On the Fifth Day of Outfielders, my true love gave to me:
NL Cen-tral "Prospects",
NL East "Prospects",
NL without PDV,
Single-Digit NL PDV,
and National Leaguers with Double-Digit PDV.

Minor League Free Agents and AAA/AA Prospects from the National League Central

Chicago Cubs
Minor League Free Agents:
Todd Dunwoody was reviewed with National League Outfielders.
Jayson Bass, 27, B:L, T:L. He walks at a good rate but strikes out too much for most managers. Bass hasn't shown power or speed above AA, but if given the chance, could rack up acceptable numbers in both categories in the majors. The Cubs re-signed him, so at best, he'll to return to AAA for only his second year at that level.

Prospects:
Ross Gload, 25, B:L, T:L. Gload has plate discipline problems but possesses significant major league power potential. Now with Colorado, he could establish himself as their starting left fielder if given the chance. He'll never get many opportunities with his strikeout rate, but if he can take advantage of one in Colorado, he should be able to hang around the majors for several years. Consider spending a minor league pick on him, since he could easily surprise with more than a few bucks of value in the middle of the year.
Gary Johnson, 24, B:R, T:R. Johnson struggled at times in his first exposure to AA last year. His power, never impressive in the first place, slid back under a .400 SLG, and since he also doesn't walk that much, he won't have many chances to show off his moderately good speed. The Cubs might promote him to AAA, but I'd leave him at AA West Tennessee until his plate discipline improves; you can always move him up in the middle of the year.
Tydus Meadows. Meadows was selected by Kansas City in the minor league portion of the Rule Five draft. Here's what I wrote about him at the time:

Brief bio: 23, B:R, T:R. Improved plate discipline to 40:57 BB:K in 197 AB at AA West Tennessee, along with a .915 OPS in 2001. Showed solid tool in the Midwest League in 1999, and has started to translate those into production at the upper levels. Inconsistent strike zone judgement.
Upside/ETA: 4th outfielder unless he can maintain growth. Late 2003.
Quality of pick: Very good.

Jorge Piedra, 22, B:L, T:L. Chicago grabbed this guy when they sent Ismael Valdes back to LA, and he could turn out to be a nice backup in Wrigley for a few years. Piedra has good power/speed potential, but his weak plate discipline will keep him from putting his skills to much use. He needs another year in AA, although he could move quickly with a walk rate jump. It's probably too soon to gamble a low minor league pick in anything but the deepest of leagues (with several dozen prospects or more kept annually).

Cincinnati Reds
Minor League Free Agents:
Damon Buford was reviewed with National League Outfielders.
Kelly Baez, ??, B:L, T:?. Playing with the Reds' Dominican Summer League team, he wasn't even able to post a .600 OPS. He has a little speed and some plate discipline, but neither possesses the contact ability nor power to even get noticed at higher levels, much less make an impact.
Andrew Burress, 23, B:R, T:R. With the number of outfield prospects at seemingly every level in the organization, Burress was sent back to A-ball after a decent year at AA Chattanooga in 2000. He doesn't have much power, but he displayed good plate discipline and a little speed. Not surprisingly, he struggled after his demotion this season to Mudville, and he needs to find an organization willing to give him another couple hundred AA at-bats if he's to stay in minor league baseball.
Steve Gibralter, 28, B:R, T:R. Gibraltar's kicked around the high minors for almost a decade without ever receiving more than five at-bats in two brief cups-of-coffee with the Reds. He has a little power and speed, but his rather shoddy plate discipline keeps him from extended major league trials. He'll be lucky to see more than another five at-bats, and unless his walk rate turns up, he's stuck at AAA at best for the rest of his career.
Chris Sheff, 30, B:R, T:R. Sheff's put together a respectable AAA career over the past six seasons. He's kept his walk rate well over 10% without striking out too many times, and he's normally right around an .800 OPS. Since he doesn't have overly prodigious power or speed gifts, there's no need for him to receive much major league time. However, if some team can open a 40-man roster spot in September due to a 60-day DL move, Sheff deserves a couple weeks of major league meal money.
Scott Sollmann, 26, B:L, T:L. Sollmann possess exceptionally good plate discipline, consistently posting a BB:K around 1 in each of his four partial AA seasons. He has very little potential to succeed at higher levels, because he doesn't have enough tools to impress major league scouts and managers. Guys with a little speed and decent OBP are acceptable as utility outfielders, but not in big league outfields, where everyone needs to regularly contribute to the ballclub.
Brad Tyler, 32, B:L, T:R. Tyler's another player who's been running up double-digit homers and steals for almost a decade in AAA without even a cup-of-coffee to show for it. His plate discipline isn't wonderful, but he has a career walk rate of over 17%. I don't see a good reason anywhere in his stats for his minor league purgatory, and he may have run out of chances this year with only 83 at-bats, half of those coming in his first AA appearance since 1993. Baltimore should have taken a shot with this guy in the mid-90's, so Tyler, along with the rest of the greater Baltimore area, can spend the rest of his days cursing Peter Angelos' name.

Prospects:
Austin Kearns, 21, B:R, T:R. Kearns just needs to get it Dunn this year while staying healthy. He could easily shoot to the majors this season, but I'm a little worried about his plate discipline in only 205 AA at-bats in 2001 due to injury. Several minor league experts still expect Kearns to have a more successful career than Dunn, so put this guy at the pinnacle of any minor league draft. I think he's about a year away with five-tool potential, and since he's the lone right-hander of Cincy's power-hitters, expect him to soon establish himself as the Reds' cleanup hitter for probably most of the rest of the decade.
Alejandro Diaz, 22, B:R, T:R. Diaz's lack of plate discipline has allowed younger prospects like Kearns and Dunn to fly right by him in the system. His only shot in Cincy is as a fourth outfielder since Jackson Melian and Wily Mo Pena are also considered to have higher ceilings. Nothing about what he's done in three years at AA has especially impressed me with his abilities, so I might just send him back to a month of A-ball to see if that provides enough of a "wake-up" call to jumpstart his walk rate.
Jackson Melian, 21, B:R, T:R. While Melian's plate discipline isn't even average, he's shown both good power and speed at AA over the last two seasons. He really needs another 400+ at-bats there with a higher walk rate before the Reds promote him, but there's plenty of time for him to turn into at least decent trade bait despite his former top prospect status. You could consider a very low minor league pick on him, although I have doubts if he'll see much major league time in the Great American Ballpark.

Houston Astros
Minor League Free Agents:
Lyle Mouton was reviewed with National League Outfielders.
Eric Cole, 25, B:R, T:R. Cole struggled in his first AAA appearance after taking advantage of the great hitters' park at AA Round Rock in 2000 to put on a mildly impressive power display. His plate discipline problems came back to haunt him this year, as he couldn't even hold an .800 OPS at New Orleans. Since his stolen base numbers plummeted from their previous 20+ levels, he doesn't even appear to have the skills to be a fifth outfielder. He needs another year at AA somewhere with a coach that will teach him pitch selection, and then he'll have a chance of making the majors in a couple years.
Scott Pose, 34, B:L, T:R. Despite obnoxiously good plate discipline and good speed skills, Pose was never given more than a half season of major league time, split over four separate stints. While he has very little power even at this stage of his career, he has enough speed and OBP to spend another full year on a weak bench. Pose could have been a nice roto boost several years ago for teams looking for speed and average, but he's too old to have much more time in the majors.
Omar Ramirez, 30, B:R, T:R. With exceptional plate discipline and good speed, Ramirez deserved a shot in the majors years ago. He could still be a solid fifth outfielder for half the teams in baseball if he keeps his BA high enough to let his walk rate inflate his OBP, allowing his speed to be of use to a club. He is as good a player as Brian L. Hunter right now, and either Houston in 2000 or Cleveland in 1995 should have given this guy major league time. When he makes a team in the next year or two, consider picking him up as a backup, since he could as easily surprise with a dozen steals as most of the guys fighting for that fifth outfielder's job.
Barry Wesson, 24, B:R, T:R. Wesson's never made it out of AA because of extremely poor plate discipline. Round Rock inflated his power totals, but nothing in his averages indicates even the talent to succeed in AAA. He's several years way from making the majors if ever, and his best hope is for a starting job in AA somewhere.

Prospects:
Colin Porter, 25, B:L, T:L. Porter's quickly risen through the Houston system due to impressive power displays at the lower levels and an average walk rate. He struggled in his first AAA exposure this year, an expected development considering his falling plate discipline. While I'd consider sending him back for another year of AA, Houston should probably leave him at AAA New Orleans for a full season to see if he can show enough plate discipline to remain in the organization's plans as a potentially useful bench player.
Jason Lane, 24, B:R, T:L. Lane had a tremendous season even considering AA Round Rock's ballpark, putting him squarely in the Astros' future plans. With another year of seasoning, he could be a great platoon partner for Daryle Ward, or more likely, great trading deadline bait to a team desperate for offense. Lane is not a great prospect, since his plate discipline is somewhat weak and his OBP was inflated by 21 HBP in 2001, but his combination of power, average walk rates, and somewhat promising speed ensure that he'll be a worthy high minor league pick at your 2002 drafts.
Kyle Logan, 25, B:L, T:R. Logan doesn't have much promise above AA for the moment because of weak plate discipline and only marginal power and speed. I wish we could see if he could hit in the Eastern League for a year, but given his current stats, I don't see many major league at-bats in his future. He's young enough to still make great gains in ability, although I think any long-term success likely won't occur with Houston.

Milwaukee Brewers
Minor League Free Agents:
Chris Jones, 35, B:R, T:R. Despite a sixteen-year career in professional baseball, including 1021 major league at-bats, Jones really isn't that good of a player. He's never walked more than a little over half as many times as he's struck out, and his career walk rate is well below 10%. He also doesn't have much power, leaving him with a .738 career minor league OPS but a surprising .707 career major league OPS. I could argue that Jones plays to his level, although I just can't find much in these stats to impress me. He'll probably make it back to the majors one more time for a couple at-bats, but even his marginal roto value of 1997 with seven homers and seven steals has probably passed.
Brian Lesher, 30, B:R, T:L. Lesher's been kept out of the majors aside from a mere 225 at-bats because of some strange institutional bias against sluggers with good BA, OBP, and even a little speed. Ricciardi grabbed him for Toronto this off-season, and Lesher should have every chance to win the platoon DH job. He doesn't have significant roto potential, but he could post 15-75 numbers in a few hundred at-bats along with a BA that shouldn't hurt at all. Despite a few additional years of age, his immediate upside appears similar to Jay Gibbons of Baltimore, so consider grabbing Lesher at a buck or with a reserve pick.

Prospects:
Jeff Deardorff, 22, B:R, T:R. Deardorff possesses little plate discipline, leaving his .500+ slugging averages of the last two seasons as fairly useless numbers caused by nice hitters' parks. He'll need another year in AA before he's even close to AAA, and he'll no longer be the Brewers' problem after this season, since he certainly won't deserve a major league promotion. He has enough power to find some major success down the road, but I don't like his current prospects much at all.
Jim Rushford, 27, B:L, T:L. Milwaukee picked up Rushford after four years in the independent leagues, and his early numbers have shown a little promise. He has very good plate discipline along with obscenely good BA, posting a combined .334 this season split between A+ High Desert and AA Huntsville. He'll need to move very quickly to even receive a shot at more than a cup-of-coffee, although these early returns are very promising. Keep an eye on him next year, but remember that there's every possibility that he could hit a wall at AAA.

Pittsburgh Pirates
Minor League Free Agents:
Andy Barkett and Alex Hernandez were reviewed with National League Outfielders.
Jayson Bass, 25, B:S, T:R. Believe it or not, there are two players named "Jayson Bass", both of whom happen to be minor league free agents this off-season. Unfortunately, this Jayson is not the one who might wind up on your roto team in a couple years. He neither has the power nor plate discipline necessary for success at even the AA level and will be lucky to avoid returning to the independent leagues.
Darren Burton, 28, B:S, T:R. He's alternated between AA and AAA for much of the last decade, and he really hasn't had much success at either level. Burton's displayed some doubles' power at AAA but doesn't have the plate discipline necessary for advancement with only his limited tools. He'll likely make the majors briefly at some point, although his primary role should remain upper level minor league roster filler.
Shane Monahan, 26, B:L, T:R. Monahan has a little power, but I really don't see a reason why he's played at AAA for so long. His last good season was at AA Memphis for Seattle in 1997, and even those numbers didn't indicate much projectability. Without any semblance of plate discipline, he'll be lucky to hang around in the upper minors for too much longer, although I suspect his power will start surfacing as he ages.
Ryan Radmanovich, 29, B:L, T:R. Radmanovich possesses good command of the strike zone and solid power potential, even if his stats are somewhat inflated due to several years in the Pacific Coast League. He'd be a capable bench player in the majors for the next few seasons, but because he doesn't appear to have much upside, he won't receive many opportunities. While I've found a lot less AAAA players than I expected since I began these reviews, Radmanovich certainly exemplifies the skill set I've been trying to find.
Mike Stoner, 28, B:R, T:R. Stoner's maintained a decent BA throughout his career despite relatively little plate discipline and the slacker connotations of his last name. Arizona stopped his development cold when they skipped him straight to AAA in 1998 off of a ballpark-inflated eighty extra-base hits at A+ High Desert. He has the potential to develop into a major league-quality backup, if he can ever find those skills again, although he better look quickly since he's already in his prime.

Prospects:
Thomas Howard, 36, B:S, T:R. Howard's been a utility outfielder for the last decade, splitting his time between AAA and the big leagues. His trademarks are acceptable plate discipline and solid speed potential, and along with decent defense around the outfield, those are enough skills to keep you on the major league per diem. After spending most of his season in the independent leagues, he's probably out of major league chances, especially since his 2000 stats for St. Louis were far from impressive.
Tony Alvarez, 22, B:R, T:R. While I probably should discuss both Alvarez and J.J. Davis, I just don't see Davis making the majors any time soon without a drastic up tick in his walk rate. Alvarez could succeed in spite of plate discipline problems, as he's maintained a solid BA for the past few years, and he walks enough to maintain a relatively solid OBP. He also has similar SLG potential and more importantly, possesses an absolute ton of SB potential. He stole 52 bases for class A Hickory last year, and while he really needed a full year at A+ Lynchburg in 2001, a return to AA next year will give him the proper platform to develop his skills. He's at least two years away from the majors, but if you can afford a low minor league pick, he's definitely a good guy to grab. His speed gives him a lot of roto upside from the moment he makes the majors.
Justin Martin, 25, B:S, T:R. While Martin has great speed and relatively solid plate discipline, he isn't quite good enough in those areas to warrant much time above AA. He has practically no power at all, and you need the OBP/SB skills of Jason Tyner to overcome that handicap. I think he has some potential to establish himself as a utility player and pinch-runner, but he'll be lucky to reach the majors by the time that he turns 30.
Dan Meier, 23, B:L, T:L. Meier has shown good power potential in the minors, but he has little experience above A-ball. His 2001 performance at AA Altoona showed some promise, but without improvement in his plate discipline, I'm not sure he'll find much success at AAA. I suspect he'll mature somewhat slowly over the next few years and finally establish himself as a qualified AAAA player after a couple years of minor league free agency.

St. Louis Cardinals
Minor League Free Agents:
Miguel Diaz, 23, B:R, T:R. Diaz has never shown any tools indicating major league promise. While he's displayed some doubles' power in A-ball, he has no plate discipline or speed, leaving little upside even at AA. He'll be lucky to find a job in minor league baseball next year.
Scarborough Green, 27, B:S, T:R. Since I have the same song pop into my head every time I hear about this guy, I think I'll try modifying the lyrics a little:

Are you drafting Scarborough Green?
Parsley has more power than he
Remember him when steals are lean
He helped win my 2000 league.

Tell him to steal me another five bags
Parsley has more power then he
Without his speed, others are tagged
He helped win my 2000 league.

Tell him to steal ev'ry chance that he gets
Parsley has more power then he
Between the bases he's ne'er out when he bets
He helped win my 2000 league.

Tell him to find teams with no O-F backups
Parsley has more power then he
And that's the only way he'll deserve more call-ups
He helped win my 2000 league.

Are you drafting Scarborough Green?
Parsley has more power than he
Remember him when steals are lean
He helped win my 2000 league.

Damon Mashore, 31, B:R, T:R. Mashore's deserved more major league time for years, since he plays a competent centerfield, walks at an acceptable rate, and shows a little power/speed promise. I fully believe that he could establish himself as a quality back-up, although he's likely too old for any team to give him a real opportunity. Instead, he's merely great AAA roster filler; he doesn't have quite enough upside to merit a FAAB bid when he receives his next call-up.
Darrell Whitmore, 32, B:L, T:R. While Whitmore's shown solid power potential for years, along with acceptable walk rates in the early portion of his career, his forward progress was probably halted when Florida jumped him to AAA from high-A ball with Cleveland after the expansion draft. He has enough talent to help in the majors in a small role, but with most of his career behind him, only a couple teams could justify spending a roster slot on him. Since he's been stuck in AAA or worse since 1995, I have severe doubts as to the likelihood of him receiving another major league shot.

Prospects:
Esix Snead, 25, B:S, T:R. Snead stunned much of the minor league world when he racked 109 steals in 2000 for high-A Potomac. Considering he only managed a 76% success rate, a .340 OBP, and he was a couple years too old for the league, that number is far less impressive. A lot of old-school rotisserie owners mistakingly used high draft picks on this guy at 2001 drafts, an error considering he'll be lucky to make the majors in another two seasons. Plus, I doubt he'll receive a starting opportunity, since his OBP fell to .307 in his first AA exposure this season. He's already started passing between organizations as the Mets grabbed him on waivers, and I suspect he'll spend time with several more teams before he even turns 30. Let someone else take a chance on his upside this year while you wait to see if he'll ever show development in his walk rate.

Today's Fantasy Rx: Austin Kearns and Jason Lane comprise the "group" of great outfield prospects from the NL Central that stayed in the minors in 2001. Both have weaknesses that point away from immediate stardom, since Kearns missed over half the year with injuries and Lane's performance occurred in perhaps the minors' best hitters' ballpark. Still, you should strongly consider using a top pick on either of them if they're available, and with Kearns likely drafted in many leagues, consider a strong pitch to his owner and hope that Dunn's success makes it easier to acquire him, instead of leaving Kearns' current owner similarly starstruck.