time for the three Mike's, Ryan, Restovich and Cuddyer. Cuddyer is the best of the group; he has great power potential, and has nothing left to prove in the minors. He should be the first real power hitter that the Twins have had in a long time. If I were a Twins fan, I would want Cuddyer to play every day.

OAKLAND - Jermaine Dye 29 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 KC 157 601 193 41 2 33 107 118 69 99 321 390 561 0 1 2001 KC-OAK 158 599 169 31 1 26 91 106 57 112 282 346 467 9 1 2002 OAK 131 488 123 27 1 24 74 86 52 108 252 333 459 2 0       Dye's season was a disappointment. He struggled to hit for average the whole year, and didn't find his powe stroke until late in summer. He will rebound and have a better season; he is only 29 years old. He also hit just one home run against left-handed pitching, and that number will surely improve this season.

BOSTON - Trot Nixon 29 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 BOS 123 427 118 27 8 12 66 60 63 85 276 368 461 8 1 2001 BOS 148 535 150 31 4 27 100 88 79 113 280 376 505 7 4 2002 BOS 152 532 136 36 3 24 81 94 65 109 256 338 470 4 2       Tricky Trot is a nice little player for the Red Sox. Last year was a bit of a disappointment but he will play better this year, bat around .280 with some power.

TEXAS - Juan Gonzalez 33 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 DET 115 461 133 30 2 22 69 67 32 84 289 337 505 1 2 2001 CLE 140 532 173 34 1 35 97 140 41 94 325 370 590 1 0 2002 TEX 70 277 78 21 1 8 38 35 17 56 282 324 451 2 0       There seem to be a lot of people who think that Ken Griffey Jr.'s career is nearing its demise. Maybe, but I would be a lot more worred about Gonzalez. His return to Texas was ruined by a torn muscle in his right hand in April, and a damaged right thumb in August. He has lost two of the past three years to injury; in December, it was reported that Gonzalez had a lipoma removed from his chest, which apparently isn't serious but also isn't encouraging.       Gonzalez-type hitters don't have a great record of having long careers. Albert Belle's last season came at age 33, and he apparently isn't coming back. Jim Rice had his last good year at age 33 before injuries killed his career. Orlando Cepeda had his last big year at age 32. Perhaps I'm being selective in who I am comparing him to, but it seems likely that he has, at most, one good year left before injuries drag his career to the ground.

TORONTO - Frank Catalanotto 29 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2002 TEX 68 212 57 16 6 3 42 23 25 27 269 364 443 9 5       After quietly hitting .330 in 2001, Catalanotto lost his season to injuries. He strained his groin in May, then was put out for the season in August when a pitch broke his hand. When he was in the lineup he hit only .269, but his ability to get on base and hit doubles still made him a valuable hitter.       I haven't seen him use it very much, but from what I understand, Catalanotto doesn't have much of a throwing arm. He has played mostly second base and left field, two positions that don't require great throwing strength. The Blue Jays, however, need a right fielder, so for now he is the man.       Personally, I couldn't care less if he can throw; what the Jays desperately need is a guy who can get on base at the top of the order, and if Catalanotto can do that than I will be a happy man. But everybody always likes to gnash their teeth over defensive shortcomings, that a weak throwing arm will leave the team vulnerable to aggressive baserunners (and there are lots of those around).

BALTIMORE - Jay Gibbons 26 L/L

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 AA 132 474 152 38 1 19 85 75 61 67 321 404 525 3 1 2001 BAL 73 225 53 10 0 15 27 36 17 39 236 301 480 0 1 2002 BAL 136 490 121 29 1 28 71 69 45 66 247 311 482 1 3       Gibbons picked up right where he left off the year before, putting up the same numbers only with twice as many at bats. He was rescued by the Orioles from the Blue Jays, who had no interest in him despite some impressive numbers that he posted in the lower minors. He has real power, to be sure, and should lead the Orioles in homers for the next few years.       I haven't entirely figured Gibbons out. He's a low-average power hitter, but he strikes out about half as often as you would expect. If he can keep putting balls in play then I expect a few more hits will drop in; I also expect that he will start to hit left-handers better.

KANSAS CITY - Raul Ibanez 31 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 SEA 92 140 32 8 0 2 21 15 14 25 229 301 329 2 0 2001 KC 104 279 78 11 5 13 44 54 32 51 280 353 495 0 2 2002 KC 137 497 146 37 6 24 70 103 40 76 294 346 537 5 3       Hooray for bad teams. Ibanez played for five years in Seattle, but didn't hit and was discarded. The Royals gave him a look in 2001, and he did a good job, good enough to get a chance to play every day.       His 2002 season didn't start off too well; in April and May, he hit just .216 with one home run. But the Royals, who really didn't have anyone better, stuck with him, and he was a monster the rest of the year, driving in over 100 runs.       Ibanez will see some time in left field, right field, DH, first base if/when Sweeney gets hurt. He should be good for another solid season.

TAMPA BAY - Ben Grieve 27 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2002 TAM 136 482 121 30 0 19 62 64 69 121 251 353 432 8 2       Just spinning his wheels right now. An average player, at best, and a perfect metaphor for the woes of the Devil Rays. I expect Grieve to make a comeback and revive his career, sometime around 2010...

NEW YORK YANKEES - Raul Mondesi 32 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 TOR 96 388 105 22 2 24 78 67 32 73 271 329 523 22 6 2001 TOR 149 572 144 26 4 27 88 84 73 128 252 342 453 30 11 2002 TOR-NYY 146 569 132 34 1 26 90 88 59 103 232 308 432 15 6       There is a difference between eating well and pigging out. That great belching sound you heard from the Bronx last summer was the Yankees after they had devoured Mondesi and his contract. The Yankees in the past have used their vast financial resources to buy the best food that money can buy. Last year, however, they turned into gluttons, spending millions on players they didn't need. Shane Spencer is just as good as Raul Mondesi, and costs about $10 million less... but someone in the Yankees organization decided that they couldn't live without Raul. For the first time with New York, Joe Torre was stuck with a bunch of disconnected mega-salaries that he couldn't mold into a playoff machine.       Mondesi is now 32 years old, and his career has hit a crossroads. He has always been an inconsistent player who displays flashes of brilliance during the season, but it's tough to find many nice things to say about his performance last year. He really didn't play well at any point during the season.

DETROIT - Bobby Higginson 33 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2002 DET 119 444 125 24 3 10 50 63 41 45 282 345 417 12 5       Higginson's power numbers have fallen dramatically the past two seasons. Injuries have been a big part of that; lats year he made a trip to the DL with a pulled hamstring. I think this is all the Tigers can expect from now on; he's getting well into his 30's, he's injury prone, he's lost his power stroke and last year he didn't left-handers at all. Higginson still makes good contact and will benefit from closer fences at Comerica, but the Tigers should be trying to get Craig Monroe some at bats against left-handed pitchers.

CLEVELAND - Karim Garcia 27 L/L or Alex Escobar 25 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS GARCIA 2000 AAA 116 425 121 23 3 28 69 92 45 102 285 355 551 5 4 2001 AAA 125 462 122 16 4 31 73 85 44 106 264 326 517 4 4 2002 AAA 94 366 110 21 5 14 59 66 29 60 301 350 500 1 6 2002 NYY-CLE 53 202 60 8 0 16 30 52 6 41 297 314 574 0 3 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 2002 INJURED - DID NOT PLAY       The Indians have a variety of options in their outfield. I am assuming that Matt Lawton will be given a chance to play every day, probably in left field. In right, the Indians will want to give Karim Garcia a chance to duplicate his power performance from last season. Garcia has been a prospect since the early 90's, but may finally have found a niche for himself.       They also picked up Shane Spencer, so a platoon of Garcia and Spencer could be in the works. It could be a productive combination; Garcia won't hit home runs like he did last year, but Spencer will likely hit a few more. But Spencer may also play in left if Lawton isn't healthy.       Another option is Alex Escobar, whom the Indians picked up from the Mets in the Alomar deal. Escobar was highly touted before the season, but missed the whole year after tearing his ACL. I never thought that Escobar was much of a prospect even before the injury; he's got tools but there is precious little evidence that he is a ballplayer.

RIGHT FIELDERS - BOTH LEAGUES
1 Sammy Sosa	11 Austin Kearns	21 Danny Bautista
2 Vladimir Guerrero	12 JD Drew	22 Ben Grieve
3 Lance Berkman	13 Mike Cuddyer	23 Juan Encarnacion
4 Magglio Ordonez	14 Jermaine Dye	24 Raul Mondesi
5 Bobby Abreu	15 Trot Nixon	25 Bubba Trammell
6 Shawn Green	16 Juan Gonzalez	26 Craig Wilson
7 Ichiro Suzuki	17 Jose Cruz Jr.	27 Bobby Higginson
8 Tim Salmon	18 Frank Catalanotto	28 Jeromy Burnitz
9 Gary Sheffield	19 Jay Gibbons	29 Jeffrey Hammonds
10 Larry Walker	20 Raul Ibanez	30 Karim Garcia