The prevailing school of thought is that it's far more difficult to find a legitimate leadoff hitter with speed and a .380-plus on-base percentage than to find a cleanup hitter -- unless, of course, your cleanup hitter happens to be a Junior Griffey center fielder or a Nomar Garciaparra shortstop.

"We scour the minors trying to find leadoff prospects," says one GM. "But they're rare. Sometimes kids get better at taking pitches as they move up, and pitch recognition can be taught. But they're tough to find, and it's tough to win without them."

Here are the top six potential leadoff hitters from a poll of baseball executives:

1. Rafael Furcal, Braves SS, 19 years old. .393 OBP, 96 SB in Class A leagues, great winter.

2. Chip Ambres, Marlins CF, 20. .426 OBP at rookie and short-season leagues.

3. Peter Bergeron, Expos CF, 22. .396 OBP, 23 SB, AA-AAA, played on Pan Am team.

4. Jason Tyner, Mets LF, 23. .378 OBP, 49 SB at AA.

5. Hiram Bocachica, Dodgers IF, 24. .382 OBP at AA.

6. Michael Young, Blue Jays 2B-SS, 23. 389 OBP at Class A.

The best leadoff prospect in last June's draft was Miami SS Bobby Hill. He was taken in the second round by the White Sox, but when the Jerry Reinsdorf-Scott Boras war was renewed, Hill didn't sign and will pull a J.D. Drew. He signed with the Newark independent league team and can re-enter the draft or try to become a free agent.