Damian Rolls

Eight different players got starts at third base for Tampa Bay last year, but no one played it better than Rolls, who was second in the majors (behind only Eric Chavez) amongst third basemen in range factor. Rolls was also red-hot at the plate for about two months, but tailed off significantly late in the year. We're still not sure if the Rays are convinced that Rolls can be an everyday third baseman, or just a Mark McLemore-type 100-games-a-year super-utilityman; check in the spring to see what the Rays' plans for Rolls are.

Rolls hit well in a cup-of-coffee stint in the bigs last September (.292, 26-for-89 in 21 games) after spending 2001 as a millstone on the big league roster due to his Rule V status. He has a legitimate shot as a reserve outfielder job with the Devil Rays with some potential for stealing bases (14 in 106 career MLB games, 15 in 67 games for Triple-A Durham last season). The Rays will start the spring with Rocco Baldelli in center field; if the phenom needs more time before he's big-league-ready, Rolls could sneak into some quasi-regular PT in the outfield.