Q:
Could you fill me in on two Diamondbacks prospects at high Class A Lancaster
who haven't gotten much press but are having good years statistically:
Josh Kroeger and Chris Snyder? I know Snyder was a college catcher and a
second-round pick last year. What's his timetable? I have no idea who Kroeger
is or whether he's a legitimate prospect.

Ron Lewis
Phoenix

A:
Snyder is the better prospect of the two. He was a second-round pick out of
the University of Houston last year, and he's the organization's catcher of
the future. He has the best catch-and-throw skills in the system, and he some
power as well. Snyder, 22, batted .258-9-44 in 60 games at Lancaster last
summer and .314-10-53 there in 69 games this year before he was recently
promoted to Double-A. He projects as a solid defensive catcher who could hit
.275 with 15-20 homers annually in the majors.

Kroeger, 20, was a fourth-round pick out of a San Diego high school in 2000.
He's a good athlete who turned down a football scholarship from
Division II Truman State (Mo.) as a wide receiver. But he was also a soft
.260 hitter in his first three pro seasons, which included a .235-7-58
performance last year in Lancaster.

Kroeger is batting .345-5-54 in 76 games this year, ranking second in the
California League in batting and first in extra-base hits (41).
I'm not as impressed as I would be if he weren't repeating a level,
but he's still young for high Class A at age 20. He also has improved his
strikeout-walk ratio from 136-23 in 2002 to 55-35 this year. He's a solid
right fielder who will have to continue to hit as he moves up.