2016 MLB thread. THE CUBS HAVE BROKEN THE CURSE! Chicago Cubs are your 2016 World Series champions

[naija nitemare]

It hurts to read that whole "Non-Scott Kazmir" article when you're an Angels fan

 

[naija nitemare]

It hurts to read that whole "Non-Scott Kazmir" article when you're an Angels fan

 

[cincoseisdos]

Good signs in the early going for a new CBA

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/a...id=mlb&partnerId=rss_mlb

 

[cincoseisdos]

Good signs in the early going for a new CBA

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/a...id=mlb&partnerId=rss_mlb

 

[proshares]

Brett Lawrie has put in a ton of hard work to transition to third base this spring.
Brett Lawrie's reputation preceded him to the Toronto Blue Jays, and the stories were not good. A prima donna, talent evaluators said. A pain in the rear, they said. Very difficult for the organization, they said. After the Milwaukee Brewers traded Lawrie -- the 16th overall pick in the 2008 draft -- for Shaun Marcum at the winter meetings, you could not go up an escalator without hearing another ugly tale about Lawrie.

Alex Anthopoulos, the general manager of the Blue Jays, has been in his job for about 18 months and already has a reputation among his peers for doing exhaustive research, and presumably he heard the same stories as he prepared to make the trade for the infielder. But the Jays' experience with Lawrie has been excellent, Anthopoulos said on Saturday, and Lawrie has been doing excellent work, since being shifted from second base to third base.

"He's been working his butt off," Anthopoulos said. "All of our coaches are blown away by how quickly he's making adjustments."

The Blue Jays broached the subject of a position change for Lawrie at the time they made the trade for him, given his offensive prowess (at age 20 last season, he hit .285 with eight homers, 16 triples and 30 stolen bases in Double-A) and given the fact it's always easier to find a second baseman than a good third baseman. "I don't care -- I'll play anywhere," Lawrie told Anthopoulos. "Put me wherever you want."

It was a good first sign that Lawrie, a native of British Columbia and a former catcher who turned 21 years old in January, was evolving through his baseball experience, and he has continued that evolution since coming to camp, while learning the new position. "Right now, he's doing everything defensively on his physical ability," Anthopoulos said. "He's got some adjustments to make, but we think that'll come with playing time ... Our scouts think he could be an above-average third baseman defensively, over time."

Lawrie has hit well, batting .360 with two homers, and he is a temptation for the Blue Jays; they could install him at third and leave Jose Bautista in the outfield for good. But Anthopoulos has walked through the various possibilities with Lawrie, including the chance that the Blue Jays could decide to send Lawrie to the minors, where he could learn more about playing third base, where he could refine his defensive skills, where he could have a chance to dominate offensively. "I told him we would be open-minded" about Lawrie making the team, Anthopoulos recalled. "He said, 'Hey, when I'm ready, I'm ready.'"

Lawrie has been sharing a place with two players from whom he can learn, catcher J.P. Arencibia and outfielder Travis Snider -- two players who, like Lawrie, are former top picks who have learned about making adjustments to life as a professional ballplayer.

And so far, Lawrie is apparently making major adjustments with the Blue Jays.

• The Jays have been running like crazy this spring, writes Mike Rutsey.

• Ricky Romero, Toronto's Opening Day starter, got knocked around.
[h3]Updates related to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan[/h3]
1. A couple of former Chicago Cubs who are playing in Japan are OK.

2. Hiroki Kuroda made contact with his brother, who is OK.

3. Kei Igawa was able to track down his family.

4. Takashi Saito is worried about his homeland.
[h3]Bad news for Santana[/h3]
Johan Santana's season is in jeopardy, write Steve Popper and Bob Klapisch; the team thinks it'll be lucky if Santana pitches this year.

My own sources indicate that the Mets have viewed Santana's rehabilitation as a long process, and that if he requires more time, then he won't be rushed back. The Mets have not counted on a lot from Santana this year, given the nature of his surgery.
[h3]More on the Mets[/h3]
Much gloom hovers over the New York Mets organization these days, of course, because of the Madoff situation, because of the uncertain status of Santana, because the team is not likely to contend and because this figures to be a transitional year, given the expected departures in the next eight months of Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran (along with Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo).

There is no running from the simple fact that most of the headlines generated around the Mets this year will involve lawyers.

But the new Mets baseball operations regime, led by Sandy Alderson, is assessing the overall talent in the organization, and finding some pieces of hope.

1. There is some optimism that the team will be competitive this year -- if not necessarily playoff caliber -- because of what figures to be a good offense and defense. R.A. Dickey, who came out of nowhere to go 11-9 with a 2.84 ERA last season, is throwing well again this spring, with arguably the hardest knuckleball of any of those who have used it for a primary pitch in recent decades.

2. There is some talent to grow with coming through the minors, if the players continue to develop, from Ruben Tejada (who must prove he can hit to be more than a utility man) to Jordany Valdespin (who must clean up his defense and plate discipline) to second baseman Reese Havens, to their No. 1 pick in 2010, Matt Harvey. The new front office will have to generate a new wave of high-end pitching talent, behind Harvey.
[h3]Talent evaluator observations from around spring training[/h3]
1. Rave reviews continue to pour in about Gio Gonzalez of the Oakland Athletics, who made great improvement last season and seems on the cusp of climbing into the next tier of pitchers. Said one observer: "I think he's figured it out."

2. An evaluator on the Tampa Bay Rays' bullpen reconstruction, which is a complete changing of the guard: "I think they have a chance to work it out. [Jake] McGee has closer's stuff; it's just a matter of him commanding his fastball. If he can do that, they'll be able to mix-and-match at the end of games."

3. On the progress and growth of David Price: "He is commanding his fastball inside to right-handed hitters very well. Very aggressive."

4. Brad Lidge, the Philadelphia Phillies' closer, is throwing at 86-87 mph, markedly less than his typical in-season velocity. But keep in mind that a lot of veteran relievers will show pedestrian velocity early in spring training before ramping up the velocity late in camp or at the outset of the season. "There's no reason to push it," Mariano Rivera said earlier this spring. Charlie Manuel says nobody should worry about Lidge.

5. About Desmond Jennings, the Rays' 24-year-old outfield prospect: "He doesn't seem to have a clue at the plate, any kind of real plan. He's got ability, but I'm not seeing a lot of refinement in the way he hits."
[h3]Dings and dents[/h3]
1. Joe Mauer caught for the first time, in a side session.

2. Joel Zumaya has been shut down for a week, at least.

3. Injuries already have become a factor for the Colorado Rockies, writes Troy Renck.

4. Adrian Beltre is close to returning to games, as mentioned within this notebook.

5. Ryan Braun suffered a strain, but says it's not serious.

6. Andrew McCutchen had just a minor wrist irritation; there is greater concern, however, about James McDonald.

7. Dontrelle Willis suffered a freak injury.

8. The Cincinnati Reds are shutting down Johnny Cueto for a couple of days.

9. Forgot to post this yesterday: Grady Sizemore has started doing more running, more cutting, with more of the type of action that he'll need to play in games. He could be a month or so away from being ready to play in the big leagues.

10. David Newhan is trying to come back after a serious surfing injury.

11. Within this notebook, there is word that Joey Devine feels like he's going through a normal spring training progression, despite being shut down after nine pitches during a simulated game.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. Ruben Amaro got an extension.

2. The news conference announcing the departure of Chuck Greenberg was very awkward, writes Gil LeBreton. Jon Daniels is navigating through change.

3. Brad Mills is putting together the Astros' lineup, Zachary Levine writes.

4. Baseball has some ownership issues, writes Phil Rogers. Within this piece, there is also speculation that the Phillies might be willing to trade either Cole Hamels or Roy Oswalt to Texas as part of a Michael Young trade. It's hard to imagine that the Phillies would compromise the strength of their starting rotation, which is the backbone of the team right now. We'll see.

5. Marc Carig writes about the different ways that Joe Girardi could structure his lineup.

6. Mike Scioscia will start making cuts.

7. As expected, Bryce Harper was sent to Class A to resume his baseball education.
[h3]The battle for jobs[/h3]
1. Baltimore Orioles pitcher Zach Britton had another great outing on Saturday.

2. Michael Morse, who is having a great spring, has become the front-runner to win the Washington Nationals' left-field job, writes Adam Kilgore.

3. Kyle McClellan hasn't won the No. 5 spot yet, says Tony La Russa.

4. Within this piece, there is word that Juan Miranda is the front-runner to be the Arizona Diamondbacks' first baseman.

5. The Cleveland Indians have some competition in their camp for pitching jobs, writes Paul Hoynes. Within that notebook, there is word that Fausto Carmona had another dominating spring performance.

6. Greg Dobbs is hoping he can resurrect his career with the Florida Marlins, Clark Spencer writes.

7. Rich Harden is out of the competition for a spot in the Oakland rotation, Susan Slusser writes.

8. Blake Hawksworth is looking to bite into the role of reliever with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

9. Jason Isringhausen has gone from reckless rookie to sage, writes David Waldstein.

10. Jesus Flores has fallen behind Wilson Ramos in the battle for the No. 2 job in the Nationals' camp.
[h3]Saturday's games[/h3]
1. Carl Pavano has 13 scoreless innings this spring, as mentioned within this notebook.

2. A.J. Burnett has yet to issue a walk.

3. Alex Gordon had another big day for the Kansas City Royals, driving in six runs.

4. Russell Branyan continues to have a great spring for the D-backs, writes Nick Piecoro.

5. Felix Hernandez impressed some wide-eyed kids, Larry Stone writes. Meanwhile, Justin Smoak had a good day.

6. Adrian Gonzalez is batting 1.000 after his first game. The one swing brings some relief, writes Ron Borges.

7. Tim Hudson is pleased with his progress, writes David O'Brien.

8. Stop if you've heard this before: Chipper Jones had a good day against the Mets.

9. John Lackey had a nice outing.

10. Josh Johnson has a 10.00 ERA so far this spring, Joe Capozzi writes. Johnson is working on a changeup.

11. Brad Penny had a good outing for the Detroit Tigers.

12. Clayton Richard doesn't want to talk about why his spring debut was delayed, writes Bill Center.

13. Juan Uribe didn't play against the San Francisco Giants, again.

14. Mark Teahen is hitting well. He'd be a nice fit for the Los Angeles Angels, if the two sides could work out a trade.
[h3]A new line of work for Cashman[/h3]
The other day, Brian Cashman answered his phone while waiting to be served at a coffee place, and he mused that whenever he finishes his work as a general manager, he might like to open a coffee place. He is often asked how it was that he worked for the demanding George Steinbrenner so many years, and coffee goes a long way toward explaining that, he joked.

"Cash's Coffee... For The Jolt You Need," he said, mentioning the title and marketing theme of the would-be establishment.
[h3]From the mailbag[/h3]
My question is: do you see the Pirates being a .500 team any time soon? Oh, and I love it when you talk about cows. I live on a dairy farm also.

-- Corey Wilt (Everett, Pa.)

Corey: I'm a sucker for questions from a dairy farmer, but you're asking about baseball, and this means you won't care to get my perspective on Jersey cows or maple syrup production or manure-shoveling. Oh, well.

About the Pirates ... It's evident to folks in other organizations that, overall, the Pittsburgh franchise has markedly more high-end talent than it did when GM Neal Huntington took over. But the hole they were in was so deep that it'll take another two or three years of productive drafting and development before we could say they might be a factor in contending for the NL Central title.

Dayton Moore took over for Allard Baird as the Royals' GM in the summer of 2006 and, after five years of strong work within their reconstruction (which included spending increases in the draft), they are now a couple of years away from seeing a major wave of talent manifest in the big leagues. That gives you some kind of idea of how long rebuilding takes -- and this only has become more challenging because more and more teams are working from the same sophisticated playbook of assessing and collecting players based on skill metrics and value formulas.

Moore assumed control of the Royals in 2006 and has had the patient support of ownership. Huntington took over the Pirates in September of 2007, and time will tell if he gets the same kind of backing from his bosses.

 

Whether they like it or not, the Baltimore Orioles are stuck in the AL East, so general manager Andy MacPhail's job description is to accumulate enough talent to take down the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, not even mentioning the quality rosters in both Tampa Bay and Toronto. Several years into another rebuilding process, the Orioles have some players who were supposed to be franchise cornerstones, but as of yet they haven't quite lived up to the billing.

The best example is Matt Wieters. He wasn't just supposed to be a good catcher -- he was billed as a switch-hitting Joe Mauer with more power. To date, the only part of that description that has proven accurate is the fact that Wieters does indeed hit from both sides of the plate. His career .266 AVG/.328 OBP/.393 SLG line is simply not what was envisioned when he burst on the scene, and after two years of letdowns, questions are beginning to surface about just what the Orioles have in Wieters.

While he isn't likely to live up to the expectations that were thrust upon him -- no one should be expected to perform at that level, really -- history suggests that Wieters' slow start isn't abnormal. It's simply a truism in baseball that young catchers don't hit.

Over the past 50 years, 70 catchers have accumulated at least 600 plate appearances before the end of their age-24 seasons, giving us a decent sample of players who had at least one full season's worth of playing time in the big leagues by the time they were Wieters' age. As a group, their overall line was .259/.325/.390, nearly a dead ringer for Wieters' performance. Of course, the average is skewed up by the fact that the guys who hit well got more playing time than the guys who hit poorly, so his career .721 OPS actually ranks 23rd on that list, putting him in the top third of all the players in the sample.

While he hasn't made an immediate impact like Mike Piazza and Brian McCann did, there are far more examples of catchers who didn't really show much offense in the big leagues until after they turned 25. Mike Sweeney, Charles Johnson, Craig Biggio and Todd Hundley all hit worse than Wieters did in the majors through the same point of their careers, but still became quality offensive players despite their early struggles.

The similarity in all four breakouts was late developing power, as none of them showed much in the way of driving the ball before turning 25. This is also the skill that is most surprisingly absent from Wieters' performance; he was a prolific power hitter at Georgia Tech as well as during his climb up the minor league ladder, slugging .576 in two minor league seasons. At 6-foot-5 with the build of a first baseman, power should come naturally to Wieters. History suggests that we can't make too many judgments about his relative lack of thump so far, as few catchers develop into big home run threats at an early age.

Perhaps more interesting, however, are the group of good hitting catchers who aren't on the list we mentioned earlier -- they simply weren't good enough to get significant playing time in the big leagues before turning the big 25. Among those who fell outside the scope of our original sample are Jorge Posada, Victor Martinez, Jason Varitek and Chris Hoiles. By WAR (wins above replacement), those are four of the top 12 catchers in the past 20 years, and at the same point in their careers as Wieters is now, they were still trying to convince their organizations that they were worth regular major league playing time.

In fact, if you look at the 10 best hitting catchers since 1990 by wRC+ (an index where 100 is average), the list is dominated by guys who didn't establish themselves as big league stars early in their careers.

[h4]Top Catchers: 1990-2010 (min 1000 PA)[/h4]
WRC+ measures how a player's offensive contribution measures against the league, with 100 representing league average.
[table][tr][th=""]Rank. Player[/th][th=""]WRC+[/th][/tr][tr][td]1. Mike Piazza[/td][td]140[/td][/tr][tr][td]2. Joe Mauer[/td][td]135[/td][/tr][tr][td]3. Jorge Posada[/td][td]125[/td][/tr][tr][td]4. Darren Daulton[/td][td]125[/td][/tr][tr][td]5. Mike Stanley[/td][td]125[/td][/tr][tr][td]6. Mickey Tettleton[/td][td]123[/td][/tr][tr][td]7. Chris Hoiles[/td][td]122[/td][/tr][tr][td]8. Brian McCann[/td][td]121[/td][/tr][tr][td]9. Victor Martinez[/td][td]120[/td][/tr][tr][td]10. Mike Napoli[/td][td]118[/td][/tr][tr][td]-- Matt Wieters [/td][td]88[/td][/tr][/table]

Piazza, Mauer, and McCann were great at a young age, but the other seven guys were all late bloomers. In fact, until Mauer and McCann came along, Piazza essentially stood alone with Johnny Bench as examples of modern-day catchers who came into the league and were dominant offensive forces right out of the gate.

Wieters' career path is the historical norm, but unfortunately for the perception of his future, he came along right on the heels of a pair of anomalies. If he had debuted a decade earlier, we would think nothing of his early struggles, as it was just accepted that catchers take longer to figure out how to hit big league pitching. Mauer and McCann raised the bar, and perhaps unfairly so, as they set levels that few catchers in history have been able to live up to.

Patience is almost universally required with young backstops. The fans in Minnesota and Atlanta got a free pass on the learning curve, but what Baltimore is going through is completely normal. Given his pedigree and history of offensive performances, it is far too early to be throwing out your list of Matt Wieters Facts right now. Given another year or two, the hype may not seem so crazy after all.

 

BRADENTON, Fla. -- The greatest question about the Red Sox, as they enter the 2011 season generally regarded as the best on-paper team in the American League, is about their starting pitching. The last turn through has not been good for this group.

Daisuke Matsuzaka has had a rough spring, and Red Sox manager Terry Francona told reporters Sunday about another change Boston will make to Matsuzaka's regimen. In the past, he has had a long-toss session and a bullpen session on the same day, something he did as part of his schedule in Japan, which had an extra day built in. Francona, pitching coach Curt Young and Matsuzaka talked about splitting up the long-toss session and the bullpen session into different days, because there was concern that Matsuzaka couldn't handle as much out of the bullpen work as Boston wanted after throwing long-toss.

The mechanics required to discuss this kind of thing with Matsuzaka -- a translator is called and Matsuzaka is brought into the office and a laborious conversation follows -- is not something Francona likes, because he can't stand the way it feels like Matsuzaka is being reprimanded, when he's not. A change in Jon Lester's regimen would require a 30-second conversation in the outfield.

But the fact is that Matsuzaka, now entering his fifth year with Boston, remains a work in progress.

Curt Young is changing things up with him.

And on Sunday, Josh Beckett took the mound against the Pirates and he never looked fully comfortable, never looked at ease. After throwing his first pitch, Beckett took about 45 seconds to kick and rebuild the hole dug by Pirates right-hander Brad Lincoln, and afterward, he repeatedly asked for new balls, presumably to get a different feel for the seams. Even after he got good results among the first hitters, Beckett slapped at the side of his leg in frustration, clearly feeling that he didn't execute his last pitch as well as he wanted.

He allowed one run the first time through the lineup, but in the midst of his second pass through the batting order, Beckett's day disintegrated, as John Tomase writes. It's spring training and the linescore is washed away and literally meaningless, but Beckett is coming back from the worst season of his career, and everybody in the Red Sox world -- including Beckett -- would probably feel better if he was rolling up zeroes. He's got about three starts left to piece it together.

By the way: Alfredo Aceves, who signed with Boston after the Yankees passed on him because of past back trouble, will start tonight after being stretched out in his regimen by the Red Sox this spring. In Boston's perfect world, the Red Sox wouldn't need him to step into the rotation. But there are concerns about the Red Sox starters this spring.
[h3]Notables[/h3]
• Late last season, I spoke to someone who has come to know Carlos Zambrano through the years and asked if he thought Big Z's strong second half would carry over to 2011 or if Zambrano's temper would inevitably blow up again. "How the hell do I know?" he said, laughing.

So far, so good: Zambrano has thrown well this spring, and according to Cubs general manager Jim Hendry, Big Z is in better shape and he has his mind together and has his fastball back. Remember those outings last year when Zambrano was clocked at 88-90 mph? Well, so far this spring, he's throwing 92-94.

Look, if the Cubs are going to win, their starting rotation -- which could be pretty good -- will have to be their catapult, and right now, Zambrano and Ryan Dempster and Randy Wells and rotation candidate Andrew Cashner look good.

• One of the most difficult pitches to master, veteran pitchers will tell you, is what is generally known within clubhouses as the "Greg Maddux two-seamer." It's a sinker thrown by a right-handed pitcher near the front hip of the left-handed hitter, a pitch seemingly so far inside that the batter will give up on it -- only to see the ball veer, with late movement, over the inside corner for a strike.

Although Trevor Cahill has one of the best sinking fastballs in the majors, he did not pitch inside much to left-handed hitters much in 2009, before doing that more in 2010, and there are signs he is beginning to get a feel for that Greg Maddux two-seamer. He struck out a handful of hitters looking in his start Sunday, and some of those were with the sinker that ran back over the inside corner to left-handed hitters. It can be a vicious weapon for a pitcher who will mostly live on the opposite side of the plate -- away to left-handed hitters, inside to right-handers -- with his sinker.

• A lot of switch-hitters prefer to take their batting practice strictly in adherence with the side the BP pitcher throws from. In other words, if the pitcher is right-handed, the hitter will always bat left-handed, and the pitcher is left-handed, the hitter will bat right-handed, to keep a consistent look at the ball out of the pitcher's hand.

Jason Varitek, Boston's switch-hitting catcher, takes a different approach. As he took batting practice against a right-handed pitcher Sunday, he flip-flopped round to round, hitting left-handed and then switching over to the right of the plate. He explained afterward that he's always done this, because every ballpark is different, every backdrop is different, and he wants to get a feel from both sides of the plate. And when he takes his turn at batting practice, he can't control whether the pitcher will be right-handed or left-handed. "You take what you can get," he said.

• Observations from some talent evaluators:

1. Jered Weaver looks poised to follow up on his outstanding 2010 season, says one evaluator: "He's throwing the ball great … great command."

2. The greatest challenge that the Mets probably face, beyond the ownership issues, is combating the cloud that hangs over the franchise. "They've got to change that negativity," said one longtime evaluator. He's right. For a month, the stories coming out of the Mets camp have been, in no particular order: Madoff stuff; Oliver Perez's futility; Jose Reyes' likely future with a team other than the Mets; Carlos Beltran's knee problems; Johan Santana's slow rehab. It'll be a battle for them to get out from underneath all of this.
[h3]Dings and dents[/h3]
1. Wandy Rodriguez has some shoulder tendinitis. Not good.
2. Grady Sizemore ran bases and says he could be back in games soon.

3. The Dodgers' Casey Blake has a sore back.

4. Justin Duchscherer is hurting again.

5. David Freese took another good step, writes Rick Hummel.

6. Johan Santana expects to pitch this season, writes Ken Belson, and he says he has not had a setback.

7. Carlos Beltran is still out.

8. The Mariners got good news about Franklin Gutierrez.

9. Zach Duke will miss the next 6 to 8 weeks.

10. Ian Stewart will play in a "B" game today.

11. Dustin McGowan's life as a starting pitcher is over.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. The Reds signed catcher Ryan Hanigan to a three-year deal that could net him $4.8 million -- a really nice reward for a 30-year-old grinder who reached the big leagues at age 26.
2. The Rangers have yet to back off their request in any deal for Michael Young: They want top prospects in return, and don't want to eat as much of the $48 million still owed to Young over the next three years. Rival executives -- many of whom look at Young as a player who probably has about $6-7 million in value -- say unless the Rangers relent, they think it's unlikely Texas will make a deal. Young will gain 10-and-5 rights in May, and time will tell whether that possibility will have any bearing on the Rangers' asking price.

3. The Royals claimed a pitcher on waivers.
[h3]The Battle for Jobs[/h3]
1. Over the next 11 days, the D-backs will make a decision on whether Russell Branyan will be their starting first baseman, writes Nick Piecoro. Branyan can opt out of his deal March 25, which means that he will either know he will have a regular job or else he can go look for a spot elsewhere (and by all accounts, he has been killing the ball).
2. Jason Donald's hand is sore, which means Lonnie Chisenhall might get a shot at being the Indians' third baseman, writes Paul Hoynes.

3. Braden Looper will either make the Cubs or go back to his family.

4. The Rockies have issues to address, writes Troy Renck.

5. The Rays are still unsure of the makeup of their bench and their bullpen.

6. The Astros' rotation appears set, other than the potential problem with Wandy Rodriguez.

7. The last spots on the Detroit roster will be a tough call. Casper Wells is hitting well.

8. John Mayberry is proving he belongs.

9. Charlie Morton is making a strong pitch to be a part of the Pittsburgh rotation, writes Ron Musselman.

10. Jake Fox is trying to make an impression on the Orioles, writes Dan Connolly.
[h3]Sunday's games[/h3]
1. Mariano Rivera made his spring debut, writes Ben Shpigel. Freddy Garcia's outing against the Twins wasn't quite as good, writes Mark Feinsand.
2. Ricky Nolasco couldn't find the strike zone, writes Manny Navarro.

3. John Danks looks great, writes Joe Cowley.

4. Chipper Jones continues to look great.

5. Jordan Zimmermann looked great, as Adam Kilgore writes.

6. Hideki Matsui hit his first spring homer.

7. Pablo Sandoval hit a triple, stole a base and continues to look great, as Carl Steward writes.

8. Jonathan Broxton had a good inning.

9. Tim Stauffer became the first San Diego pitcher to stretch out to five innings, as John Maffei writes.

10. B.J. Upton showed some aggressiveness on the bases, writes Marc Topkin.

11. Tommy Hunter struggled again.

12. Jaime Garcia got hammered, but feels he is making progress.

13. Francisco Liriano was better in his start; Joe Nathan got pounded.

 

UCLA right-hander Gerrit Cole showed big league stuff Friday night, throwing six perfect innings before Georgia rallied in the seventh. Cole's performance, coupled with his size, athleticism and delivery, cemented his status as the top college arm in this draft -- and it illuminated many of the reasons he compares favorably to Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals.

Cole came out throwing 92-94 early, mostly two-seamers, with an above-average slider at 86-89 and a plus-plus changeup -- I'm talking Clay Buchholz/Johan Santana good -- at 84-87. He has great arm speed on the changeup and the action on the pitch is somewhere between the fade on a normal changeup and the bore on a lively fastball. He has tremendous confidence in the pitch, running it in on right-handed batters' hands, using it 0-0 or doubling up on it. The slider was also sharp but he wasn't as consistent with it, particularly when trying to backdoor the pitch to left-handed hitters -- Georgia's first hit came on such a pitch, which hung slightly and ended up in the left-center gap.

Cole uses his lower half extremely well with a ton of torque created by the way he rotates his hips and a strong stride toward the plate (although he wasn't always landing cleanly, possibly a function of the mound's condition). He's cleaned up his arm action since he matriculated at UCLA; in high school and even early in his freshman year, his stride was shorter and his arm was very late, to the point where his lower half wasn't helping him generate velocity. He also turns his pitching hand over sooner, which is generally good for reducing stress on the shoulder. Cole's body also looks better, as he's stronger and more physically mature, while still maintaining his athleticism.

Given where Cole is now and where Anthony Rendon (who DH'd again tonight) is, there is absolutely no question in my mind who the No. 1 prospect is for this year's draft. It's Cole, and that was also the unanimous sentiment among scouts with whom I spoke at the game. Cole could easily have pitched in the big leagues with the stuff he showed Friday night.

I think it's reasonable to discuss the comparison of Cole to Strasburg, who was the top college pitcher in the 2009 draft and among the best we've ever seen. Both pitchers are listed at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds. Strasburg had more velocity, but not a lot more -- he'd sit 94-98 and touch 100, while Cole worked at 92-98 without touching anything over 98. Both featured above-average breaking balls; Strasburg's was more consistent than what Cole showed Friday. Cole has a far better changeup, and his changeup might even be better than Strasburg's breaking ball was at the time he was drafted.

Both could boast of track records of success, although Cole's came in a better conference, and in Cole's case the velocity was always there dating to high school, as opposed to Strasburg's sudden velocity spike when he got to San Diego State and improved his conditioning. As much as Strasburg was hyped and anticipated, Cole compares pretty favorably to him, and it's going to be hard for any team to pass on him at the top of this year's draft.

 

In the minds of many, the NL East was clinched on Dec. 15, 2010. That was the day that the Philadelphia Phillies signed Cliff Lee, giving them arguably the best starting rotation in baseball history. Almost immediately, most assumed the Phils would cruise to their fifth straight NL East title.

[h4]Philadelphia story[/h4]
Chase Utley not being ready for the start of the season isn't welcome news to Phils Phans, but the Phillies are a good enough team that they can absorb the loss.

Utley is about six wins a year better than any of the possible replacements (Delwyn Young, Josh Barfield, Pete Orr, Robb Quinlan or Jeff Larish are all 2B/3B possibilities) and -- as long as this isn't a long-term problem -- Philadelphia's still probably the best team in the NL East.

However, if Utley's knee is still an issue in June and Domonic Brown doesn't have a quick recovery, the team's only an unpleasant surprise away from losing its cushion over the Braves.

-- Dan Szymborski

But, as they say, that's why you don't play the games on paper.

A lot has changed since that fateful December day, and given the recent injuries suffered by certain key Phillies -- not to mention some time to regain our perspective -- things aren't looking quite as sunny in Philadelphia. In fact, with the uncertainty surrounding Chase Utley's knee tendinitis, not to mention the Phils' right-field situation in light of Jayson Werth's departure and Domonic Brown's broken hand, it's unclear whether the Phillies are even the NL East favorites anymore. That's troubling news for a team that's built to win now, and if you compare the Phillies' roster to that of the Atlanta Braves, it appears Atlanta is poised to regain its chokehold on the division it dominated for much of the past two decades.

Make no mistake, until the severity of Utley's knee injury is known, the Phillies are still the favorites for 2011. According to Baseball Prospectus' projected standings, the Phils will win 91 games and the Braves 87. Of course, Utley has been worth an average of more than six wins above replacement over the past six seasons. And even last year, when a broken thumb cost him almost a third of the season, he was still worth 4.2 WAR. His current backup is Wilson Valdez, essentially the definition of replacement level. A nagging injury to Utley could easily put the Braves over the top. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

With the injury to Brown, the Phillies' lineup is so old that Old Hoss Radbourn could give you a scouting report. OK, maybe not that old, but 29-year-old Ben Francisco is the youngest member of the projected of the Opening Day lineup.

Atlanta isn't young, but it's much younger and features two potential cornerstones, in 22-year-old first baseman Freddie Freeman and 20-year-old right fielder Jason Heyward, who posted a .393 OBP last year and is possibly the most valuable young talent in the game. Catcher Brian McCann is just 27 and one of the most consistently excellent players of the game. Speaking of consistent, the Braves shrewdly sold high on Omar Infante after his career year that featured a career-high batting average on balls in play, and used him to acquire second baseman Dan Uggla, who has more than 30 homers in four straight seasons. Atlanta finished fifth in the NL in runs last year, and should be much improved on offense. The Phillies were second in runs, but based on aging will almost surely be less potent.

Obviously, the Phillies have the edge on the rubber, but the Braves' rotation isn't chopped liver, and it will cost -- in total -- only slightly more than the $20 million Roy Halladay is making in 2011. And that's really where the differences between the two teams comes to light. Check out their long-term payroll obligations:

[h4]Philadelphia vs. Atlanta Payroll Obligations (in millions)[/h4][table][tr][th=""]YEAR[/th][th=""]Phillies[/th][th=""]Braves[/th][/tr][tr][td]2012[/td][td]$112.9[/td][td]$62.8[/td][/tr][tr][td]2013[/td][td]$82.3[/td][td]$14.7[/td][/tr][tr][td]2014[/td][td]$50[/td][td]$13.2[/td][/tr][tr][td]2015[/td][td]$50[/td][td]$13.2[/td][/tr][tr][td]2016[/td][td]$37.5[/td][td]$0[/td][/tr][/table]

The Phils have certainly been operating with a larger payroll in recent years, but the difference in long-term commitments is staggering. Philadelphia will be paying Halladay, Utley, Cliff Lee and Ryan Howard each more than $15 million -- in 2013. All of them are excellent players, but all are on the wrong side of 30 and unlikely to be worth anything close to their salaries by then. And because of those commitments, it will be difficult for them to afford free agents while also retaining their top young players, such as Cole Hamels.

The Braves' only commitment beyond 2013 is the $13.2 million they owe Uggla in 2014 and 2015. Therefore, they have plenty of money to extend Heyward, Freeman, McCann and promising young right-hander Tommy Hanson should they deem them worthy of long-term commitments.

The one saving grace for the Phillies is their farm system, which Keith Law ranks as the fifth-best in baseball. Unfortunately for them, Law has the Braves' system in the No. 3 spot, and it is led by Julio Teheran, considered by many to be the best pitching prospect in the game.

Because of the Phillies' aforementioned financial commitments, they will need their top prospects, such as Brown, outfielder Jonathan Singleton and right-hander Jarred Cosart, to pan out in order to remain atop the division. The Braves, however, aren't nearly as desperate for their prospects to prosper. With their long-term flexibility, they will be able to supplement their young core of Heyward, McCann and Hanson with free agents when necessary and know that it's likely that some combination of Freeman, Teheran and right-hander Arodys Vizcaino will become impact players.

Should Utley stay healthy and the Phillies win another World Series in the next couple of years, their fans will certainly forgive a couple of lean years down the road. However, Philadelphia is essentially doubling down on the next season or two, and if its core begins to age more rapidly than expected, those expecting to watch an all-time great team are going to be sorely disappointed. And the Braves are in prime position to pounce for both 2011 and beyond.

 
http://[h3]

[h3]Morton still in fifth starter chase[/h3]
10:58AM ET

[h5]Charlie Morton | Pirates [/h5]


Charlie Morton was a human pi on the Pittsburgh Pirates staff last season, absorbing a 2-12 record with a 7.57 ERA. Despite the inflated numbers, Morton is back for more and is making a strong pitch for the fifth starter's job.

GM Neal Huntington tells Ron Musselman of the Post-Gazette that the team still sees potential in Morton, who has a 2.25 ERA in three spring games.

Morton's primary competition is from free agent Scott Olsen, who has been slowed by a hamstring injury this spring. Olsen, scheduled to pitch Monday, will not be earning the job simply on a past body of work.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Scales pushing for roster spot[/h3]
10:35AM ET

[h5]Chicago Cubs [/h5]


Bobby Scales had plenty of minor league miles on the odometer when he finally made his big league debut in 2009 at the ripe old age of 31. The veteran infielder may now get the chance to enjoy an Opening Day in a major league uniform.

Gordon Wittenmyer of the Sun-Times reports that Scales could be on the verge of pushing Augie Ojeda and Darwin Barney for the Cubs' lone infield bench opening. Scales is hitting a sizzling .438 in Cactus League play, including a three-hit game Saturday.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Finding a new home for Young[/h3]
10:23AM ET

[h5]Michael Young | Rangers [/h5]


UPDATE: Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says the Cubs would be interested in Young if they could get some financial relief.

The Cubs could use Young at second base, where Blake DeWitt and Jeff Baker have been less than overwhelming this spring.

--

UPDATE: Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes that a deal between the Texas and the Diamondbacks is not something that should be expected to occur, which comes as no surprise since Young is pricey, 33 years of age and the D-backs are in a rebuilding mode.

--

We mentioned earlier this week that no news is not necessarily good news for the Phillies when it comes to the status of second baseman Chase Utley. The Phillies clearly are concerned about Utley, who was diagnosed with patellar tendinitis in his right knee and has yet to play in a Grapefruit League.

There has been ample speculation that Michael Young, who has become a square peg in a round hole in Texas, would be a logical fit in Philadelphia. Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News admits there are some major financial obstacles, but adds a deal is not farfetched.

The Rangers are looking for pitching help and would love to have Joe Blanton, but his salary is an issue. The Rangers would likely ask for prospects as well. If the Phillies made the move for Young, it also would hinder or prevent their ability to make another major move at midseason.

Our Buster Olney gives his take from the Rangers' perspective:

- Doug Mittler

[h5]Buster Olney[/h5]
http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog...angers drive hard bargain</a></p><blockquote>

http://[h3]Third base issues in LA[/h3]
10:18AM ET

[h5]Casey Blake | Dodgers [/h5]


Dodgers manager Don Mattingly has plans to periodically rest Casey Blake in hopes that the third baseman, who hit just .248 last season, doesn't wear down.

Injuries also could be an issue with the 37-year-old Blake, who is listed as day-to-day with a rib injury, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.

Blake will likely share time with Jamey Carroll, but there might be other options. The Dodgers also could also be scanning the waiver wire for a veteran who might be released later in camp. Luis Castillo should be released by the Mets, but might not be a fit in LA unless the Dodgers put him at second base and move Juan Uribe to third.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Sox look to pocket Cash?[/h3]
9:50AM ET

[h5]Kevin Cash | Rangers [/h5]


The Boston Red Sox are looking to place a major league-ready catcher at Triple-A Pawtucket and might be interested in dealing for Kevin Cash, speculates Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.

Cash, who has two previous stints with the Red Sox, is a non-roster invitee of the Texas Rangers.

Jason Varitek will begin the season as the backup to Jarrod Saltalamacchia in Boston. Cafardo says there is still doubt as to whether Mark Wagner or Luis Exposito can fill the emergency third-catcher role.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Chisenhall closer to The Show?[/h3]
9:23AM ET

[h5]Cleveland Indians [/h5]


Top prospect Lonnie Chisenhall is a step closer to being the Cleveland Indians' Opening Day third baseman than he was last week, reports Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer.

Jason Donald is the front-runner, but he continues to be bothered by a bone bruise in his hand. While manager Manny Acta insists that Donald has time to be ready by Opening Day, bone bruises can be tricky, and the Tribe might best be served by giving the injury more time to heal.

Chisenhall has done his part to claim the job, batting .478 (11-for-23) with two homers in 11 Cactus League games. But by keeping Chisenhall in the minors to start the year, the Tribe can control his service time clock and push back his eligibility for arbitration.

If Donald lands on the DL, Acta could turn to temporary solutions such as Luis Valbuena or Jayson Nix.

Chisenhall was ranked No. 39 overall by ESPN Insider's Keith Law this winter. Here's Law's report on the left-handed hitter:

- Doug Mittler

[h5]Keith Law[/h5]
No. 39: Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B, Cleveland Indians

http://[h3]Could Stewart lose his job?[/h3]
8:49AM ET

[h5]Ian Stewart | Rockies [/h5]


It has been a frustrating spring for Rockies third baseman Ian Stewart, who suffered a sprained right knee in the first inning of the first Cactus League game and has not played since.

Stewart is scheduled to play in a B game Monday, but Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports Stewart may not get enough at-bats to be ready by Opening Day. Manager Jim Tracy insists there is no need to rush Stewart, a .256 hitter with 61 RBI last season.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=5176Ty Wigginton could make the bulk of the starts at third in Stewart's absence. Renck adds that Wigginton could win the job on a more permanent basis if Stewart's hitting doesn't improve. If Wigginton settles in at third base, that could mean more at-bats in right field for Seth Smith.

If Stewart goes the disabled list, the Rockies will carry an extra position player such as Jordan Pacheco or Eric Young Jr.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Buehrle's future[/h3]
8:32AM ET

[h5]Mark Buehrle | White Sox [/h5]


Ask Mark Buehrle about his future, and the answer can differ about as often as the wind changes direction in Chicago.

The White Sox left-hander hinted in 2009 that he might not be willing to pitch beyond the 2011 season, when his current contract runs out. A few weeks ago, Buehrle changed course and said he wants to pitch beyond 2011 rather than retire.

Is the retirement option back on the table? In a radio interview Wednesday, Buehrle says he needs the right fit in order to continue playing. "I'm not going to just go out there and play for the money or play in a spot that I don't want to be, just to play for a couple years to get some more money," Buehrle told WSCR-AM 670.

Dan McNeil wrote in Sunday's Chicago Tribune that Buehrle has played himself into an enviable position.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Morgan's status in D.C.[/h3]
8:25AM ET

[h5]Nyjer Morgan | Nationals [/h5]


With less than three weeks to go before Opening Day, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo hints that the center field competition is a tight, three-horse race between Nyjer Morgan, Roger Bernadina and Rick Ankiel.

Morgan has fallen back to the pack by hitting a mere .172 in Grapefruit League play, but Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports it is unlikely the Nats will release the veteran in a cost-cutting move, similar to what they did with Elijah Dukes last March.

Bernadina and Ankiel also are in the race for the left field job. As of Saturday, Mike Morse appeared to be winning that competition, according to skipper Jim Riggleman.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Setback for Santana?[/h3]
7:59AM ET

[h5]Johan Santana | Mets [/h5]


New York Mets left-hander Johan Santana spent part of his 32nd birthday Sunday disputing a report in the Bergen Record that his 2011 season is in jeopardy.

Santana told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com that he is experiencing "regular soreness," but says he is steadily recovering from September 14 surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder.

Even if the report is overstated, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reminds us that one fact remains -- neither Santana nor the Mets have a clear timetable as to when the pitcher will return.

The weekend rumors should have no immediate impact on manager Terry Collins, who is formulating his Opening Day roster with Santana out of the picture.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]-backs first base battle[/h3]
7:37AM ET

[h5]Arizona Diamondbacks [/h5]


The Diamondbacks' competition at first base remains a three-horse field, even if Juan Miranda has done little to dissuade his status as the morning line favorite.

Miranda was perceived as the favorite over Brandon Allen before the Snakes expanded the competition with the signing of Russell Branyan last month. With three weeks until Opening Day, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic says GM Kevin Towers gave no indication that Miranda has fallen behind the others, calling his defense "very, very good."

Miranda is hitting just .241 but has solid plate discipline with eight walks, while Branyan has been tearing the cover off the ball, including his third homer among three hits Saturday to raise his spring average to .467.

Manager Kirk Gibson has stressed the importance of defense, which would play into Miranda's chances.

Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reported Sunday that the D-backs are considering using Branyan as a late inning bat off the bench.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Impact of Duke's injury[/h3]
7:27AM ET

[h5]Zach Duke | Diamondbacks [/h5]


The Diamondbacks' crowded rotation race opened up slightly over the weekend with word that left-hander Zach Duke is likely to miss two months with two fractured bones in his pitching hand.

Duke ($4.25 million) and Armando Galarraga ($2.3 million) were penciled in as fourth and fifth starters, due in part to the D-backs' financial commitment. General manager Kevin Towers said Sunday that Duke's job will be filled internally.

Right-hander Aaron Heilman is being a chance to compete for a rotation spot, but at this point, he appears to be behind Barry Enright and Galarraga. Enright, who faded down the stretch in 2010, has looked good this month (2.00 ERA, 1 walk in 9 IP).

Even with his salary, Duke may not be assured of a rotation spot when he returns.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]All is quiet on Pujols front[/h3]
6:55AM ET

[h5]Albert Pujols | Cardinals [/h5]


The St. Louis Cardinals have have a tumultuous offseason, but it appears the media scrutiny around the situation with Albert Pujols has quieted down, perhaps partially due to the news that Adam Wainwright would miss the entire season with an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery earlier this month.

Team Pujols put a deadline on contract talks, and that deadline came and went once Pujols reported for spring training. So far, there are no indications that the superstar will back off and negotiate during the season.

We'll likely have to discuss a lot of rumors of other clubs, including the Chicago Cubs, planning their 2011-12 winters around making a play for Pujols via free agency. But we'll also keep in mind that a trade is not 100 percent out of the question, especially if the Cardinals fall out of the race early this summer, despite Pujols' 10-5 rights to veto a trade and his claim that he'll invoke those rights.

[/h3]

 

[proshares]

Brett Lawrie has put in a ton of hard work to transition to third base this spring.
Brett Lawrie's reputation preceded him to the Toronto Blue Jays, and the stories were not good. A prima donna, talent evaluators said. A pain in the rear, they said. Very difficult for the organization, they said. After the Milwaukee Brewers traded Lawrie -- the 16th overall pick in the 2008 draft -- for Shaun Marcum at the winter meetings, you could not go up an escalator without hearing another ugly tale about Lawrie.

Alex Anthopoulos, the general manager of the Blue Jays, has been in his job for about 18 months and already has a reputation among his peers for doing exhaustive research, and presumably he heard the same stories as he prepared to make the trade for the infielder. But the Jays' experience with Lawrie has been excellent, Anthopoulos said on Saturday, and Lawrie has been doing excellent work, since being shifted from second base to third base.

"He's been working his butt off," Anthopoulos said. "All of our coaches are blown away by how quickly he's making adjustments."

The Blue Jays broached the subject of a position change for Lawrie at the time they made the trade for him, given his offensive prowess (at age 20 last season, he hit .285 with eight homers, 16 triples and 30 stolen bases in Double-A) and given the fact it's always easier to find a second baseman than a good third baseman. "I don't care -- I'll play anywhere," Lawrie told Anthopoulos. "Put me wherever you want."

It was a good first sign that Lawrie, a native of British Columbia and a former catcher who turned 21 years old in January, was evolving through his baseball experience, and he has continued that evolution since coming to camp, while learning the new position. "Right now, he's doing everything defensively on his physical ability," Anthopoulos said. "He's got some adjustments to make, but we think that'll come with playing time ... Our scouts think he could be an above-average third baseman defensively, over time."

Lawrie has hit well, batting .360 with two homers, and he is a temptation for the Blue Jays; they could install him at third and leave Jose Bautista in the outfield for good. But Anthopoulos has walked through the various possibilities with Lawrie, including the chance that the Blue Jays could decide to send Lawrie to the minors, where he could learn more about playing third base, where he could refine his defensive skills, where he could have a chance to dominate offensively. "I told him we would be open-minded" about Lawrie making the team, Anthopoulos recalled. "He said, 'Hey, when I'm ready, I'm ready.'"

Lawrie has been sharing a place with two players from whom he can learn, catcher J.P. Arencibia and outfielder Travis Snider -- two players who, like Lawrie, are former top picks who have learned about making adjustments to life as a professional ballplayer.

And so far, Lawrie is apparently making major adjustments with the Blue Jays.

• The Jays have been running like crazy this spring, writes Mike Rutsey.

• Ricky Romero, Toronto's Opening Day starter, got knocked around.
[h3]Updates related to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan[/h3]
1. A couple of former Chicago Cubs who are playing in Japan are OK.

2. Hiroki Kuroda made contact with his brother, who is OK.

3. Kei Igawa was able to track down his family.

4. Takashi Saito is worried about his homeland.
[h3]Bad news for Santana[/h3]
Johan Santana's season is in jeopardy, write Steve Popper and Bob Klapisch; the team thinks it'll be lucky if Santana pitches this year.

My own sources indicate that the Mets have viewed Santana's rehabilitation as a long process, and that if he requires more time, then he won't be rushed back. The Mets have not counted on a lot from Santana this year, given the nature of his surgery.
[h3]More on the Mets[/h3]
Much gloom hovers over the New York Mets organization these days, of course, because of the Madoff situation, because of the uncertain status of Santana, because the team is not likely to contend and because this figures to be a transitional year, given the expected departures in the next eight months of Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran (along with Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo).

There is no running from the simple fact that most of the headlines generated around the Mets this year will involve lawyers.

But the new Mets baseball operations regime, led by Sandy Alderson, is assessing the overall talent in the organization, and finding some pieces of hope.

1. There is some optimism that the team will be competitive this year -- if not necessarily playoff caliber -- because of what figures to be a good offense and defense. R.A. Dickey, who came out of nowhere to go 11-9 with a 2.84 ERA last season, is throwing well again this spring, with arguably the hardest knuckleball of any of those who have used it for a primary pitch in recent decades.

2. There is some talent to grow with coming through the minors, if the players continue to develop, from Ruben Tejada (who must prove he can hit to be more than a utility man) to Jordany Valdespin (who must clean up his defense and plate discipline) to second baseman Reese Havens, to their No. 1 pick in 2010, Matt Harvey. The new front office will have to generate a new wave of high-end pitching talent, behind Harvey.
[h3]Talent evaluator observations from around spring training[/h3]
1. Rave reviews continue to pour in about Gio Gonzalez of the Oakland Athletics, who made great improvement last season and seems on the cusp of climbing into the next tier of pitchers. Said one observer: "I think he's figured it out."

2. An evaluator on the Tampa Bay Rays' bullpen reconstruction, which is a complete changing of the guard: "I think they have a chance to work it out. [Jake] McGee has closer's stuff; it's just a matter of him commanding his fastball. If he can do that, they'll be able to mix-and-match at the end of games."

3. On the progress and growth of David Price: "He is commanding his fastball inside to right-handed hitters very well. Very aggressive."

4. Brad Lidge, the Philadelphia Phillies' closer, is throwing at 86-87 mph, markedly less than his typical in-season velocity. But keep in mind that a lot of veteran relievers will show pedestrian velocity early in spring training before ramping up the velocity late in camp or at the outset of the season. "There's no reason to push it," Mariano Rivera said earlier this spring. Charlie Manuel says nobody should worry about Lidge.

5. About Desmond Jennings, the Rays' 24-year-old outfield prospect: "He doesn't seem to have a clue at the plate, any kind of real plan. He's got ability, but I'm not seeing a lot of refinement in the way he hits."
[h3]Dings and dents[/h3]
1. Joe Mauer caught for the first time, in a side session.

2. Joel Zumaya has been shut down for a week, at least.

3. Injuries already have become a factor for the Colorado Rockies, writes Troy Renck.

4. Adrian Beltre is close to returning to games, as mentioned within this notebook.

5. Ryan Braun suffered a strain, but says it's not serious.

6. Andrew McCutchen had just a minor wrist irritation; there is greater concern, however, about James McDonald.

7. Dontrelle Willis suffered a freak injury.

8. The Cincinnati Reds are shutting down Johnny Cueto for a couple of days.

9. Forgot to post this yesterday: Grady Sizemore has started doing more running, more cutting, with more of the type of action that he'll need to play in games. He could be a month or so away from being ready to play in the big leagues.

10. David Newhan is trying to come back after a serious surfing injury.

11. Within this notebook, there is word that Joey Devine feels like he's going through a normal spring training progression, despite being shut down after nine pitches during a simulated game.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. Ruben Amaro got an extension.

2. The news conference announcing the departure of Chuck Greenberg was very awkward, writes Gil LeBreton. Jon Daniels is navigating through change.

3. Brad Mills is putting together the Astros' lineup, Zachary Levine writes.

4. Baseball has some ownership issues, writes Phil Rogers. Within this piece, there is also speculation that the Phillies might be willing to trade either Cole Hamels or Roy Oswalt to Texas as part of a Michael Young trade. It's hard to imagine that the Phillies would compromise the strength of their starting rotation, which is the backbone of the team right now. We'll see.

5. Marc Carig writes about the different ways that Joe Girardi could structure his lineup.

6. Mike Scioscia will start making cuts.

7. As expected, Bryce Harper was sent to Class A to resume his baseball education.
[h3]The battle for jobs[/h3]
1. Baltimore Orioles pitcher Zach Britton had another great outing on Saturday.

2. Michael Morse, who is having a great spring, has become the front-runner to win the Washington Nationals' left-field job, writes Adam Kilgore.

3. Kyle McClellan hasn't won the No. 5 spot yet, says Tony La Russa.

4. Within this piece, there is word that Juan Miranda is the front-runner to be the Arizona Diamondbacks' first baseman.

5. The Cleveland Indians have some competition in their camp for pitching jobs, writes Paul Hoynes. Within that notebook, there is word that Fausto Carmona had another dominating spring performance.

6. Greg Dobbs is hoping he can resurrect his career with the Florida Marlins, Clark Spencer writes.

7. Rich Harden is out of the competition for a spot in the Oakland rotation, Susan Slusser writes.

8. Blake Hawksworth is looking to bite into the role of reliever with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

9. Jason Isringhausen has gone from reckless rookie to sage, writes David Waldstein.

10. Jesus Flores has fallen behind Wilson Ramos in the battle for the No. 2 job in the Nationals' camp.
[h3]Saturday's games[/h3]
1. Carl Pavano has 13 scoreless innings this spring, as mentioned within this notebook.

2. A.J. Burnett has yet to issue a walk.

3. Alex Gordon had another big day for the Kansas City Royals, driving in six runs.

4. Russell Branyan continues to have a great spring for the D-backs, writes Nick Piecoro.

5. Felix Hernandez impressed some wide-eyed kids, Larry Stone writes. Meanwhile, Justin Smoak had a good day.

6. Adrian Gonzalez is batting 1.000 after his first game. The one swing brings some relief, writes Ron Borges.

7. Tim Hudson is pleased with his progress, writes David O'Brien.

8. Stop if you've heard this before: Chipper Jones had a good day against the Mets.

9. John Lackey had a nice outing.

10. Josh Johnson has a 10.00 ERA so far this spring, Joe Capozzi writes. Johnson is working on a changeup.

11. Brad Penny had a good outing for the Detroit Tigers.

12. Clayton Richard doesn't want to talk about why his spring debut was delayed, writes Bill Center.

13. Juan Uribe didn't play against the San Francisco Giants, again.

14. Mark Teahen is hitting well. He'd be a nice fit for the Los Angeles Angels, if the two sides could work out a trade.
[h3]A new line of work for Cashman[/h3]
The other day, Brian Cashman answered his phone while waiting to be served at a coffee place, and he mused that whenever he finishes his work as a general manager, he might like to open a coffee place. He is often asked how it was that he worked for the demanding George Steinbrenner so many years, and coffee goes a long way toward explaining that, he joked.

"Cash's Coffee... For The Jolt You Need," he said, mentioning the title and marketing theme of the would-be establishment.
[h3]From the mailbag[/h3]
My question is: do you see the Pirates being a .500 team any time soon? Oh, and I love it when you talk about cows. I live on a dairy farm also.

-- Corey Wilt (Everett, Pa.)

Corey: I'm a sucker for questions from a dairy farmer, but you're asking about baseball, and this means you won't care to get my perspective on Jersey cows or maple syrup production or manure-shoveling. Oh, well.

About the Pirates ... It's evident to folks in other organizations that, overall, the Pittsburgh franchise has markedly more high-end talent than it did when GM Neal Huntington took over. But the hole they were in was so deep that it'll take another two or three years of productive drafting and development before we could say they might be a factor in contending for the NL Central title.

Dayton Moore took over for Allard Baird as the Royals' GM in the summer of 2006 and, after five years of strong work within their reconstruction (which included spending increases in the draft), they are now a couple of years away from seeing a major wave of talent manifest in the big leagues. That gives you some kind of idea of how long rebuilding takes -- and this only has become more challenging because more and more teams are working from the same sophisticated playbook of assessing and collecting players based on skill metrics and value formulas.

Moore assumed control of the Royals in 2006 and has had the patient support of ownership. Huntington took over the Pirates in September of 2007, and time will tell if he gets the same kind of backing from his bosses.

 

Whether they like it or not, the Baltimore Orioles are stuck in the AL East, so general manager Andy MacPhail's job description is to accumulate enough talent to take down the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, not even mentioning the quality rosters in both Tampa Bay and Toronto. Several years into another rebuilding process, the Orioles have some players who were supposed to be franchise cornerstones, but as of yet they haven't quite lived up to the billing.

The best example is Matt Wieters. He wasn't just supposed to be a good catcher -- he was billed as a switch-hitting Joe Mauer with more power. To date, the only part of that description that has proven accurate is the fact that Wieters does indeed hit from both sides of the plate. His career .266 AVG/.328 OBP/.393 SLG line is simply not what was envisioned when he burst on the scene, and after two years of letdowns, questions are beginning to surface about just what the Orioles have in Wieters.

While he isn't likely to live up to the expectations that were thrust upon him -- no one should be expected to perform at that level, really -- history suggests that Wieters' slow start isn't abnormal. It's simply a truism in baseball that young catchers don't hit.

Over the past 50 years, 70 catchers have accumulated at least 600 plate appearances before the end of their age-24 seasons, giving us a decent sample of players who had at least one full season's worth of playing time in the big leagues by the time they were Wieters' age. As a group, their overall line was .259/.325/.390, nearly a dead ringer for Wieters' performance. Of course, the average is skewed up by the fact that the guys who hit well got more playing time than the guys who hit poorly, so his career .721 OPS actually ranks 23rd on that list, putting him in the top third of all the players in the sample.

While he hasn't made an immediate impact like Mike Piazza and Brian McCann did, there are far more examples of catchers who didn't really show much offense in the big leagues until after they turned 25. Mike Sweeney, Charles Johnson, Craig Biggio and Todd Hundley all hit worse than Wieters did in the majors through the same point of their careers, but still became quality offensive players despite their early struggles.

The similarity in all four breakouts was late developing power, as none of them showed much in the way of driving the ball before turning 25. This is also the skill that is most surprisingly absent from Wieters' performance; he was a prolific power hitter at Georgia Tech as well as during his climb up the minor league ladder, slugging .576 in two minor league seasons. At 6-foot-5 with the build of a first baseman, power should come naturally to Wieters. History suggests that we can't make too many judgments about his relative lack of thump so far, as few catchers develop into big home run threats at an early age.

Perhaps more interesting, however, are the group of good hitting catchers who aren't on the list we mentioned earlier -- they simply weren't good enough to get significant playing time in the big leagues before turning the big 25. Among those who fell outside the scope of our original sample are Jorge Posada, Victor Martinez, Jason Varitek and Chris Hoiles. By WAR (wins above replacement), those are four of the top 12 catchers in the past 20 years, and at the same point in their careers as Wieters is now, they were still trying to convince their organizations that they were worth regular major league playing time.

In fact, if you look at the 10 best hitting catchers since 1990 by wRC+ (an index where 100 is average), the list is dominated by guys who didn't establish themselves as big league stars early in their careers.

[h4]Top Catchers: 1990-2010 (min 1000 PA)[/h4]
WRC+ measures how a player's offensive contribution measures against the league, with 100 representing league average.
[table][tr][th=""]Rank. Player[/th][th=""]WRC+[/th][/tr][tr][td]1. Mike Piazza[/td][td]140[/td][/tr][tr][td]2. Joe Mauer[/td][td]135[/td][/tr][tr][td]3. Jorge Posada[/td][td]125[/td][/tr][tr][td]4. Darren Daulton[/td][td]125[/td][/tr][tr][td]5. Mike Stanley[/td][td]125[/td][/tr][tr][td]6. Mickey Tettleton[/td][td]123[/td][/tr][tr][td]7. Chris Hoiles[/td][td]122[/td][/tr][tr][td]8. Brian McCann[/td][td]121[/td][/tr][tr][td]9. Victor Martinez[/td][td]120[/td][/tr][tr][td]10. Mike Napoli[/td][td]118[/td][/tr][tr][td]-- Matt Wieters [/td][td]88[/td][/tr][/table]

Piazza, Mauer, and McCann were great at a young age, but the other seven guys were all late bloomers. In fact, until Mauer and McCann came along, Piazza essentially stood alone with Johnny Bench as examples of modern-day catchers who came into the league and were dominant offensive forces right out of the gate.

Wieters' career path is the historical norm, but unfortunately for the perception of his future, he came along right on the heels of a pair of anomalies. If he had debuted a decade earlier, we would think nothing of his early struggles, as it was just accepted that catchers take longer to figure out how to hit big league pitching. Mauer and McCann raised the bar, and perhaps unfairly so, as they set levels that few catchers in history have been able to live up to.

Patience is almost universally required with young backstops. The fans in Minnesota and Atlanta got a free pass on the learning curve, but what Baltimore is going through is completely normal. Given his pedigree and history of offensive performances, it is far too early to be throwing out your list of Matt Wieters Facts right now. Given another year or two, the hype may not seem so crazy after all.

 

BRADENTON, Fla. -- The greatest question about the Red Sox, as they enter the 2011 season generally regarded as the best on-paper team in the American League, is about their starting pitching. The last turn through has not been good for this group.

Daisuke Matsuzaka has had a rough spring, and Red Sox manager Terry Francona told reporters Sunday about another change Boston will make to Matsuzaka's regimen. In the past, he has had a long-toss session and a bullpen session on the same day, something he did as part of his schedule in Japan, which had an extra day built in. Francona, pitching coach Curt Young and Matsuzaka talked about splitting up the long-toss session and the bullpen session into different days, because there was concern that Matsuzaka couldn't handle as much out of the bullpen work as Boston wanted after throwing long-toss.

The mechanics required to discuss this kind of thing with Matsuzaka -- a translator is called and Matsuzaka is brought into the office and a laborious conversation follows -- is not something Francona likes, because he can't stand the way it feels like Matsuzaka is being reprimanded, when he's not. A change in Jon Lester's regimen would require a 30-second conversation in the outfield.

But the fact is that Matsuzaka, now entering his fifth year with Boston, remains a work in progress.

Curt Young is changing things up with him.

And on Sunday, Josh Beckett took the mound against the Pirates and he never looked fully comfortable, never looked at ease. After throwing his first pitch, Beckett took about 45 seconds to kick and rebuild the hole dug by Pirates right-hander Brad Lincoln, and afterward, he repeatedly asked for new balls, presumably to get a different feel for the seams. Even after he got good results among the first hitters, Beckett slapped at the side of his leg in frustration, clearly feeling that he didn't execute his last pitch as well as he wanted.

He allowed one run the first time through the lineup, but in the midst of his second pass through the batting order, Beckett's day disintegrated, as John Tomase writes. It's spring training and the linescore is washed away and literally meaningless, but Beckett is coming back from the worst season of his career, and everybody in the Red Sox world -- including Beckett -- would probably feel better if he was rolling up zeroes. He's got about three starts left to piece it together.

By the way: Alfredo Aceves, who signed with Boston after the Yankees passed on him because of past back trouble, will start tonight after being stretched out in his regimen by the Red Sox this spring. In Boston's perfect world, the Red Sox wouldn't need him to step into the rotation. But there are concerns about the Red Sox starters this spring.
[h3]Notables[/h3]
• Late last season, I spoke to someone who has come to know Carlos Zambrano through the years and asked if he thought Big Z's strong second half would carry over to 2011 or if Zambrano's temper would inevitably blow up again. "How the hell do I know?" he said, laughing.

So far, so good: Zambrano has thrown well this spring, and according to Cubs general manager Jim Hendry, Big Z is in better shape and he has his mind together and has his fastball back. Remember those outings last year when Zambrano was clocked at 88-90 mph? Well, so far this spring, he's throwing 92-94.

Look, if the Cubs are going to win, their starting rotation -- which could be pretty good -- will have to be their catapult, and right now, Zambrano and Ryan Dempster and Randy Wells and rotation candidate Andrew Cashner look good.

• One of the most difficult pitches to master, veteran pitchers will tell you, is what is generally known within clubhouses as the "Greg Maddux two-seamer." It's a sinker thrown by a right-handed pitcher near the front hip of the left-handed hitter, a pitch seemingly so far inside that the batter will give up on it -- only to see the ball veer, with late movement, over the inside corner for a strike.

Although Trevor Cahill has one of the best sinking fastballs in the majors, he did not pitch inside much to left-handed hitters much in 2009, before doing that more in 2010, and there are signs he is beginning to get a feel for that Greg Maddux two-seamer. He struck out a handful of hitters looking in his start Sunday, and some of those were with the sinker that ran back over the inside corner to left-handed hitters. It can be a vicious weapon for a pitcher who will mostly live on the opposite side of the plate -- away to left-handed hitters, inside to right-handers -- with his sinker.

• A lot of switch-hitters prefer to take their batting practice strictly in adherence with the side the BP pitcher throws from. In other words, if the pitcher is right-handed, the hitter will always bat left-handed, and the pitcher is left-handed, the hitter will bat right-handed, to keep a consistent look at the ball out of the pitcher's hand.

Jason Varitek, Boston's switch-hitting catcher, takes a different approach. As he took batting practice against a right-handed pitcher Sunday, he flip-flopped round to round, hitting left-handed and then switching over to the right of the plate. He explained afterward that he's always done this, because every ballpark is different, every backdrop is different, and he wants to get a feel from both sides of the plate. And when he takes his turn at batting practice, he can't control whether the pitcher will be right-handed or left-handed. "You take what you can get," he said.

• Observations from some talent evaluators:

1. Jered Weaver looks poised to follow up on his outstanding 2010 season, says one evaluator: "He's throwing the ball great … great command."

2. The greatest challenge that the Mets probably face, beyond the ownership issues, is combating the cloud that hangs over the franchise. "They've got to change that negativity," said one longtime evaluator. He's right. For a month, the stories coming out of the Mets camp have been, in no particular order: Madoff stuff; Oliver Perez's futility; Jose Reyes' likely future with a team other than the Mets; Carlos Beltran's knee problems; Johan Santana's slow rehab. It'll be a battle for them to get out from underneath all of this.
[h3]Dings and dents[/h3]
1. Wandy Rodriguez has some shoulder tendinitis. Not good.
2. Grady Sizemore ran bases and says he could be back in games soon.

3. The Dodgers' Casey Blake has a sore back.

4. Justin Duchscherer is hurting again.

5. David Freese took another good step, writes Rick Hummel.

6. Johan Santana expects to pitch this season, writes Ken Belson, and he says he has not had a setback.

7. Carlos Beltran is still out.

8. The Mariners got good news about Franklin Gutierrez.

9. Zach Duke will miss the next 6 to 8 weeks.

10. Ian Stewart will play in a "B" game today.

11. Dustin McGowan's life as a starting pitcher is over.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. The Reds signed catcher Ryan Hanigan to a three-year deal that could net him $4.8 million -- a really nice reward for a 30-year-old grinder who reached the big leagues at age 26.
2. The Rangers have yet to back off their request in any deal for Michael Young: They want top prospects in return, and don't want to eat as much of the $48 million still owed to Young over the next three years. Rival executives -- many of whom look at Young as a player who probably has about $6-7 million in value -- say unless the Rangers relent, they think it's unlikely Texas will make a deal. Young will gain 10-and-5 rights in May, and time will tell whether that possibility will have any bearing on the Rangers' asking price.

3. The Royals claimed a pitcher on waivers.
[h3]The Battle for Jobs[/h3]
1. Over the next 11 days, the D-backs will make a decision on whether Russell Branyan will be their starting first baseman, writes Nick Piecoro. Branyan can opt out of his deal March 25, which means that he will either know he will have a regular job or else he can go look for a spot elsewhere (and by all accounts, he has been killing the ball).
2. Jason Donald's hand is sore, which means Lonnie Chisenhall might get a shot at being the Indians' third baseman, writes Paul Hoynes.

3. Braden Looper will either make the Cubs or go back to his family.

4. The Rockies have issues to address, writes Troy Renck.

5. The Rays are still unsure of the makeup of their bench and their bullpen.

6. The Astros' rotation appears set, other than the potential problem with Wandy Rodriguez.

7. The last spots on the Detroit roster will be a tough call. Casper Wells is hitting well.

8. John Mayberry is proving he belongs.

9. Charlie Morton is making a strong pitch to be a part of the Pittsburgh rotation, writes Ron Musselman.

10. Jake Fox is trying to make an impression on the Orioles, writes Dan Connolly.
[h3]Sunday's games[/h3]
1. Mariano Rivera made his spring debut, writes Ben Shpigel. Freddy Garcia's outing against the Twins wasn't quite as good, writes Mark Feinsand.
2. Ricky Nolasco couldn't find the strike zone, writes Manny Navarro.

3. John Danks looks great, writes Joe Cowley.

4. Chipper Jones continues to look great.

5. Jordan Zimmermann looked great, as Adam Kilgore writes.

6. Hideki Matsui hit his first spring homer.

7. Pablo Sandoval hit a triple, stole a base and continues to look great, as Carl Steward writes.

8. Jonathan Broxton had a good inning.

9. Tim Stauffer became the first San Diego pitcher to stretch out to five innings, as John Maffei writes.

10. B.J. Upton showed some aggressiveness on the bases, writes Marc Topkin.

11. Tommy Hunter struggled again.

12. Jaime Garcia got hammered, but feels he is making progress.

13. Francisco Liriano was better in his start; Joe Nathan got pounded.

 

UCLA right-hander Gerrit Cole showed big league stuff Friday night, throwing six perfect innings before Georgia rallied in the seventh. Cole's performance, coupled with his size, athleticism and delivery, cemented his status as the top college arm in this draft -- and it illuminated many of the reasons he compares favorably to Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals.

Cole came out throwing 92-94 early, mostly two-seamers, with an above-average slider at 86-89 and a plus-plus changeup -- I'm talking Clay Buchholz/Johan Santana good -- at 84-87. He has great arm speed on the changeup and the action on the pitch is somewhere between the fade on a normal changeup and the bore on a lively fastball. He has tremendous confidence in the pitch, running it in on right-handed batters' hands, using it 0-0 or doubling up on it. The slider was also sharp but he wasn't as consistent with it, particularly when trying to backdoor the pitch to left-handed hitters -- Georgia's first hit came on such a pitch, which hung slightly and ended up in the left-center gap.

Cole uses his lower half extremely well with a ton of torque created by the way he rotates his hips and a strong stride toward the plate (although he wasn't always landing cleanly, possibly a function of the mound's condition). He's cleaned up his arm action since he matriculated at UCLA; in high school and even early in his freshman year, his stride was shorter and his arm was very late, to the point where his lower half wasn't helping him generate velocity. He also turns his pitching hand over sooner, which is generally good for reducing stress on the shoulder. Cole's body also looks better, as he's stronger and more physically mature, while still maintaining his athleticism.

Given where Cole is now and where Anthony Rendon (who DH'd again tonight) is, there is absolutely no question in my mind who the No. 1 prospect is for this year's draft. It's Cole, and that was also the unanimous sentiment among scouts with whom I spoke at the game. Cole could easily have pitched in the big leagues with the stuff he showed Friday night.

I think it's reasonable to discuss the comparison of Cole to Strasburg, who was the top college pitcher in the 2009 draft and among the best we've ever seen. Both pitchers are listed at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds. Strasburg had more velocity, but not a lot more -- he'd sit 94-98 and touch 100, while Cole worked at 92-98 without touching anything over 98. Both featured above-average breaking balls; Strasburg's was more consistent than what Cole showed Friday. Cole has a far better changeup, and his changeup might even be better than Strasburg's breaking ball was at the time he was drafted.

Both could boast of track records of success, although Cole's came in a better conference, and in Cole's case the velocity was always there dating to high school, as opposed to Strasburg's sudden velocity spike when he got to San Diego State and improved his conditioning. As much as Strasburg was hyped and anticipated, Cole compares pretty favorably to him, and it's going to be hard for any team to pass on him at the top of this year's draft.

 

In the minds of many, the NL East was clinched on Dec. 15, 2010. That was the day that the Philadelphia Phillies signed Cliff Lee, giving them arguably the best starting rotation in baseball history. Almost immediately, most assumed the Phils would cruise to their fifth straight NL East title.

[h4]Philadelphia story[/h4]
Chase Utley not being ready for the start of the season isn't welcome news to Phils Phans, but the Phillies are a good enough team that they can absorb the loss.

Utley is about six wins a year better than any of the possible replacements (Delwyn Young, Josh Barfield, Pete Orr, Robb Quinlan or Jeff Larish are all 2B/3B possibilities) and -- as long as this isn't a long-term problem -- Philadelphia's still probably the best team in the NL East.

However, if Utley's knee is still an issue in June and Domonic Brown doesn't have a quick recovery, the team's only an unpleasant surprise away from losing its cushion over the Braves.

-- Dan Szymborski

But, as they say, that's why you don't play the games on paper.

A lot has changed since that fateful December day, and given the recent injuries suffered by certain key Phillies -- not to mention some time to regain our perspective -- things aren't looking quite as sunny in Philadelphia. In fact, with the uncertainty surrounding Chase Utley's knee tendinitis, not to mention the Phils' right-field situation in light of Jayson Werth's departure and Domonic Brown's broken hand, it's unclear whether the Phillies are even the NL East favorites anymore. That's troubling news for a team that's built to win now, and if you compare the Phillies' roster to that of the Atlanta Braves, it appears Atlanta is poised to regain its chokehold on the division it dominated for much of the past two decades.

Make no mistake, until the severity of Utley's knee injury is known, the Phillies are still the favorites for 2011. According to Baseball Prospectus' projected standings, the Phils will win 91 games and the Braves 87. Of course, Utley has been worth an average of more than six wins above replacement over the past six seasons. And even last year, when a broken thumb cost him almost a third of the season, he was still worth 4.2 WAR. His current backup is Wilson Valdez, essentially the definition of replacement level. A nagging injury to Utley could easily put the Braves over the top. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

With the injury to Brown, the Phillies' lineup is so old that Old Hoss Radbourn could give you a scouting report. OK, maybe not that old, but 29-year-old Ben Francisco is the youngest member of the projected of the Opening Day lineup.

Atlanta isn't young, but it's much younger and features two potential cornerstones, in 22-year-old first baseman Freddie Freeman and 20-year-old right fielder Jason Heyward, who posted a .393 OBP last year and is possibly the most valuable young talent in the game. Catcher Brian McCann is just 27 and one of the most consistently excellent players of the game. Speaking of consistent, the Braves shrewdly sold high on Omar Infante after his career year that featured a career-high batting average on balls in play, and used him to acquire second baseman Dan Uggla, who has more than 30 homers in four straight seasons. Atlanta finished fifth in the NL in runs last year, and should be much improved on offense. The Phillies were second in runs, but based on aging will almost surely be less potent.

Obviously, the Phillies have the edge on the rubber, but the Braves' rotation isn't chopped liver, and it will cost -- in total -- only slightly more than the $20 million Roy Halladay is making in 2011. And that's really where the differences between the two teams comes to light. Check out their long-term payroll obligations:

[h4]Philadelphia vs. Atlanta Payroll Obligations (in millions)[/h4][table][tr][th=""]YEAR[/th][th=""]Phillies[/th][th=""]Braves[/th][/tr][tr][td]2012[/td][td]$112.9[/td][td]$62.8[/td][/tr][tr][td]2013[/td][td]$82.3[/td][td]$14.7[/td][/tr][tr][td]2014[/td][td]$50[/td][td]$13.2[/td][/tr][tr][td]2015[/td][td]$50[/td][td]$13.2[/td][/tr][tr][td]2016[/td][td]$37.5[/td][td]$0[/td][/tr][/table]

The Phils have certainly been operating with a larger payroll in recent years, but the difference in long-term commitments is staggering. Philadelphia will be paying Halladay, Utley, Cliff Lee and Ryan Howard each more than $15 million -- in 2013. All of them are excellent players, but all are on the wrong side of 30 and unlikely to be worth anything close to their salaries by then. And because of those commitments, it will be difficult for them to afford free agents while also retaining their top young players, such as Cole Hamels.

The Braves' only commitment beyond 2013 is the $13.2 million they owe Uggla in 2014 and 2015. Therefore, they have plenty of money to extend Heyward, Freeman, McCann and promising young right-hander Tommy Hanson should they deem them worthy of long-term commitments.

The one saving grace for the Phillies is their farm system, which Keith Law ranks as the fifth-best in baseball. Unfortunately for them, Law has the Braves' system in the No. 3 spot, and it is led by Julio Teheran, considered by many to be the best pitching prospect in the game.

Because of the Phillies' aforementioned financial commitments, they will need their top prospects, such as Brown, outfielder Jonathan Singleton and right-hander Jarred Cosart, to pan out in order to remain atop the division. The Braves, however, aren't nearly as desperate for their prospects to prosper. With their long-term flexibility, they will be able to supplement their young core of Heyward, McCann and Hanson with free agents when necessary and know that it's likely that some combination of Freeman, Teheran and right-hander Arodys Vizcaino will become impact players.

Should Utley stay healthy and the Phillies win another World Series in the next couple of years, their fans will certainly forgive a couple of lean years down the road. However, Philadelphia is essentially doubling down on the next season or two, and if its core begins to age more rapidly than expected, those expecting to watch an all-time great team are going to be sorely disappointed. And the Braves are in prime position to pounce for both 2011 and beyond.

 
http://[h3]

[h3]Morton still in fifth starter chase[/h3]
10:58AM ET

[h5]Charlie Morton | Pirates [/h5]


Charlie Morton was a human pi on the Pittsburgh Pirates staff last season, absorbing a 2-12 record with a 7.57 ERA. Despite the inflated numbers, Morton is back for more and is making a strong pitch for the fifth starter's job.

GM Neal Huntington tells Ron Musselman of the Post-Gazette that the team still sees potential in Morton, who has a 2.25 ERA in three spring games.

Morton's primary competition is from free agent Scott Olsen, who has been slowed by a hamstring injury this spring. Olsen, scheduled to pitch Monday, will not be earning the job simply on a past body of work.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Scales pushing for roster spot[/h3]
10:35AM ET

[h5]Chicago Cubs [/h5]


Bobby Scales had plenty of minor league miles on the odometer when he finally made his big league debut in 2009 at the ripe old age of 31. The veteran infielder may now get the chance to enjoy an Opening Day in a major league uniform.

Gordon Wittenmyer of the Sun-Times reports that Scales could be on the verge of pushing Augie Ojeda and Darwin Barney for the Cubs' lone infield bench opening. Scales is hitting a sizzling .438 in Cactus League play, including a three-hit game Saturday.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Finding a new home for Young[/h3]
10:23AM ET

[h5]Michael Young | Rangers [/h5]


UPDATE: Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says the Cubs would be interested in Young if they could get some financial relief.

The Cubs could use Young at second base, where Blake DeWitt and Jeff Baker have been less than overwhelming this spring.

--

UPDATE: Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes that a deal between the Texas and the Diamondbacks is not something that should be expected to occur, which comes as no surprise since Young is pricey, 33 years of age and the D-backs are in a rebuilding mode.

--

We mentioned earlier this week that no news is not necessarily good news for the Phillies when it comes to the status of second baseman Chase Utley. The Phillies clearly are concerned about Utley, who was diagnosed with patellar tendinitis in his right knee and has yet to play in a Grapefruit League.

There has been ample speculation that Michael Young, who has become a square peg in a round hole in Texas, would be a logical fit in Philadelphia. Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News admits there are some major financial obstacles, but adds a deal is not farfetched.

The Rangers are looking for pitching help and would love to have Joe Blanton, but his salary is an issue. The Rangers would likely ask for prospects as well. If the Phillies made the move for Young, it also would hinder or prevent their ability to make another major move at midseason.

Our Buster Olney gives his take from the Rangers' perspective:

- Doug Mittler

[h5]Buster Olney[/h5]
http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog...angers drive hard bargain</a></p><blockquote>

http://[h3]Third base issues in LA[/h3]
10:18AM ET

[h5]Casey Blake | Dodgers [/h5]


Dodgers manager Don Mattingly has plans to periodically rest Casey Blake in hopes that the third baseman, who hit just .248 last season, doesn't wear down.

Injuries also could be an issue with the 37-year-old Blake, who is listed as day-to-day with a rib injury, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.

Blake will likely share time with Jamey Carroll, but there might be other options. The Dodgers also could also be scanning the waiver wire for a veteran who might be released later in camp. Luis Castillo should be released by the Mets, but might not be a fit in LA unless the Dodgers put him at second base and move Juan Uribe to third.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Sox look to pocket Cash?[/h3]
9:50AM ET

[h5]Kevin Cash | Rangers [/h5]


The Boston Red Sox are looking to place a major league-ready catcher at Triple-A Pawtucket and might be interested in dealing for Kevin Cash, speculates Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.

Cash, who has two previous stints with the Red Sox, is a non-roster invitee of the Texas Rangers.

Jason Varitek will begin the season as the backup to Jarrod Saltalamacchia in Boston. Cafardo says there is still doubt as to whether Mark Wagner or Luis Exposito can fill the emergency third-catcher role.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Chisenhall closer to The Show?[/h3]
9:23AM ET

[h5]Cleveland Indians [/h5]


Top prospect Lonnie Chisenhall is a step closer to being the Cleveland Indians' Opening Day third baseman than he was last week, reports Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer.

Jason Donald is the front-runner, but he continues to be bothered by a bone bruise in his hand. While manager Manny Acta insists that Donald has time to be ready by Opening Day, bone bruises can be tricky, and the Tribe might best be served by giving the injury more time to heal.

Chisenhall has done his part to claim the job, batting .478 (11-for-23) with two homers in 11 Cactus League games. But by keeping Chisenhall in the minors to start the year, the Tribe can control his service time clock and push back his eligibility for arbitration.

If Donald lands on the DL, Acta could turn to temporary solutions such as Luis Valbuena or Jayson Nix.

Chisenhall was ranked No. 39 overall by ESPN Insider's Keith Law this winter. Here's Law's report on the left-handed hitter:

- Doug Mittler

[h5]Keith Law[/h5]
No. 39: Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B, Cleveland Indians

http://[h3]Could Stewart lose his job?[/h3]
8:49AM ET

[h5]Ian Stewart | Rockies [/h5]


It has been a frustrating spring for Rockies third baseman Ian Stewart, who suffered a sprained right knee in the first inning of the first Cactus League game and has not played since.

Stewart is scheduled to play in a B game Monday, but Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports Stewart may not get enough at-bats to be ready by Opening Day. Manager Jim Tracy insists there is no need to rush Stewart, a .256 hitter with 61 RBI last season.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=5176Ty Wigginton could make the bulk of the starts at third in Stewart's absence. Renck adds that Wigginton could win the job on a more permanent basis if Stewart's hitting doesn't improve. If Wigginton settles in at third base, that could mean more at-bats in right field for Seth Smith.

If Stewart goes the disabled list, the Rockies will carry an extra position player such as Jordan Pacheco or Eric Young Jr.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Buehrle's future[/h3]
8:32AM ET

[h5]Mark Buehrle | White Sox [/h5]


Ask Mark Buehrle about his future, and the answer can differ about as often as the wind changes direction in Chicago.

The White Sox left-hander hinted in 2009 that he might not be willing to pitch beyond the 2011 season, when his current contract runs out. A few weeks ago, Buehrle changed course and said he wants to pitch beyond 2011 rather than retire.

Is the retirement option back on the table? In a radio interview Wednesday, Buehrle says he needs the right fit in order to continue playing. "I'm not going to just go out there and play for the money or play in a spot that I don't want to be, just to play for a couple years to get some more money," Buehrle told WSCR-AM 670.

Dan McNeil wrote in Sunday's Chicago Tribune that Buehrle has played himself into an enviable position.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Morgan's status in D.C.[/h3]
8:25AM ET

[h5]Nyjer Morgan | Nationals [/h5]


With less than three weeks to go before Opening Day, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo hints that the center field competition is a tight, three-horse race between Nyjer Morgan, Roger Bernadina and Rick Ankiel.

Morgan has fallen back to the pack by hitting a mere .172 in Grapefruit League play, but Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports it is unlikely the Nats will release the veteran in a cost-cutting move, similar to what they did with Elijah Dukes last March.

Bernadina and Ankiel also are in the race for the left field job. As of Saturday, Mike Morse appeared to be winning that competition, according to skipper Jim Riggleman.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Setback for Santana?[/h3]
7:59AM ET

[h5]Johan Santana | Mets [/h5]


New York Mets left-hander Johan Santana spent part of his 32nd birthday Sunday disputing a report in the Bergen Record that his 2011 season is in jeopardy.

Santana told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com that he is experiencing "regular soreness," but says he is steadily recovering from September 14 surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder.

Even if the report is overstated, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reminds us that one fact remains -- neither Santana nor the Mets have a clear timetable as to when the pitcher will return.

The weekend rumors should have no immediate impact on manager Terry Collins, who is formulating his Opening Day roster with Santana out of the picture.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]-backs first base battle[/h3]
7:37AM ET

[h5]Arizona Diamondbacks [/h5]


The Diamondbacks' competition at first base remains a three-horse field, even if Juan Miranda has done little to dissuade his status as the morning line favorite.

Miranda was perceived as the favorite over Brandon Allen before the Snakes expanded the competition with the signing of Russell Branyan last month. With three weeks until Opening Day, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic says GM Kevin Towers gave no indication that Miranda has fallen behind the others, calling his defense "very, very good."

Miranda is hitting just .241 but has solid plate discipline with eight walks, while Branyan has been tearing the cover off the ball, including his third homer among three hits Saturday to raise his spring average to .467.

Manager Kirk Gibson has stressed the importance of defense, which would play into Miranda's chances.

Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reported Sunday that the D-backs are considering using Branyan as a late inning bat off the bench.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Impact of Duke's injury[/h3]
7:27AM ET

[h5]Zach Duke | Diamondbacks [/h5]


The Diamondbacks' crowded rotation race opened up slightly over the weekend with word that left-hander Zach Duke is likely to miss two months with two fractured bones in his pitching hand.

Duke ($4.25 million) and Armando Galarraga ($2.3 million) were penciled in as fourth and fifth starters, due in part to the D-backs' financial commitment. General manager Kevin Towers said Sunday that Duke's job will be filled internally.

Right-hander Aaron Heilman is being a chance to compete for a rotation spot, but at this point, he appears to be behind Barry Enright and Galarraga. Enright, who faded down the stretch in 2010, has looked good this month (2.00 ERA, 1 walk in 9 IP).

Even with his salary, Duke may not be assured of a rotation spot when he returns.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]All is quiet on Pujols front[/h3]
6:55AM ET

[h5]Albert Pujols | Cardinals [/h5]


The St. Louis Cardinals have have a tumultuous offseason, but it appears the media scrutiny around the situation with Albert Pujols has quieted down, perhaps partially due to the news that Adam Wainwright would miss the entire season with an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery earlier this month.

Team Pujols put a deadline on contract talks, and that deadline came and went once Pujols reported for spring training. So far, there are no indications that the superstar will back off and negotiate during the season.

We'll likely have to discuss a lot of rumors of other clubs, including the Chicago Cubs, planning their 2011-12 winters around making a play for Pujols via free agency. But we'll also keep in mind that a trade is not 100 percent out of the question, especially if the Cardinals fall out of the race early this summer, despite Pujols' 10-5 rights to veto a trade and his claim that he'll invoke those rights.

[/h3]

 

[proshares]

The Minnesota Twins have taken plenty of flak for the mass exodus from their bullpen and their many unproven, younger relievers. But the Twins have a much bigger problem on their hands for 2011, one that could threaten their two-year reign as AL Central champs: a severely diminished defense.

The Twins finished sixth in team ultimate zone rating last season. Developed by Mitchel Lichtman and tracked by FanGraphs, UZR is a stat that measures the number of runs a player saves compared to the average player at his position. It's more reliable on a three-year basis, though, and at times subject to small-sample-size flukes, such as Jason Repko's team-leading performance in just 58 games played.

Random fluctuations aside, the Twins' biggest defensive downgrade this season comes at shortstop, where Alexi Casilla takes over for J.J. Hardy. Per UZR, we see that Hardy ranked among the Twins' best defenders last season. He earned a UZR of 8.1 in 2010, saving just more than eight runs last year as compared to an average defensive shortstop. And this wasn't a one-year fluke. For his career, Hardy has a UZR of 11.0 per 150 games played. Using the sabermetric convention of 10 runs saved equaling one win gained in the standings, that means Hardy is worth one full win more than an average shortstop each year with his glove alone.

Meanwhile, Casilla is a big unknown as a major league shortstop, having played just 41 games at the position in four-plus years as a mostly part-time player in Minnesota. Without a meaningful sample of games, it's tough to make an accurate prediction of Casilla's expected defensive value at short. The scouting reports haven't been glowing, though, and finding a near-elite defensive shortstop like Hardy is tough to do. And it's not as if Casilla will be much of an offensive contributor, as his career line is just .249/.306/.395 in more than 1,000 plate appearances.

New Twins second baseman Tsuyoshi Nishioka comes with a better defensive reputation than Casilla's. But he, too, replaces a player coming off a strong defensive season for the Twins' 2010 division-winning squad. Orlando Hudson saved nearly 10 runs more than an average second baseman last year for Minnesota in just 126 games -- down from 2008 and 2009 levels but consistent with longer-term trends and thus likely a pretty accurate reading of his true defensive value to the club. The loss of slick-fielding (though terrible-hitting) utility infielder Nick Punto compounds the issue.

If the Twins' defense was stellar everywhere else, you might not worry that much about their middle-infield uncertainty. But Minnesota's corner-outfield defense ranks among the very worst in baseball. Delmon Young, Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer cost the team about three wins in their combined time in left and right fields last season, compared to the average player at those positions. That's consistent with those players' career track records, which show butcherish tendencies in the field.

Cuddyer was a far worse defender (and a far inferior hitter) than Justin Morneau when he took over at first base for the concussed slugger this past summer. Morneau has started seeing game action in spring training as he tries to make it back after missing half of last season due to complications stemming from the concussion. If he comes back fully healthy in April, or even May, the Twins could bank a two-way upgrade, with one of Young, Kubel or Cuddyer relegated to DH or the bench when Morneau plays. But Morneau's health remains a major question mark for the Twins with less than three weeks until Opening Day.

We're still learning about the connection between pitching and defense and exactly how much catching the ball means to a team's run prevention. Although stats such as UZR and defensive runs saved above average do a pretty good job of quantifying defensive impact, one factor which can get lost in the calculus is something we can call "cascading."

Here's an example of how cascading can play out: bases loaded, one out, pitcher induces a grounder up the middle. A good shortstop fields the ball, tosses to second for one, on to first, inning-ending double play, crisis averted. A lesser shortstop lets the ball go through. But it's not just the two runs that score that hurt the team on the field; it's also the added strain it places on the pitching staff. The pitcher on the mound still needs two more outs to escape this high-stress situation. If he can't get out of the jam, the manager will have to make a call to the bullpen earlier than he'd like. Now you're getting your lesser middle relievers into the game instead of your better late-inning guys, meaning you're liable to give up more runs. You're also forcing the bullpen to generally work harder, raising the risk that your relievers could wear down as the season goes on, if your defense continues to struggle. The end result can be more runs allowed, more fatigue for your pitchers and even a greater risk of injuries.

In the Twins' case, more grounders could shoot through holes with Hardy and Hudson gone, and line drives and deep flies could land in the gaps, given the team's weak corner-outfield defense. This is important because Twins have a pitch-to-contact staff that finished 10th in the AL in strikeouts in 2010. Minnesota's pitchers need a good defense to thrive. So whether you're a ground-ball-oriented pitcher like Francisco Liriano, Carl Pavano, Nick Blackburn or Brian Duensing, or an extreme fly-ball pitcher like Scott Baker or Kevin Slowey, you're vulnerable to the team's defensive problems.

Losing four established relief pitchers from last year's squad could dent the Twins' chances, although the return of Joe Nathan and a full season of Matt Capps should help. The White Sox should be better than they were last season, although they still have question marks at multiple positions. But if Minnesota fails to three-peat in 2011, that leaky defense could be the biggest reason.

 
http://[h3]

[h3]Castillo on thin ice?[/h3]
10:51AM ET

[h5]Luis Castillo | Mets [/h5]


We have been hearing for weeks that Luis Castillo was on the ropes with the New York Mets willing to eat the $6 million left on the second baseman's contract.

Adam Rubin of ESPNewYork.com reported Monday night that manager Terry Collins is far from a Castillo supporter and would like to see the infielder jettisoned in order to "limit the drama" around the team. Rubin adds that there is a chance Castillo could end up on the roster because "Collins has bosses too."

The Mets have staged an open competition at second base that includes Castillo, Daniel Murphy, Justin Turner and Rule 5 draft pick Brad Emaus. None of the candidates have played well enough to claim the job.

Castillo's departure is even more likely if Collins chooses Luis Hernandez as his starter, as reported Tuesday by Mike Puma of the New York Post.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Amaro: payroll is maxed out[/h3]
10:45AM ET

[h5]Philadelphia Phillies [/h5]


The Philadelphia Phillies have kept a calm and relatively quiet public face when it comes to Chase Utley, who has yet to appear in a spring game due to patellar tendinitis in his knee.

The club obviously is worrying that it's more than tendinitis, and if it is, they'll have to scramble the infield. Placido Polanco and Wilson Valdez are capable at second base, with Valdez the likely candidate to take over for the short term.

There has been ample speculation that the Phillies would look outside the organization, but GM Ruben Amaro insisted once again that isn't happening. In a Monday interview with MLB Network Radio, Amaro said the payroll is maxed out and the team could not take on additional salary in any deal.

"I don't know how many times I can say that publicly -- I have no money to play with," Amaro told host Jim Duquette. "Our payroll is going to be over $160 million or so, and I'm tapped out, my friend. Maxed out."

The name of Michael Young has popped up often, prompting Amaro's disclaimer. Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News admits there are some major financial obstacles, but adds a deal for Young is not farfetched.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Collins wants Hernandez at 2B[/h3]
10:25AM ET

[h5]New York Mets [/h5]


New York Mets manager Terry Collins may have settled on Luis Hernandez as his starting second baseman, if only be default.

Mike Puma of the New York Post reports Tuesday that Hernandez will get the job, contingent upon Collins convincing the front office to find roster space for the infielder.

The 26-year-old Hernandez would a surprise choice since he played in only 17 games for the Mets last year before breaking a toe in September. The Mets have staged an open competition at second base that includes Hernandez, Luis Castillo, Daniel Murphy, Justin Turner and Rule 5 draft pick Brad Emaus. None of the candidates have had an outstanding spring.

Puma warns that Collins' plan to install Hernandez could hit a snag if the front office insists upon keeping Emaus on the roster.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Second base platoon at Wrigley?[/h3]
10:00AM ET

[h5]Chicago Cubs [/h5]


We mentioned Monday in our weekly look at position battles that Blake DeWitt was by no means a lock at second base for the Chicago Cubs.

While DeWitt was billed as the Cubs' second baseman of the future following his acquisition from the Dodgers last summer, manager Mike Quade appears content with a platoon of DeWitt and Jeff Baker, reports Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.

DeWitt has done little to help his case, hitting in the .200 range this spring and struggling defensively. Baker has hit .393 this spring and is expected to bat leadoff against southpaw starters.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Maine in the Rockies mix[/h3]
9:45AM ET

[h5]John Maine | Rockies [/h5]


The race for fifth starter in Colorado may not be decided until the final week of camp, and John Maine made it a tighter competition with three encouraging innings Monday in a B game against the Angels.

Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes that Esmil Rogers remains the slight favorite and homegrown talent Greg Reynolds remains in the mix.

The Rockies are not looking to rush Maine, a former 15-game winner coming off shoulder surgery. Maine could end up playing a prominent role for the Rockies at some point, according to ESPN Insider's weekly look at position battles.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Moskos could be midseason callup[/h3]
9:26AM ET

[h5]Pittsburgh Pirates [/h5]


Daniel Moskos was among the players sent to minor league camp prospect, but the top prospect could be in the Pittsburgh Pirates' bullpen sometime this year, reports Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review.

The 24-year-old Moskos spent most of last season at Double-A Altoona, where he went 3-1 with a 1.52 ERA. The Pirates have a shortage of left-handed relievers, so Moskos has a realistic chance of earning a promotion if he can avoid a problem of falling behind in the count.

At this point, Joe Beimel and Brian Burres are the only southpaw relievers likely to make the Opening Day roster.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]A-Gone agent to resume talks[/h3]
8:52AM ET

[h5]Adrian Gonzalez | Red Sox [/h5]


After the Boston Red Sox landed Adrian Gonzalez in a blockbuster deal in December, the two sides were unable to complete a long-term contract with the star first baseman.

Jon Morosi of FoxSports.com reports that A-Gon's agent, John Boggs, is due to visit the team's camp next week, at which point negotiations on a contract could resume.

The speculation for months had the Red Sox waiting until after Opening Day to formally announce a deal in order to avoid a luxury tax hit. Boggs tells Morosi that no deal is imminent, adding that any agreement is likely after Opening Day than before it.

Gonzalez underwent shoulder surgery over the winter and did not make his Grapefruit League debut until last weekend. The Red Sox could be waiting to see if Gonzalez is completely healthy before making a huge financial commitment.

If Gonzalez were to let his contract expire, he would join a blockbuster crop of free agent first baseman that, for now, includes Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Impact of Bailey injury[/h3]
8:24AM ET

[h5]Andrew Bailey | Athletics [/h5]


Players normally don't make the trip to Alabama to see Dr. James Andrews just to say hello. A's closer http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=30096Andrew Bailey may be hoping against hope Tuesday when he visits the renowned orthopedic surgeon for an exam on his elbow and forearm.

Bailey, who has a history of elbow trouble, left Monday's outing against the Indians after experiencing discomfort in his elbow. Joe Stiglich of the Mercury News writes that this is a potentially major blow to the Athletics, who have every reason to think they will compete for the AL West crown this season.

The A's may be better equipped to withstand losing their closer than other teams because of the acquisition of http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=4731Brian Fuentes. But bullpen depth was a main reason for the club?s optimism, so a serious injury to Bailey would have a major impact.

If Fuentes takes over as closer, that would likely elevate Craig Breslow to the role of lefty set-up man. It also could have GM Billy Beane shopping for relief help.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Warthen still backing Perez[/h3]
7:51AM ET

[h5]Oliver Perez | Mets [/h5]


Oliver Perez is officially out of consideration for the Mets rotation plans and seems to have few supporters left in the organization. One of them is pitching coach Dan Warthen.

Andy Martino of the Daily News writes that several prominent voices in the organization wanted Perez released already, but Warthen has argued that Perez was worth looking at in the bullpen.

Perez, who will earn a hefty $12 million this season, will stick around as long as he can throw strikes. He threw five of seven pitches for strikes in his first bullpen outing and will get another chance Tuesday against the Nationals.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Banuelos headed to minors[/h3]
7:38AM ET

[h5]New York Yankees [/h5]


Manny Banuelos has been one of the most talked-about players in New York Yankees camp this spring, and the 20-year-old gained some national exposure Monday night when he started against the Red Sox on ESPN2.

Banuelos got the start due to an oblique injury to Sergio Mitre, and pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and walked three, but did work out of bases-loaded jam in the second. Despite the hype, GM Brian Cashman said Banuelos will not break camp with the Yankees.

"Our plan is to finish off his development program, and at some point, if he stays healthy and is very successful, he can push his way into the mix for us in New York," Cashman said.

Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com writes that Banuelos could land in the Bronx this season if the southpaw dominates in Double-A.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Pineda in the lead?[/h3]
7:16AM ET

[h5]Luke French | Mariners [/h5]


UPDATE: Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times reports Tuesday that, in the wake of Robertson's injury, the job is Pineda's to lose. GM Jack Zduriencik wouldn't confirm Pineda's status, but said service-time issues will not stand in the way of any young player making the team if they clearly earn their spot.

--

Left-hander Luke French may be in the lead for the No. 5 spot in the rotation for the Seattle Mariners, considering rookie Michael Pineda's service time and seasoning scenarios, and Nate Robertson's health. The great Ryan Divish of The News Tribune tweets Monday that Robertson will have elbow surgery to remove loose bodies, a procedure that certainly sets him back.

The veteran southpaw was struggling this spring, and French has allowed just one earned run in eight frames, despite yielding 12 hits. He's walked hust one and struck out eight. Right-hander David Pauley is still in the mix, as well, according to Divish.

Pineda, another candidate for the gig, has been hot and cold, but ESPN Insider's Keith Law, who witnessed Pineda's most recent outing, says the right-hander may not be quite ready just yet.

- Jason A. Churchill

[h5]Keith Law[/h5]
Pineda needs more seasoning

"Pineda showed a big fastball Monday, touching 96 miles per hour a few times and working mostly at 93-95 in his two innings. The pitch probably will play up because the ball appears quite late to hitters even though it's not a classic delivery. Pineda struggled with command and especially with his breaking ball on Monday and threw just one changeup, a pin-straight offering at 88 that would grade out at a 35 if we wanted to go off that one sample. The slider was just very inconsistent; Pineda threw several with good tilt but didn't locate them and got away with a few spinners, including one brutal hanger at 81 that a big league hitter could have jerked out of most parks. He has a few more weeks to make his case to be in the Opening Day rotation, but the two innings he threw on Monday did not show him to be ready for the majors; he'll need more consistency on the slider and to show a much better third pitch."

[/h3]

http://[h3]Borbon running with CF job?[/h3]
6:54AM ET

[h5]Julio Borbon | Rangers [/h5]


The Texas Rangers' plans in the outfield include Nelson Cruz in left and Josh Hamilton in right field, a move designed to take some pressure off the American League MVP and keep him healthier, while inserting some athleticism into the lineup. Borbon is 1-for-2 so far this spring.

Not 1-for-2 at the plate, but he is batting .500 in the mind of manager Ron Washington, writes ESPNDallas.com's Tim McMahon. He's hitting, but he's had some problems defensively. "Gotta catch those balls, that's for sure," Washington said.

Borbon, however, says the position of the sun at this time of year in Arizona -- and in that ballpark -- are the culprit, and will not be an issue during the regular season.

He's also hitting .387 with four stolen bases, three extra-base hits and one strikeout in 12 games. It seems Borbon is doing plenty to consider him the surefire starter going forward.

 

[proshares]

The Minnesota Twins have taken plenty of flak for the mass exodus from their bullpen and their many unproven, younger relievers. But the Twins have a much bigger problem on their hands for 2011, one that could threaten their two-year reign as AL Central champs: a severely diminished defense.

The Twins finished sixth in team ultimate zone rating last season. Developed by Mitchel Lichtman and tracked by FanGraphs, UZR is a stat that measures the number of runs a player saves compared to the average player at his position. It's more reliable on a three-year basis, though, and at times subject to small-sample-size flukes, such as Jason Repko's team-leading performance in just 58 games played.

Random fluctuations aside, the Twins' biggest defensive downgrade this season comes at shortstop, where Alexi Casilla takes over for J.J. Hardy. Per UZR, we see that Hardy ranked among the Twins' best defenders last season. He earned a UZR of 8.1 in 2010, saving just more than eight runs last year as compared to an average defensive shortstop. And this wasn't a one-year fluke. For his career, Hardy has a UZR of 11.0 per 150 games played. Using the sabermetric convention of 10 runs saved equaling one win gained in the standings, that means Hardy is worth one full win more than an average shortstop each year with his glove alone.

Meanwhile, Casilla is a big unknown as a major league shortstop, having played just 41 games at the position in four-plus years as a mostly part-time player in Minnesota. Without a meaningful sample of games, it's tough to make an accurate prediction of Casilla's expected defensive value at short. The scouting reports haven't been glowing, though, and finding a near-elite defensive shortstop like Hardy is tough to do. And it's not as if Casilla will be much of an offensive contributor, as his career line is just .249/.306/.395 in more than 1,000 plate appearances.

New Twins second baseman Tsuyoshi Nishioka comes with a better defensive reputation than Casilla's. But he, too, replaces a player coming off a strong defensive season for the Twins' 2010 division-winning squad. Orlando Hudson saved nearly 10 runs more than an average second baseman last year for Minnesota in just 126 games -- down from 2008 and 2009 levels but consistent with longer-term trends and thus likely a pretty accurate reading of his true defensive value to the club. The loss of slick-fielding (though terrible-hitting) utility infielder Nick Punto compounds the issue.

If the Twins' defense was stellar everywhere else, you might not worry that much about their middle-infield uncertainty. But Minnesota's corner-outfield defense ranks among the very worst in baseball. Delmon Young, Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer cost the team about three wins in their combined time in left and right fields last season, compared to the average player at those positions. That's consistent with those players' career track records, which show butcherish tendencies in the field.

Cuddyer was a far worse defender (and a far inferior hitter) than Justin Morneau when he took over at first base for the concussed slugger this past summer. Morneau has started seeing game action in spring training as he tries to make it back after missing half of last season due to complications stemming from the concussion. If he comes back fully healthy in April, or even May, the Twins could bank a two-way upgrade, with one of Young, Kubel or Cuddyer relegated to DH or the bench when Morneau plays. But Morneau's health remains a major question mark for the Twins with less than three weeks until Opening Day.

We're still learning about the connection between pitching and defense and exactly how much catching the ball means to a team's run prevention. Although stats such as UZR and defensive runs saved above average do a pretty good job of quantifying defensive impact, one factor which can get lost in the calculus is something we can call "cascading."

Here's an example of how cascading can play out: bases loaded, one out, pitcher induces a grounder up the middle. A good shortstop fields the ball, tosses to second for one, on to first, inning-ending double play, crisis averted. A lesser shortstop lets the ball go through. But it's not just the two runs that score that hurt the team on the field; it's also the added strain it places on the pitching staff. The pitcher on the mound still needs two more outs to escape this high-stress situation. If he can't get out of the jam, the manager will have to make a call to the bullpen earlier than he'd like. Now you're getting your lesser middle relievers into the game instead of your better late-inning guys, meaning you're liable to give up more runs. You're also forcing the bullpen to generally work harder, raising the risk that your relievers could wear down as the season goes on, if your defense continues to struggle. The end result can be more runs allowed, more fatigue for your pitchers and even a greater risk of injuries.

In the Twins' case, more grounders could shoot through holes with Hardy and Hudson gone, and line drives and deep flies could land in the gaps, given the team's weak corner-outfield defense. This is important because Twins have a pitch-to-contact staff that finished 10th in the AL in strikeouts in 2010. Minnesota's pitchers need a good defense to thrive. So whether you're a ground-ball-oriented pitcher like Francisco Liriano, Carl Pavano, Nick Blackburn or Brian Duensing, or an extreme fly-ball pitcher like Scott Baker or Kevin Slowey, you're vulnerable to the team's defensive problems.

Losing four established relief pitchers from last year's squad could dent the Twins' chances, although the return of Joe Nathan and a full season of Matt Capps should help. The White Sox should be better than they were last season, although they still have question marks at multiple positions. But if Minnesota fails to three-peat in 2011, that leaky defense could be the biggest reason.

 
http://[h3]

[h3]Castillo on thin ice?[/h3]
10:51AM ET

[h5]Luis Castillo | Mets [/h5]


We have been hearing for weeks that Luis Castillo was on the ropes with the New York Mets willing to eat the $6 million left on the second baseman's contract.

Adam Rubin of ESPNewYork.com reported Monday night that manager Terry Collins is far from a Castillo supporter and would like to see the infielder jettisoned in order to "limit the drama" around the team. Rubin adds that there is a chance Castillo could end up on the roster because "Collins has bosses too."

The Mets have staged an open competition at second base that includes Castillo, Daniel Murphy, Justin Turner and Rule 5 draft pick Brad Emaus. None of the candidates have played well enough to claim the job.

Castillo's departure is even more likely if Collins chooses Luis Hernandez as his starter, as reported Tuesday by Mike Puma of the New York Post.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Amaro: payroll is maxed out[/h3]
10:45AM ET

[h5]Philadelphia Phillies [/h5]


The Philadelphia Phillies have kept a calm and relatively quiet public face when it comes to Chase Utley, who has yet to appear in a spring game due to patellar tendinitis in his knee.

The club obviously is worrying that it's more than tendinitis, and if it is, they'll have to scramble the infield. Placido Polanco and Wilson Valdez are capable at second base, with Valdez the likely candidate to take over for the short term.

There has been ample speculation that the Phillies would look outside the organization, but GM Ruben Amaro insisted once again that isn't happening. In a Monday interview with MLB Network Radio, Amaro said the payroll is maxed out and the team could not take on additional salary in any deal.

"I don't know how many times I can say that publicly -- I have no money to play with," Amaro told host Jim Duquette. "Our payroll is going to be over $160 million or so, and I'm tapped out, my friend. Maxed out."

The name of Michael Young has popped up often, prompting Amaro's disclaimer. Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News admits there are some major financial obstacles, but adds a deal for Young is not farfetched.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Collins wants Hernandez at 2B[/h3]
10:25AM ET

[h5]New York Mets [/h5]


New York Mets manager Terry Collins may have settled on Luis Hernandez as his starting second baseman, if only be default.

Mike Puma of the New York Post reports Tuesday that Hernandez will get the job, contingent upon Collins convincing the front office to find roster space for the infielder.

The 26-year-old Hernandez would a surprise choice since he played in only 17 games for the Mets last year before breaking a toe in September. The Mets have staged an open competition at second base that includes Hernandez, Luis Castillo, Daniel Murphy, Justin Turner and Rule 5 draft pick Brad Emaus. None of the candidates have had an outstanding spring.

Puma warns that Collins' plan to install Hernandez could hit a snag if the front office insists upon keeping Emaus on the roster.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Second base platoon at Wrigley?[/h3]
10:00AM ET

[h5]Chicago Cubs [/h5]


We mentioned Monday in our weekly look at position battles that Blake DeWitt was by no means a lock at second base for the Chicago Cubs.

While DeWitt was billed as the Cubs' second baseman of the future following his acquisition from the Dodgers last summer, manager Mike Quade appears content with a platoon of DeWitt and Jeff Baker, reports Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.

DeWitt has done little to help his case, hitting in the .200 range this spring and struggling defensively. Baker has hit .393 this spring and is expected to bat leadoff against southpaw starters.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Maine in the Rockies mix[/h3]
9:45AM ET

[h5]John Maine | Rockies [/h5]


The race for fifth starter in Colorado may not be decided until the final week of camp, and John Maine made it a tighter competition with three encouraging innings Monday in a B game against the Angels.

Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes that Esmil Rogers remains the slight favorite and homegrown talent Greg Reynolds remains in the mix.

The Rockies are not looking to rush Maine, a former 15-game winner coming off shoulder surgery. Maine could end up playing a prominent role for the Rockies at some point, according to ESPN Insider's weekly look at position battles.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Moskos could be midseason callup[/h3]
9:26AM ET

[h5]Pittsburgh Pirates [/h5]


Daniel Moskos was among the players sent to minor league camp prospect, but the top prospect could be in the Pittsburgh Pirates' bullpen sometime this year, reports Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review.

The 24-year-old Moskos spent most of last season at Double-A Altoona, where he went 3-1 with a 1.52 ERA. The Pirates have a shortage of left-handed relievers, so Moskos has a realistic chance of earning a promotion if he can avoid a problem of falling behind in the count.

At this point, Joe Beimel and Brian Burres are the only southpaw relievers likely to make the Opening Day roster.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]A-Gone agent to resume talks[/h3]
8:52AM ET

[h5]Adrian Gonzalez | Red Sox [/h5]


After the Boston Red Sox landed Adrian Gonzalez in a blockbuster deal in December, the two sides were unable to complete a long-term contract with the star first baseman.

Jon Morosi of FoxSports.com reports that A-Gon's agent, John Boggs, is due to visit the team's camp next week, at which point negotiations on a contract could resume.

The speculation for months had the Red Sox waiting until after Opening Day to formally announce a deal in order to avoid a luxury tax hit. Boggs tells Morosi that no deal is imminent, adding that any agreement is likely after Opening Day than before it.

Gonzalez underwent shoulder surgery over the winter and did not make his Grapefruit League debut until last weekend. The Red Sox could be waiting to see if Gonzalez is completely healthy before making a huge financial commitment.

If Gonzalez were to let his contract expire, he would join a blockbuster crop of free agent first baseman that, for now, includes Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Impact of Bailey injury[/h3]
8:24AM ET

[h5]Andrew Bailey | Athletics [/h5]


Players normally don't make the trip to Alabama to see Dr. James Andrews just to say hello. A's closer http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=30096Andrew Bailey may be hoping against hope Tuesday when he visits the renowned orthopedic surgeon for an exam on his elbow and forearm.

Bailey, who has a history of elbow trouble, left Monday's outing against the Indians after experiencing discomfort in his elbow. Joe Stiglich of the Mercury News writes that this is a potentially major blow to the Athletics, who have every reason to think they will compete for the AL West crown this season.

The A's may be better equipped to withstand losing their closer than other teams because of the acquisition of http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=4731Brian Fuentes. But bullpen depth was a main reason for the club?s optimism, so a serious injury to Bailey would have a major impact.

If Fuentes takes over as closer, that would likely elevate Craig Breslow to the role of lefty set-up man. It also could have GM Billy Beane shopping for relief help.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Warthen still backing Perez[/h3]
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[h5]Oliver Perez | Mets [/h5]


Oliver Perez is officially out of consideration for the Mets rotation plans and seems to have few supporters left in the organization. One of them is pitching coach Dan Warthen.

Andy Martino of the Daily News writes that several prominent voices in the organization wanted Perez released already, but Warthen has argued that Perez was worth looking at in the bullpen.

Perez, who will earn a hefty $12 million this season, will stick around as long as he can throw strikes. He threw five of seven pitches for strikes in his first bullpen outing and will get another chance Tuesday against the Nationals.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Banuelos headed to minors[/h3]
7:38AM ET

[h5]New York Yankees [/h5]


Manny Banuelos has been one of the most talked-about players in New York Yankees camp this spring, and the 20-year-old gained some national exposure Monday night when he started against the Red Sox on ESPN2.

Banuelos got the start due to an oblique injury to Sergio Mitre, and pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and walked three, but did work out of bases-loaded jam in the second. Despite the hype, GM Brian Cashman said Banuelos will not break camp with the Yankees.

"Our plan is to finish off his development program, and at some point, if he stays healthy and is very successful, he can push his way into the mix for us in New York," Cashman said.

Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com writes that Banuelos could land in the Bronx this season if the southpaw dominates in Double-A.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Pineda in the lead?[/h3]
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[h5]Luke French | Mariners [/h5]


UPDATE: Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times reports Tuesday that, in the wake of Robertson's injury, the job is Pineda's to lose. GM Jack Zduriencik wouldn't confirm Pineda's status, but said service-time issues will not stand in the way of any young player making the team if they clearly earn their spot.

--

Left-hander Luke French may be in the lead for the No. 5 spot in the rotation for the Seattle Mariners, considering rookie Michael Pineda's service time and seasoning scenarios, and Nate Robertson's health. The great Ryan Divish of The News Tribune tweets Monday that Robertson will have elbow surgery to remove loose bodies, a procedure that certainly sets him back.

The veteran southpaw was struggling this spring, and French has allowed just one earned run in eight frames, despite yielding 12 hits. He's walked hust one and struck out eight. Right-hander David Pauley is still in the mix, as well, according to Divish.

Pineda, another candidate for the gig, has been hot and cold, but ESPN Insider's Keith Law, who witnessed Pineda's most recent outing, says the right-hander may not be quite ready just yet.

- Jason A. Churchill

[h5]Keith Law[/h5]
Pineda needs more seasoning

"Pineda showed a big fastball Monday, touching 96 miles per hour a few times and working mostly at 93-95 in his two innings. The pitch probably will play up because the ball appears quite late to hitters even though it's not a classic delivery. Pineda struggled with command and especially with his breaking ball on Monday and threw just one changeup, a pin-straight offering at 88 that would grade out at a 35 if we wanted to go off that one sample. The slider was just very inconsistent; Pineda threw several with good tilt but didn't locate them and got away with a few spinners, including one brutal hanger at 81 that a big league hitter could have jerked out of most parks. He has a few more weeks to make his case to be in the Opening Day rotation, but the two innings he threw on Monday did not show him to be ready for the majors; he'll need more consistency on the slider and to show a much better third pitch."

[/h3]

http://[h3]Borbon running with CF job?[/h3]
6:54AM ET

[h5]Julio Borbon | Rangers [/h5]


The Texas Rangers' plans in the outfield include Nelson Cruz in left and Josh Hamilton in right field, a move designed to take some pressure off the American League MVP and keep him healthier, while inserting some athleticism into the lineup. Borbon is 1-for-2 so far this spring.

Not 1-for-2 at the plate, but he is batting .500 in the mind of manager Ron Washington, writes ESPNDallas.com's Tim McMahon. He's hitting, but he's had some problems defensively. "Gotta catch those balls, that's for sure," Washington said.

Borbon, however, says the position of the sun at this time of year in Arizona -- and in that ballpark -- are the culprit, and will not be an issue during the regular season.

He's also hitting .387 with four stolen bases, three extra-base hits and one strikeout in 12 games. It seems Borbon is doing plenty to consider him the surefire starter going forward.

 

[proshares]

Brewers piece.

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The Milwaukee Brewers’ acquisition of Zack Greinke shocked the baseball world this off-season. Although the Brewers gave up two of their projected starters, many pundits thought the move made the Brewers the class of the NL Central. While it was easy to overlook the players the Brewers dealt, they’ve left themselves awfully thin at some key positions. As a result of the trade, both Yuniesky Betancourt and Carlos Gomez vault into starting roles. Combine that with the fact that Jonathan Lucroy is still adjusting to major league pitching, and you have potential for replacement-level performances at three positions. Even with all the off-season acquisitions, are the Brewers strong enough to overcome their weakest players?

At the conclusion of the 2010 season, the Brewers were one of the best offensive clubs in the National League. Led by breakout performances by Rickie Weeks and Corey Hart, and the usual production of Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun, the Brewers ranked fourth in the NL in runs, fourth in OBP, and third in SLG. Weeks and Hart, however, are expected to experience some regression in 2011. Combine that with the weak expected contributions from Gomez, Betancourt and Lucroy, and the Brewers offense should decline this season.

The offense still appears to be in good shape, however, when you consider the players Gomez, Betancourt and Lucroy are replacing. While he split time with Jim Edmonds and Lorenzo Cain, Gomez actually received the most plate appearances of any center fielder on the Brewers last season. Due to his playing time, it’s easy to say that Gomez is essentially replacing himself this season, even though he lost his job to Cain as the season progressed. As a full-time starter, Gomez will not replicate the offense of Edmonds or Cain, but should provide exceptional defense at a key position. Neither Edmonds nor Cain were slouches defensively, but Gomez has a chance to be one of the strongest defensive center fielders in the league this season. The defensive gain from this switch should make the offensive loss a lot easier to stomach.

Jonathan Lucroy also essentially replaces himself, but it’s harder to predict how he will perform in the full-time role. Pressed into action last season after only 83 plate appearances at AAA, Lucroy predictably struggled with major league pitching. Last season, Lucroy essentially lost a year of development in the minors and will now have to adjust at the major league level. Although George Kottaras would provide more patience and power, Lucroy is the superior defensive player. Lucroy is still young (24), and had decent walk rates in the minors, so perhaps there is still some room for improvement. Still, Lucroy was just as good, if not better, than Kottaras last season and may actually provide an upgrade at the position this season.

Replacing Alcides Escobar with Yuniesky Betancourt will certainly hurt the Brewers in the future, but both players posted an identical WAR last season. They did it in very different ways, however. Escobar relied on slick fielding to carry his poor offensive showing, and Betancourt relied on a power surge to cover up his poor fielding and patience at the plate. Betancourt has long been one of the worst regulars in all of baseball, but he should be able to replicate Escobar’s 2010 offensive performance. Defensively, however, the Brewers could be in big trouble. Even though many scouts felt Escobar didn’t live up to his full potential on defense last season, he was miles better than Betancourt. At such a crucial defensive position, the Brewers are taking a big risk by installing Betancourt full-time. There might not be a big drop-off offensively, but the Brewers just went from one of the most promising defensive shortstops to arguably the worst defensive shortstop in the league.

Outside of Yuniesky, none of the Brewers’ lineup changes will hurt the team as much as people perceive. Gomez should provide stronger defense than the previous center fielders, making up for a poor offensive showing. Lucroy also presents a defensive upgrade, with the potential for some offensive growth. Betancourt should at least match the offensive contribution the Brewers received at shortstop last season, and that’s about it. Still, the Brewers were able to employ a strong offense last season with somewhat similar performances at the positions in question last season. Even though they are taking a risk by employing Gomez, Betancourt and Lucroy full-time; it doesn’t appear the Brewers are going to allow those players to hold them back in 2011.

Blue Jays Top 30 prospects.

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The Toronto Blue Jays
2010 MLB Record: 85-77 (4th place, AL East)
Minor League Power Ranking: 3rd (out of 30)
Click for: Last Year’s Top 10 Prospect List

The Prospects​

1. Kyle Drabek, RHP
Acquired: 2006 1st round (Texas HS)
Pro Experience: 5 seasons
2010 MiLB Level: AA/MLB
Opening Day Age: 23
Estimated Peak WAR: 5.0

Notes: The key to the Roy Halladay trade with Philadelphia, Drabek has a chance to break camp in 2011 with the Jays despite lacking triple-A experience. The son of former Cy Young award winner Doug Drabek, the rookie has an advanced feel for pitching given his age and experience level. He held his own during a brief MLB trial (4.08 FIP in 3 starts) in 2010 but still has to sharpen his overall command and secondary pitches after missing time due to Tommy John surgery early in his career. Drabek has a solid repertoire that includes a 90-95 mph fastball and plus curveball. He also has a cutter and changeup, both of which need development. During his time in double-A, Drabek posted a solid strikeout rate (7.33 K/9) with average control (3.78 BB/9) and showed the ability to produce an average to above-average ground-ball rate. I’m not crazy about his mechanics. Drabek has a quick, short-arm action and three-quarter arm slot. He also throws across his body a bit and doesn’t use his legs as much as he should. If everything develops as hoped, though, the pitching prospect could develop into a No. 2 starter.

2. Brett Lawrie, 3B/2B
Acquired: 2008 1st round (B.C. Canada HS)
Pro Experience: 2 seasons
2010 MiLB Level: AA
Opening Day Age: 21
Estimated Peak WAR: 5.0

Notes: The Jays nabbed the Brewers’ top prospect this past off-season for veteran starter Shaun Marcum. A Canadian, Lawrie was reportedly thrilled with the move to the Jays organization. Along with switching teams, the youngster has also been moved off the keystone position to the hot corner. He spent the 2010 season in double-A despite being just 20 years of age. He produced a solid offensive line of .285/.346/.449 in 554 at-bats. The former No. 1 draft pick showed good power for a middle infielder with an ISO rate of .164, but it remains to be seen if he can produce the pop expected from a third baseman. Lawrie also displayed some instincts on the base paths and stole 30 bags despite average speed. At the plate, he shows a level stroke but it can get long at times. His stance includes a wide, low crouch and he needs to concentrate on keeping more upright through his core. Lawrie also has a very “noisy

 

[proshares]

Brewers piece.

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The Milwaukee Brewers’ acquisition of Zack Greinke shocked the baseball world this off-season. Although the Brewers gave up two of their projected starters, many pundits thought the move made the Brewers the class of the NL Central. While it was easy to overlook the players the Brewers dealt, they’ve left themselves awfully thin at some key positions. As a result of the trade, both Yuniesky Betancourt and Carlos Gomez vault into starting roles. Combine that with the fact that Jonathan Lucroy is still adjusting to major league pitching, and you have potential for replacement-level performances at three positions. Even with all the off-season acquisitions, are the Brewers strong enough to overcome their weakest players?

At the conclusion of the 2010 season, the Brewers were one of the best offensive clubs in the National League. Led by breakout performances by Rickie Weeks and Corey Hart, and the usual production of Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun, the Brewers ranked fourth in the NL in runs, fourth in OBP, and third in SLG. Weeks and Hart, however, are expected to experience some regression in 2011. Combine that with the weak expected contributions from Gomez, Betancourt and Lucroy, and the Brewers offense should decline this season.

The offense still appears to be in good shape, however, when you consider the players Gomez, Betancourt and Lucroy are replacing. While he split time with Jim Edmonds and Lorenzo Cain, Gomez actually received the most plate appearances of any center fielder on the Brewers last season. Due to his playing time, it’s easy to say that Gomez is essentially replacing himself this season, even though he lost his job to Cain as the season progressed. As a full-time starter, Gomez will not replicate the offense of Edmonds or Cain, but should provide exceptional defense at a key position. Neither Edmonds nor Cain were slouches defensively, but Gomez has a chance to be one of the strongest defensive center fielders in the league this season. The defensive gain from this switch should make the offensive loss a lot easier to stomach.

Jonathan Lucroy also essentially replaces himself, but it’s harder to predict how he will perform in the full-time role. Pressed into action last season after only 83 plate appearances at AAA, Lucroy predictably struggled with major league pitching. Last season, Lucroy essentially lost a year of development in the minors and will now have to adjust at the major league level. Although George Kottaras would provide more patience and power, Lucroy is the superior defensive player. Lucroy is still young (24), and had decent walk rates in the minors, so perhaps there is still some room for improvement. Still, Lucroy was just as good, if not better, than Kottaras last season and may actually provide an upgrade at the position this season.

Replacing Alcides Escobar with Yuniesky Betancourt will certainly hurt the Brewers in the future, but both players posted an identical WAR last season. They did it in very different ways, however. Escobar relied on slick fielding to carry his poor offensive showing, and Betancourt relied on a power surge to cover up his poor fielding and patience at the plate. Betancourt has long been one of the worst regulars in all of baseball, but he should be able to replicate Escobar’s 2010 offensive performance. Defensively, however, the Brewers could be in big trouble. Even though many scouts felt Escobar didn’t live up to his full potential on defense last season, he was miles better than Betancourt. At such a crucial defensive position, the Brewers are taking a big risk by installing Betancourt full-time. There might not be a big drop-off offensively, but the Brewers just went from one of the most promising defensive shortstops to arguably the worst defensive shortstop in the league.

Outside of Yuniesky, none of the Brewers’ lineup changes will hurt the team as much as people perceive. Gomez should provide stronger defense than the previous center fielders, making up for a poor offensive showing. Lucroy also presents a defensive upgrade, with the potential for some offensive growth. Betancourt should at least match the offensive contribution the Brewers received at shortstop last season, and that’s about it. Still, the Brewers were able to employ a strong offense last season with somewhat similar performances at the positions in question last season. Even though they are taking a risk by employing Gomez, Betancourt and Lucroy full-time; it doesn’t appear the Brewers are going to allow those players to hold them back in 2011.

Blue Jays Top 30 prospects.

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The Toronto Blue Jays
2010 MLB Record: 85-77 (4th place, AL East)
Minor League Power Ranking: 3rd (out of 30)
Click for: Last Year’s Top 10 Prospect List

The Prospects​

1. Kyle Drabek, RHP
Acquired: 2006 1st round (Texas HS)
Pro Experience: 5 seasons
2010 MiLB Level: AA/MLB
Opening Day Age: 23
Estimated Peak WAR: 5.0

Notes: The key to the Roy Halladay trade with Philadelphia, Drabek has a chance to break camp in 2011 with the Jays despite lacking triple-A experience. The son of former Cy Young award winner Doug Drabek, the rookie has an advanced feel for pitching given his age and experience level. He held his own during a brief MLB trial (4.08 FIP in 3 starts) in 2010 but still has to sharpen his overall command and secondary pitches after missing time due to Tommy John surgery early in his career. Drabek has a solid repertoire that includes a 90-95 mph fastball and plus curveball. He also has a cutter and changeup, both of which need development. During his time in double-A, Drabek posted a solid strikeout rate (7.33 K/9) with average control (3.78 BB/9) and showed the ability to produce an average to above-average ground-ball rate. I’m not crazy about his mechanics. Drabek has a quick, short-arm action and three-quarter arm slot. He also throws across his body a bit and doesn’t use his legs as much as he should. If everything develops as hoped, though, the pitching prospect could develop into a No. 2 starter.

2. Brett Lawrie, 3B/2B
Acquired: 2008 1st round (B.C. Canada HS)
Pro Experience: 2 seasons
2010 MiLB Level: AA
Opening Day Age: 21
Estimated Peak WAR: 5.0

Notes: The Jays nabbed the Brewers’ top prospect this past off-season for veteran starter Shaun Marcum. A Canadian, Lawrie was reportedly thrilled with the move to the Jays organization. Along with switching teams, the youngster has also been moved off the keystone position to the hot corner. He spent the 2010 season in double-A despite being just 20 years of age. He produced a solid offensive line of .285/.346/.449 in 554 at-bats. The former No. 1 draft pick showed good power for a middle infielder with an ISO rate of .164, but it remains to be seen if he can produce the pop expected from a third baseman. Lawrie also displayed some instincts on the base paths and stole 30 bags despite average speed. At the plate, he shows a level stroke but it can get long at times. His stance includes a wide, low crouch and he needs to concentrate on keeping more upright through his core. Lawrie also has a very “noisy

 

[CP1708]

Horrible to hear about Luis Salazar having his eye removed. 

 

At least he's alive though, glad for that. 

 

[proshares]

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During one spring training with the Yankees about a decade ago, in the midst of the Paul O'Neill-Tino Martinez dynasty years, the team began losing one exhibition game after another, until a nice respectable losing streak developed. George Steinbrenner began to go a little nuts and took out his angst on his front-office staff, which was forced to stay until late one evening for a little wrath. The next day, the beat writers covering the team (including myself) were there early in a pack, in case some retribution was carried out.

Bernie Williams walked by and asked us why we had all gathered with such a purpose, and it was explained to him: George has been going a little nuts because of the losing streak. Bernie replied, in so many words: We've been losing? What's the losing streak up to?

He had no idea. For some, spring training results don't matter. For others, they do. With that in mind, let's consider the current spring:

Spring training results matter for: The Diamondbacks

AP Photo/Marcio Jose SanchezKirk Gibson isn't showing it, but there should be some urgency in Arizona.

Arizona is 5-16 this spring, and in most years, the staff members wouldn't care. But the Diamondbacks are coming off a terrible year in which their general manager (Josh Byrnes) and manager (A.J. Hinch) were fired, and manager Kirk Gibson has been drilling the team relentlessly. For example, the team has practiced pickoff moves over and over, in an effort to slow opponents on the bases. Only eight other teams allowed as many steals as Arizona last year (although interestingly, three of the eight made the playoffs, including both league champions), and Gibson is going to try to make damn sure that this sort of thing doesn't happen again.

So for a manager and new GM Kevin Towers, the spring losses have started to hit a nerve. Remember, Gibson will always be remembered in Dodger lore for a spring training incident right after he signed with the team. Jesse Orosco put shoe black on the lining of Gibson's cap, and Gibson was furious, reportedly questioning how serious the team was about preparation.

For the record: Gibson doesn't like the word "frustrated" attached to him this spring, as Nick Piecoro writes.

Spring training results don't matter for: A lot of veteran pitchers

Many use the bullpen sessions and exhibitions as a way to gradually build arm strength and prepare for the start of the season, and they don't worry about pitching in sequences designed to confuse the hitter. If they want to work on a changeup, they'll throw a changeup, regardless of whether the hitter is set up for the pitch or not.

At some point, though, managers and pitching coaches do like to see a little progress in the results, and do want to see some improvement from start to start. Which is why the Red Sox were probably very relieved to see Daisuke Matsuzaka -- who had opened spring training with three ugly exhibition outings -- have a strong performance; he attacked the strike zone against the Tigers.

Edinson Volquez showed some wildness in his most recent start, but really, this doesn't matter. He's got time left to refine his command. Clayton Kershaw got pounded, but Don Mattingly isn't worried. Nor should he be.

Spring training results matter for: Kyle McClellan





The leading internal candidate to replace Adam Wainwright in the St. Louis rotation, McClellan had a strong outing on Tuesday, which lowered his spring ERA to 0.75. From Derrick Goold's story:

• [Tony La Russa] did acknowledge the gap between McClellan and other contenders.
  "He's given them nothing," the manager said. "He's certainly making a claim as the starter, and that shouldn't surprise anybody. … He's creating a heck of an act to follow. We don't have to decide yet."

Spring training results don't matter for: Grady Sizemore





What matters is that the Indians center fielder could be back in a game for the first time this weekend. It has been a long, long road back for Sizemore, who seems to be on track to be activated sometime in the middle of May, and will have about a month's worth of game action to prepare.

Spring training results matter for: Esmil Rogers





The Rockies' youngster has apparently taken hold of the No. 5 spot in the rotation with a strong showing this spring.

Spring training results matter for: Michael Pineda

He is pitching his way into the Seattle rotation, according to Geoff Baker's sources.
[h3]Notables[/h3]
• Neftali Feliz remains a candidate for the Texas rotation, and if Feliz shifts into a starting role, Texas will need a closer. Ron Washington says he has confidence that if the Rangers need a closer, GM Jon Daniels will go out and find somebody.

Yes, Daniels could find somebody; Washington's talk is brave. But the reality is that this time of year, the prices for upper-tier relievers -- and even the second- and third-tier relievers -- might be 20 or 30 percent higher than late July sticker price. They could call the Padres about Heath Bell, who is very likely to be traded if the Padres drift out of contention this summer. But generally speaking, GMs really can't stand the thought of giving up talent for a stopgap, and history tells us that relievers are just as likely to struggle as they are to pitch as well as expected.

By the way: The Blue Jays, one of the few teams that opened camp with apparent bullpen depth, may be without a couple of veterans for a while, as Richard Griffin writes.

• The Oakland Athletics got very good news about Andrew Bailey.

• The Diamondbacks lost a prospect because of a name change.

Observations from talent evaluators:

1. Jair Jurrjens had a nice start the other day for the Braves, but one scout says he is curious to see whether Jurrjens can get back the velocity he had a couple of years ago: "I'm still seeing 90-92 [mph], not the 94."

2. On the White Sox, from an executive: "One of the best teams I've seen this spring. They're going to be really good."

3. On the Atlanta Braves, from an evaluator: "It's a very deep club, beyond their 25-man roster. If they have an issue with the rotation, they've got Kris Medlen and [either] Mike Minor or [Brandon] Beachy as backup, depending on who wins the No. 5 spot. If they need to make a midseason trade, they've got extra pitching in the minors to do it. If Chipper Jones goes down, they've got [Martin] Prado ready to step in -- although Prado has taken to left field like a duck to water, from what I've seen."

As several have noted, Medlen may be promising, but will be recovering for a stretch.
[h3]Dings and dents[/h3]
1. Now Placido Polanco is hurt. As with Chase Utley, the major concern about this is that the problem is coming up at a time when Polanco really hasn't played much, when he's not in the day-to-day grind of the season.
2. Joel Zumaya and Carlos Guillen will start the season on the disabled list. For Guillen, this was generally expected, but in Zumaya's case, there had been hope that he would be OK, after he had thrown so well at the beginning of camp. The Tigers opened camp believing that with Zumaya, they would have a very deep bullpen. Now there is a void that somebody else will need to fill.

3. Johnny Cueto has been cleared to resume throwing Monday.

4. Jason Heyward was scratched with a sore back.

5. Danny Espinosa had a scary moment.

6. The Orioles are dealing with a lot of injuries.

7. Joba Chamberlain is banged up.

8. Casey Blake has spinal inflammation.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. The catwalk rules have been changed at the Trop.
2. With Ryan Hanigan locked into a long-term deal, the Reds have a surplus in catching, and other teams are calling, says Walt Jocketty.

3. Jim Leyland's son Pat was reassigned in the Tigers' camp, and a father is proud of his son, as George Sipple writes.

4. The Royals seem intent on hanging on to Joakim Soria, writes Bob Dutton. I've had conversations in the past with Kansas City general manager Dayton Moore about the importance of having veteran leadership, and he will not foster a situation in which he has this wave of prospects rise into a rudderless clubhouse. Soria is a great pitcher, but he is also highly regarded for his professionalism, which increases his value to Kansas City.

5. The Indians returned Lonnie Chisenhall to the minors.

6. Ozzie Guillen's bond with Jerry Reinsdorf didn't preclude trade talks.

7. Dave George thinks the Dan Uggla trade will come back to bite the Marlins.

8. The Rays announced that David Price will be the Opening Day starter.

9. Ian Kennedy will get the ball on Opening Day for the Diamondbacks.

10. It's still unclear whether Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez will be on the Mets' roster to start the season, writes David Waldstein.

11. The Yankees invested in a hard thrower last week, to the tune of $1.1 million.

12. Ian Snell retired, as Geoff Baker writes.
[h3]The battle for jobs[/h3]
1. Brandon McCarthy appears to be the front-runner to be the No. 5 starter for Oakland, and he threw well Tuesday.
2. Mark Rogers was sent to the minors by the Brewers, which means that Wily Peralta could be the front-runner to start for Milwaukee on April 6, writes Michael Hunt.

3. Jose Tabata is comfortable as a leadoff hitter.

4. Desmond Jennings was among those sent down by Tampa Bay.
[h3]Tuesday's games[/h3]
1. Hanley Ramirez and the Marlins are piling up errors.
2. Derek Lowe was sharp.

3. Brett Wallace had a big day, writes Zachary Levine.

4. A Padres pitcher got hit around.

Reds/D'Backs prospects

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I wandered over to Goodyear on Tuesday to watch some minor league games (and one amateur club) at Cincinnati's complex, and while I was moving between the three fields like a pinball, I did manage to catch a few prospects of note from the Reds' and Diamondbacks' systems.

• Billy Hamilton can certainly run, but if you watch him play, the first thing you'll notice about him is how badly he needs to get stronger. He's listed at 6-foot-1, 160 pounds, and if he weighed a little under that it wouldn't shock me. It's not just an issue of power, but one of bat control: To be able to get the bat through the zone and make quality contact against better stuff when he reaches Double-A, he'll need to be stronger than he is now. That doesn't alter his ceiling, but if a year from now we're still talking about how slight he is, that's not a good sign. But the speed is there -- I had him at 4.33 seconds on the turn on a ball he hit to the outfield.

• Drew Cisco threw in an exhibition game against the Langley Blaze, an amateur team from British Columbia, and looked okay, 86-90 touching 91 with a solid-average curveball with two-plane break. He was a command guy in high school with his changeup as his best pitch, but barely used it today. His opponent, 17-year-old right-hander Tom Robson, is a physical kid but looked stiff and mechanical on Tuesday, also 86-90, so you could imagine he'd be in the low 90s if he strode properly and used his lower half.

• Kyle Waldrop is certainly strong, like he belongs in someone's backfield, but he bars his lead arm pretty badly and is maybe an average runner.

• I got one swing from Ronald Torreyes, and it was a good one, but like Hamilton, Torreyes also leaves a first impression of smallness. Torreyes might have an inch or two on me, and that's going to be a serious knock on him until he reaches the majors. (Milb.com has him at 5-foot-10, which is possible if someone left the ruler on the radiator too long.)

• Moving on to the Diamondbacks: Wagner Mateo's contract with St. Louis was voided over a medical concern with one of his eyes, and I'm not qualified to tell you how much of an issue that is for him in the long term. But he does have a good swing, a strong one that uses his lower half with some loft for power. It's not a great body -- he's very thick through the middle -- and he's a below-average runner, but I could see him hitting for a lot of average, perhaps a line like Jose Tabata produces.

• The last pitcher I caught was Arizona pitcher Diogenes Rosario, a loose-armed righty who was 91-92 with a hard low-80s slider and a straight changeup. Rosario struggled as a starter last summer -- his arm action is on the long side and I'm guessing he can't repeat it in that role -- but in the bullpen for South Bend his strikeout rate was higher and his walk rate was half what it was when he started.

Rumors.

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http://[h3]Rauch last man standing?[/h3]
11:44AM ET

[h5]Frank Francisco | Blue Jays [/h5]


The http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/tor/toronto-blue-jayshttp://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/tor/toronto-blue-jaysToronto Blue Jays have four candidates to handle the ninth inning in 2011, and new manager John Farrell indicated last month that if there was a favorite, it's right-hander http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=5963http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=5963Frank Francisco, wrote Ken Fidlin of the Toronto Sun.

But Francisco has made just two appearances this spring as he battles through a should problem, and has been scratched from his schedule outing Tuesday, tweets Gregor Chisholm. Furthermore, Octavio Dotel has been scratched this week with a sore hamstring.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=4572Jon Rauch and http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=5938Jason Frasor are capable late-inning relievers, with Rauch entering the season with the most experience in the role between the two. Dotel, however, has struggled this month even when healthy, suggesting that unless Francisco gets right in a hurry, Rauch could be the club's stopper out of spring training.

- Jason A. Churchill

http://[h3]Kalish's road back[/h3]
11:37AM ET

[h5]Ryan Kalish | Red Sox [/h5]


Note From Arizona: As your afternoon voice here at MLB Rumor Central, I'll be taking a mid-shift break over the next three days to scout out prospects in Spring Training. I'll pick up the rumors and speculation at the end of the morning workouts and afternoon games.

- Jason A. Churchill

...

Ryan Kalish was unexpectedly tossed into a pennant race last season when the Boston Red Sox endured injuries to Mike Cameron and Jacoby Ellsbury. It may take a similar set of events this season for him to get back to the big leagues, unless the Sox trade Cameron, which is a possibility at some point, even this spring.

Kalish showed manager Terry Francona last season that he was ready to help the big club, so it seems like he's the first name on the list should an injury occur or a veteran struggle for a lengthy period of time.

If all else fails, the soon-to-be 23-year-old figures to take over in right field for J.D. Drew in 2012, as the veteran's contract ends at the conclusion of the 2011 season.

http://[h3]Davis the odd man out in Texas?[/h3]
11:16AM ET

[h5]Chris Davis | Rangers [/h5]


It's no secret the stock of Chris Davis has fallen dramatically. At this point, the Texas Rangers' Opening Day first baseman the last two seasons is open to a change of scenery.

Davis has seen his batting average plummet each of the last two seasons, settling below the Mendoza Line at .192 last season. According to the Dallas Morning News, the Rangers have received some inquiries this spring, but are under no obligation to trade him.

A .353 average in Cactus League play has some teams paying attention, but Davis has little chance of earning a roster spot at first base in Arlington and could end up back in Triple-A. Mitch Moreland appears to have first base locked up, and Michael Young and Mike Napoli are also expected to see time there.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Opening day honors for Lester?[/h3]
10:47AM ET

[h5]Jon Lester | Red Sox [/h5]


All signs point to Jon Lester being the Opening Day starter for the Boston Red Sox. Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com tweets that manager Terry Francona could make the announcement official on Wednesday.

It would be the first Opening Day start for Lester, a 19-game winner who has pitched six scoreless innings in two Grapefruit League starts this spring. Josh Beckett has had the honor the last two seasons.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Reds shopping a catcher?[/h3]
10:24AM ET

[h5]Cincinnati Reds [/h5]


Trades tend to heat up late in spring training as teams realize there are holes to fill and little time to fill them. Those clubs looking for a quick fix behind the plate will be calling Reds general manager Walt Jocketty.

Catching was a strength for the Reds last season with Cincinnati backstops hitting a league-high .296 while ranking second in RBI. Jocketty wants to keep it that way, but still has the surplus to deal, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

The Reds have catching depth with Ramon Hernandez and Ryan Hanigan in the big leagues, top prospect Devin Mesoraco and veteran Corky Miller at Triple-A and last year's top pick Yasmani Grandal at Double-A. At this stage, the most likely candidate would be Hanigan, as long as the Reds feel Mesoraco is ready for a promotion.

One of the interested clubs likely includes the Padres, who are left with Rob Johnson as their backup catcher following the unexpected retirement of Gregg Zaun.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Third base issues in LA[/h3]
10:00AM ET

[h5]Casey Blake | Dodgers [/h5]


Dodgers manager Don Mattingly has plans to periodically rest Casey Blake in hopes that the third baseman, who hit just .248 last season, doesn't wear down.

Injuries also could be an issue with the 37-year-old Blake, who had been listed as day-to-day with a rib injury. An updated medical report Tuesday said the injury was tied to spinal inflammation and Blake gave no timetable for his return.

Blake will likely share time with Jamey Carroll, but there might be other options. The Dodgers could be scanning the waiver wire for a veteran who might be released later in camp. Luis Castillo could be released by the Mets, but might not be a fit in LA unless the Dodgers put him at second base and move Juan Uribe to third.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Rangers in search of a closer[/h3]
9:47AM ET

[h5]Texas Rangers [/h5]


With the increasing likelihood that Neftali Feliz starts the season in the rotation, it appears the Texas Rangers will anoint a new closer. But it may not be Alexi Ogando or another arm within the organization, writes Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com.

"I have confidence in (GM) Jon Daniels and our scouts," manager Ron Washington said Tuesday. "If that's the case, I'm 100 percent sure they'll go out there and find somebody to close ballgames down for us."

It's an odd time of the year to seek a trade for a closer but there may be a few candidates in San Diego's Heath Bell and Francisco Rodriguez of the New York Mets. Bell, a free agent after the season, would prefer to sign a long-term deal to stay in San Diego and Rodriguez's salary -- $15 million guaranteed and as much as $29 million if his options vests -- making it difficult to find a proven option. And that's what Washington wants.

"We ain't talking about 'might be able to,' he said. "This ain't about 'might be able to close a ballgame down.' We need somebody that's bona fide to close ballgames down."

Ogando and Mark Lowe lack that experience, but are hard-throwing, late-inning relievers who could battle it out if Daniels is unable to find a match. One other long shot of a possibility is Carlos Marmol of the Cubs, as tweeted by Phil Rogers.

Our Buster Olney warns that finding a closer in spring training won't be easy:

- Jason A. Churchill

[h5]Buster Olney[/h5]
http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog?name=olney_buster&id=6222973Can Feliz be replaced in the pen?

"The reality is that this time of year, the prices for upper-tier relievers -- and even the second- and third-tier relievers -- might be 20 or 30 percent higher than late July sticker price. They could call the Padres about Heath Bell, who is very likely to be traded if the Padres drift out of contention this summer. But generally speaking, GMs really can't stand the thought of giving up talent for a stop-gap, and history tells us that relievers are just as likely to struggle as they are to pitch as well as expected."

http://[h3]Branyan closing in on starting job?[/h3]
9:40AM ET

[h5]Arizona Diamondbacks [/h5]


Juan Miranda seemingly came to Diamondbacks' as the morning line favorite in the first base competition, but has a lackluster spring (.233 BA), dropped him off the pace?

GM Kevin Towers sounded increasingly open to having Russell Branyan as his everyday first baseman over Miranda and Brandon Allen, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.

Branyan has been tearing the cover off the ball, hitting .455 with three homers. But if the D-backs are looking to the future, they would be better served by giving Miranda or Allen at first base to determine if either is the long-term answer.

Manager Kirk Gibson has stressed the importance of defense, which would play into Miranda's chances.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Cora has job in DC[/h3]
9:21AM ET

[h5]Alex Cora | Nationals [/h5]


Alex Cora is on the verge of landing a roster spot with the Washington Nationals as a backup infielder, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson.

Cora hit a combined .210 last season for the Rangers and Mets last season, but gives the Nats some defensive flexibility.

With Cora most likely on the roster, Ladson says the Nationals may try to move infielder Alberto Gonzalez, who could be traded or designated for assignment because he is out of options.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Who fills in for Joba?[/h3]
9:09AM ET

[h5]New York Yankees [/h5]


With Joba Chamberlain possibly starting the year on the disabled list due to ab oblique strain, as suggested by Daniel Barbarisi, the New York Yankees bullpen will come out of camp looking a bit different.

Chamberlain's role was likely to be somewhat dimished, if not by way of fewer innings, certainly with a fewer high-leverage opportunities now that Rafael Soriano is in town to set up Mariano Rivera, but now those innings will go to someone else early on, perhaps prospects Andrew Brackman or Adam Warren.

The club has said publicly that Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances will start the season in the minors, so that's out ... and a trade is likely out at this juncture, especially since the injury isn't likely to keep Chamberlain for a significant portion of the year.

The Yankees could keep Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia both, using one of them out of the bullpen. Mark Prior and Andy Sisco could be on the watch list, but neither appears ready to step in and perform consistently, based on their limited work this spring.

Brian Costello of the New York Post reports Wednesday that the fact the Yankees sent Chamberlain for an MRI is not a good sign.

- Jason A. Churchill

http://[h3]Who closes for the Cards in 2012?[/h3]
8:48AM ET

[h5]St. Louis Cardinals [/h5]


The St. Louis Cardinals are preparing for life without injured ace Adam Wainwright, and the ripple effect could extend to who ends up as the closer next season.

With Kyle McClellan leading the competition for the rotation opening, the Cardinals have an opening for a primary right-handed set-up man to closer Ryan Franklin. The prime candidates are Mitchell Boggs and Jason Motte, and the development of the duo is one reason the Cardinals were willing to try McClellan in the rotation in the first place.

Derrick Goold of the Post Dispatch writes that the 2011 season amounts to an open audition for Boggs and Motte since Franklin's contract expires at the end of the season.

Both Motte and Boggs have average velocities over 95 mph, so each has the raw skills to be a closer. Their talent makes it unlikely that the Cardinals will spend a lot of money to keep Franklin, even if he has a big season.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Rockies fifth starter update[/h3]
8:24AM ET

[h5]Colorado Rockies [/h5]


Esmil Rogers is making a strong case to decide the fifth starter competition in Colorado sooner rather than later.

Rogers already was considered the front-runner to enter the rotation in place of the injured Aaron Cook, and the 25-year-old right-hander was dominant Tuesday, holding the Cubs to one hit over five innings.

Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports the Rockies have debated for 18 months whether Rogers was better suited for relief work or for the rotation. The answer could be the rotation, at least for the time being.

Clayton Mortensen was sent to the minors Tuesday, leaving Greg Reynolds and John Maine in the mix. Maine could end up playing a prominent role at some point, but the Rockies are not rushing him following offseason shoulder surgery.

The emergence of Rogers could discourage the Rockies from pursuing an available free agent such as Jeremy Bonderman or Kevin Millwood.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]More on the Mets second base battle[/h3]
8:00AM ET

[h5]New York Mets [/h5]


http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/nym/new-york-metsNew York Mets manager Terry Collins insists he hasn?t decided on a second baseman. With no candidate making a serious claim for the job, this could take a while.

Mike Puma of the New York Post reported Tuesday that Luis Hernandez will get the job, contingent upon Collins convincing the front office to find roster space for the infielder.

Prior to Tuesday's game with the Nationals, Collins called the report "a little premature," even if he did have good things to say about Hernandez.

The 26-year-old Hernandez would a surprise choice since he played in only 17 games for the Mets last year before breaking a toe in September. The Mets have staged an open competition at second base that includes Hernandez, Luis Castillo, Daniel Murphy, Justin Turner and Rule 5 draft pick Brad Emaus.

Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports that the "widespread belief" in the organization has Emaus or Castillo as the primary second baseman. Murphy appears to be out of the running for the starting job, but will earn a roster spot as a utility player.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Final roster spot in Milwaukee[/h3]
7:30AM ET

[h5]Milwaukee Brewers [/h5]


The competition for the final infield spot on the Milwaukee Brewers is likely down to Luis Cruz or Erick Amonte, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.

Manager Ron Roenicke wants a right-handed bat for their final vacancy, and is making defensive skills a priority. Amonte, a 33-year-old first baseman, is hitting .439 with three homers in 41 at-bats this spring.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Second base platoon at Wrigley?[/h3]
7:18AM ET

[h5]Chicago Cubs [/h5]


We mentioned Monday in our weekly look at position battles that Blake DeWitt was by no means a lock at second base for the Chicago Cubs.

While DeWitt was billed as the Cubs' second baseman of the future following his acquisition from the Dodgers last summer, manager Mike Quade appears content with a platoon of DeWitt and Jeff Baker, reports Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.

There was speculation earlier this week that the Cubs might be interested in the Rangers' Michael Young at second base, but Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com cites club sources who say they are not talking to Young and are comfortable with Dewitt and Baker.

DeWitt has done little to help his case, hitting in the .200 range this spring and struggling defensively. Baker has hit .393 this spring and is expected to bat leadoff against southpaw starters.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Jeter's place in the order[/h3]
7:03AM ET

[h5]Derek Jeter | Yankees [/h5]


We mentioned earlier last week that there were some rumblings within the New York Yankees' hierarchy to drop Derek Jeter to second in the order and move Brett Gardner into the leadoff spot.

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reported that while manager Joe Girardi has no problem with keeping Jeter atop the batting order, there is a push from some "inside the organization" to elevate Gardner in the lineup.

An indication of which way Girardi is leaning could come Wednesday night against the Orioles when the Yankees are scheduled to trot out their regular lineup for the first time. "We might play around with some things," Girardi said Tuesday.

Garnder batted .500 in 25 plate appearances as the leadoff hitter, and could get on base on a more regular basis than Jeter. Gardner, however, hit just .232 after July 1, due in part to a wrist injury.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Trumbo's chances improving[/h3]
6:53AM ET

[h5]Kendrys Morales | Angels [/h5]


Kendrys Morales appears set to start the season on the disabled list, reports the Los Angeles Times, which likely means Mark Trumbo will make the 25-man roster out of spring training.

Trumbo has impressed this spring with his power, though he fits in well with the rest of the roster by drawing just one base on balls in nearly 50 trips to the plate.

Morales still has an outside chance to be ready if he plays in games this coming weekend, but he hasn't been running the bases and could end up the DH if he's active the first few weeks of the season.

All of this points to Brandon Wood being the odd-man out, and since he's out of options, he'll have to clear waiver before the club can assign him to the minors again

 

[CP1708]

Horrible to hear about Luis Salazar having his eye removed. 

 

At least he's alive though, glad for that. 

 

[proshares]

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During one spring training with the Yankees about a decade ago, in the midst of the Paul O'Neill-Tino Martinez dynasty years, the team began losing one exhibition game after another, until a nice respectable losing streak developed. George Steinbrenner began to go a little nuts and took out his angst on his front-office staff, which was forced to stay until late one evening for a little wrath. The next day, the beat writers covering the team (including myself) were there early in a pack, in case some retribution was carried out.

Bernie Williams walked by and asked us why we had all gathered with such a purpose, and it was explained to him: George has been going a little nuts because of the losing streak. Bernie replied, in so many words: We've been losing? What's the losing streak up to?

He had no idea. For some, spring training results don't matter. For others, they do. With that in mind, let's consider the current spring:

Spring training results matter for: The Diamondbacks

AP Photo/Marcio Jose SanchezKirk Gibson isn't showing it, but there should be some urgency in Arizona.

Arizona is 5-16 this spring, and in most years, the staff members wouldn't care. But the Diamondbacks are coming off a terrible year in which their general manager (Josh Byrnes) and manager (A.J. Hinch) were fired, and manager Kirk Gibson has been drilling the team relentlessly. For example, the team has practiced pickoff moves over and over, in an effort to slow opponents on the bases. Only eight other teams allowed as many steals as Arizona last year (although interestingly, three of the eight made the playoffs, including both league champions), and Gibson is going to try to make damn sure that this sort of thing doesn't happen again.

So for a manager and new GM Kevin Towers, the spring losses have started to hit a nerve. Remember, Gibson will always be remembered in Dodger lore for a spring training incident right after he signed with the team. Jesse Orosco put shoe black on the lining of Gibson's cap, and Gibson was furious, reportedly questioning how serious the team was about preparation.

For the record: Gibson doesn't like the word "frustrated" attached to him this spring, as Nick Piecoro writes.

Spring training results don't matter for: A lot of veteran pitchers

Many use the bullpen sessions and exhibitions as a way to gradually build arm strength and prepare for the start of the season, and they don't worry about pitching in sequences designed to confuse the hitter. If they want to work on a changeup, they'll throw a changeup, regardless of whether the hitter is set up for the pitch or not.

At some point, though, managers and pitching coaches do like to see a little progress in the results, and do want to see some improvement from start to start. Which is why the Red Sox were probably very relieved to see Daisuke Matsuzaka -- who had opened spring training with three ugly exhibition outings -- have a strong performance; he attacked the strike zone against the Tigers.

Edinson Volquez showed some wildness in his most recent start, but really, this doesn't matter. He's got time left to refine his command. Clayton Kershaw got pounded, but Don Mattingly isn't worried. Nor should he be.

Spring training results matter for: Kyle McClellan





The leading internal candidate to replace Adam Wainwright in the St. Louis rotation, McClellan had a strong outing on Tuesday, which lowered his spring ERA to 0.75. From Derrick Goold's story:

• [Tony La Russa] did acknowledge the gap between McClellan and other contenders.
  "He's given them nothing," the manager said. "He's certainly making a claim as the starter, and that shouldn't surprise anybody. … He's creating a heck of an act to follow. We don't have to decide yet."

Spring training results don't matter for: Grady Sizemore





What matters is that the Indians center fielder could be back in a game for the first time this weekend. It has been a long, long road back for Sizemore, who seems to be on track to be activated sometime in the middle of May, and will have about a month's worth of game action to prepare.

Spring training results matter for: Esmil Rogers





The Rockies' youngster has apparently taken hold of the No. 5 spot in the rotation with a strong showing this spring.

Spring training results matter for: Michael Pineda

He is pitching his way into the Seattle rotation, according to Geoff Baker's sources.
[h3]Notables[/h3]
• Neftali Feliz remains a candidate for the Texas rotation, and if Feliz shifts into a starting role, Texas will need a closer. Ron Washington says he has confidence that if the Rangers need a closer, GM Jon Daniels will go out and find somebody.

Yes, Daniels could find somebody; Washington's talk is brave. But the reality is that this time of year, the prices for upper-tier relievers -- and even the second- and third-tier relievers -- might be 20 or 30 percent higher than late July sticker price. They could call the Padres about Heath Bell, who is very likely to be traded if the Padres drift out of contention this summer. But generally speaking, GMs really can't stand the thought of giving up talent for a stopgap, and history tells us that relievers are just as likely to struggle as they are to pitch as well as expected.

By the way: The Blue Jays, one of the few teams that opened camp with apparent bullpen depth, may be without a couple of veterans for a while, as Richard Griffin writes.

• The Oakland Athletics got very good news about Andrew Bailey.

• The Diamondbacks lost a prospect because of a name change.

Observations from talent evaluators:

1. Jair Jurrjens had a nice start the other day for the Braves, but one scout says he is curious to see whether Jurrjens can get back the velocity he had a couple of years ago: "I'm still seeing 90-92 [mph], not the 94."

2. On the White Sox, from an executive: "One of the best teams I've seen this spring. They're going to be really good."

3. On the Atlanta Braves, from an evaluator: "It's a very deep club, beyond their 25-man roster. If they have an issue with the rotation, they've got Kris Medlen and [either] Mike Minor or [Brandon] Beachy as backup, depending on who wins the No. 5 spot. If they need to make a midseason trade, they've got extra pitching in the minors to do it. If Chipper Jones goes down, they've got [Martin] Prado ready to step in -- although Prado has taken to left field like a duck to water, from what I've seen."

As several have noted, Medlen may be promising, but will be recovering for a stretch.
[h3]Dings and dents[/h3]
1. Now Placido Polanco is hurt. As with Chase Utley, the major concern about this is that the problem is coming up at a time when Polanco really hasn't played much, when he's not in the day-to-day grind of the season.
2. Joel Zumaya and Carlos Guillen will start the season on the disabled list. For Guillen, this was generally expected, but in Zumaya's case, there had been hope that he would be OK, after he had thrown so well at the beginning of camp. The Tigers opened camp believing that with Zumaya, they would have a very deep bullpen. Now there is a void that somebody else will need to fill.

3. Johnny Cueto has been cleared to resume throwing Monday.

4. Jason Heyward was scratched with a sore back.

5. Danny Espinosa had a scary moment.

6. The Orioles are dealing with a lot of injuries.

7. Joba Chamberlain is banged up.

8. Casey Blake has spinal inflammation.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. The catwalk rules have been changed at the Trop.
2. With Ryan Hanigan locked into a long-term deal, the Reds have a surplus in catching, and other teams are calling, says Walt Jocketty.

3. Jim Leyland's son Pat was reassigned in the Tigers' camp, and a father is proud of his son, as George Sipple writes.

4. The Royals seem intent on hanging on to Joakim Soria, writes Bob Dutton. I've had conversations in the past with Kansas City general manager Dayton Moore about the importance of having veteran leadership, and he will not foster a situation in which he has this wave of prospects rise into a rudderless clubhouse. Soria is a great pitcher, but he is also highly regarded for his professionalism, which increases his value to Kansas City.

5. The Indians returned Lonnie Chisenhall to the minors.

6. Ozzie Guillen's bond with Jerry Reinsdorf didn't preclude trade talks.

7. Dave George thinks the Dan Uggla trade will come back to bite the Marlins.

8. The Rays announced that David Price will be the Opening Day starter.

9. Ian Kennedy will get the ball on Opening Day for the Diamondbacks.

10. It's still unclear whether Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez will be on the Mets' roster to start the season, writes David Waldstein.

11. The Yankees invested in a hard thrower last week, to the tune of $1.1 million.

12. Ian Snell retired, as Geoff Baker writes.
[h3]The battle for jobs[/h3]
1. Brandon McCarthy appears to be the front-runner to be the No. 5 starter for Oakland, and he threw well Tuesday.
2. Mark Rogers was sent to the minors by the Brewers, which means that Wily Peralta could be the front-runner to start for Milwaukee on April 6, writes Michael Hunt.

3. Jose Tabata is comfortable as a leadoff hitter.

4. Desmond Jennings was among those sent down by Tampa Bay.
[h3]Tuesday's games[/h3]
1. Hanley Ramirez and the Marlins are piling up errors.
2. Derek Lowe was sharp.

3. Brett Wallace had a big day, writes Zachary Levine.

4. A Padres pitcher got hit around.

Reds/D'Backs prospects

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I wandered over to Goodyear on Tuesday to watch some minor league games (and one amateur club) at Cincinnati's complex, and while I was moving between the three fields like a pinball, I did manage to catch a few prospects of note from the Reds' and Diamondbacks' systems.

• Billy Hamilton can certainly run, but if you watch him play, the first thing you'll notice about him is how badly he needs to get stronger. He's listed at 6-foot-1, 160 pounds, and if he weighed a little under that it wouldn't shock me. It's not just an issue of power, but one of bat control: To be able to get the bat through the zone and make quality contact against better stuff when he reaches Double-A, he'll need to be stronger than he is now. That doesn't alter his ceiling, but if a year from now we're still talking about how slight he is, that's not a good sign. But the speed is there -- I had him at 4.33 seconds on the turn on a ball he hit to the outfield.

• Drew Cisco threw in an exhibition game against the Langley Blaze, an amateur team from British Columbia, and looked okay, 86-90 touching 91 with a solid-average curveball with two-plane break. He was a command guy in high school with his changeup as his best pitch, but barely used it today. His opponent, 17-year-old right-hander Tom Robson, is a physical kid but looked stiff and mechanical on Tuesday, also 86-90, so you could imagine he'd be in the low 90s if he strode properly and used his lower half.

• Kyle Waldrop is certainly strong, like he belongs in someone's backfield, but he bars his lead arm pretty badly and is maybe an average runner.

• I got one swing from Ronald Torreyes, and it was a good one, but like Hamilton, Torreyes also leaves a first impression of smallness. Torreyes might have an inch or two on me, and that's going to be a serious knock on him until he reaches the majors. (Milb.com has him at 5-foot-10, which is possible if someone left the ruler on the radiator too long.)

• Moving on to the Diamondbacks: Wagner Mateo's contract with St. Louis was voided over a medical concern with one of his eyes, and I'm not qualified to tell you how much of an issue that is for him in the long term. But he does have a good swing, a strong one that uses his lower half with some loft for power. It's not a great body -- he's very thick through the middle -- and he's a below-average runner, but I could see him hitting for a lot of average, perhaps a line like Jose Tabata produces.

• The last pitcher I caught was Arizona pitcher Diogenes Rosario, a loose-armed righty who was 91-92 with a hard low-80s slider and a straight changeup. Rosario struggled as a starter last summer -- his arm action is on the long side and I'm guessing he can't repeat it in that role -- but in the bullpen for South Bend his strikeout rate was higher and his walk rate was half what it was when he started.

Rumors.

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http://[h3]Rauch last man standing?[/h3]
11:44AM ET

[h5]Frank Francisco | Blue Jays [/h5]


The http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/tor/toronto-blue-jayshttp://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/tor/toronto-blue-jaysToronto Blue Jays have four candidates to handle the ninth inning in 2011, and new manager John Farrell indicated last month that if there was a favorite, it's right-hander http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=5963http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=5963Frank Francisco, wrote Ken Fidlin of the Toronto Sun.

But Francisco has made just two appearances this spring as he battles through a should problem, and has been scratched from his schedule outing Tuesday, tweets Gregor Chisholm. Furthermore, Octavio Dotel has been scratched this week with a sore hamstring.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=4572Jon Rauch and http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=5938Jason Frasor are capable late-inning relievers, with Rauch entering the season with the most experience in the role between the two. Dotel, however, has struggled this month even when healthy, suggesting that unless Francisco gets right in a hurry, Rauch could be the club's stopper out of spring training.

- Jason A. Churchill

http://[h3]Kalish's road back[/h3]
11:37AM ET

[h5]Ryan Kalish | Red Sox [/h5]


Note From Arizona: As your afternoon voice here at MLB Rumor Central, I'll be taking a mid-shift break over the next three days to scout out prospects in Spring Training. I'll pick up the rumors and speculation at the end of the morning workouts and afternoon games.

- Jason A. Churchill

...

Ryan Kalish was unexpectedly tossed into a pennant race last season when the Boston Red Sox endured injuries to Mike Cameron and Jacoby Ellsbury. It may take a similar set of events this season for him to get back to the big leagues, unless the Sox trade Cameron, which is a possibility at some point, even this spring.

Kalish showed manager Terry Francona last season that he was ready to help the big club, so it seems like he's the first name on the list should an injury occur or a veteran struggle for a lengthy period of time.

If all else fails, the soon-to-be 23-year-old figures to take over in right field for J.D. Drew in 2012, as the veteran's contract ends at the conclusion of the 2011 season.

http://[h3]Davis the odd man out in Texas?[/h3]
11:16AM ET

[h5]Chris Davis | Rangers [/h5]


It's no secret the stock of Chris Davis has fallen dramatically. At this point, the Texas Rangers' Opening Day first baseman the last two seasons is open to a change of scenery.

Davis has seen his batting average plummet each of the last two seasons, settling below the Mendoza Line at .192 last season. According to the Dallas Morning News, the Rangers have received some inquiries this spring, but are under no obligation to trade him.

A .353 average in Cactus League play has some teams paying attention, but Davis has little chance of earning a roster spot at first base in Arlington and could end up back in Triple-A. Mitch Moreland appears to have first base locked up, and Michael Young and Mike Napoli are also expected to see time there.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Opening day honors for Lester?[/h3]
10:47AM ET

[h5]Jon Lester | Red Sox [/h5]


All signs point to Jon Lester being the Opening Day starter for the Boston Red Sox. Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com tweets that manager Terry Francona could make the announcement official on Wednesday.

It would be the first Opening Day start for Lester, a 19-game winner who has pitched six scoreless innings in two Grapefruit League starts this spring. Josh Beckett has had the honor the last two seasons.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Reds shopping a catcher?[/h3]
10:24AM ET

[h5]Cincinnati Reds [/h5]


Trades tend to heat up late in spring training as teams realize there are holes to fill and little time to fill them. Those clubs looking for a quick fix behind the plate will be calling Reds general manager Walt Jocketty.

Catching was a strength for the Reds last season with Cincinnati backstops hitting a league-high .296 while ranking second in RBI. Jocketty wants to keep it that way, but still has the surplus to deal, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

The Reds have catching depth with Ramon Hernandez and Ryan Hanigan in the big leagues, top prospect Devin Mesoraco and veteran Corky Miller at Triple-A and last year's top pick Yasmani Grandal at Double-A. At this stage, the most likely candidate would be Hanigan, as long as the Reds feel Mesoraco is ready for a promotion.

One of the interested clubs likely includes the Padres, who are left with Rob Johnson as their backup catcher following the unexpected retirement of Gregg Zaun.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Third base issues in LA[/h3]
10:00AM ET

[h5]Casey Blake | Dodgers [/h5]


Dodgers manager Don Mattingly has plans to periodically rest Casey Blake in hopes that the third baseman, who hit just .248 last season, doesn't wear down.

Injuries also could be an issue with the 37-year-old Blake, who had been listed as day-to-day with a rib injury. An updated medical report Tuesday said the injury was tied to spinal inflammation and Blake gave no timetable for his return.

Blake will likely share time with Jamey Carroll, but there might be other options. The Dodgers could be scanning the waiver wire for a veteran who might be released later in camp. Luis Castillo could be released by the Mets, but might not be a fit in LA unless the Dodgers put him at second base and move Juan Uribe to third.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Rangers in search of a closer[/h3]
9:47AM ET

[h5]Texas Rangers [/h5]


With the increasing likelihood that Neftali Feliz starts the season in the rotation, it appears the Texas Rangers will anoint a new closer. But it may not be Alexi Ogando or another arm within the organization, writes Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com.

"I have confidence in (GM) Jon Daniels and our scouts," manager Ron Washington said Tuesday. "If that's the case, I'm 100 percent sure they'll go out there and find somebody to close ballgames down for us."

It's an odd time of the year to seek a trade for a closer but there may be a few candidates in San Diego's Heath Bell and Francisco Rodriguez of the New York Mets. Bell, a free agent after the season, would prefer to sign a long-term deal to stay in San Diego and Rodriguez's salary -- $15 million guaranteed and as much as $29 million if his options vests -- making it difficult to find a proven option. And that's what Washington wants.

"We ain't talking about 'might be able to,' he said. "This ain't about 'might be able to close a ballgame down.' We need somebody that's bona fide to close ballgames down."

Ogando and Mark Lowe lack that experience, but are hard-throwing, late-inning relievers who could battle it out if Daniels is unable to find a match. One other long shot of a possibility is Carlos Marmol of the Cubs, as tweeted by Phil Rogers.

Our Buster Olney warns that finding a closer in spring training won't be easy:

- Jason A. Churchill

[h5]Buster Olney[/h5]
http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog?name=olney_buster&id=6222973Can Feliz be replaced in the pen?

"The reality is that this time of year, the prices for upper-tier relievers -- and even the second- and third-tier relievers -- might be 20 or 30 percent higher than late July sticker price. They could call the Padres about Heath Bell, who is very likely to be traded if the Padres drift out of contention this summer. But generally speaking, GMs really can't stand the thought of giving up talent for a stop-gap, and history tells us that relievers are just as likely to struggle as they are to pitch as well as expected."

http://[h3]Branyan closing in on starting job?[/h3]
9:40AM ET

[h5]Arizona Diamondbacks [/h5]


Juan Miranda seemingly came to Diamondbacks' as the morning line favorite in the first base competition, but has a lackluster spring (.233 BA), dropped him off the pace?

GM Kevin Towers sounded increasingly open to having Russell Branyan as his everyday first baseman over Miranda and Brandon Allen, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.

Branyan has been tearing the cover off the ball, hitting .455 with three homers. But if the D-backs are looking to the future, they would be better served by giving Miranda or Allen at first base to determine if either is the long-term answer.

Manager Kirk Gibson has stressed the importance of defense, which would play into Miranda's chances.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Cora has job in DC[/h3]
9:21AM ET

[h5]Alex Cora | Nationals [/h5]


Alex Cora is on the verge of landing a roster spot with the Washington Nationals as a backup infielder, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson.

Cora hit a combined .210 last season for the Rangers and Mets last season, but gives the Nats some defensive flexibility.

With Cora most likely on the roster, Ladson says the Nationals may try to move infielder Alberto Gonzalez, who could be traded or designated for assignment because he is out of options.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Who fills in for Joba?[/h3]
9:09AM ET

[h5]New York Yankees [/h5]


With Joba Chamberlain possibly starting the year on the disabled list due to ab oblique strain, as suggested by Daniel Barbarisi, the New York Yankees bullpen will come out of camp looking a bit different.

Chamberlain's role was likely to be somewhat dimished, if not by way of fewer innings, certainly with a fewer high-leverage opportunities now that Rafael Soriano is in town to set up Mariano Rivera, but now those innings will go to someone else early on, perhaps prospects Andrew Brackman or Adam Warren.

The club has said publicly that Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances will start the season in the minors, so that's out ... and a trade is likely out at this juncture, especially since the injury isn't likely to keep Chamberlain for a significant portion of the year.

The Yankees could keep Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia both, using one of them out of the bullpen. Mark Prior and Andy Sisco could be on the watch list, but neither appears ready to step in and perform consistently, based on their limited work this spring.

Brian Costello of the New York Post reports Wednesday that the fact the Yankees sent Chamberlain for an MRI is not a good sign.

- Jason A. Churchill

http://[h3]Who closes for the Cards in 2012?[/h3]
8:48AM ET

[h5]St. Louis Cardinals [/h5]


The St. Louis Cardinals are preparing for life without injured ace Adam Wainwright, and the ripple effect could extend to who ends up as the closer next season.

With Kyle McClellan leading the competition for the rotation opening, the Cardinals have an opening for a primary right-handed set-up man to closer Ryan Franklin. The prime candidates are Mitchell Boggs and Jason Motte, and the development of the duo is one reason the Cardinals were willing to try McClellan in the rotation in the first place.

Derrick Goold of the Post Dispatch writes that the 2011 season amounts to an open audition for Boggs and Motte since Franklin's contract expires at the end of the season.

Both Motte and Boggs have average velocities over 95 mph, so each has the raw skills to be a closer. Their talent makes it unlikely that the Cardinals will spend a lot of money to keep Franklin, even if he has a big season.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Rockies fifth starter update[/h3]
8:24AM ET

[h5]Colorado Rockies [/h5]


Esmil Rogers is making a strong case to decide the fifth starter competition in Colorado sooner rather than later.

Rogers already was considered the front-runner to enter the rotation in place of the injured Aaron Cook, and the 25-year-old right-hander was dominant Tuesday, holding the Cubs to one hit over five innings.

Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports the Rockies have debated for 18 months whether Rogers was better suited for relief work or for the rotation. The answer could be the rotation, at least for the time being.

Clayton Mortensen was sent to the minors Tuesday, leaving Greg Reynolds and John Maine in the mix. Maine could end up playing a prominent role at some point, but the Rockies are not rushing him following offseason shoulder surgery.

The emergence of Rogers could discourage the Rockies from pursuing an available free agent such as Jeremy Bonderman or Kevin Millwood.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]More on the Mets second base battle[/h3]
8:00AM ET

[h5]New York Mets [/h5]


http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/nym/new-york-metsNew York Mets manager Terry Collins insists he hasn?t decided on a second baseman. With no candidate making a serious claim for the job, this could take a while.

Mike Puma of the New York Post reported Tuesday that Luis Hernandez will get the job, contingent upon Collins convincing the front office to find roster space for the infielder.

Prior to Tuesday's game with the Nationals, Collins called the report "a little premature," even if he did have good things to say about Hernandez.

The 26-year-old Hernandez would a surprise choice since he played in only 17 games for the Mets last year before breaking a toe in September. The Mets have staged an open competition at second base that includes Hernandez, Luis Castillo, Daniel Murphy, Justin Turner and Rule 5 draft pick Brad Emaus.

Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports that the "widespread belief" in the organization has Emaus or Castillo as the primary second baseman. Murphy appears to be out of the running for the starting job, but will earn a roster spot as a utility player.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Final roster spot in Milwaukee[/h3]
7:30AM ET

[h5]Milwaukee Brewers [/h5]


The competition for the final infield spot on the Milwaukee Brewers is likely down to Luis Cruz or Erick Amonte, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.

Manager Ron Roenicke wants a right-handed bat for their final vacancy, and is making defensive skills a priority. Amonte, a 33-year-old first baseman, is hitting .439 with three homers in 41 at-bats this spring.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Second base platoon at Wrigley?[/h3]
7:18AM ET

[h5]Chicago Cubs [/h5]


We mentioned Monday in our weekly look at position battles that Blake DeWitt was by no means a lock at second base for the Chicago Cubs.

While DeWitt was billed as the Cubs' second baseman of the future following his acquisition from the Dodgers last summer, manager Mike Quade appears content with a platoon of DeWitt and Jeff Baker, reports Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.

There was speculation earlier this week that the Cubs might be interested in the Rangers' Michael Young at second base, but Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com cites club sources who say they are not talking to Young and are comfortable with Dewitt and Baker.

DeWitt has done little to help his case, hitting in the .200 range this spring and struggling defensively. Baker has hit .393 this spring and is expected to bat leadoff against southpaw starters.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Jeter's place in the order[/h3]
7:03AM ET

[h5]Derek Jeter | Yankees [/h5]


We mentioned earlier last week that there were some rumblings within the New York Yankees' hierarchy to drop Derek Jeter to second in the order and move Brett Gardner into the leadoff spot.

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reported that while manager Joe Girardi has no problem with keeping Jeter atop the batting order, there is a push from some "inside the organization" to elevate Gardner in the lineup.

An indication of which way Girardi is leaning could come Wednesday night against the Orioles when the Yankees are scheduled to trot out their regular lineup for the first time. "We might play around with some things," Girardi said Tuesday.

Garnder batted .500 in 25 plate appearances as the leadoff hitter, and could get on base on a more regular basis than Jeter. Gardner, however, hit just .232 after July 1, due in part to a wrist injury.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Trumbo's chances improving[/h3]
6:53AM ET

[h5]Kendrys Morales | Angels [/h5]


Kendrys Morales appears set to start the season on the disabled list, reports the Los Angeles Times, which likely means Mark Trumbo will make the 25-man roster out of spring training.

Trumbo has impressed this spring with his power, though he fits in well with the rest of the roster by drawing just one base on balls in nearly 50 trips to the plate.

Morales still has an outside chance to be ready if he plays in games this coming weekend, but he hasn't been running the bases and could end up the DH if he's active the first few weeks of the season.

All of this points to Brandon Wood being the odd-man out, and since he's out of options, he'll have to clear waiver before the club can assign him to the minors again

 

[briannnnn]

Pro, did you read that your boy Ian Kennedy is going to be the Opening Day starter for the D'Backs?

 

[briannnnn]

Pro, did you read that your boy Ian Kennedy is going to be the Opening Day starter for the D'Backs?

 

[dland24]

Got a super random question for you guys......

Why dont Major League teams take infield before games anymore?

This is something I just thought about for some reason. A random memory popped into my head. As a kid growing up going to Candlestick Park regularly, teams would ALWAYS take an infield before the game started. Both teams would do their normal batting practice routine that they do now, but after the cage was rolled away and the field cleared, the teams would take infield for about 5 minutes each. This happened every time. I cant remember the last time I saw this happen.

Anyone remember this? When did it stop being routine? Why isnt it done?

 

[dland24]

Got a super random question for you guys......

Why dont Major League teams take infield before games anymore?

This is something I just thought about for some reason. A random memory popped into my head. As a kid growing up going to Candlestick Park regularly, teams would ALWAYS take an infield before the game started. Both teams would do their normal batting practice routine that they do now, but after the cage was rolled away and the field cleared, the teams would take infield for about 5 minutes each. This happened every time. I cant remember the last time I saw this happen.

Anyone remember this? When did it stop being routine? Why isnt it done?

 

[kevin cleveland]

If I was in Brian McCann's position, I would probably strongly consider never playing baseball again.

 

[kevin cleveland]

If I was in Brian McCann's position, I would probably strongly consider never playing baseball again.

 

[proshares]

Banuelos.

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With the hype machine firing on all cylinders, New York Yankees phenom Manny Banuelos took the mound on Monday night in a nationally televised game against the big league lineup of the Boston Red Sox just one day after his 20th birthday. While he struggled with his command at times, he was otherwise worthy of the praise he's been receiving, as he showcased well above-average velocity and an outstanding changeup that generated silly-looking swings from two of Boston's best hitters: Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis. One scout watching the game said he was tempted to put an 80, the highest possible score, on the pitch.

[h4]Keith Law on Banuelos[/h4]

"Banuelos did pick up some velocity and will now work at 90-94 mph with his fastball; he commands the pitch extremely well to both sides of the plate, and its only flaw is a lack of sink. His changeup in the 78-84 range has both excellent arm speed and tremendous fade, and he showed an improved curveball with two-plane break in the upper 70s."
TOP 100 PROSPECTS

With the Yankees' rotation in more than a bit of flux, the calls from fans for Banuelos to be part of the immediate solution continue. He'll make at least one more appearance with the big league team, likely on Saturday, but he's going to the minors after that, and it's the right decision for the Yankees long term.

Twenty-year-old starting pitchers in the big leagues are rarities, but having a player like Banuelos, who has made just three starts above Class-A ball, in the big leagues would be nearly unprecedented. Seventeen pitchers this decade have come up as starters prior to their 21st birthday, and the one constant among them was a full workload the previous year, as they averaged more than 140 innings in the year prior to their debuts, with all 17 pitching at least 100 frames. In addition, only three of the 17 -- CC Sabathia (2001), Jeremy Bonderman (2003) and Rick Porcello (2009) -- opened their debut year in the majors, with the remaining 14 averaging more than 100 minor league innings in the season they first got the call.

Make no mistake about it, Banuelos could at the very least hold his own in the big leagues right now, but the real question revolves around how long he could do it.

He's never thrown more than 109 innings in any one season, and last year he threw just 65 after an emergency appendectomy delayed his season until June. With many teams believing in no more than a 50 percent increase in workload as a basic rule, that would line Banuelos up for 100 frames this year, and even a plan with fewer limitations would likely keep him under 125.

"He has everything he needs to succeed in the big leagues except the ability to handle the workload," said one AL executive. "They need to stretch him out, get him 100 safe innings, and medical people will tell you that if you jump his innings in a big league environment, that would be an even bigger risk."

That means that even if the Yankees opened the year with Banuelos in their rotation, they'd almost certainly be unable to finish it with him, or have him available for the all-important postseason. One NL executive saw breaking camp with Banuelos as a potential public relations problem, no matter how he pitched.

"If he fails, then they're losing games and they've rushed him, and it could hurt him long term in terms of confidence," the NL exec explained. "But what if he starts off gangbusters and he's 9-2 in July, has pitched 100 innings, and they're battling Boston in the American League East. Are they going to shut him down? How do you think that will go over with the fans and the New York press? I bet there was a part of [the] Yankees' brass that was hoping he got tagged on Monday so they could just treat him like a normal prospect."

The AL executive mostly agreed, but also admitted there are special circumstances in the Big Apple.

"Every other team in baseball would say we're going to build this guy up in the minors, but the Yankees always need to win now and he's their best guy," he explained. "They are not a team that ever likes to go with placeholders."

Opening the year at Double-A Trenton is best for both the Yankees and Banuelos. His innings and pitch counts can become the core of his development, without any concern for the score or the standings, and he can still work on harnessing what is already a good arsenal but is still unquestionably a work in progress. While Joe Girardi continues to not rule anything out, the Yankees' brass insists he's going to the minors, with a focus on his long-term development.

"There are few guys that can bypass Triple-A, and even fewer that can all but skip Double-A," said Mark Newman, the Yankees' senior vice president of baseball operations. "We understand the excitement, and when we sit behind the net and watch him, we get excited, too. But we have to be objective and rational, and he still has things to do in terms of pitch development."

In the end, the question of Banuelos' readiness is less about the prospect and more about the failures of the Yankees to shore up their rotation in the offseason by putting all their eggs in the baskets of Cliff Lee and the anticipated return of Andy Pettitte.

"If A.J. Burnett is their No. 5 starter, everyone is happy in Yankees land," said the NL executive. "If they signed Lee, if Pettitte came back, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Just because the Yankees [screwed] up this offseason doesn't mean they should sacrifice this kid in the process."

Prado.

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- A scout watched him move around left field for a couple of games and came away impressed by Martin Prado, who shifted from the infield after Atlanta acquired Dan Uggla. "Like a duck taking to water," the scout said.

http:///sports.espn.go.com/espn/gallery/enlargePhoto?id=6226982&story=6226791">http://sports.espn.go.com...226982&...idth=440,height=750,scrollbars=no,noresize'); return false;" href="http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog?name=olney_buster&id=6226791#">[+] Enlarge

AP Photo/David J. Phillip"A duck to water" is how one scout describes Prado's conversion.

From Prado's point of view, the change hasn't been easy. Rather, it has been a product of months of work because outfielders run differently than infielders, and they throw differently, and of course, there is a different mindset. Some infielders who have shifted to the outfield complain about the tedious pace and how they miss being close to the central flow of the game action.

But Prado embraced the shift in December, when he and his personal trainer started going to the Braves' spring training complex. The trainer would hit him one fly ball after another, without tipping him off as to where he was aiming the ball, and Prado would take off in pursuit -- using longer strides, he explained, rather than the short, quick steps of an infielder.

And he spent more time long-tossing, to extend his arm action. Middle infielders will often propel the ball with a quick flick of the wrist, without the extension, to release rapidly, to get the ball to a fellow infielder to start the double play. As a left fielder, Prado has to make longer, more powerful throws, using his shoulder more than he would while playing second base. "It was about two months before I was comfortable," Prado said.

There are still three aspects of playing in the outfield that concern him:

1. He continues to learn how to charge a ball hit in front of him and how to use his feet in the approach.

2. He wants a better feel for the line drive hit right at him. Recently, he was playing against the Cardinals, positioned deep, and Matt Holliday mashed a ball over his head. Prado felt afterward that he had misjudged the ball. "That's something I have to learn," he said. Almost all outfielders will tell you that the toughest ball for them to read is the line drive smashed right at them.

3. Prado's experience in the outfield this spring has been exclusively in day games, and he wants to learn more about catching liners and fly balls in night games, in which he'll have to combat the glare of the lights. Prado could get his first shot tonight, actually, when the Braves play host to the Tigers, in a game that starts at 6 ET.

Chipper Jones has had an excellent spring playing third base, and the Braves have other infield options -- Diory Hernandez has been impressive -- but the presumption is that if Jones went down Prado could be an option to shift to third base. So a couple of times a week, he is taking grounders in the infield ... just in case.
[h3]Notables[/h3]
• Doctors could not save the left eye of Luis Salazar, writes David O'Brien. Dusty Baker was sad to hear the news of his old friend, and he knows how dangerous this game can be, writes John Fay.

• Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria has a very Steinbrenner-*%$ world view about Florida' poor spring record, writes Joe Capozzi. From Joe's story:

• "I'm not happy,' he said in the clubhouse during the seventh inning of Florida's 6-3 loss to Tampa Bay.
  Asked about his team's play so far, Loria quickly vented his frustration. "Uninspired baseball,' he said. "Inconsistent and not acceptable. Very few guys have focused on what they're here for. Very few.' Loria wouldn't single out any players but clearly is concerned by the club's 5-13 record -- second worst in baseball -- even though it's only the Grapefruit League.
  
  "I know it's only spring training," he said, "but it's time to take a look in the mirror. We're better than this. It's time to show it. We need to be playing as a team and we need to hit."

• Joe Mauer got back into the swing of things on Wednesday.

• Terry Francona announced, officially, that Jon Lester will be his Opening Day starter. But the conversation about that between manager and pitcher took place via text messages in the offseason, on a day Lester was sitting in a deer blind. Francona sent Lester a text asking him if he wanted to be the Opening Day starter, and according to Francona, Lester replied: "Yeah."

"He deserves it," Francona said.

• Brian McCann asked to be in the Atlanta lineup yesterday against Lester because he wants some at-bats against a lefty pitcher. Another left-handed hitter, Eric Hinske, groaned when he heard from a teammate Lester was pitching, as Hinske sat as his locker.

What's it like to hit against Lester, I asked.

Hinkse stood up and moved to within about two feet of my face, staring down at me with his hands in front of him, as if he was Lester. "He looks like he's right here," Hinske said, chuckling. "Because he's like 6-foot-10."

Lester is 6-foot-4, but you get the point; it's as if he's throwing downhill, with power.

• Derek Lowe, who was officially picked to start on Opening Day, needs to write a book, given his anecdotal memory. But for now he'll continue his work as a major league pitcher -- and along the way, there have been adjustments. Lowe said as he has gotten older, he has thrown less between starts. The day after a start, most pitchers will play catch, just to stretch out their arms. Lowe does not. He will long toss and have a bullpen session of 30 to 40 pitches on the second and third days after a start and then not throw the day before a start.

"You have to be smart," Lowe said. "Every time I throw a baseball now, it's for a purpose."

He also devotes a lot more time to stretching than he ever did as a younger pitcher -- about 20 to 30 minutes three times between starts.

• Jason Heyward said he felt like he got good news about his back from the Braves' team doctor on Wednesday morning. He has battled stiffness in his lower back since he was a young teenager, he said, and the doctor explained that Heyward has less cartilage between his discs than normal. "It's like bone against bone," Heyward said. "So I know now that I can't hurt it any worse than he is."

Heyward knows he will have to maintain a stretching regimen, and he told his manager he's ready to play.
[h3]The Battle for Jobs[/h3]
1. Brandon Belt had a great day, and Henry Schulman writes about where he might fit into the San Francisco lineup. He's making a convincing argument to be part of the Opening Day lineup, writes Alex Pavlovic.
2. Ivan Nova was "The Man" for the Yankees, using a new toy to throw six no-hit innings -- a performance which would seemingly lock him into the No. 4 spot in the New York rotation.

3. Michael Pineda continues to make his case to be part of the Seattle rotation. That Eric Wedge complimented the pitcher's secondary stuff is a strong indication the manager would like Pineda to be part of his rotation.

4. The other day, I asked Mike Cameron what had caught his eye this spring. "How about Mike Morse killing the ball?" he replied. He's a former teammate of Morse in Seattle. Morse has been anointed as the left fielder for the Nationals, Adam Kilgore writes.

5. The Rangers want to develop Julio Borbon in center field.

6. Reid Brignac's bat is a work in progress, writes Roger Mooney.

7. There is competition for the Pirates' bench spots, writes Rob Biertempfel. The questions remain for the Pirates' roster.

8. A couple of youngsters might have the inside track on bench jobs with the Jays, writes Richard Griffin.

9. Adam Everett is adapting as he fights for a job with the Indians, writes Sheldon Ocker.

10. Gerardo Parra is making a push for a job with the Diamondbacks, writes Nick Piecoro.
[h3]Dings and Dents[/h3]
1. Adam Wainwright is ready to start his rehab, Derrick Goold writes. Wainwright is happy the contract can be voided after this year, he said. From the story:

• [H]e insisted he's still content with his contract, including its $21-million two-year option that hinges on his health.
  "I'm actually really happy that I have that option, that I have that clause in there right now," Wainwright said Wednesday morning at the Cardinals' spring training clubhouse. "One way or the other, if I'm hurt and I can never come back, I would feel bad taking that much money from a team I couldn't help. If (the Cardinals) don't want to pick it up, then I'll be a free agent sooner."

2. Because of injury, Florida's starting outfield hasn't had much of a chance to work together, writes Clark Spencer.

3. Jeremy Hellickson feels great and will make his start Sunday, writes Joe Smith.

4. Craig Breslow may or may not be ready for Opening Day, writes Susan Slusser.

5. Scott Downs broke a toe playing with his kids.

6. Brewers manager Ron Roenicke wants to understand why so many of his players have gotten hurt this year.

7. Kris Medlen threw off a mound, is thankful for the advice he's gotten from teammates and is on track to pitch this summer.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. Raul Ibanez might be the guy who fills Chase Utley's spot in the Philly lineup. Because of the Philadelphia lineup questions, Ryan Howard might have to carry the team, writes Bob Brookover.
About that: I've heard from many, many opposing players and scouts that Howard will see a river of breaking balls this year. Regardless of who hits behind Howard -- whether it's Ben Francisco, Placido Polanco or Ibanez -- none of them are anything close to being the threat Howard is at the plate. "There's no reason to pitch to him if you don't have to," one veteran pitcher said.

And the view of Howard is that type of approach can feed into a perceived weakness of the slugger. Said a scout: "The thing about Howard is that he can get frustrated if you don't give him anything to hit; a lot of hitters are like that. If you throw a lot of breaking balls to him, he will expand his strike zone."

2. The Rangers' Chris Davis has been outspoken in the last couple of days -- with a respectful tone -- about how he thinks the team should, in effect, play him or trade him. In fairness to the Rangers, it is worth noting that the Texas front office has given Davis multiple opportunities to establish himself, and whatever the reason the results have not been there. He played 113 games in 2009 and started last year as the everyday first baseman, and after 806 at-bats in the majors -- about 1.5 seasons' worth of at-bats -- he has posted a .300 on-base percentage, with 278 strikeouts, 59 walks and 39 homers. Davis turns 25 today and it makes sense that he wants to play, but the Rangers really don't owe him anything other than to let the process play itself out. At this point, the best thing for the organization, as it tries to extract as much value out of Davis as possible, might be to wait for him to establish himself within their organization or to rebuild his trade value (as with the Royals and Alex Gordon).

Davis is putting up big numbers this spring.

3. The heart of the Houston lineup is a concern, writes Zachary Levine.

4. The Yankees scouted Kevin Millwood, writes Joel Sherman.

5. The White Sox never tried to trade Ozzie Guillen, Jerry Reinsdorf said.
[h3]Wednesday's games[/h3]
1. J.J. Putz got terrible results, but his fastball was clocked at 92-94 mph -- a good sign.
2. Chris Carpenter's outing went OK, writes Rick Hummel.

3. Phil Coke was distracted and he got pounded, George Sipple writes.

4. Alcides Escobar blasted a home run.

5. Roy Halladay drew a crowd, writes Matt Gelb.

6. Mat Latos had an ugly day.

7. Bronson Arroyo had a good outing.

8. Yovani Gallardo threw well.

9. Chris Sale is having location issues.

10. Tommy Hanson threw well.

11. The Orioles were nearly no-hit.

12.Marco Scutaro wants to put his painful 2010 season behind him and he mashed a home run to open Wednesday's exhibition.

Feliz.

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Typically, when you're coming off a World Series appearance, spring training is fairly free of controversy. But that hasn't been the case for the Texas Rangers. Now that all the Michael Young trade-demand drama has died down, the Rangers must figure out what to do with Neftali Feliz. Last week, he said he wanted to remain the team's closer even though the team was trying to stretch him out as a starter. And then, after shutting down the Los Angeles Dodgers over four innings Tuesday, the 22-year-old flamethrower said he's on board with becoming a starting pitcher.

In the long run, it makes sense for both Feliz and the Rangers if he's in the rotation. As he probably figured out, even average starters earn a lot more money than elite closers. And that's because, as the Rangers know full well, even average starters are usually more valuable than good relievers. Of course, that's all true in a vacuum, and the 2011 season will not be played in one. The Rangers will likely be in a three-team battle for the AL West title, and messing with Feliz's success from 2010 could easily undermine their season.

With Feliz in the bullpen, the Rangers have a pretty good idea of what they're going to get. Sure, reliever performance tends to be volatile from year to year, but Feliz's outstanding strikeout rate (9.9 per nine for his career) makes him less susceptible to variances on balls in play. In the rotation, however, Texas doesn't know how he will perform. The right-hander has all of the tools to be a great starter and is earning raves for his new cutter, but he still hasn't shown he can succeed as a starter in the regular season. Even in the minors, when Feliz was groomed mostly as a starter, he never threw more than 128 innings in a season.

The Rangers are likely emboldened by the success of C.J. Wilson, who was converted into a starter last year after five years as a reliever and posted a 3.35 ERA in over 200 innings. But there's a big difference between Wilson and Feliz: While the former was a good reliever, the Rangers weren't putting much on the line by acquiescing to his request to start. If he failed, Texas wasn't risking one of the most valuable assets in baseball.

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Jamie Squire/Getty ImagesJoba Chamberlain is a warning for the Rangers

If the Feliz conversion goes poorly, we could be looking at another Joba Chamberlain-type of season, where a pitcher enters the season with mixed signals about his role. Even if Feliz begins the year in the rotation, you can be sure he'd be on an innings limit and likely converted back to the bullpen at some point during the season. Largely because of Feliz, Texas' bullpen is one of the best in baseball. (Rangers relievers combined for a 3.38 ERA in 2010, second-best in the AL.)

If the Rangers want to maximize Feliz's value, they should prepare him for starting in 2012 by announcing right now that this will be his final season in the bullpen. That way, they won't have to deal with all of the "Joba Rules"-type scenarios where every outing raises questions about his role.

Second, they should do everything they can to use him in high-leverage situations. Feliz allowed just one run in seven postseason appearances last fall, but his performance was practically worthless because four of those appearances came with Rangers leading by four or more runs. In fact, only once did he enter a game in which the difference was less than two runs in either direction. And during the regular season, Feliz came into a game with a lead of three runs or more in 26 of his 78 appearances (33.3 percent of the time). Frank Francisco, a markedly worse reliever, entered games with a lead of three or more 32.1 percent of the time. In some sense, Feliz was pitching in garbage time more frequently than Francisco, a far less effective pitcher.

Obviously, the Rangers aren't the only team that lets the save rule dictate their closer usage. And part of the reason the gap between starter and reliever value is so large is because teams often use their closers in low-leverage situations. But this hasn't always been the case, and relievers can generate far more value if they're allowed to. For example, in 1982 Goose Gossage finished fifth in the AL in wins above replacement for pitchers, even though he was pitching out of the bullpen. How? He threw 93 innings in varying high-leverage situations and was not a slave to the save. Feliz had only a 2.4 WAR in 2010 because he pitched just 69 1/3 innings and was often wasted in low-leverage spots. There were no relievers among the top 10 of pitcher WAR in 2010, but if Feliz is allowed to throw a few more innings and not waste so many in low-leverage situations, he could crack the list.

The Rangers have garnered a lot of praise under Nolan Ryan for their old-school approach to pitcher usage. It's time to take it one step further: Loosen the reins on Feliz in the bullpen and let him pitch in a traditional fireman role. Not only would it maximize his value in 2011, but some of those extra innings could also help prepare him for starting in 2012.

Rumors.

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http://[h3]Parra pushing for left field job[/h3]
10:28AM ET

[h5]Gerardo Parra | Diamondbacks [/h5]


Gerardo Parra is making a strong case for more playing time in the Diamondbacks' outfield, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.

Xavier Nady, penciled in as the starting left fielder over the winter, may now be looking over his shoulder. Parra had two more hits on Wednesday, making him 14 for 37 (.37 in the Cactus League while drawing praise from manager Kirk Gibson.

Nady is hitting .194 and Piecoro cites opposing scouts who say Nady "is showing neither bat speed nor arm strength from left field."

Parra saw his average plummet 29 points to .261 last season, so the D-backs may be reluctant to simply hand him the left field job outright. At the very least, he may have secured himself more early season at-bats.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Davis the odd man out in Texas?[/h3]
10:07AM ET

[h5]Chris Davis | Rangers [/h5]


It's no secret the stock of Chris Davis has fallen dramatically. At this point, the Texas Rangers' Opening Day first baseman the last two seasons is open to a change of scenery.

Davis has seen his batting average plummet each of the last two seasons, settling below the Mendoza Line at .192 last season. According to the Dallas Morning News, the Rangers have received some inquiries this spring, but are under no obligation to trade him.

Gil LeBreton writes in Thursday?s Star Telegram that the Rangers' desire to give Julio Borbon the starting center field job makes Davis expendable.

A .405 average in Cactus League play has some teams paying attention, but Davis has little chance of earning a roster spot at first base in Arlington and could end up back in Triple-A. Mitch Moreland appears to have first base locked up, and Michael Young and Mike Napoli are also expected to see time there.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Making a decision on Belt[/h3]
9:53AM ET

[h5]San Francisco Giants [/h5]


San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy insists he is keeping an open mind regarding the status of top prospect Brandon Belt.

Belt has done all the Giants have asked of him this spring, including a big day at the plate (3-for-4, HR, double) in Wednesday's win over the White Sox. If Belt were to land the starting first base job, that would necessitate the move of Aubrey Huff to left field.

Despite his success, the Giants still might be inclined to have Belt start the season in Triple-A Fresno in order to delay his eligibility for arbitration. As Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle points out, Huff has not played one inning in left field this spring, which might be a hint that general manager Brian Sabean is inclined to get Belt more time in the minors.

Keeping Belt also could force the Giants to part ways with Aaron Rowand, who is hitting just .207 this spring.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Thornton the White Sox closer?[/h3]
9:26AM ET

[h5]Matt Thornton | White Sox [/h5]


Chris Sale is having trouble locating his pitches. He also could be losing his grip on the competition for Chicago White Sox closer.

Peter Gammons tweets that manager Ozzie Guillen has given Matt Thornton the "first dibs" on the job.

Thornton, an All-Star last season, has been competing all spring with Sale, who had four saves in as many opportunities for the Sox last season. Sale has endured a rocky spring (7.36 ERA) and the main culprit is the inability to throw quality strikes, writes Daryl Van Schouwen of the Sun-Times.

The White Sox already have placed a high value on Thornton, signing him to a two-year, $12 million contract earlier this month. The 34-year-old Thornton has the tools to be a closer -- he led all AL relievers in strikeouts per nine innings last season (12.02).

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Impact of Downs injury[/h3]
8:54AM ET

[h5]Scott Downs | Angels [/h5]


The Angels will have to wait until mid April before cashing in on the three-year, $15 million deal with Scott Downs. The reliever will open the season on the disabled list with a broken bone in his left big toe suffered while playing with his kids.

Manager Mike Scioscia will have to kick around some options to his bullpen, and the beneficiary could be right-handers Jason Bulger and Rich Thompson, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.

DiGiovanna says five relievers -- Fernando Rodney, left-hander Hisanori Takahashi, Kevin Jepsen, Jordan Walden and Michael Kohn -- appear to be roster locks with Bulger and Thompson, both of whom are out of options, competing for the sixth spot. Both could now end up on the Opening Day roster thanks to Downs' painful toe.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Nova a lock for fourth spot?[/h3]
8:22AM ET

[h5]Ivan Nova | Yankees [/h5]


There were plenty of questions regarding the Yankees starting staff once Cliff Lee landed in Philadelphia and Andy Pettitte decided to call it quits.

Ivan Nova was penciled in as the fourth starter over the winter, and Nova's status can now be written in ink following six no-hit innings against the Baltimore Orioles Wednesday night. "Coming out of the game, it now looks as if someone will have to pry that spot out of his hands with a crowbar," writes Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com.

That leaves only the No 5 spot to fill, where Freddy Garcia appears to have the lead over Bartolo Colon.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Mets pass on Eckstein[/h3]
8:01AM ET

[h5]David Eckstein | Padres [/h5]


http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/nym/new-york-metshttp://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/nym/new-york-metsNew York Mets manager Terry Collins insists he hasn't decided on a second baseman.

No candidate is making a serious claim for the job, and one viable free agent option remains. But Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Mets have made it clear to David Eckstein they have no interest.

The idea seemed plausible since two of the Mets' top executives, Paul DePodesta and J.P. Ricciardi, had Eckstein in San Diego and Toronto, respectively, in recent years. The Mets likely have no interest in taking on any additional salary.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Second base options in Philly[/h3]
7:44AM ET

[h5]Chase Utley | Phillies [/h5]


The http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/phi/philadelphia-philliesPhiladelphia Phillies have kept a calm and relatively quiet public face when it comes to http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=5383Chase Utley, who has yet to play due to patellar tendinitis in his right knee.

All of this doubt has drawn speculations of the club taking a look at Michael Young as a possible replacement. That appears unlikely and ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says there are no indications the Phillies plan to fill Utley's chasm by making a deal, at least for now.

Stark says Josh Barfield seems to have the edge over Pete Orr for the backup infielder job, with Rule 5 pick Michael Martinez a long shot. At this point, Delwyn Young also appears to have a spot as a bat off the bench.

In a Monday interview with MLB Network Radio, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said the payroll is maxed out and the team could not take on additional salary in any deal.

Placido Polanco and Wilson Valdez are capable at second base, with Valdez the likely candidate to take over for the short term.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Phils looking at Jon Jay?[/h3]
7:25AM ET

[h5]Jon Jay | Cardinals [/h5]


With the status of Chase Utley uncertain due to knee tendinitis, the Philadelphia Phillies have every reason to be looking for extra infield help.

ESPN.com's Jayson Stark The Phillies have been shopping, but not at second base. The Phils are looking for a low-budget extra outfielder and one name they've targeted is the Cardinals' Jon Jay.

Stark adds that Jay could play some center field if Shane Victorino gets hurt or needs a break. The Phillies also could be looking to add a major-league ready outfielder after losing Jayson Werth to free agency.

The pursuit of the reasonably-priced Jay makes sense for financial reasons. In a Monday interview with MLB Network Radio, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said the payroll is maxed out and the Phils could not take on additional salary in any deal.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]NYY keeping an eye on free agent[/h3]
7:06AM ET

[h5]Kevin Millwood | Orioles [/h5]


The Kevin Millwood front has been quite the past few weeks, but Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweeted that the New York Yankees watched the right-hander throw Wednesday.

Millwood could still be a fit in several spots where clubs' competitions at the back end are not or will not work out the way they'd planned, potentially including the Texas Rangers.

The Cardinals appear to be fine with Kyle McClellan earning the final spot in their rotation, however, and there has been nothing reported about Millwood preferring to retire, so something will have to give soon if the veteran is to pitch early in the season.

The Yankees may be fine as well, however, as Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia have shown flashes of being a worthy No. 5 starter this spring.

 

[proshares]

Banuelos.

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With the hype machine firing on all cylinders, New York Yankees phenom Manny Banuelos took the mound on Monday night in a nationally televised game against the big league lineup of the Boston Red Sox just one day after his 20th birthday. While he struggled with his command at times, he was otherwise worthy of the praise he's been receiving, as he showcased well above-average velocity and an outstanding changeup that generated silly-looking swings from two of Boston's best hitters: Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis. One scout watching the game said he was tempted to put an 80, the highest possible score, on the pitch.

[h4]Keith Law on Banuelos[/h4]

"Banuelos did pick up some velocity and will now work at 90-94 mph with his fastball; he commands the pitch extremely well to both sides of the plate, and its only flaw is a lack of sink. His changeup in the 78-84 range has both excellent arm speed and tremendous fade, and he showed an improved curveball with two-plane break in the upper 70s."
TOP 100 PROSPECTS

With the Yankees' rotation in more than a bit of flux, the calls from fans for Banuelos to be part of the immediate solution continue. He'll make at least one more appearance with the big league team, likely on Saturday, but he's going to the minors after that, and it's the right decision for the Yankees long term.

Twenty-year-old starting pitchers in the big leagues are rarities, but having a player like Banuelos, who has made just three starts above Class-A ball, in the big leagues would be nearly unprecedented. Seventeen pitchers this decade have come up as starters prior to their 21st birthday, and the one constant among them was a full workload the previous year, as they averaged more than 140 innings in the year prior to their debuts, with all 17 pitching at least 100 frames. In addition, only three of the 17 -- CC Sabathia (2001), Jeremy Bonderman (2003) and Rick Porcello (2009) -- opened their debut year in the majors, with the remaining 14 averaging more than 100 minor league innings in the season they first got the call.

Make no mistake about it, Banuelos could at the very least hold his own in the big leagues right now, but the real question revolves around how long he could do it.

He's never thrown more than 109 innings in any one season, and last year he threw just 65 after an emergency appendectomy delayed his season until June. With many teams believing in no more than a 50 percent increase in workload as a basic rule, that would line Banuelos up for 100 frames this year, and even a plan with fewer limitations would likely keep him under 125.

"He has everything he needs to succeed in the big leagues except the ability to handle the workload," said one AL executive. "They need to stretch him out, get him 100 safe innings, and medical people will tell you that if you jump his innings in a big league environment, that would be an even bigger risk."

That means that even if the Yankees opened the year with Banuelos in their rotation, they'd almost certainly be unable to finish it with him, or have him available for the all-important postseason. One NL executive saw breaking camp with Banuelos as a potential public relations problem, no matter how he pitched.

"If he fails, then they're losing games and they've rushed him, and it could hurt him long term in terms of confidence," the NL exec explained. "But what if he starts off gangbusters and he's 9-2 in July, has pitched 100 innings, and they're battling Boston in the American League East. Are they going to shut him down? How do you think that will go over with the fans and the New York press? I bet there was a part of [the] Yankees' brass that was hoping he got tagged on Monday so they could just treat him like a normal prospect."

The AL executive mostly agreed, but also admitted there are special circumstances in the Big Apple.

"Every other team in baseball would say we're going to build this guy up in the minors, but the Yankees always need to win now and he's their best guy," he explained. "They are not a team that ever likes to go with placeholders."

Opening the year at Double-A Trenton is best for both the Yankees and Banuelos. His innings and pitch counts can become the core of his development, without any concern for the score or the standings, and he can still work on harnessing what is already a good arsenal but is still unquestionably a work in progress. While Joe Girardi continues to not rule anything out, the Yankees' brass insists he's going to the minors, with a focus on his long-term development.

"There are few guys that can bypass Triple-A, and even fewer that can all but skip Double-A," said Mark Newman, the Yankees' senior vice president of baseball operations. "We understand the excitement, and when we sit behind the net and watch him, we get excited, too. But we have to be objective and rational, and he still has things to do in terms of pitch development."

In the end, the question of Banuelos' readiness is less about the prospect and more about the failures of the Yankees to shore up their rotation in the offseason by putting all their eggs in the baskets of Cliff Lee and the anticipated return of Andy Pettitte.

"If A.J. Burnett is their No. 5 starter, everyone is happy in Yankees land," said the NL executive. "If they signed Lee, if Pettitte came back, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Just because the Yankees [screwed] up this offseason doesn't mean they should sacrifice this kid in the process."

Prado.

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- A scout watched him move around left field for a couple of games and came away impressed by Martin Prado, who shifted from the infield after Atlanta acquired Dan Uggla. "Like a duck taking to water," the scout said.

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AP Photo/David J. Phillip"A duck to water" is how one scout describes Prado's conversion.

From Prado's point of view, the change hasn't been easy. Rather, it has been a product of months of work because outfielders run differently than infielders, and they throw differently, and of course, there is a different mindset. Some infielders who have shifted to the outfield complain about the tedious pace and how they miss being close to the central flow of the game action.

But Prado embraced the shift in December, when he and his personal trainer started going to the Braves' spring training complex. The trainer would hit him one fly ball after another, without tipping him off as to where he was aiming the ball, and Prado would take off in pursuit -- using longer strides, he explained, rather than the short, quick steps of an infielder.

And he spent more time long-tossing, to extend his arm action. Middle infielders will often propel the ball with a quick flick of the wrist, without the extension, to release rapidly, to get the ball to a fellow infielder to start the double play. As a left fielder, Prado has to make longer, more powerful throws, using his shoulder more than he would while playing second base. "It was about two months before I was comfortable," Prado said.

There are still three aspects of playing in the outfield that concern him:

1. He continues to learn how to charge a ball hit in front of him and how to use his feet in the approach.

2. He wants a better feel for the line drive hit right at him. Recently, he was playing against the Cardinals, positioned deep, and Matt Holliday mashed a ball over his head. Prado felt afterward that he had misjudged the ball. "That's something I have to learn," he said. Almost all outfielders will tell you that the toughest ball for them to read is the line drive smashed right at them.

3. Prado's experience in the outfield this spring has been exclusively in day games, and he wants to learn more about catching liners and fly balls in night games, in which he'll have to combat the glare of the lights. Prado could get his first shot tonight, actually, when the Braves play host to the Tigers, in a game that starts at 6 ET.

Chipper Jones has had an excellent spring playing third base, and the Braves have other infield options -- Diory Hernandez has been impressive -- but the presumption is that if Jones went down Prado could be an option to shift to third base. So a couple of times a week, he is taking grounders in the infield ... just in case.
[h3]Notables[/h3]
• Doctors could not save the left eye of Luis Salazar, writes David O'Brien. Dusty Baker was sad to hear the news of his old friend, and he knows how dangerous this game can be, writes John Fay.

• Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria has a very Steinbrenner-*%$ world view about Florida' poor spring record, writes Joe Capozzi. From Joe's story:

• "I'm not happy,' he said in the clubhouse during the seventh inning of Florida's 6-3 loss to Tampa Bay.
  Asked about his team's play so far, Loria quickly vented his frustration. "Uninspired baseball,' he said. "Inconsistent and not acceptable. Very few guys have focused on what they're here for. Very few.' Loria wouldn't single out any players but clearly is concerned by the club's 5-13 record -- second worst in baseball -- even though it's only the Grapefruit League.
  
  "I know it's only spring training," he said, "but it's time to take a look in the mirror. We're better than this. It's time to show it. We need to be playing as a team and we need to hit."

• Joe Mauer got back into the swing of things on Wednesday.

• Terry Francona announced, officially, that Jon Lester will be his Opening Day starter. But the conversation about that between manager and pitcher took place via text messages in the offseason, on a day Lester was sitting in a deer blind. Francona sent Lester a text asking him if he wanted to be the Opening Day starter, and according to Francona, Lester replied: "Yeah."

"He deserves it," Francona said.

• Brian McCann asked to be in the Atlanta lineup yesterday against Lester because he wants some at-bats against a lefty pitcher. Another left-handed hitter, Eric Hinske, groaned when he heard from a teammate Lester was pitching, as Hinske sat as his locker.

What's it like to hit against Lester, I asked.

Hinkse stood up and moved to within about two feet of my face, staring down at me with his hands in front of him, as if he was Lester. "He looks like he's right here," Hinske said, chuckling. "Because he's like 6-foot-10."

Lester is 6-foot-4, but you get the point; it's as if he's throwing downhill, with power.

• Derek Lowe, who was officially picked to start on Opening Day, needs to write a book, given his anecdotal memory. But for now he'll continue his work as a major league pitcher -- and along the way, there have been adjustments. Lowe said as he has gotten older, he has thrown less between starts. The day after a start, most pitchers will play catch, just to stretch out their arms. Lowe does not. He will long toss and have a bullpen session of 30 to 40 pitches on the second and third days after a start and then not throw the day before a start.

"You have to be smart," Lowe said. "Every time I throw a baseball now, it's for a purpose."

He also devotes a lot more time to stretching than he ever did as a younger pitcher -- about 20 to 30 minutes three times between starts.

• Jason Heyward said he felt like he got good news about his back from the Braves' team doctor on Wednesday morning. He has battled stiffness in his lower back since he was a young teenager, he said, and the doctor explained that Heyward has less cartilage between his discs than normal. "It's like bone against bone," Heyward said. "So I know now that I can't hurt it any worse than he is."

Heyward knows he will have to maintain a stretching regimen, and he told his manager he's ready to play.
[h3]The Battle for Jobs[/h3]
1. Brandon Belt had a great day, and Henry Schulman writes about where he might fit into the San Francisco lineup. He's making a convincing argument to be part of the Opening Day lineup, writes Alex Pavlovic.
2. Ivan Nova was "The Man" for the Yankees, using a new toy to throw six no-hit innings -- a performance which would seemingly lock him into the No. 4 spot in the New York rotation.

3. Michael Pineda continues to make his case to be part of the Seattle rotation. That Eric Wedge complimented the pitcher's secondary stuff is a strong indication the manager would like Pineda to be part of his rotation.

4. The other day, I asked Mike Cameron what had caught his eye this spring. "How about Mike Morse killing the ball?" he replied. He's a former teammate of Morse in Seattle. Morse has been anointed as the left fielder for the Nationals, Adam Kilgore writes.

5. The Rangers want to develop Julio Borbon in center field.

6. Reid Brignac's bat is a work in progress, writes Roger Mooney.

7. There is competition for the Pirates' bench spots, writes Rob Biertempfel. The questions remain for the Pirates' roster.

8. A couple of youngsters might have the inside track on bench jobs with the Jays, writes Richard Griffin.

9. Adam Everett is adapting as he fights for a job with the Indians, writes Sheldon Ocker.

10. Gerardo Parra is making a push for a job with the Diamondbacks, writes Nick Piecoro.
[h3]Dings and Dents[/h3]
1. Adam Wainwright is ready to start his rehab, Derrick Goold writes. Wainwright is happy the contract can be voided after this year, he said. From the story:

• [H]e insisted he's still content with his contract, including its $21-million two-year option that hinges on his health.
  "I'm actually really happy that I have that option, that I have that clause in there right now," Wainwright said Wednesday morning at the Cardinals' spring training clubhouse. "One way or the other, if I'm hurt and I can never come back, I would feel bad taking that much money from a team I couldn't help. If (the Cardinals) don't want to pick it up, then I'll be a free agent sooner."

2. Because of injury, Florida's starting outfield hasn't had much of a chance to work together, writes Clark Spencer.

3. Jeremy Hellickson feels great and will make his start Sunday, writes Joe Smith.

4. Craig Breslow may or may not be ready for Opening Day, writes Susan Slusser.

5. Scott Downs broke a toe playing with his kids.

6. Brewers manager Ron Roenicke wants to understand why so many of his players have gotten hurt this year.

7. Kris Medlen threw off a mound, is thankful for the advice he's gotten from teammates and is on track to pitch this summer.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. Raul Ibanez might be the guy who fills Chase Utley's spot in the Philly lineup. Because of the Philadelphia lineup questions, Ryan Howard might have to carry the team, writes Bob Brookover.
About that: I've heard from many, many opposing players and scouts that Howard will see a river of breaking balls this year. Regardless of who hits behind Howard -- whether it's Ben Francisco, Placido Polanco or Ibanez -- none of them are anything close to being the threat Howard is at the plate. "There's no reason to pitch to him if you don't have to," one veteran pitcher said.

And the view of Howard is that type of approach can feed into a perceived weakness of the slugger. Said a scout: "The thing about Howard is that he can get frustrated if you don't give him anything to hit; a lot of hitters are like that. If you throw a lot of breaking balls to him, he will expand his strike zone."

2. The Rangers' Chris Davis has been outspoken in the last couple of days -- with a respectful tone -- about how he thinks the team should, in effect, play him or trade him. In fairness to the Rangers, it is worth noting that the Texas front office has given Davis multiple opportunities to establish himself, and whatever the reason the results have not been there. He played 113 games in 2009 and started last year as the everyday first baseman, and after 806 at-bats in the majors -- about 1.5 seasons' worth of at-bats -- he has posted a .300 on-base percentage, with 278 strikeouts, 59 walks and 39 homers. Davis turns 25 today and it makes sense that he wants to play, but the Rangers really don't owe him anything other than to let the process play itself out. At this point, the best thing for the organization, as it tries to extract as much value out of Davis as possible, might be to wait for him to establish himself within their organization or to rebuild his trade value (as with the Royals and Alex Gordon).

Davis is putting up big numbers this spring.

3. The heart of the Houston lineup is a concern, writes Zachary Levine.

4. The Yankees scouted Kevin Millwood, writes Joel Sherman.

5. The White Sox never tried to trade Ozzie Guillen, Jerry Reinsdorf said.
[h3]Wednesday's games[/h3]
1. J.J. Putz got terrible results, but his fastball was clocked at 92-94 mph -- a good sign.
2. Chris Carpenter's outing went OK, writes Rick Hummel.

3. Phil Coke was distracted and he got pounded, George Sipple writes.

4. Alcides Escobar blasted a home run.

5. Roy Halladay drew a crowd, writes Matt Gelb.

6. Mat Latos had an ugly day.

7. Bronson Arroyo had a good outing.

8. Yovani Gallardo threw well.

9. Chris Sale is having location issues.

10. Tommy Hanson threw well.

11. The Orioles were nearly no-hit.

12.Marco Scutaro wants to put his painful 2010 season behind him and he mashed a home run to open Wednesday's exhibition.

Feliz.

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Typically, when you're coming off a World Series appearance, spring training is fairly free of controversy. But that hasn't been the case for the Texas Rangers. Now that all the Michael Young trade-demand drama has died down, the Rangers must figure out what to do with Neftali Feliz. Last week, he said he wanted to remain the team's closer even though the team was trying to stretch him out as a starter. And then, after shutting down the Los Angeles Dodgers over four innings Tuesday, the 22-year-old flamethrower said he's on board with becoming a starting pitcher.

In the long run, it makes sense for both Feliz and the Rangers if he's in the rotation. As he probably figured out, even average starters earn a lot more money than elite closers. And that's because, as the Rangers know full well, even average starters are usually more valuable than good relievers. Of course, that's all true in a vacuum, and the 2011 season will not be played in one. The Rangers will likely be in a three-team battle for the AL West title, and messing with Feliz's success from 2010 could easily undermine their season.

With Feliz in the bullpen, the Rangers have a pretty good idea of what they're going to get. Sure, reliever performance tends to be volatile from year to year, but Feliz's outstanding strikeout rate (9.9 per nine for his career) makes him less susceptible to variances on balls in play. In the rotation, however, Texas doesn't know how he will perform. The right-hander has all of the tools to be a great starter and is earning raves for his new cutter, but he still hasn't shown he can succeed as a starter in the regular season. Even in the minors, when Feliz was groomed mostly as a starter, he never threw more than 128 innings in a season.

The Rangers are likely emboldened by the success of C.J. Wilson, who was converted into a starter last year after five years as a reliever and posted a 3.35 ERA in over 200 innings. But there's a big difference between Wilson and Feliz: While the former was a good reliever, the Rangers weren't putting much on the line by acquiescing to his request to start. If he failed, Texas wasn't risking one of the most valuable assets in baseball.

http:///sports.espn.go.com/espn/gallery/enlargePhoto?id=6223536&story=6223241">http://sports.espn.go.com...223536&...idth=440,height=750,scrollbars=no,noresize'); return false;" href="http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2011/insider/news/story?id=6223241#">[+] Enlarge

Jamie Squire/Getty ImagesJoba Chamberlain is a warning for the Rangers

If the Feliz conversion goes poorly, we could be looking at another Joba Chamberlain-type of season, where a pitcher enters the season with mixed signals about his role. Even if Feliz begins the year in the rotation, you can be sure he'd be on an innings limit and likely converted back to the bullpen at some point during the season. Largely because of Feliz, Texas' bullpen is one of the best in baseball. (Rangers relievers combined for a 3.38 ERA in 2010, second-best in the AL.)

If the Rangers want to maximize Feliz's value, they should prepare him for starting in 2012 by announcing right now that this will be his final season in the bullpen. That way, they won't have to deal with all of the "Joba Rules"-type scenarios where every outing raises questions about his role.

Second, they should do everything they can to use him in high-leverage situations. Feliz allowed just one run in seven postseason appearances last fall, but his performance was practically worthless because four of those appearances came with Rangers leading by four or more runs. In fact, only once did he enter a game in which the difference was less than two runs in either direction. And during the regular season, Feliz came into a game with a lead of three runs or more in 26 of his 78 appearances (33.3 percent of the time). Frank Francisco, a markedly worse reliever, entered games with a lead of three or more 32.1 percent of the time. In some sense, Feliz was pitching in garbage time more frequently than Francisco, a far less effective pitcher.

Obviously, the Rangers aren't the only team that lets the save rule dictate their closer usage. And part of the reason the gap between starter and reliever value is so large is because teams often use their closers in low-leverage situations. But this hasn't always been the case, and relievers can generate far more value if they're allowed to. For example, in 1982 Goose Gossage finished fifth in the AL in wins above replacement for pitchers, even though he was pitching out of the bullpen. How? He threw 93 innings in varying high-leverage situations and was not a slave to the save. Feliz had only a 2.4 WAR in 2010 because he pitched just 69 1/3 innings and was often wasted in low-leverage spots. There were no relievers among the top 10 of pitcher WAR in 2010, but if Feliz is allowed to throw a few more innings and not waste so many in low-leverage situations, he could crack the list.

The Rangers have garnered a lot of praise under Nolan Ryan for their old-school approach to pitcher usage. It's time to take it one step further: Loosen the reins on Feliz in the bullpen and let him pitch in a traditional fireman role. Not only would it maximize his value in 2011, but some of those extra innings could also help prepare him for starting in 2012.

Rumors.

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http://[h3]Parra pushing for left field job[/h3]
10:28AM ET

[h5]Gerardo Parra | Diamondbacks [/h5]


Gerardo Parra is making a strong case for more playing time in the Diamondbacks' outfield, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.

Xavier Nady, penciled in as the starting left fielder over the winter, may now be looking over his shoulder. Parra had two more hits on Wednesday, making him 14 for 37 (.37 in the Cactus League while drawing praise from manager Kirk Gibson.

Nady is hitting .194 and Piecoro cites opposing scouts who say Nady "is showing neither bat speed nor arm strength from left field."

Parra saw his average plummet 29 points to .261 last season, so the D-backs may be reluctant to simply hand him the left field job outright. At the very least, he may have secured himself more early season at-bats.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Davis the odd man out in Texas?[/h3]
10:07AM ET

[h5]Chris Davis | Rangers [/h5]


It's no secret the stock of Chris Davis has fallen dramatically. At this point, the Texas Rangers' Opening Day first baseman the last two seasons is open to a change of scenery.

Davis has seen his batting average plummet each of the last two seasons, settling below the Mendoza Line at .192 last season. According to the Dallas Morning News, the Rangers have received some inquiries this spring, but are under no obligation to trade him.

Gil LeBreton writes in Thursday?s Star Telegram that the Rangers' desire to give Julio Borbon the starting center field job makes Davis expendable.

A .405 average in Cactus League play has some teams paying attention, but Davis has little chance of earning a roster spot at first base in Arlington and could end up back in Triple-A. Mitch Moreland appears to have first base locked up, and Michael Young and Mike Napoli are also expected to see time there.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Making a decision on Belt[/h3]
9:53AM ET

[h5]San Francisco Giants [/h5]


San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy insists he is keeping an open mind regarding the status of top prospect Brandon Belt.

Belt has done all the Giants have asked of him this spring, including a big day at the plate (3-for-4, HR, double) in Wednesday's win over the White Sox. If Belt were to land the starting first base job, that would necessitate the move of Aubrey Huff to left field.

Despite his success, the Giants still might be inclined to have Belt start the season in Triple-A Fresno in order to delay his eligibility for arbitration. As Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle points out, Huff has not played one inning in left field this spring, which might be a hint that general manager Brian Sabean is inclined to get Belt more time in the minors.

Keeping Belt also could force the Giants to part ways with Aaron Rowand, who is hitting just .207 this spring.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Thornton the White Sox closer?[/h3]
9:26AM ET

[h5]Matt Thornton | White Sox [/h5]


Chris Sale is having trouble locating his pitches. He also could be losing his grip on the competition for Chicago White Sox closer.

Peter Gammons tweets that manager Ozzie Guillen has given Matt Thornton the "first dibs" on the job.

Thornton, an All-Star last season, has been competing all spring with Sale, who had four saves in as many opportunities for the Sox last season. Sale has endured a rocky spring (7.36 ERA) and the main culprit is the inability to throw quality strikes, writes Daryl Van Schouwen of the Sun-Times.

The White Sox already have placed a high value on Thornton, signing him to a two-year, $12 million contract earlier this month. The 34-year-old Thornton has the tools to be a closer -- he led all AL relievers in strikeouts per nine innings last season (12.02).

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Impact of Downs injury[/h3]
8:54AM ET

[h5]Scott Downs | Angels [/h5]


The Angels will have to wait until mid April before cashing in on the three-year, $15 million deal with Scott Downs. The reliever will open the season on the disabled list with a broken bone in his left big toe suffered while playing with his kids.

Manager Mike Scioscia will have to kick around some options to his bullpen, and the beneficiary could be right-handers Jason Bulger and Rich Thompson, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.

DiGiovanna says five relievers -- Fernando Rodney, left-hander Hisanori Takahashi, Kevin Jepsen, Jordan Walden and Michael Kohn -- appear to be roster locks with Bulger and Thompson, both of whom are out of options, competing for the sixth spot. Both could now end up on the Opening Day roster thanks to Downs' painful toe.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Nova a lock for fourth spot?[/h3]
8:22AM ET

[h5]Ivan Nova | Yankees [/h5]


There were plenty of questions regarding the Yankees starting staff once Cliff Lee landed in Philadelphia and Andy Pettitte decided to call it quits.

Ivan Nova was penciled in as the fourth starter over the winter, and Nova's status can now be written in ink following six no-hit innings against the Baltimore Orioles Wednesday night. "Coming out of the game, it now looks as if someone will have to pry that spot out of his hands with a crowbar," writes Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com.

That leaves only the No 5 spot to fill, where Freddy Garcia appears to have the lead over Bartolo Colon.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Mets pass on Eckstein[/h3]
8:01AM ET

[h5]David Eckstein | Padres [/h5]


http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/nym/new-york-metshttp://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/nym/new-york-metsNew York Mets manager Terry Collins insists he hasn't decided on a second baseman.

No candidate is making a serious claim for the job, and one viable free agent option remains. But Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Mets have made it clear to David Eckstein they have no interest.

The idea seemed plausible since two of the Mets' top executives, Paul DePodesta and J.P. Ricciardi, had Eckstein in San Diego and Toronto, respectively, in recent years. The Mets likely have no interest in taking on any additional salary.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Second base options in Philly[/h3]
7:44AM ET

[h5]Chase Utley | Phillies [/h5]


The http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/phi/philadelphia-philliesPhiladelphia Phillies have kept a calm and relatively quiet public face when it comes to http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=5383Chase Utley, who has yet to play due to patellar tendinitis in his right knee.

All of this doubt has drawn speculations of the club taking a look at Michael Young as a possible replacement. That appears unlikely and ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says there are no indications the Phillies plan to fill Utley's chasm by making a deal, at least for now.

Stark says Josh Barfield seems to have the edge over Pete Orr for the backup infielder job, with Rule 5 pick Michael Martinez a long shot. At this point, Delwyn Young also appears to have a spot as a bat off the bench.

In a Monday interview with MLB Network Radio, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said the payroll is maxed out and the team could not take on additional salary in any deal.

Placido Polanco and Wilson Valdez are capable at second base, with Valdez the likely candidate to take over for the short term.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Phils looking at Jon Jay?[/h3]
7:25AM ET

[h5]Jon Jay | Cardinals [/h5]


With the status of Chase Utley uncertain due to knee tendinitis, the Philadelphia Phillies have every reason to be looking for extra infield help.

ESPN.com's Jayson Stark The Phillies have been shopping, but not at second base. The Phils are looking for a low-budget extra outfielder and one name they've targeted is the Cardinals' Jon Jay.

Stark adds that Jay could play some center field if Shane Victorino gets hurt or needs a break. The Phillies also could be looking to add a major-league ready outfielder after losing Jayson Werth to free agency.

The pursuit of the reasonably-priced Jay makes sense for financial reasons. In a Monday interview with MLB Network Radio, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said the payroll is maxed out and the Phils could not take on additional salary in any deal.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]NYY keeping an eye on free agent[/h3]
7:06AM ET

[h5]Kevin Millwood | Orioles [/h5]


The Kevin Millwood front has been quite the past few weeks, but Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweeted that the New York Yankees watched the right-hander throw Wednesday.

Millwood could still be a fit in several spots where clubs' competitions at the back end are not or will not work out the way they'd planned, potentially including the Texas Rangers.

The Cardinals appear to be fine with Kyle McClellan earning the final spot in their rotation, however, and there has been nothing reported about Millwood preferring to retire, so something will have to give soon if the veteran is to pitch early in the season.

The Yankees may be fine as well, however, as Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia have shown flashes of being a worthy No. 5 starter this spring.

 

[CP1708]

Originally Posted by Kevin Cleveland

If I was in Brian McCann's position, I would probably strongly consider never playing baseball again.

This could be something that sticks with him, and affects him this year.  I wouldn't count it out at all.  The Braves gotta be trying to get some counseling or something to help him thru it. 

I gotta kick outta Salazar sayin he's just lookin to get back to work though. 

  Those baseball guys don't mess around, it's their job and they love doin it.  I give the guy credit for that. 

  

 

[CP1708]

Originally Posted by Kevin Cleveland

If I was in Brian McCann's position, I would probably strongly consider never playing baseball again.

This could be something that sticks with him, and affects him this year.  I wouldn't count it out at all.  The Braves gotta be trying to get some counseling or something to help him thru it. 

I gotta kick outta Salazar sayin he's just lookin to get back to work though. 

  Those baseball guys don't mess around, it's their job and they love doin it.  I give the guy credit for that. 

  

 

[N41D]

Originally Posted by CP1708

Originally Posted by Kevin Cleveland

If I was in Brian McCann's position, I would probably strongly consider never playing baseball again.

This could be something that sticks with him, and affects him this year.  I wouldn't count it out at all.  The Braves gotta be trying to get some counseling or something to help him thru it. 

I gotta kick outta Salazar sayin he's just lookin to get back to work though. 

  Those baseball guys don't mess around, it's their job and they love doin it.  I give the guy credit for that. 

  

Pun intended?