Chris Denorfia

Denorfia joined the Mariners at the trade deadline last season but did next to nothing after leaving San Diego. He hit .195 with a .573 OPS with the Mariners and lost playing time down the stretch. He did even worse against left-handers, which was the point of acquiring the right-handed platoon bat. Denorfia will have a reserve role after signing with the Cubs and could work his way into a platoon role if he bounces back against lefties.

Beginning the season in a strict platoon in right field with Will Venable, Denorfia eventually filled in where needed in an outfield beset by injuries, racking up a career-high 473 at-bats in the process. He responded with a 10-homer, 11-steal campaign, as well as relatively-even splits against right- and left-handers, though nine of his long balls came against southpaws in nearly 100 fewer plate appearances. Three consecutive years with double-digit swipes should aid those in NL-only leagues, but in a completely-healthy outfield, Denorfia is slated to split reps in right with Venable once again.

Denorfia, at this point in his career, is best used as a right-handed bat that excels against lefty pitching. For his career he has hit .317/.381/.451 against southpaws. The Padres did not take advantage of this in 2012 as Denorfia saw almost equal plate appearances against righties as he did lefties. One area where he quietly helps owners is with his speed as Denorfia has stolen 24 bases over the last two seasons. In 2013, he'll likely be of most help to owners in deeper leagues or NL-only formats.

Denorfia is a solid bench player and makes for a good 4th outfielder on any major league roster. However, his upside in fantasy is very limited as he has neither the power nor the speed to make a significant impact. He's got only 23 stolen bases on the major league level, has a below-average .124 ISO, and a career slash line of .275/.342/.399. He could work his way into an outfield platoon in 2012, but with the acquisition of Carlos Quentin, he's going to have to wait for a significant injury before getting much of an opportunity.

Denorfia started 2010 at Triple-A Portland, where he put up good numbers (.306/.368/.504), before a series of injuries to the Padres' outfield corps landed him a starting job. From the start of July through the end of August, he was great, hitting nine homers with 25 RBI, four steals and a .291 batting average. After that, his production fell off as he dealt with hamstring and back issues. Overall, he can hit for decent average, but doesn't have much power or speed to speak of. With everyone back and healthy, it's uncertain what role Denorfia will have going into 2011.

Denorfia began the year in a platoon with Ryan Sweeney as the A's starting center fielder but a back injury sidelined him and resulted in spending most of the year at Triple-A Sacramento. He could re-emerge this spring as a platoon candidate with Sweeney again.

Denorfia missed the entire 2007 season due to a torn elbow ligament, but the A's traded for him in late April in hopes that he'll be a bench option in 2008. Given the A's outfield problems at times in 2007, Denorfia figures to get a look at occasional playing time at some point this season.

Denorfia clearly has nothing left to prove at the minor league level, but can he handle an everyday major league job? Until Ken Griffey Jr.'s next traumatic injury, Denorfia isn't going to get that shot. Even when Griffey and Ryan Freel were hurt last year, Denorfia still wasn't a lock to play, having to share time with the likes of Norris Hopper, Dewayne Wise and Todd Hollandsworth until the final two weeks of the season. Reds manager Jerry Narron has expressed his appreciation of Hopper's game over the offseason, so while statistically Denorfia seems to be the best fourth outfielder candidate, he's still going to have to beat out Hopper and now Bubba Crosby. If he were to get regular playing time, expect him to hit for average and contribute some speed, but not much power.

The Reds often compare Denorfia to Brady Clark, who came up through their system before eventually finding his way into the Brewers starting lineup. He had an awfully good year in the Reds farm system, hitting for average and a little power, stealing a few bags, all while playing good defense. He can play a credible center field, an important consideration given that as the fourth outfielder, he'll need to spell Ken Griffey Jr. occasionally.