Reid Brignac

Brignac began the year in the majors but struggled and then spent most of the season at Triple-A Durham where he hit just .231/.323/.353 with eight home runs and 46 RBI. He is a strong defensive shortstop who also played third base and second base during a September callup. With the Rays in pursuit of added offense to their lineup and the presence of Yunel Escobar and Elliot Johnson at short, Brignac will likely return to the minors or the Rays' bench as a defensive specialist.

Brignac was handed the starting shortstop role out of spring training but his failure to produce at the plate relegated him to the bench as the season went on. For the season he only managed one home run and a .193 batting average over 249 at-bats, walking in fewer than four percent of his plate appearances. While he's arguably the best defensive shortstop on the Rays' roster, being a liability at the plate will likely put him in an uphill battle to beat out Sean Rodriguez for the starting spot provided the Rays don't address the position via trade or free agency.

With the Rays' decision to trade Jason Bartlett to San Diego, Brignac likely will get first crack at the starting shortstop position this season. Brignac hit six home runs over the second half (112 at-bats) but his OBP (.269) dropped 60 points from the first half. He still strikes out too much (25.6 percent) but his glove should be enough to keep him in the lineup on a regular basis. There's some potential here for double digit home runs and a handful of steals (the Rays love to run) if he wins the job out of spring training.

Brignac put together a stellar campaign at Triple-A Durham in 2008. He improved his strikeout rate from the previous season (26 percent to 16 percent) at Durham, but fanned 20 times in 90 at-bats (22 percent) with the Rays. The breakout season from Jason Bartlett blocks his path to the majors with the Rays. Trade rumors have surrounded him given the Rays' need for bullpen help and Tim Beckham on his heels in the minors. A trade to a club with an opening at shortstop is his best chance to have a fantasy impact this year.

Other than a week and a half up with the Rays as an injury fill-in for Jason Bartlett in July, Brignac spent the entire season at Triple-A, and that awful on-base percentage indicates he hasn't yet mastered the art of making contact off Triple-A pitching. With Bartlett playing shortstop at the big-league level, the Rays don't have to rush Brignac, so he'll get at least another half-season or so of seasoning at Triple-A, presuming he's not used as offseason trade bait.

Brignac went through a horrendous early-summer slump, but showed some improvement towards the end of last season. He's no longer a realistic possibility to make the Rays' Opening Day roster in 2008, now that Jason Bartlett is on the club. However, Brignac is just 22, so the Rays won't mind having him spend all of 2008 at Triple-A if needed in preparation for a big league debut in 2009.

Brignac was the MVP of the High-A Cal League last season, then followed that up with a great cup of coffee at Double-A. He has great power for a shortstop, but plate discipline is still a concern. He's one of the Rays' impact prospects, but still probably a year away from the majors. That should give the Rays time to determine if he'll be their shortstop come 2008, of if they need to move him to a new position to get him to the bigs.

Brignac turns just 20 in January, so don't get turned off by those so-so offensive numbers at Low-A last year. He'll need a few years to develop, and he's got plenty of time to do just that. Not a bad keeper league pickup.