"He's just a talented young man. I put him in the category of guys like Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Bonds," said Cardinals hitting coach Mike Easler.

So in one day, his manager compares him to Michael Jordan, and his hitting coach compares him to Griffey and Bonds. Heady stuff. And with good reason.

"No reason he can't win Rookie of the Year," claimed Easler. "Down the road, he'll be a 30-plus home-run hitter. But there's no doubt in my mind he's 20-plus right now. And he'll do that just on natural talent."

Drew would prefer to call it God-given ability.

"GOD HAD GIVEN ME a talent to play this game," Drew said. "As long as I go out there to honor and glorify him, things will work out."

Things are already working out just fine, thank you. Remember how his teammates would supposedly resent him for his much-publicized holdout?

Well, his most famous teammate has already put that theory to rest by giving him several ringing endorsements.

"J.D. conducts himself like he's been in the league 10 years," McGwire said at a news conference last week. "There is nothing kid-like about him. He's just a pro."

"Sure, I was honored by what Mark said. But I try not to focus on those things," said a red-faced Drew. "It feels good to know I have supportive teammates. Just being able to show people what I can do. That's the biggest thing for me.

"If you go out there at 50 percent, you won't get any better. My thing is to learn something and get a little bit better every day. I want to be a five-tool player for a long time."

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