Joe Borchard

Strapped for options in the outfield, the Marlins gave Borchard his first extended major league action. The results were predictable based on his minor league track record. Borchard hit for a little power, but had a poor batting average with weak plate discipline. Chances are he won't get 200+ at bats in the big leagues again.

More and more it looks like Borchard is destined to be a Triple-A lifer -- for the third time in four seasons he posted a line within spitting distance of .265/.340/.490, with good power and too many strikeouts. Brian Anderson has already passed him by on the depth chart, and the fact that Jerry Owens got mentioned in the offseason as a potential center field solution over Borchard tells you all you need to know about the former Stanford QB's future in Chicago.

Borchard finally got an extended look in the majors in 2004 and may have played himself out of the White Sox's plans entirely. If it's true that GM Kenny Williams insisted on keeping Borchard over Jeremy Reed in the Freddy Garcia deal, he's got an awful lot to answer for. He'll try to win a starting job this spring, but most likely will need to prove himself again at Triple-A.

Borchard's star is rapidly fading. Already 26, he struck out four times as often as he walked at Triple-A last year, and couldn't even manage a .400 SLG for the year. He should be joining Drew Henson and Chad Hutchinson on an NFL sideline within a couple of years.

Borchard is still trying to figure baseball out, as evidenced by his 139 strikeouts in 438 Triple-A at bats. This is no Drew Henson, however -- he hit .272/.349/.498 for Charlotte in 2002. Assuming the White Sox find a starting job for him (which isn't a sure thing, just ask Joe Crede) expect Borchard to crush the ball in April and flail away in May, until he finds a comfort level somewhere in the middle.