Brad Hawpe

Hawpe was one of the bigger fantasy busts last season, getting released by the Rockies before signing on with the Rays. He did little during his 15-game stint with the Rays, striking out 17 times in only 39 at-bats. Hawpe still has some pop in his bat and his home-road splits from his days with Colorado suggest that he wasn't merely a product of Coors Field. Unfortunately, he was signed by the Padres and Petco Park is the worst in baseball for left-handed power. Further, he should be put in a situation where he doesn't have to face lefties (career .245/.322/.438), which ultimately makes him a low-end option even as the Padres' primary first baseman.

Hawpe represents the Rockies' biggest personnel conundrum heading into the season. Once considered to be the most reliable hitter in Colorado's outfield, Hawpe started the season on a tear, good enough for the first All-Star selection of his impressive career. Then Carl Crawford robbed him of a home run in the All-Star game, and things proceeded to unravel for him from there. Hawpe hit .240 with nine homers after the All-Star break, and notched a nearly unfathomable 82 strikeouts in 217 at-bats. The problem is, Hawpe doesn't offer much that anyone in the new outfield regime doesn't, but general manager Dan O'Dowd seems to be opposed to trading him. For now, he'll open the season as the starter in right field, but it wouldn't be all that surprising to see his role shrink if the second-half swoon is just the beginning of permanent regression.

Unlike some of his teammates, Hawpe has shown that he can hit outside of Colorado, with a career .282/.376/.482 mark on the road that is a near-match for his work at Coors. He's older than you think, so what you're seeing is his peak. Hawpe is one of the safest bets for .290/25/90 in the game.

Hawpe is a strong-armed, power-hitting right fielder who should really be in a platoon situation. His overall 2007 numbers were impressive, but things get interesting when you look at his righty/lefty splits. Against right-handed pitching he hit .315 with 24 home runs, compared to .214 and five home runs vs. southpaws. This provides the Rockies an opportunity to give some of their right-handed bench players at-bats during the season. Don't be surprised if Hawpe is in a platoon in 2008.

Hawpe is coming off his best season in the big leagues, this after an injury-plagued disappointment in 2005. Now 27, he may just be coming into his own. Despite hitting just 22 home runs, he easily has 30-35 home run ability. The big caveat: he batted just .232/.303/.435 against southpaws and often found himself on the bench against left-handers. It wasn't quite a platoon situation, but he won't take the next step as a hitter until he can hit lefties more proficiently. He also slumped to .268/.370/.450 after the break, but he'll be the team's opening day right fielder.

Hawpe had a disappointing 2005, during which he spent almost two months on the disabled list because of a strained hamstring. He's a power-hitting right fielder with a cannon for an arm and was tied for the league lead in outfield assists before his injury. He'll start 2006 as Colorado's right fielder but may lose at-bats to Ryan Shealy.

Hawpe averaged 29 HR over the past three seasons as he climbed the ladder from Single-A ball all the way to a mid-season call-up in 2004. He'll have a much tougher time with major league pitching, but raw power is hard to come by, and when raw power gets a chance to bat at Coors Field, anything can happen. If Hawpe can manage at-bats on a regular basis, his power upside could make him a late-round steal.

Hawpe absolutely destroyed high Single-A pitching two seasons ago at Salem, then lost part of '03 to an injured shoulder. His numbers took a dip last season, but that might have had as much to do with his shoulder as the fact that he was attempting to make the move from first base to the outfield. Hawpe has never posted a sub-500 slugging percentage at any level in the minors and appears nearly ready to make a splash at the major league level, if he's not already. His AFL numbers might encourage the Rockies to send him back to the minors for continued seasoning, but if he shows that he can play solid defense, he might get a major league look coming out of spring training.

The Rockies are trying to convert Hawpe from first base to the outfield, after he narrowly missed capturing the High-A Carolina League Triple Crown in 2002. Even at age 22, .347-.447-.587 in High-A ball is nothing to sneeze at.