Mike Jacobs

Jacobs set a career high in home runs in 2008 but his weak batting average and weaker batting eye made his net impact on the offense less than you'd imagine. Sensing his value might have peaked the Marlins sent him packing to Kansas City, where he'll at least have a friendlier ballpark to play in. That might be a bigger deal than you'd think, as Jacobs' BA has been at least 20 points better on the road than at home in each of the last three seasons. If he can keep that trend going he might be a little more than the bargain-basement slugger he looked like in Florida.

An early season thumb injury cost Jacobs over a month of action and derailed what had started out as a very promising campaign. His final numbers were mediocre at best for a first baseman, but if there's a silver lining to his 2007 it's that he improved his numbers against left-handers (.290/.333/.486 in 107 at bats), giving some hope that he can avoid being strictly a platoon player down the road. This year will be his age 27 season, however, so if he doesn't show improvement it might just be the end of the road in Florida for Jacobs.

Jacobs suffered through a roller coaster rookie season, posting three calendar months where he hit below .220 with an OPS of less than .700, but roaring through the summer with a .348/.373/.627 June/July. Through it all his fantasy power numbers were rock steady, and he hit either three or four HR and collected between nine and 16 RBI every month. He struggled in limited exposure to lefties, but with Wes Helms gone Jacobs will probably be on his own against southpaws in 2007.

Jacobs, the Mets minor league player of the year in 2003, missed most of the following season with a cyst behind his knee, but he came back to win the Eastern League MVP and organization player of the year awards in 2005. He continued that fine hitting by blasting 11 HR in 100 AB in the big leagues, showing the ability to hit the ball with power to all fields. Jacobs has a smooth left-handed stroke, though his swing can get long at times, and like most young power hitters, his plate discipline needs work. Even though the Mets sat him against most lefties, he had a solid .896 OPS against them in Double-A. Following his trade to the Marlins in the Carlos Delgado deal, he should open 2006 as Florida's starting first baseman and could see some time behind the plate, enhancing his value.

Jacobs, who was the Mets Organization Player of the Year in 2003, was limited to just 92 AB in Triple-A due to a cyst behind his right knee that originally was drained and ultimately required surgery. He may be the most advanced catcher in the Mets farm system but he needs to progress defensively since he is very raw. The trade of Justin Huber opens the door for Jacobs to be the everyday catcher at Triple-A. With a strong season, both behind and at the plate, he could see a late-season call-up in 2005.

Jacobs earned the Mets 2003 Organizational Player of the Year honors after hitting .329 with 17 homers and 81 RBIs in Double-A Binghamton, but may have difficulty reaching the majors with Mike Piazza, Jason Phillips, Vance Wilson, and one of the gems of the franchise, Justin Huber, blocking his path. Jacobs may be more advanced offensively than Huber at this point but is very raw behind home plate.