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2007 Out of options, the former first-round pick failed to win a job with the White Sox in spring training and was dealt to the Mariners for reliever Matt Thornton, another busted first-rounder. The M`s gave Borchard a month of mostly bench time before waiving him. The Marlins claimed him as part of their Take an Outfielder (Any Outfielder) to Work program. The Fish never gave Borchard a shot at their center field job, but with Jeremy Hermida on the DL he got some time in right. Borchard did little when batting right-handed, but hit .256/.354/.453 batting lefty. He also played well in right, and between his defense and his modest offensive abilities, he`ll make a fine spare part. 2006 Depending on who you talk to, Borchard`s problem is either that he doesn`t care enough about the game, or that he cares too much to relax at the big-league level. Those are the sort of mixed messages you get when a prospect disappoints this many people. Borchard`s out of options, and while he probably has the bat to stick as a fourth outfielder, he might not get the chance since he`s become too clunky to handle center field. Likely scenarios include his becoming a Ham Fighter, or opening up an ice cream parlor with Dermal Brown and George Lombard. 2005 Here he is, the "untradeable" commodity, the player that Kenny Williams can't give up on. Instead, Williams handed the Mariners Jeremy Reed in the Chief Garcia deal, shipping out the much better prospect in the process. The Sox claim Borchard has improved his plate discipline, but on that score, he's really no better off in his third year in Charlotte than he was in his first, and his flailing got him cut from the Mexican Winter League. A few months removed from being untouchable, he's in danger of being overrun by the wave of young outfielders coming up the system. 2003 Borchard is a good prospect, but there are things to watch in 2003. His strikeout to walk ratio isn’t good, and that becomes more of a concern as his playing time against major league pitchers increases. He may not be able to carry center field defensively, but the Sox don’t have anywhere else to play him, so they’ll give him every opportunity. A good spring could mean he’s Chicago-bound for good. 2002 The only thing standing between Joe Borchard and ridiculous amounts of money is a small improvement in his strike-zone judgment. Even without that, he's ready to join the White Sox lineup and is on the short list for AL Rookie of the Year. The potential problem is position: Borchard doesn't have the speed you'd like to see in a center fielder, and the Sox are set at the outfield corners. The AL Central has one heck of a crop of good, young center fielders. Torii Hunter has the best range in baseball and good power. Carlos Beltran can hit, run, and throw, and he was perhaps the best center fielder in the league last year. The Indians turn center over to Milton Bradley this year; after years of promise, he should put up a .275 EqA with good defense. Even the Tigers have Andres Torres, who runs like the wind and has shown some plate discipline in the minors. 2001 It took $5.3 million over the next two-and-a-half years to keep Joe Borchard away from football at Stanford. He’s credited with a strong arm and the athleticism to play center field and has been compared to Larry Walker and Dale Murphy. In 1990, just a year after he was drafted, Frank Thomas was called up as soon as he had a hundred games at Double-A under his belt. Borchard may be on a similarly accelerated schedule because of the team’s current options in center field.
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