Baseball America
By Jeff Vorva
December 1-14, 2008; p. 24

[Editor's Note: Steve Clevenger was an All-League infielder for Youse's Orioles in 2005. He hit .302/.397/.397 in the Arizona Fall League in 2008, with six doubles and eight RBI in 63 at-bats. Clevenger walked nine times and struck out nine times.]

Chicago --- It sounds so simple.

Cubs catching prospect Steve Clevenger has a blog about life in the Arizona Fall League, and when he was asked why he hits so well and strikes out so infrequently, Clevenger's answer was simple: ''You know I just tried to put the ball in play every time I went to the plate. Even when I had two strikes I just cut down my swing and tried to make things happen.''

Through early November, Clevenger was hitting .313/.400/.438 for the Mesa Solar Sox in AFL action. He drove in six runs in his first nine games and continued an impressive hitting run that started when the Cubs selected him in the seventh round of the 2006 draft out of Chipola (Fla.) JC.

The Cubs converted the 6-foot, 185-pounder to catcher and if he's been having any trouble adjusting to the new spot on defense, the move hasn't hurt his offense any.

The 22-year-old signed quickly in 2006 and hit .286/.363/.359 that season for short-season Boise and followed it up with a 2007 effort in which he hit .373/.398/.482 in 83 at-bats with Boise and .323/.368/.421 in 164 at-bats with high Class A Daytona. He struck out just 11 times in 247 at-bats that season.

Clevenger hit .313/.393/.405 in 284 at-bats with Daytona to open the 2008 campaign and picked up a promotion to Double-A Tennessee. There, he managed just a .247/.314/.360 average with one home run and 15 RBIs in 89 at-bats.

For now, he hasn't shown much home run power but he prides himself on hitting the gaps for singles and doubles.