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image PITTSBURGH - Brian Giles 32 L/L
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
2000 PIT 156 559 176 37 7 35 111 123 114 69 315 432 594 6 0
2001 PIT 160 576 178 37 7 37 116 95 90 67 309 404 590 13 6
2002 PIT 153 497 148 37 5 38 95 103 135 74 298 450 622 15 6
      Giles rules. He has been one of the best players in baseball ever since he escaped from Cleveland, although he doesn't get much attention in Pittsburgh.
      Has he thought about playing for the Cubs? Last year at Wrigley, Giles had 19 at bats; he had 13 hits, including 3 doubles, a triple and six homers, 15 RBI. Wrigley would suit him perfectly, because he loves to hit during the day; last year he hit .350 with an .810 slugging percentage when the sun was shining. Over the past three years, he has hit .344 during the day, .287 at night.
      ADDENDUM: Midway through spring training, the Pirates picked up Kenny Lofton, so Giles will play in left field. Lofton's gas tank appears to be running low; he was OK last year, but on the other hand was clearly outplayed by Lofton-wannabe Dave Roberts.
image ST LOUIS - Jim Edmonds 33 L/L
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
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
2002 STL 144 476 148 31 2 28 96 83 86 134 311 420 561 4 3
      A sore wrist put him out of the lineup for a couple of weeks, but otherwise Edmonds completed his third stellar season with the Cardinals.
image ATLANTA - Andruw Jones 26 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
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
2002 ATL 154 560 148 34 0 35 91 94 83 135 264 366 513 8 3
      Though he continues to struggle to hit for average, Jones' combination of power, walks and great defense make him a formidable player. He is good, but perhaps still something of a disappointment; he was supposed to be a great player, and that hasn't happened, and his attitude is always enough to drive the Braves' crazy.
      On other hand, we still don't know what the shape of his career is going to be, since he is only 25. He has almost 1000 hits and almost 200 home runs, and still hasn't entered his prime. There have been lots of players recently who didn't start to have their best seasons until they were in their late 20's (Sammy Sosa, for example), and Jones might be one of them.
image CINCINNATI - Ken Griffey 33 L/L
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
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
2002 CIN 70 197 52 8 0 8 17 23 28 39 264 358 426 1 2
      There is some debate in the baseball world over whether Griffey will go into the Hall Of Fame if his career ends, like, today. This is based on a growing sentiment that he is all done and won't last another year. The past two years have certainly been demoralizing, but let us not forget that his Papa played until he was 41. I can't imagine that Junior will give up so soon; yeah, he's had injuries, but so what? This is 2003, an age in which no knee injury is beyond repair. Ellis Burks, for crying out loud, is still playing and still hitting 30 homers a year. Griffey Jr will be back; I still think he will hit 600 homers in his career.
image SAN DIEGO - Mark Kotsay 27 L/L
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
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
2002 SD 153 578 169 27 7 17 82 61 59 89 292 359 452 11 9
      Good hitter, good defensive player, apparently not going to get too much better than he is now.
image COLORADO - Preston Wilson 29 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
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
2002 FLO 141 510 124 22 2 23 80 65 58 140 243 329 429 20 11
      He should be like a kid in a candy store, playing in Coors Field. In his career, Wilson has hit many more home runs on the road than he has in his home park in Florida. Over the past thre years, he has hit 48 homers on the road, only 29 at home. Wilson's a decent player, not a great one, but he will hit 45 home runs this year if he is healthy.
image ARIZONA - Steve Finley 38 L/L
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
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
2002 ARI 150 505 145 24 4 25 82 89 65 73 287 370 499 16 4
      An oldie but a goodie. Finley has defied expectations his entire career. He was supposedly on the decline entering last season, but instead posted the highest on-base percentage of his career. He also quietly passed the 2000-hit mark, and has over 200 home runs and stolen bases.
image PHILADELPHIA - Marlon Byrd 26 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
2000 A 133 515 159 29 13 17 104 93 51 110 309 379 515 41 5
2001 AA 137 510 161 22 8 28 108 89 52 93 316 386 555 32 5
2002 AAA 136 538 160 37 7 15 103 63 46 98 297 362 476 15 1
      The Phillies are counting on Byrd to be a big part of their season in 2003. He has power and speed and his minor league record is outstanding. He will be an old rookie this season; the Phillies, for reasons only they understand, kept him in the minors all year while sticking with Doug Glanville in the outfield. Byrd should be a solid player, but he should also have at least half a season in the majors already.
image LOS ANGELES - Dave Roberts 31 L/L
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
2000 AAA 120 462 135 16 3 13 93 55 59 68 292 373 424 39 11
2001 AAA 62 241 73 12 4 0 34 22 18 44 303 352 386 17 6
2002 LA 127 422 117 14 7 3 34 63 48 51 277 353 365 45 10
      Roberts was an old rookie in 1999; he got a cup of coffee with the Indians that year, and then it was back to the minors. He persevered, was given a chance by the Dodgers and was electrifying last season. Roberts platooned with Marquis Grissom last season, but Grissom is gone and there is no one to replace him (I don't think they're gonna try Daryle Ward in centre field), so Roberts appears to be The Man for now.
image CHICAGO CUBS - Corey Patterson 23 L/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
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
2002 CHC 153 592 150 30 5 14 71 54 19 142 253 284 392 18 3
      Patterson played a little better than I expected; he wasn't good, but wasn't bad for a 22-year-old player who swings at everything from his shoetops to his eyes. He has power and speed and plenty of potential, but his poor command of the strike zone is a major problem.
      The best thing I can say about Patterson is that a surprising number of good players began their careers in similar fashion.
              AGE  GM  AB  HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB  SO  AV  OB  SL SB CS
Sammy Sosa     21 153 532 124 26 10 15  72  70 33 150 233 282 404 32 16
Lloyd Moseby   22 147 487 115 20  9  9  51  52 33 106 236 294 370 11  7 
George Foster  22 140 473 114 23  4 13  50  58 29 120 241 292 389  7  7
      Those guys were all a little better than Patterson at age 22, and all showed unusual improvement... but who's to say that Patterson won't do the same? I like his chances to take a couple of steps forward, this year or next (for the record, Moseby had his first good year at age 23, Sosa at 24, Foster at 26).
HOUSTON - Craig Biggio 37 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
2000 HOU 101 377 101 13 5 8 67 35 61 73 268 388 393 12 2
2001 HOU 155 617 180 35 3 20 118 70 66 100 292 382 455 7 4
2002 HOU 145 577 146 36 3 15 96 58 50 111 253 330 404 16 2
      After fighting through a knee injury in 2001, Biggio was hoping for a return to All-Star form last season. It didn't happen; we now have to believe that age has taken much of the sting out of this Killer B. The Astros are going to try him out in centre field this season, and if he can do the job it would complete an incredible metamorphosis from catcher to middle infielder to outfielder. Has any player in baseball history ever played three completely different positions, and played them well?
image FLORIDA - Juan Pierre 26 L/L
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
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
2002 COL 152 592 170 20 5 1 90 35 31 52 287 332 343 47 12
      The move to Florida could help him. In Colorado, he had the stigma of being a singles hitter in a power hitters' park; he was killing the Rockies at the top of their lineup. In Florida, no one hits home runs at Pro Player Stadium, so he should fit right in... still just an average player, at best. He has to hit over .300 to be effective.
image NEW YORK METS - Roger Cedeno 29 S/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
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
2002 NYM 149 511 133 19 2 7 65 41 42 92 260 318 346 25 4
      Cedeno seems to have lost interest in getting on base. That's not good; no disrespect, Roger, but if you're not going to get on base, then I can't think of any reason why any team would want you around.
image SAN FRANCISCO - Marquis Grissom 36 R/R and Marvin Benard 32 L/L
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
GRISSOM
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
2002 LA 111 343 95 21 4 17 57 60 22 68 277 321 510 5 1
BENARD
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
2002 SF 65 123 34 9 2 1 16 13 7 26 276 321 407 5 1
      Centre field remains an enduring problem for the Giants. Benard spent much of last year riding the bench while the Giants tried Shinjo and Goodwin, and later Kenny Lofton, in centre, but that didn't really work out. This winter they picked up Marquis Grissom, who had a terrific comeback season with the Dodgers. But Grissom is 36 and he can't hit right-handed pitching, so... Benard appears to be back in the picture.
      Benard doesn't hit enough to justify batting him 300 times a season, so the Giants will doubtless be looking for other options. If they can just find a left-handed hitter who can play right field, they could then move Jose Cruz to centre.
image MILWAUKEE - Alex Sanchez 27 L/L
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
2000 AA-AAA 127 532 155 20 4 2 88 37 31 79 291 336 355 54 26
2001 AAA 83 335 105 14 5 1 52 26 22 44 313 359 394 27 8
2001 MIL 30 68 14 3 2 0 7 4 5 13 206 260 309 6 2
2002 MIL 112 394 114 10 7 1 55 33 31 62 289 343 358 37 14
      Sanchez has it tough; it's a power hitter's game, and he has no power. He did a decent job of getting on base last season, good enough for the Brewers. He needs to keep working on getting on base, and hopefully can improve his base stealing. He's got Otis Nixon's skills but isn't the same kind of threat on the basepaths.
image MONTREAL - Endy Chavez 25 L/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
2000 A 111 433 129 20 2 1 84 43 47 48 298 364 360 38 16
2001 AA-AAA 66 272 85 12 1 1 45 17 16 26 313346 375 15 9
2002 AAA 103 405 139 28 5 4 67 41 33 37 343 392 467 21 13
2002 MON 36 125 37 8 5 1 20 9 5 16 296 321 464 3 5
      Chavez played far better at Ottawa last season than he had at any other time in his career; he was also pretty decent with the Expos as well. If he can hit .300 then he will certainly have a career, but I don't think he will make it as a regular. He has no power, and is not a good base stealer. He also has no patience at the plate; in 23 games at Omaha in 2001, he didn't draw a single walk. Will likely last as a backup outfielder for a few years.


CENTRE FIELDERS - BOTH LEAGUES
1 Bernie Williams11 Mark Kotsay21 Aaron Rowand
2 Brian Giles12 Preston Wilson22 Craig Biggio
3 Jim Edmonds13 Steve Finley23 Juan Pierre
4 Andruw Jones14 Vernon Wells24 Roger Cedeno
5 Ken Griffey Jr15 Carl Everett25 Marquis Grissom
6 Carlos Beltran16 Chris Singleton26 Milton Bradley
7 Torii Hunter17 Marlon Byrd27 Alex Sanchez
8 Mike Cameron18 Dave Roberts28 Endy Chavez
9 Johnny Damon19 Melvin Mora29 George Lombard
10 Darin Erstad20 Corey Patterson30 Jason Conti