Pitcher Eugene Woodburn of the Cardinals is an able ventriloquist, and uses his accomplishment to amuse his fellow players.

Johnny Evers of the Cubs is a mere shadow of the Johnny Evers who was a miracle worker around second. He looks pale and has become very thin.

Bob Harmon of the Cardinals is the poorest relief pitcher in the league. He has had very bad luck in his rescuing expeditions.

"Three-fingered" Brown is the pitcher the Cubs must now depend on for their best box work.

Skinny swingman who has good control of the corners of the strike zone. His K rate seemed to jump up a little as of late, and if that's development rather than a fluke, this kid could really be something special. Looks way too skinny to be durable, but you never know.

I don't know anyone that doesn't think this guy's going to be nearly as good as the hype. You may include me in that bunch. Steady improvement, 22 this year, will take a walk, and hits the snot out of the ball.

Not sure why he pitched so badly, but his control was noticeably worse and he gave up a ton of hits. The Jays defense is getting worse this year, so don't expect a miracle out of him. He's got a big contract, which I doubt he'll ever live up to.

Three years ago, [Andy Stankiewicz] was drafted ahead of Kenny Lofton in a Strat-O-Matic league by the creator of the DTs. Many of you undoubtedly want your money back now.

Clearly the best pitching prospect in all of baseball. The only reason he didn't get a September call-up was to save space on the Mets' 40-man roster, a shrewd move which you don't see teams doing very often. Frankly, he may be the most anticipated pitcher since at least Tom Gordon in 1988, and possibly since Dwight Gooden in 1983. Could start on Opening Day for half a dozen teams.

That was random. Improved everything but his walk rate in 1995, going from marginal fourth outfielder to, for one year at least, the best center fielder in the league. Almost lost his job in May, but was the hottest of all Angels in June and July as they built their lead. Good defensively, strong, accurate arm. Will slip back toward average in 1996.

There are worse catching prospects...in front of him on the depth chart.

Another young turk shortstop, and most definitely the real thing. Does everything well except walk, and he's shown flashes of doing that for a few weeks at a time. Will win an AL batting title right around the turn of the century or so, and twenty years from now, people will be arguing over whether or not he or Rodriguez was a better player. Supposedly has a problem making the long throw from the hole to first, but who cares, and how much of problem is that anyway? I've seen him make that throw, and I don't see an appreciable difference between his arm and a dozen other shortstops.

"Long Tom" Hughes of the Washington club has a sure way of proving that he is a good pitcher. He offers to lick any one who says he is not.

Hey, is that Joe Torre I see on the horizon? Boy, he's certainly a big step up over, um, Showalter, isn't he? I mean, he turned a promising catcher into an ignorable 3B, managed to allow pitchers to maintain their injury histories, and um, well, did lots of neat stuff.

The Yankees have decent prospects at several positions, and looking at some of the other teams, I would expect they're the envy of most organizations. Of course, knowing Joe Torre, he'll manage to send Derek Jeter down for some much needed "seasoning" and talk the Jim Frey clone of the month in the GM chair to trade for David Howard, Mike Bordick, and tickets to "Cats."

Gotta like that trend and age. Neifi poked 36 extra-base hits in 427 AB in New Haven, and is only 21 next year. EqA has steadily risen over three years; The Rockies seem to actually have themselves a bona fide prospect! He needs to learn not to swing at anything within a three-county area, but it looks very promising for Perez, who could be ready to take over in Coors when Weiss' new two-year deal is up.

Oh, what might have been. Gates played shortstop in the Oakland farm system, hit well almost immediately out of college, and has been consistently improving on defense. Unfortunately, his development has been stunted by nagging and freak injuries. He may still develop into something really special, but that 1994 campaign may have cost Mr. Gates an awful lot of money. I still think he's a got a year or two of hitting .330 in him. His platoon splits have really moved around a lot. His stroke reminds me a lot of Tony Gwynn's, and that's as high a compliment as I can pay the man. A keeper.

One of Tony LaRussa's MediaTargets [tm]. Hit like crazy in the minors, with a bunch of walks, some occasional power, and a generally looping stroke. Will hit like crazy in the majors, too. The only question is whether or not his glove will survive the test of fire at 3B, or whether or not he'll be stuck behind McGwire. His release of the ball is a bit slow on his throws; sometimes, the fix for this causes a lot of elbow and shoulder injuries. See also Molitor, Paul. I'd put him at third, and I hope Art Howe does the same.

This is the A's #1 starter for the next seven to ten years if they're smart and/or lucky. I'd describe him as a younger Mike Mussina, but I like him more than that. Throws a variety of pitches, good sense on the mound, has a great command of the strike zone, has generally good stuff, and knows how to use his defense. His confidence may fade if he's forced to go back to the PCL, though. The Man.

(Yes, I am only going to post ones that are ridiculous)

Earned a look by hitting 937 HR in Phoenix in 1993 and 1994, along with such stalwarts as Murray the Accountant, and Les Nessman. I like him better than most, and I don't like him much. Pretty darn smooth with the glove, but the world's not ready for defensive specialists who play first base. Nonetheless, I think he's got it in him to have a 5-7 year career where he peaks at .270/.340/.520 or something. If he gets lucky and does that in the sixth year, he could be a rich man.

One of the biggest sleepers in the organization. He's probably the Braves' best left-handed prospect - he's a lot more polished than Terrell Wade - and if he can claim the fifth starter spot this year, he could surprise a lot of people.

Frank Robinson

Jimmy Foxx?

Mantle?

Andruw Jones?


Ruben Sierra?