David Kelton

A former third baseman, Kelton's defensive struggles have sent him to the outfield where his decent, but unspectacular showing at Triple-A (.271/.341/.454) project him as more of a fourth-OF type these days. Still, Kelton has a good chance to make the team a Moises Alou's backup, and if he plays well, he'll have a chance to be the Cubs' starting left-fielder in 2005.

Kelton hit passably in 498 Double-A at-bats, going .261/.332/.462. If you factor in his slow start due to muscle pulls, his 20 homers, 28 doubles, six triples and 52 walks make the 23-year old look like he'll be a productive major league hitter at some point. Barring a trade, however, that won't happen any time soon. Kelton's defensive problems at third base forced the Cubs to move him to first in the minors, and he's blocked right now by Hee Seop Choi. Kelton is working on his defense at the hot corner in winter ball, but given his past struggles there, we don't expect him to overtake Mark Bellhorn for the job this spring. If Moises Alou were to go down at some point, there's a remote possibility that Kelton (with a good spring) could be called up to play left field, but that's just speculation.