Drafted in the 13th round (396th overall) by the Miami Marlins in 1997.
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The Cubs were doing little more than dumping salary when they shipped left fielder Henry Rodriguez to the Marlins for two minor leaguers last July. Little did they realize Gload was about to discover his power stroke. He had 41 homers and a .425 slugging percentage in 433 pro games before the trade. The Cubs promoted him to Triple-A only because they had a surplus of lefthanded hitters in Double-A, but Gload moved up and mashed. He had a .942 slugging percentage in 28 games, earning a callup to Chicago. Gload doesn't rank higher in the organization because he has to prove his Triple-A performance wasn't a fluke. His stance reminds several people of former Cubs third baseman Richie Hebner's, and Gload takes a pronounced uppercut. He makes contact but doesn't walk much. He's only adequate at first base and left field, and he lacks arm strength. Other than homering off Brian Rose, Gload didn't show much in the majors and earned himself a ticket back to Triple-A to begin 2001. He may be able to work into a first-base platoon in Chicago with Julio Zuleta at some point.
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