Scouts views: observations and opinions from major league scouts

Sporting News, The, June 24, 2005

The Cardinals are the best team in the National League. Their rotation is as good as there is. Matt Morris is a better pitcher than he was back when he had better velocity. He's locating the ball now, using all of his pitches. ... The Astros have a bunch of little guys that look like their manager, Phil Garner.

Their left fielder, Chris Burke, is going to have to grow on me some. He doesn't hit like a little guy. He tries to do too much. He doesn't hit the ball on the ground to use his speed and doesn't go the other way. ... Kirk Reuter doesn't have enough fastball to keep you honest inside. He'll go in once in a while using a waste pitch and then go back outside. He doesn't have a second pitch to get you out with. ... I never thought I'd say I like Dennys Reyes, the Padres lefthander, matched up against lefthanders, but I do. His slider is getting better and better. He's a big surprise to me, bad body and all. ... The White Sox's Neal Colts is awfully good. I see him as a young Mike Stanton, a lefthanded reliever who will have a chance to dominate as a setup guy at the back end of a bullpen for a long time.