The Indians acquired Milton Bradley (23) from the Expos in the midst of Kenny Lofton's season long slump and with the expectation that they would not exercise Lofton's option for 2002. Lofton promptly caught fire and has been an important catalyst for the Tribe's stretch drive. Lofton's recent success notwithstanding, it is still expected the Indians will cut him loose after this season. Bradley is the leading candidate to take over center field and the lead off spot. He has a world of tools but his immaturity and temper have held him back so far. The Indians are convinced he has grown up, but still plan on Ellis Burks to become a mentor to Bradley. As of 8/15 Bradley was hitting .321 with 4 stolen bases in 53 at-bats at Buffalo. He is expected to get a September call-up from the Tribe. Karim Garcia (25) has caught fire for Buffalo lately and is now hitting in the .260 range with 23 homers and his OPS is approaching .800. Garcia is another perennial top prospect who hasn't quite panned out yet. He does have significant power, and the Indians are likely to bring him up as a left-handed bat off the bench once September arrives. Akron has Jason Fitzgerald (26), Jon Hamilton (23) and Brian Jenkins (22) as potential prospects, though none project as an impact player right now. Fitzgerald has been beset by nagging injuries since the Indians drafted him in the 1st round in 1997 and has not developed the power the Indians expected. He is going to have to develop fast in the next year or two as time is running out on him. Hamilton is currently hitting .272 with only 4 home runs in 239 at-bats. Hamilton is considerably younger and is having a better season at Akron, hitting .264 with 14 home runs. Hamilton's career path seems similar to me to Brian Giles, so maybe he can develop the power Giles eventually did. The Indians obtained Jenkins from the Mets in the Justin Speier deal. After the trade he reported to Kinston and quickly moved up to Akron where he promptly went on the DL, so the jury is still out on him. He has intriguing power-speed possibilities, but you have to wonder why the Mets virtually gave him to the Indians ( immediately after the deal the Mets designated Speier for assignment). Eric Johnson (24), Tyler Minges (21), Ryan Church (22) and Alex Requena (21) are the potential prospects at Kinston. Johnson is an ex football player and excellent athlete gradually learning the nuances of baseball. He has been patrolling center field and looked to be on the upswing offensively early in the year but has fallen back to the .240 range. He doesn't project to have much power, so he's going to need to increase his average to move up much farther. Johnson has 19 stolen bases so he does possess plus speed. Minges is still raw and youthful but seemingly has made some positive strides this year after missing the first part of the year due to injury. He started out repeating Columbus but was quickly promoted after hitting .373. He struggled early but has picked it up lately, and currently is hitting .255 with 11 doubles, 2 triples and 3 home runs in 196 at-bats. Church, a 14th round pick in 2000, was MVP of the New York-Penn League in 2000 after posting lofty numbers at Mahoning Valley. He spent most of the year putting up more impressive stats at Columbus this year, hitting .287 with 23 doubles, 17 home runs and 79 RBI. The Indians recently promoted him to Kinston and he is showing signs of coming to life there after scuffling in his first few games. Church is an ex pitcher with a strong arm in the outfield and he is definitely moving up on the Indians radar screen. Requena is speed all the way. He has 24 stolen bases after stealing 87 at Columbus in 2000. He's hitting only .215 with very little pop at Kinston. Nate Janowicz (23), Jorge Moreno (20), J J Sherrill (21) and Willy Taveras (19) are plying their trade in Columbus. Janowicz was sent to Kinston at the start of the year, skipping Columbus, after hitting .343 for Mahoning Valley in 2000. He started out fast at Kinston but cooled off to .253 and got sent to Columbus. He's hitting only .255 for them with 1 homer. Church seems to have passed him up as a fast tracker as of now. Janowicz big draw back is lack of power. Moreno was a sexy prospect this spring after hitting .303 with a lusty .852 OPS in 2000 at Columbus. He spent most of the year at Kinston and hit only .204 with 5 homers in 368 at-bats with a paltry .530 OPS. He's trying to rediscover his potential at Columbus as the year winds down. Baseball America rated him our 18th best prospect this year. J J Sherrill is only hitting .246 but is on the upswing late in the year. In 342 at-bats he has 18 doubles, 11 triples, 2 home runs and 22 stolen bases. The 11 triples along with the 22 stolen bases indicate some serious speed. Speed is Willy Taveras' calling card also, and Willy has put together a solid if unspectacular year at Columbus. He is hitting .270 and has 25 extra base hits and 28 stolen bases. Taveras is a potential Indians center fielder of the future. Miguel Quintana (22) and Jon Van Every (21) highlight the outfield contingent at Mahoning Valley. Quintana, an 8th round pick in 2001, is hitting .246 with impressive peripherals, 16 doubles, 4 triples and 4 home runs in 207 at-bats. Van Every signed as a draft-and-follow from the 2000 draft is hitting .252 with an OPS of .850. Van Every is a potential 5 tool player and has serious upside. Mike Conroy was one of our 1st round picks this year out of a Boston area high school and the Indians feel he also has considerable upside. Conroy is hitting .246 with 4 doubles in 113 at-bats, not bad for his first pro experience. Remember, the Indians are one of the few teams without a true rookie league team. Burlington is in the Appalachian League, an Advanced Rookie League. Josh Noviskey (18) is another high schooler, taken in the 7th round by the Indians in 2001. Noviskey is a "boy in a man's body" and is hitting only .128 as he is getting acclimated. Noviskey has big time power potential in the long run, as he matures. Rashad Eldridge (19) and Mark Folsom (20), both high picks of the Indians in the 2000 draft, are back at Burlington for a second year. Eldridge, a switch hitter, has been on a recent surge that has seen him drive his average into the .270's and his OPS toward .800. Folsom hit .225 with 4 home runs at Burlington in 2000, but lurched out to a horrible start this year. He hasn't played in some time due to injury I assume, so his average, which was on the rise, is .219 in 96 at-bats, with 7 doubles, 1 triple and 2 homers. Folsom, ranked the Indians 26th best prospect by Baseball America, has Russell Branyan type power, and a lot of upside if he can master the strike zone. Folsom has struck out 38 times this year.