Background: Undrafted out of high school in 1997, Piedra planned to attend Southern California. But veteran scout George Genovese followed Piedra during the summer and signed him before classes enrolled. Piedra's first-year results were outstanding as he flirted with .400 for much of the summer and was named the Pioneer League's No. 2 prospect. Strengths: Piedra is a polished player with the bat and the glove. He is much stronger than he was when he went undrafted, and he has the potential to develop power with his line-drive, gap-to-gap swing. He has excellent instincts and above-average range in center field. Weaknesses: Without blazing speed or raw power, Piedra will have to avoid being stereotyped as a tweener outfielder. He also will have to continue to get stronger to fully develop his offensive potential. The Future: The Dodgers have struggled for years to find a steady center fielder. They have no sure things in the system at that position now, so expect them to challenge Piedra in 1999.
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