By Douglas Benton This is the newest addition to RealGM?s coverage of baseball in 2007 as we unveil our player scouting blog. In this space, we will write up small scouting reports on how players are doing and will update it with reports throughout the season. Friday, May 4 Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal is working himself back from an early season injury, but his talent is still evident. His speed is amazing out of the box and his ability to use the bunt as one of his tools puts a lot of pressure on the defense. When he focuses on keeping the ball on the ground instead of hitting home runs is when he is most dangerous as a hitter. It is his fielding though that is his consistent sparkle because he has the strongest arm of any shortstop in the game. He has good range in both directions and he is getting more accurate with his throws every year. Monday, April 30 Philadelphia Phillies right-handed pitcher Jon Lieber is one of the best control pitchers in the game. Lieber doesn?t have overpowering stuff, but he always hits the glove put up by his catcher. Against the Atlanta Braves, his fastball was seen in the low 90s and he mixed in a good change-up and a breaking ball that complemented his fastball. He works quickly and his ability to control tempo and keep hitters off-balance with his array of pitches should make him a coveted option come the trading deadline. Friday, April 27 Colorado left-hander Jeff Francis had a lot of promise when he was called up as a first-round draft pick. However, he doesn?t have anything that would resemble overpowering stuff and most of his offerings are too straight. His fastball doesn?t hit 90 on most occasions and his only above-average pitch is a decent change-up with good downward movement. Being a left-hander will keep him in the league longer than it should, but he is a borderline 5th starter at best right now. Wednesday, April 25 Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez is making Florida look good on their trade of Josh Beckett before the 2006 season. Ramirez has very good speed and is a perfect fit for the top of order with his line-drive swing. He is at his best when he keeps the ball on the ground and uses his speed instead of trying to lift the ball. His arm and range are both above-average as he best projects as a poor man?s Jose Reyes with the potential for a .285 average, 100 runs and 40 steals. Saturday, April 21 New York Mets left-handed pitcher Oliver Perez showed signs of his vast potential in a home start against the Atlanta Braves. He relied mostly on his fastball, but it was more than to enough to quiet the Braves. It was routinely clocked in the 94-96 mph range and had good late, tailing action. With this kind of velocity, Perez was able to pitch up in the zone and he did a great job of putting it high enough in the zone that the hitter could do nothing with it. He also flashed an above-average slider, but it was his fastball that made the day for Perez. Thursday, April 19 Chicago Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee looks to be back from a wrist injury that limited him in 2006. His swing looks great in the early going as he is displaying his soft hands with every at-bat. He has a little too much movement before the pitch, but he does a great job of always getting his hands into the hitting position, where he can do damage. Lee also has a great level on his swing, which produces consistent, solid contact to the gaps. Wednesday, April 11 Seattle Mariners right-handed ace Felix Hernandez was brilliant against the Boston Red Sox. He was dominant with just two basic pitches: his fastball and slider. His fastball was clocked in the high-90s and even hitting 100 mph all over the zone and his slider was hard and biting. It ranged in the mid-80s and the combination of these two pitches was as filthy as any starter in baseball. It compares very favorably to Los Angeles Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez. Tuesday, April 10 Atlanta Braves right-handed pitcher Tim Hudson looks to have regained the form that made him an All-Star with the Oakland A?s. Against the Washington Nationals, when he went seven strong innings of shutout ball, Hudson was aggressive in his pitch sequences that feature many sinker and splitters. The sinker was his best pitch as it had hard, downward movement and was clocked regularly in the low-90s. Hudson appears to be pitching more for swings and misses instead of forced contact, which should lower some of his bigger mistakes this year. Douglas Benton can be reached at [email protected]