Some young players have the look of impending stardom. One to keep an eye on is A's third baseman Jason Giambi, who one day just might win a batting championship. At week's end he was hitting .323-helped by a 19-game hitting streak, the second longest in the majors this year, that ended on May 1. Even though he had only 54 big league games under his belt entering the season, he has displayed a terrific eye and the ability to make adjustments at the plate. A second-round pick out of Long Beach State in the 1992 draft, Giambi, 25, has hit wherever he has gone in the minors too, including .342 last season at Triple A Edmonton.

In the Arizona Fall League two years ago, Giambi became good friends with Michael Jordan, who was with the White Sox's club that also trained in the Phoenix area. They hung out after games and played a lot of basketball. "He'd always pick me to be on his team," Giambi said. "He wasn't going full speed, but he still wouldn't miss a shot. If we were ever losing, we'd throw it to him and just say, 'Score,' and he would."

What makes Giambi unique is his philosophy on hitting, which isn't straight out of the Charlie Lau school. He first delivered his theory to a group of teammates in a Chicago bar last year and recently expanded upon it in the visitors' clubhouse in Baltimore. "You've got to feel sexy at the plate," he says. "It has nothing to do with sex, though. It's a confidence thing. Baseball can be pretty boring over 162 games. You've got to have something to use to your advantage. So you have to think when you go to the plate that all eyes turn on you, like a beautiful woman who walks into a room. Barry Bonds has got that. He knows he's the best. You've got to have confidence in yourself-feel sexy at the plate."