The Florida prospect pulse

Now that we're approaching mid-March, early cuts have begun at spring training sites. For some, this makes the games more interesting, as the big leaguers play more innings. But for others, early games are the ones to watch.

For many scouts, this is their first extended looks at 2011 draft picks, as well as big-name prospects playing for organizations they don't cover. So before all of the prospects head down to minor league camp, here are some players opening scouts' eyes for good or bad reasons in Florida.

The good

Matt Adams, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals

Adams hit .310/.355/.541 for low Class A Quad Cities in 2010 but got little attention for it. As a 23rd-round pick out of a Division II school, he still had plenty to prove and scouts began to take notice last season, as he earned Double-A Texas League MVP honors with a .300/.357/.566 season that included 32 home runs in 115 games. Two scouts with no exposure to him prior to this spring have walked away from brief looks seeing him as the Cardinals' first baseman of the future.

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