imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap
CHICAGO CUBS - Sammy Sosa 34 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
2000 CHC 156 604 193 38 1 50 106 138 91 168 320 406 634 7 4
2001 CHC 160 577 189 34 5 64 146 160 116 153 328 437 737 0 2
2002 CHC 150 556 160 19 2 49 122 108 103 144 288 399 594 2 0
      He was having another Super Sammy Season, hitting 28 home runs before the break, but was slowed down the second half of the season by back problems. He was still one of the best players in the league; if he avoids the injury bug then he will probably hit at least 45 home runs again.
MONTREAL - Vlad Guerrero 27 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
2000 MON 154 571 197 28 11 44 101 123 58 74 345 410 664 9 10
2001 MON 159 599 184 45 4 34 107 108 60 88 307 377 566 37 16
2002 MON 161 614 206 37 2 39 106 111 84 70 336 417 593 40 20
      A tale of two players:
  GM  AB  HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO  AV  OB  SL SB CS
 161 614 206 37  2 39 106 111 84 70 336 417 593 40 20 
 162 609 208 51  2 39 134 136 76 62 342 421 624 18  9

      You probably recognize the first line of stats as belonging to Vladdy from last year. The second line belongs to his manager, Frank Robinson, from 1962, when Robbie was the same age.
      The bad news is that Robinson had an injury-plagued off-year at age 27, batting just .259. The good news is that most players peak at that age; Guerrero is an MVP waiting to happen, but who knows where he will be playing at the end of the year?
image HOUSTON - Lance Berkman 27 S/L
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
2000 HOU 114 353 105 28 1 21 76 67 56 73 297 388 561 6 2
2001 HOU 156 577 191 55 5 34 110 126 92 121 331 430 620 7 9
2002 HOU 158 578 169 35 2 42 106 128 107 118 292 405 578 8 4
      Berkman is a switch-hitter, but is actually a much better left-handed hitter than he is right-handed (not surprising, since he's a natural lefty). Which raises the question: is there any point in him continuing to switch hit? He hit two homers against southpaws last season; I'm sure that, with a little practice, a hitter of his talents could learn to hit left-handed pitching from the left side.
      Apart from that little quibble, Berkman is a really, really, really, really good player. He did a good job in centre last year, but it appears that the Astros are going to move him back to right and put Biggio in centre. It's probably a good move; I have to admit that, if I were the Astros, I would be uneasy about having my best player twist an ankle on that goofy hill they have out there in Minute Maid Park.
PHILADELPHIA - Bobby Abreu 29 L/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
2000 PHI 154 576 182 42 10 25 103 79 100 116 316 416 554 28 8
2001 PHI 162 588 170 48 4 31 118 110 106 137 289 393 543 36 14
2002 PHI 157 572 176 50 6 20 102 85 104 117 308 413 521 31 12
      One of the most underappreciated players in baseball, Abreu had a brilliant year, his fourth straight of stunning quality. A great hitter in his prime; he would be the best leadoff hitter in baseball if he wanted to do it. With Burrell and Thome taking care of the 3-4 spots in the lineup, Abreu would best serve the team at the top of the batting order.
LOS ANGELES - Shawn Green 30 L/L
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
2000 LA 162 610 164 44 4 24 98 99 90 121 269 367 472 24 5
2001 LA 161 619 184 31 4 49 121 125 72 107 297 372 598 20 4
2002 LA 158 582 166 31 1 42 110 114 93 112 285 385 558 8 5
      He had a crazy season, got off to a miserable start in April, then went bananas in May and June, struggled in July but finished the year strong. Green was the only potent bat in the Dodgers' lineup all season... and the bad news for L.A. fans is that he might be the only dangerous stick they have this year as well.
ATLANTA - Gary Sheffield 34 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
2000 LA 141 501 163 24 3 43 105 109 101 71 325 438 643 4 6
2001 LA 143 515 160 28 2 36 98 100 94 67 311 417 583 10 4
2002 ATL 135 492 151 26 0 25 82 84 72 53 307 404 512 12 2
      Sheffield has changed the shape of his career over the past few years, and is starting to emerge as a viable Hall-Of-Fame candidate. Early in his career his was injury-prone and unpredictable, having a great MVP season one year and struggling the next. But over the past five years, he has turned into a steady, consistent player, usually missing three weeks with injury every year but putting up some good numbers. He may not ever win an MVP Award but at least you can count on him.
      He was slowed down last year by various injuries to his wrist, hamstring and thumb, but still had a good year. If he can duplicate what he did last year for another four years (possible; he might even do better), he will have over 2400 hits and 440 homers. Throw in his excellent batting and on-base percentages, 200 stolen bases, many more walks then strikeouts, a World Series ring, and his credentials would be impeccable.
COLORADO - Larry Walker 37 L/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
2000 COL 87 314 97 21 7 9 64 51 46 40 309 409 506 5 5
2001 COL 142 497 174 35 3 38 107 123 82 103 350 449 662 14 5
2002 COL 136 477 161 40 4 26 95 104 65 73 338 421 602 6 5
2002 HOME 70 243 88 17 2 18 59 66 38 29 362 453 671 3 2
2002 ROAD 66 234 73 23 2 8 36 38 27 44 312 387 530 3 3
      Walker was almost traded to Arizona during the winter, but neither him nor Matt Williams wanted to switch cities. Walker eats up pitchers at Coors Field but last year again proved that he is a good hitter in any park. After two fairly healthy seasons, it is probably a long shot that he will play 100 games this year, especially at his age.
      The funny thing about the aborted trade is that the Rockies still don't seem to have any kind of plan about what to do when Walker leaves.
CINCINNATI - Austin Kearns 23 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
2000 A 136 484 148 37 2 27 110 104 90 93 306 415 558 18 5
2001 AA 59 205 55 11 2 6 30 36 26 43 268 364 429 7 5
2002 CIN 107 372 117 24 3 13 66 56 54 81 315 407 500 6 3
      Kearns was a top prospect in 2000, was a disappointment in 2001 but last year won a job with the Reds and had a great year. Out of all of last year's rookies, I would probably want Josh Phelps the most, with Kearns a close second (I would take Mark Prior if you could guarantee me that his elbow won't disintegrate). Kearns is only 23 years old, and appears to do everything well.
ST LOUIS - JD Drew 27 L/R and Eri Marrero 29 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
DREW
2000 STL 135 407 120 17 2 18 73 57 67 99 295 401 479 17 9
2001 STL 109 375 121 18 5 27 80 73 57 75 323 414 613 13 3
2002 STL 135 424 107 19 1 18 61 56 57 104 252 349 429 8 2
MARRERO
2000 STL 53 102 23 3 1 5 21 17 9 16 225 302 422 5 0
2001 STL 86 203 54 11 3 6 37 23 15 36 266 312 438 6 3
2002 STL 131 397 104 19 1 18 63 66 40 72 262 327 451 14 2
      With expectations high, Drew did not have the season that either him or the Cardinals were hoping for. He was troubled by tendinitis in his knee, and had surgery after the season. He will not be ready for opening day... Drew is still a talented hitter, and is young enough to have some good seasons. But he's also starting to look like the next Kal Daniels.
      Marrero is a former catcher who played in the outfield last season and hit a bunch of home runs. He should get some more at bats until Drew returns.
SAN FRANCISCO - Jose Cruz 29 S/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
2000 TOR 162 603 146 32 5 31 91 76 71 129 242 323 466 15 5
2001 TOR 146 577 158 38 4 34 92 88 45 138 274 326 530 32 5
2002 TOR 124 466 114 26 5 18 64 70 51 106 245 317 438 7 1
      After having his best season in 2001, Cruz last year had injury problems and never got on track. After seven years in Toronto, he has moved to San Francisco where he will replace Reggie Sanders in right field. He's a .250 who has some power and speed, basically the same player at age 29 that Sanders is at age 35. Cruz is also a fine defensive player and might be a better option in centre field than the players the Giants have now.
ARIZONA - Dave Dellucci 29 L/L and Danny Bautista 31 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
DELLUCCI
2000 ARI 34 50 15 3 0 0 2 2 4 9 300 352 360 0 2
2001 ARI 115 217 60 10 2 10 28 40 22 52 276 349 479 2 1
2002 ARI 97 229 56 11 2 7 34 29 28 55 245 326 402 2 4
BAUTISTA
2000 FLO-ARI 131 351 100 20 7 11 54 59 25 50 285 333 476 6 2
2001 ARI 100 222 67 11 2 5 26 26 14 31 302 346 437 3 2
2002 ARI 40 154 50 5 2 6 22 23 11 21 325 367 500 4 2
      Last year's platoon between Bautista and Dellucci never materialized as expected. Early in the year, Bautista was making the most of his 10th major league season, batting .325 with power the first six weeks of the season. He was getting the bulk of the playing time, but a shoulder injury ended his season.
      Dellucci couldn't find many at bats early in the season. But even after Bautista was injured, Dellucci was outplayed by the surprising Quinton McCracken. For both Bautista and Dellucci, it was pretty much a lost season; for McCracken, it was a career revival.
      I don't know who is going to play where in 2003. My guess is that Bautista will get another opportunity to prove himself as an everyday player. He's better than I thought he would be, but this is still a guy who's never batted even 300 times in a season. He's best suited to playing on a part-time basis. Dellucci is a quality player, and should be better this season.
FLORIDA - Juan Encarnacion 27 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
2000 DET 141 547 158 25 6 14 75 72 29 90 289 330 433 16 4
2001 DET 120 417 101 19 7 12 52 52 25 93 242 292 408 9 5
2002 CIN-FLO 152 584 158 22 5 24 77 85 46 113 271 324 449 21 9
      Encarnacion did a nice little job for the Reds, filling in in centre and hitting a few homers when Griffey was hurt. The development of Kearns squeezed his playing time, and he was dealt to the Marlins. The good news is that Encarnacion has become more selective at the plate, and at age 27 should be primed to have a career year. The bad news is that he's probably not going to hit many home runs at Pro Player Stadium, and his other contributions remain limited. He is better suited as a fourth outfielder than as a regular.
SAN DIEGO - Bubba Trammell 31 R/R and Brian Buchanan 30 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
TRAMMELL
2000 TAM-NYM 102 245 65 13 2 10 28 45 29 49 265 345 457 4 0
2001 SD 142 490 128 20 3 25 66 92 48 78 261 330 467 2 2
2002 SD 133 403 98 16 1 17 54 56 53 71 243 333 414 1 3
BUCHANAN
2000 AAA 95 364 108 20 1 27 82 103 41 75 297 363 580 5 1
2000 MIN 30 82 19 3 0 1 10 8 8 22 232 301 305 0 2
2001 MIN 69 197 54 12 0 10 28 32 19 58 274 342 487 1 1
2002 MIN-SD 92 227 61 10 1 11 31 28 15 59 269 322 467 2 2
      Buchanan and Trammell are currently the Padres' best options for right field. Both are similar players, right-handed hitters who have a little power, can hit for a decent average. Both are journeyman who are just entering their 30's. Both got off to slow starts, but played much better the second half of the season.
      Buchanan desperately needs a good season to extend his career. Trammell was a big disappointment, after having a good year in 2001 and signing a fat contract. Trammell is the better hitter, and because of his contract will likely get a better chance to play; Buchanan might be hungrier and make a better effort to win a job.
PITTSBURGH - Craig Wilson 26 R/R and Rob Mackowiak 27 L/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
WILSON
2000 AAA 124 396 112 24 2 33 83 86 44 121 283 383 604 1 2
2001 PIT 88 158 49 3 1 13 27 32 15 53 310 390 589 3 1
2002 PIT 131 368 97 16 1 16 48 57 32 116 264 355 443 2 3
MACKOWIAK
2000 AA 134 526 156 33 4 13 82 87 22 96 297 332 449 18 5
2001 AAA 32 118 31 5 0 4 14 14 7 39 263 302 407 1 1
2001 PIT 83 214 57 15 2 4 30 21 15 52 266 319 411 4 3
2002 PIT 136 385 94 22 0 16 57 48 42 120 244 328 426 9 3
      There is more to baseball than just statistics, but sometimes they are useful. For example: the Pirates, in 2002, scored 641 runs; only Milwaukee scored fewer. They were badly outscored all year, and lost 89 games. Hmmm.
      Craig Wilson, in his rookie season in 2001, hit .310 in 158 at bats. With power. Last year, he posted the second-highest OPS on the team, next to Brian Giles — and yet he batted only 368 times, fewer than, say Kevin Young or Rob Mackowiak. Another right fielder, Armando Rios, hit one home run in 208 at bats.
      So, if I'm Lloyd McClendon, and I have a 25-year-old who is my second-best hitter, I'm thinking that I want him in the lineup everyday. Didn't happen. As for 2003, well, I'm reading that Wilson will platoon in right and do some more catching and maybe play some first base, which to me doesn't seem like a firm commitment to develop his career.
      I'm also reading that Matt Stairs may play in right, but I don't know where that leaves Mackowiak. I suggest they move Stairs to second base, Pokey Reese to left field, Jason Kendall to third base and Aramis Ramirez to catcher. If you're going to lose 90 games, you may as well make it interesting.
      ADDENDUM: Since I wrote the above comment, the Pirates have acquired Kenny Lofton and Reggie Sanders to play the outfield. If the Pirates don't want Craig Wilson, can't they give him to Tampa Bay or Kansas City or some other team that desperately needs him?
NEW YORK METS - Jeromy Burnitz 34 L/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
2000 MIL 161 564 131 29 2 31 91 98 99 121 232 356 456 6 4
2001 MIL 154 562 141 32 4 34 104 100 80 150 251 347 504 0 4
2002 NYM 154 479 103 15 0 19 65 54 58 135 215 311 365 10 7
      He had a terrible season. A big part of the problem, of course, was age and declining bat speed. He was also probably freaked out by the bad visibility at Shea, which gives problems to patient hitters like Burnitz. He was good when swinging early in the count but was just awful when he took more than two pitches.
      My advice for 2003: Swing early, swing often, and don't play against left-handers.
MILWAUKEE - Jeffrey Hammonds 32 R/R and John Vander Wal 37 L/L
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
HAMMONDS
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
2002 MIL 128 448 115 26 5 9 47 41 52 86 257 332 397 4 5
VANDER WAL
2000 PIT 134 384 115 29 0 24 74 94 72 92 299 410 563 11 2
2001 PIT-SF 146 452 122 28 4 14 58 70 68 122 270 364 442 8 6
2002 NYY 84 219 57 17 1 6 30 20 23 58 260 327 429 1 1
      Out goes Matt Stairs, in comes John Vander Wal. Out goes Alex Ochoa, moving over to right goes Jeff Hammonds. Players come and go, but the Brewers stay the same...


RIGHT FIELDERS - BOTH LEAGUES
1 Sammy Sosa11 Austin Kearns21 Danny Bautista
2 Vladimir Guerrero12 JD Drew22 Ben Grieve
3 Lance Berkman13 Mike Cuddyer23 Juan Encarnacion
4 Magglio Ordonez14 Jermaine Dye24 Raul Mondesi
5 Bobby Abreu15 Trot Nixon25 Bubba Trammell
6 Shawn Green16 Juan Gonzalez26 Craig Wilson
7 Ichiro Suzuki17 Jose Cruz Jr.27 Bobby Higginson
8 Tim Salmon18 Frank Catalanotto28 Jeromy Burnitz
9 Gary Sheffield19 Jay Gibbons29 Jeffrey Hammonds
10 Larry Walker20 Raul Ibanez30 Karim Garcia