On the Eleventh Day of Outfielders, my true love gave to me:
AL East "Prospects",
AL without PDV,
AL PDV under 10,
AL PDV in the tens,
AL PDV of 20+,
NL West "Prospects",
N L 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 American League East

Baltimore Orioles
Minor League Free Agents:
Almonzo Banks, 20, B:R, T:R. Banks has spent the last two years in Rookie ball, and he's shown absolutely no ability to advance even slightly. A Rookie level player needs to show some tool or skill to warrant another contract, and Banks has just completely failed to do so.
Stoney Briggs, 29, T:R, T:R. Briggs seems to have settled as a AA player after a full year at AAA Las Vegas in 1997. He's displayed horrible plate discipline at every level in the minors, only advancing because he had both power and speed potential. While he still retains some upside in these areas, he'll never be on base often enough to make use of them, so he likely won't ever make the majors.
Wynter Phoenix, 26, B:L, T:L. Aside from possessing perhaps the single coolest name in all the minors, Phoenix doesn't appear to have much going for him. He barely has average power and speed, and while his plate discipline showed promise at lower levels, after three years of AA, he still doesn't appear ready to make the jump to AA. Without a sudden improvement in OBP or a similar area, he likely will peak as a AAA backup.
Isaias Rincon, ??, B:R, T:?. Rincon's only played in Latin America the last two years. Since he's shown no power, speed, or plate discipline even at this low level of the professional baseball ladder, he has no chance for advancement at this time. Don't expect to see him at even AA for several more seasons if he'll ever make it that far.

Prospects:
Larry Bigbie, Willie Harris, and Tim Raines, Jr. were all reviewed with American League outfielders.
Keith Reed, 22, B:R, T:R. Baltimore surprised many people by exposing Reed in the Rule Five draft. Considering that he needs a full year at both AA and AAA, and he also doesn't possess either the speed or defense to help immediately in the majors, it was probably reasonable to expect that no one would take him, and fortunately for Baltimore no one did. Despite his preseason ranking by Baseball America as the Orioles' top prospect, Reed needs development that time that he might just find with Baltimore's other, more advanced outfield prospects. Until his plate discipline and OBP catch up with his power potential, he won't be an acceptable major leaguer, and you probably don't need to draft him at this point.
Darnell McDonald, 22, B:R, T:R. Donzell's brother, Darnell has just as many problems in converting his tools into useful major league skills. He has great raw speed but has a poor SB%, he can't get on base often enough to attempt steals, and his plate discipline doesn't indicate a rising BA or OBP any time soon. Since he hasn't even shown much power potential beyond the occasional speed-aided double, he's probably a few years away from making any noticeable contribution in the majors, and the Orioles should be able to leave him at AAA for another two years or so. Don't consider drafting him at this point, and focus instead on the Orioles prospects who briefly appeared in the majors this season.

Boston Red Sox
Minor League Free Agents:
Yamil Benitez, 28, B:R, T:R. Benitez missed his best opportunity when he was unable to secure much playing time after Arizona chose him in the expansion draft. Despite some power and consistent double-digit steals, his plate discipline is too poor to even keep him playing solidly in AAA. He doesn't appear to have played anywhere but in Latin America in 2001, and he didn't show acceptable plate discipline in that brief appearance. Perhaps his inability to maintain an acceptable BA or OBP will keep him out of the majors for good.
Edgard Clemente, 25, B:R, T:R. Clemente still has enough time to mature into a solid bench player, but someone needs to tell him that it won't happen unless he improves his walk rate. He doesn't have much power and he shows little speed, so the only way that he'll find more than an occasional at-bat in the majors will be to prove that he has a strong right-handed bat. With the number of AAA lifers already struggling for a brief major league appearance, many of whom possess far superior career numbers if not Clemente's lineage, I don't see him receiving big league playing time for at least a few more seasons.
Rontrez Johnson, 24, B:R, T:R. While Johnson doesn't possess a single, overwhelming tool to keep him close to the majors, he appears to have a broad-based set of skills that could easily lead to a major league career of at least a few years. He has good speed although his SB% is only 69%, and his doubles' power appears to be slowly maturing into homers. He's maintained a respectable OBP even in AAA, and given these attributes, Johnson might be one of the most well-rounded offensive outfielders available via minor league free agency.

Prospects:
Dernell Stenson, 23, B:L, T:L. Since Boston has refused to give Stenson a shot in the majors, they really should free him and allow him to seek employment with an organization that might value his talents. His plate discipline and OBP have declined in all of his three AAA seasons, and while I'd normally advise a team to leave a guy in the minors until he's ready to excel, I've been hoping that Boston would give Stenson a shot for all of the last two years. If he could improve his walk rate just slightly, he'd own a potentially dangerous left-handed bat. At this point, we can't really call him a prospect any longer, but he still has the chance to quickly evolve into a major league regular.
Mike Neill, 31, B:L, T:L. A member of the 2000 Olympic team, Neill has enough ability to help a club in a limited role. His career OBP is .404, so he definitely would add a solid bat to any team's offense. He doesn't have fantastic tools, but should be able to manager a dozen homers and steals if somehow given full-time work. While he does strike out three times for every walk, his walk rate is so high at a career 16% that he certainly deserves at least a brief shot at starting. If he does find major league time, he certainly won't hurt you in any capacity, and he even has some upside, mostly in BA. Be very happy if you can use him as a injury replacement.
Garry Maddox, Jr., 26, B:L, T:R. Maddox doesn't appear to have the skills that would enable him to have even a significant portion of his dad's career. His plate discipline is weak, his speed is inconsistent, and despite relatively acceptable averages across the board, I just don't see a great opportunity for advancement. I expect he'll make the majors for a brief period in a year or two, but he has little roto upside unless his power potential suddenly shifts from doubles entirely into homers.

New York Yankees
Minor League Free Agents:
Michael Coleman and Donzell McDonald were reviewed with American League Outfielders. Josh Loggins, 24, B:R, T:R. Loggins doesn't appear to have much major league upside. His power is unimpressive and his plate discipline needs a lot of work to even succeed in AAA. He'll need at least another year in AA, so he's likely at least three to four years away from the majors at best, so I don't expect to be seeing him in boxes any time in the near future.

Prospects:
Juan Rivera was reviewed with American League Outfielders.
Mike Frank, 26, B:L, T:L. Frank still has some potential despite his advancing age, and some team should certainly look to use him during his prime as a fifth outfielder. He's considered to have good defense and plus speed, and he's even starting to add some power to his already decent plate discipline. His career appears to have never gotten untracked from his immediate AAA success, and along with both two demotions and a promotion, his standard of play currently seems best suited for AAA. He shouldn't hurt as an injury replacement, although I think his upside is somewhat limited.
Marcus Thames, 24, B:R, T:R. Based on his career to date, Thames should be ready to replace Rondell White when White's contract expires after 2003. Thames doesn't have much speed, but he's shown solid plate discipline at AAA with good walk rates, and his power potential exploded this year in a return trip to AA Norwich. A .998 OPS in a pitchers' league looks quite impressive, and while Thames doesn't have the upside of someone like Rivera, he appears ready to slide in as a productive outfielder for a few seasons, and should easily replace Shane Spencer even without much improvement. Strongly consider using a mid-round pick on him, and you likely won't be disappointed if you're willing to wait a year or two before he starts receiving major league playing time.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Minor League Free Agents:
Chris Hatcher, 32, B:R, T:R. Hatcher's poor plate discipline has kept him out of the majors for all but a brief 15 at-bats with Kansas City in 1998. He certainly possesses enough power to deserve an extended look in the majors, but since he's already past his prime and on the downside of his career, he's unlikely to receive that opportunity. I wouldn't advise picking him up unless he finds a platoon role, since I expect his unsupported BA to be exposed either by too much or too little playing time. With a couple hundred at-bats, he'll hit for enough power to outweigh the mildly hurtful BA effects.
Norm Hutchins, 25, B:S, T:L. Hutchins has good power/speed upside, but his poor plate discipline will likely keep him out of the majors for at least another couple years until he reaches his peak. Without a noticeable increase in at least his walk rate, even Hutchins' AAA BA remains very exposed to a sudden drop. He certainly isn't ready for a move to a higher level, and considering that he's wound up in AA to finish the last two seasons after beginning at AAA, he'll be lucky to find a starting job at AAA to begin 2002. Maybe he'll finally get the message and learn how to walk to first base.
Greg Martinez, 29, B:S, T:R. Opposite of most of these other outfielders, Martinez has good to excellent plate discipline along with great speed, but he's been held out of the majors aside from three at-bats in 1998 with Milwaukee because of relatively no power skills. I'd definitely like to see someone give him the opportunity to start in center in the majors, since he has enough ability to both help a major league team and a fantasy one. Don't be afraid to grab him if he makes some club, since he won't hurt your BA and he could certainly help your speed if given the opportunity.

Prospects:
Terrell Lowery, 30, B:R, T:R. Lowery's established himself as a solid AAA defender without enough offensive skills to deserve another extended shot in the majors. His plate discipline is only average, and while his power has increased in the last few years, its increased at the expense of the speed that originally attracted teams to him. I don't expect to see him back in the majors any time soon, since he doesn't appear to have enough ability to positively improve a roster.
Carl Crawford, 19, B:L, T:L. Crawford may have more roto potential than any other Tampa minor leaguer. His plate discipline is still so raw that he'll need two more years in the minors, but his speed upside is so significant, and he has the chance to develop solid power, that Crawford should be one of your top targets in future minor league drafts and trades. Tampa has a tendency to not properly develop their prospects, but if Crawford can somehow find the skills to use his tools properly, he could emerge in the majors as a $20 player in his first season. If that season is before 2004, consider dealing him unless his plate discipline has been solid in at least 300 AAA at-bats.
Josh Hamilton, 20, B:L, T:L. Despite the universal acclaim of seemingly every scout and minor league observer, Hamilton's star dimmed considerably this season. Only receiving 100 at-bats will severely set him back, especially when some folks thought that he would break camp as Tampa's starting right fielder. If he's up before 2004, Tampa will have made a serious error, since he hasn't even displayed good plate discipline in low A-ball. He certainly has the tools to succeed and could develop into a 40/20 player rather easily if no one rushes him, but I just don't think he'll be ready in the near future. Strongly consider dealing him now if you own him, since you can always reacquire him in two years when he might actually be ready to play in the majors.

Toronto Blue Jays
Minor League Free Agents:
Tony Peters, 26, B:R, T:R. Peters only reached AA this past season, and he displayed little skill other than good speed on the bases. He appears headed for a career as a AA utilityman, and any further chance of advancement seems predicated on plate discipline development that appears quite unlikely. Without any dominant tools displayed at the higher levels, Peters has almost no chance to make the majors.
Andy Thompson, 25, B:R, T:R. Thompson finally departs the Blue Jays after seven years trying to reach the majors, only succeeding for six brief at-bats in 2000. While he possesses definite power upside, his plate discipline appears only average at best and certainly can't support a BA above perhaps .260 at best. He'll likely return to the majors in another few years, but unless his power shows significant gains in the intervening time, I doubt that you'll want him on your roto team in the middle of the decade any more than I currently expect him to "succeed" in 2002.

Prospects:
DeWayne Wise, 23, B:L, T:L. Wise, a 2000 Rule Five pick from Cincinnati, doesn't appear to have regained the promise he showed for them in 1999 at A Rockford. He could mature into a decent fifth outfielder with some speed, but he's a few years away from even the possibility of plate discipline improvement leading to a major league job. Without much power, Wise will be lucky to find a AAA job once he hits minor league free agency.
Ryan Fleming, 25, B:L, T:L. Fleming should progress to AAA this year, and while he doesn't have extraordinary tools, he has enough skills to see some major league playing time. I'm not sure he'll have too much success in AA since he doesn't have much power, but if he can maintain a solid BA and OBP, Toronto will give him a look at some point in the next three years. Don't count on him for roto help, since aside from a small potential BA boost, he simply doesn't have enough tools to be useful on most any roster.
Reed Johnson, 24, B:R, T:R. Johnson exploded in his first season at AA, posting solid averages across the board, along with demonstrating solid power potential, acceptable plate discipline, and a 78% SB% with 42 steals. Since his A-ball BB:K ratio was over 1, he definitely has the skills to succeed at higher levels, and I'd expect him to make a strong push to Toronto by the end of the year. He could make a very interesting platoon partner for someone like Brad Fullmer, and with his speed potential, you have to consider him very strongly with almost any minor league pick. I've barely seen any reviews of Johnson, but he appears to have both the skills and tools necessary to progress quickly to the majors. Definitely try to acquire this guy, since Toronto will give him a chance to show his abilities in the majors sometime in the near future.
Gabe Gross, 21, B:L, T:R. I probably shouldn't discuss Gross since he was just a first round pick in 2001, but he deservedly saw time at AA after demolishing A+ Dunedin, and Gross should be up by 2004 at the latest. He offers good speed/power upside, and certainly seems to possess enough plate discipline to support a very good BA. I'd like to see him play for a full year before evaluating his prospects, although if his 2002 is anything like 2001, he'll be starting in Toronto by the end of the year. For now, you'll probably want to rank Gross above even Casey Kotchman in terms of AL prospect from last year's draft, and consider a very high minor league pick on him if you suspect anyone else realizes how quickly he could move next season.

We'll review minor league free agents and AAA/AA prospects from the AL Central and West tomorrow

Today's Fantasy Rx: Since most minor leaguers cost either $5 or $10, it's sometimes difficult for an owner to gamble that much salary on a relatively unproven first or second year player. Outfielders and pitchers are the exception to this rule, with several slots usually available for each. We're going to have no problems keeping someone like Corey Patterson at either $5 or $10 next year, assuming he makes the team, and you should forego any possibly similar reservations about some of your guys. Make sure that your other players are solid, but you definitely need to consider rookies, when available, for those 4th and 5th OF slots. The upside of several of these players, specifically Thames, Crawford, Johnson, and potentially Gross and Hamilton, is too high to worry about their first year salary.