Josh

Kroeger

The Diamondbacks do have better outfield prospects in Double-A, but Kroeger shouldn’t be overlooked. The 21-year-old is batting .330/.371/.584 in 51 games for Tuscon. He had almost the same numbers before his promotion (.331/.393/.588 for El Paso). Kroeger will probably join the Diamondbacks next month and take playing time away from Quinton McCracken.

Kroeger is getting called up earlier than expected because of Quinton McCracken’s injury. The Diamondbacks should forget about McCracken and play Kroeger regularly for the rest of the season. If it happens, the 22-year-old will have some value. He can hit for average and power.

Kroeger is batting .333 with two homers, two doubles and four walks in five games. Since he struggled for the Diamondbacks last month, he’s probably not going to enter 2005 with much of a chance of winning a starting job. However, he will have to get his opportunity eventually.

Kroeger was hitting just .244/.303/.429 with nine homers and a .732 OPS over 64 games with Triple-A Pawtucket this season. Now 29 years old, the 2000 fourth-round pick hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since 2004 as a member of the Diamondbacks.

Kroeger goes before either Carlos Quentin or Conor Jackson, illustrating just how he fits into the team’s plans. A smart organization might be able to steal him away for a decent young arm at some point. Myers, who was 7-for-13, also has a right to be disappointed. He seems about ready to become a decent bench player.

It should have been Egbert, not Marquez, who was on the fringes of the rotation race all along. Egbert, though, did impress as a reliever, amassing a 2.35 ERA in 15 1/3 innings, and he might get a look out of the bullpen during the first half of the season. Marquez had a 5.87 ERA in his 15 1/3 innings. Williams, who entered camp as one of the longest shots to make the team, ended up with a 1.35 ERA in 13 1/3 innings, so he could be looking at a quick callup if he keeps it going in Triple-A.

Kroeger made his major league debut as a 22-year-old with the Diamondbacks in Sept. 2004, but he hasn’t been back since. He hit .307/.373/.514 with 15 homers and 12 steals for Triple-A Iowa this year, but since that didn’t earn him a callup from the Cubs, he’ll be a minor league free agent again. Given that he’s a left-handed hitter with good power and still some room for growth, he should have more than a few teams interested in him. It won’t hurt that he’s started off hitting .500/.649/.923 in eight games in the VWL.

Kroeger is second to Oscar Salazar in the eight-team league with a 1271 OPS, second to Brendan Katin with seven homers in 75 at-bats and second to Jesus Guzman with 23 RBI. He does lead the circuit with 16 walks.

Kroeger was being talked about as a potential fifth outfielder, but because he’s just 23, he needs to be playing regularly in Triple-A. Ruiz’s early departure is surprising, but it’s probably just because the Phillies want him to get more at-bats in minor league games. He played for Panama in the WBC, so he hasn’t had a lot of action to date.