Tyler Greene

Until the Cardinals re-signed Rafael Furcal, Greene was at the top of the organizational depth chart at shortstop. It's been a long road. He's already 28 and although he's hit the ball well in Triple-A the last few years, he hasn't been able to translate that success to the big-league level, as evidenced by his three-year OPS trend: .594, .655 and .611. He did swipe 11 bases last year, and given that he'll qualify at both middle-infield positions, he'll have some value in fantasy circles, but there is really nothing else to see here as long as he's in a part-time role.

Though he got a late-season tryout at third, Greene is unlikely to man the hot corner regularly in 2011 and will only qualify at short in standard leagues. He's had some success in the minors, but he's already 27, so his chances of sustained success in the majors are unlikely. Still, he projects as a valuable utility player and could be a nice endgame pick in NL-only leagues.

It seems like Greene has been around forever, but he's still just 26 and didn't even make the majors until last year. He played at five different positions for the Cardinals in 2009, and should be a utility man again this year, especially with Brendan Ryan and Julio Lugo on the roster at Greene's best position. He'll steal a lot of bases if he gets the opportunity, but that's a big if.

Splitting his time between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis in 2008, Greene had 16 home runs, 48 RBI, and a .254 batting average. Once a top prospect, Greene is now 25 and may be nothing more than organizational depth. Even though the Cardinals decided not to re-sign Felipe Lopez, Greene probably won't see much time in St. Louis this year.

A 2005 first-round draft pick, Greene looked to be on the fast track to success after a strong start in 2005. Unfortunately, he struggled mightily in the high-A Florida State League last season, hitting just .224/.308/.325 before being demoted to low-A. He did recover after the demotion, hitting .287 with 15 HR and 47 RBI in just 223 at-bats. Greene was a great college hitter and has already stolen 52 bases in just 185 minor league games. The Cardinals will promote him again this season, but if he can't handle high-A at age 23 his ceiling may be limited.

A sandwich pick in the June draft, Greene hit .265 and swiped 19 bases between two minor league levels in 2005. He was a terrific hitter in college and should wind up in Double-A before the end of 2006 if he plays up to his potential.