Hector Luna

Luna was removed from the 40-man roster following the acquistion of Marco Scutaro, and he'll have to battle the likes of Joe Inglett for a spot on Toronto's bench if he remains a Blue Jay.

Picked up late in the season from St. Louis, Luna's struggles allowed Joe Inglett to play a lot more than manager Eric Wedge would have liked. Prior to his .700 OPS, 127 at-bat stint with the Tribe, Luna had been a very valuable bat off Tony LaRussa's bench in St. Louis. There is not reason to think Luna, who is younger than Inglett, will not win the utility job out of spring training and never look back.

Luna played shortstop, second, third, left field and right field for the Cardinals in 2005. He probably won't ever be an everyday player in the big leagues, but there will always be a roster spot available for a player of Luna's versatility.

What does a Rule V guy have to do to see any action on a team as talented as the Cardinals? Play everywhere. That's what Luna did, seeing action at his native shortstop position and filling in at second, third and in the outfield. He was a raw talent, like all Rule V guys, but he showed a little pop, some speed and a decent bat when allowed to play more than one day per week. In a four-game stretch in late September, Luna had a pair of four-hit games and a 2-for-5 showing. The Cardinals may have found a nice player out of the Cleveland system, but he could stand some seasoning. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him become the Cardinals second baseman in the next year or two.

Luna was plucked out of the Cleveland organization by Tampa Bay in the December 2002 Rule V draft. At Single-A ball in 2002, Luna hit .276-11-51 and went 32-of-43 in steals (39 walks, 79 K's, .738 OPS). The Devil Rays may have to keep Luna on the major-league active roster for all of 2003, and if they do, he'd appear to be really overmatched; we'll see if Luna's potential causes the Rays to take the hit in the short-term. If he does make the big-league roster, he's got keeper league potential, but in single-season leagues, you don't dare touch Luna; he's just not ready.