In 2001 with San Diego, Colangelo appeared in 50 games but got only 91 AB. His NL numbers weren't as bad -- .242/.310/.407 -- plus he had three triples and a couple of HR. For the Padres' AAA affiliate in Portland that year, he hit a much more respectable .304/.430/.435, so you can see why the A's picked him up. A 1997 21st round pick by the Angels, Mike, now 26, played very well in that organization for two years, including a .362 AVG in his first brief AAA promotion, and had a 1999 cup of coffee with Anaheim, only to miss all of 2000; I'm not sure why. I suspect he was also hurt in 2002, and as always, will give J.P. the benefit of the doubt.

Agreed, he's headed for Syracuse, and adds to the CF depth in the system. Let's hope Vernon Wells, who led the team with 159 games played last year, continues to be durable.

Colangelo reminds me a bit of that outfielder the Jays got thrown in from the White Sox with the Wells trade...Simmons? Good defence, good athlete, some good years in the minors. But it's hard to say if he'll do much in the long term. He's depth at this point.