Eugenio Velez

After leading major league baseball in stolen bases during spring training, Velez hit just .262/.299/.382 over 275 at-bats with the Giants. His glove is a question mark at second base, and despite his terrific speed, he’s often clueless as a baserunner. Still, Velez did hit .341 during 85 September at-bats, and his steals potential gives him plenty of upside if he wins a starting job. He’ll be competing with Kevin Frandsen and Emmanuel Burriss, so Velez is likely to enter 2009 as a bench player.

Velez has stolen 118 bases the past two seasons in the minors but struggles to hit for average or power. He suffered a hairline fracture in his wrist while playing in the Arizona Fall League but should be ready for the start of spring training. He's set to open 2008 in Triple-A Fresno and may eventually carve out a career as a utilityman.

The Giants added Velez to their 40-man roster over the winter, protecting him from the Rule 5 draft. He hit .318 with 64 steals on his way to being named the South Atlantic League's MVP last season. Still, at age 24, he was old for the league and will need to prove himself against better competition this year.