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

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Originally Posted by Proshares

In the rumors spoiler, there are more spoilers for a couple articles.
A spoiler within a spoiler?

527968
 
Can't wait for Mariners home opener 4/8!! With low expectations this year I'm hoping the M's can just give the fans a decent season and stay within .500 most of the season. Hoping Bedard plays more than 1/4 the year to see if his spring numbers aren't just a fluke. Oh and I didn't see an official Mariners 2011 thread? Did my search just not show it or has one not been made?
 
Can't wait for Mariners home opener 4/8!! With low expectations this year I'm hoping the M's can just give the fans a decent season and stay within .500 most of the season. Hoping Bedard plays more than 1/4 the year to see if his spring numbers aren't just a fluke. Oh and I didn't see an official Mariners 2011 thread? Did my search just not show it or has one not been made?
 
Originally Posted by jayt206

Can't wait for Mariners home opener 4/8!! With low expectations this year I'm hoping the M's can just give the fans a decent season and stay within .500 most of the season. Hoping Bedard plays more than 1/4 the year to see if his spring numbers aren't just a fluke. Oh and I didn't see an official Mariners 2011 thread? Did my search just not show it or has one not been made?


I hear you man, I think the young squad will be competitive this year early and be entertaining to watch. it would be lovely for Bedard to remain healthy til at least the trade deadline. it's his year ( I hope)
laugh.gif


And nobody has made a thread yet, sure one will pop up by opening day
 
Originally Posted by jayt206

Can't wait for Mariners home opener 4/8!! With low expectations this year I'm hoping the M's can just give the fans a decent season and stay within .500 most of the season. Hoping Bedard plays more than 1/4 the year to see if his spring numbers aren't just a fluke. Oh and I didn't see an official Mariners 2011 thread? Did my search just not show it or has one not been made?


I hear you man, I think the young squad will be competitive this year early and be entertaining to watch. it would be lovely for Bedard to remain healthy til at least the trade deadline. it's his year ( I hope)
laugh.gif


And nobody has made a thread yet, sure one will pop up by opening day
 
Spoiler [+]
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- A seven-day disabled list for concussions wouldn't have done Aaron Hill much good when the Toronto Blue Jays second baseman missed the final four months of 2008 with the injury.
That didn't stop him from saying the move, and several other guidelines instituted by Major League Baseball on Tuesday, was another positive sign the sport is doing more and more to address concussions.

MLB and the players' union announced a new set of protocols that take effect on opening day to deal with concussions, including the creation of the new seven-day disabled list that should give team doctors and the injured players more flexibility to address head injuries.

"I think it's good they're paying more attention to these things because they're seeing the long-term effects concussions can have on players," Hill said before the Blue Jays played an exhibition game against Baltimore. "Not just baseball, but all sports. So, it's a good thing they're looking into it."

It's the latest in a series of moves by professional sports leagues to address an injury that doctors, players and executives are only beginning to fully understand. The NFL started imposing heavy fines and threatening suspensions for hits that were deemed illegal or dangerous last season. And NHL officials earlier this month recommended tighter enforcement of boarding and charging penalties in an effort to reduce concussions.

The joint statement from MLB and the union establishes mandatory baseline testing for all players and umpires and new steps for evaluating players who may have suffered the injury and for having them return to action.

The new disabled list is in addition to the 15- and 60-day DLs that already exist. Any player needing more than 14 days to recover will automatically be transferred to the 15-day disabled list.

"It really is comporting our disabled lists with the reality of management of concussions," MLB senior vice president of labor Dan Halem said.

Each team will also have to designate a specialist who deals with mild brain injuries to evaluate players and umpires when needed and be required send its medical reports to Dr. Gary Green, MLB's medical director, for approval before the injured player is cleared to return to the field.

"This policy, which reflects the collective expertise of many of the foremost authorities in the field, will benefit players, umpires and clubs alike, and I am proud of the spirit of cooperation that has led us to this result," Commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement.

It's a topic that has been on baseball's radar for more than two years, Halem said.

With players such as Hill, Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau and New York Mets outfielder Jason Bay missing huge chunks of games because of concussions in the last few seasons, baseball officials formed a committee to examine the issue this winter.

"The one thing you don't want to do is put someone in position the day after or two days later all of a sudden by saying, 'Are you feeling OK?"' Morneau said. "The worst thing you can do with a concussion is rush back to play. You're diagnosed and you have a week and if it clears up like most people hope it does and they usually do, with most people it's short-term, that's the best-case scenario."

The committee was chaired by Dr. Alex Valadka, MLB's consultant on mild traumatic brain injuries and the chief of adult neurosciences and neurosurgery at the Seton Brain and Spine Institute in Austin, Texas. It included Green, head athletic trainers from the Twins, Brewers and Indians, team doctors from the Pirates, Indians and White Sox, and Tony Clark, the union's director of player relations.

Halem said that several medical experts on the committee recommended the seven-day DL as a way to address one of the most fundamental challenges to evaluating players with concussions. He said medical research has shown that the average concussion - not the more serious ones suffered by Morneau, Bay and Hill, of course - clears within five to seven days.

"The problem that baseball had with the 15-day disabled list was that the clubs were reluctant to put a player on it for 15 days if he could be back in seven days," Halem said. "So some players who maybe should have been on the disabled list probably weren't."

Committee member Rick McWane, head athletic trainer for the Twins, said one of the goals was to take the onus off the player.

"You try to take as much off the player as possible, to try to be a hero, to try to shake it off," McWane said. "That's just not acceptable."

The committee met at the winter meetings in December and held numerous conference calls before finishing their proposal. It was submitted to Selig, who approved it, and then sent to the players' union before it was put into effect.

"Player safety is a major concern of the collective bargaining parties, and these new protocols and procedures should enhance our ongoing efforts to protect the health of players and umpires," MLBPA executive director Michael Weiner said in a statement.

New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi welcomed the new list, saying it will give the team and the player more options in the event of a concussion.

"I like it," Girardi said. "Sometimes that two or three days, or four or five, where a guy can't play really can put you in a hole when you don't want to sit him down 15 days. So, I think it's great."

Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon wondered if a player really could recover from a concussion in seven days and said he would love to use the shorter DL for "little tweener injuries."

"I like the idea of the seven-day DL for that little thing that's bothering somebody that permits you to stay at full strength and not hurt somebody else in the process," he said.

But baseball officials are adamant that this list is for concussions only, and they are taking steps to prevent abuse of the system. McWane said the team will have to submit a report to Green with as much detail as possible, including any available video of when the injury occurred, to prove that the player does have a concussion and not, say, a pulled hamstring.

"I think it takes some getting used to because what you don't want to have anyone do is manipulate the rule," Atlanta Braves GM Frank Wren said. "I think this winter we finally got comfortable with the fact that it is necessary and
 
Spoiler [+]
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- A seven-day disabled list for concussions wouldn't have done Aaron Hill much good when the Toronto Blue Jays second baseman missed the final four months of 2008 with the injury.
That didn't stop him from saying the move, and several other guidelines instituted by Major League Baseball on Tuesday, was another positive sign the sport is doing more and more to address concussions.

MLB and the players' union announced a new set of protocols that take effect on opening day to deal with concussions, including the creation of the new seven-day disabled list that should give team doctors and the injured players more flexibility to address head injuries.

"I think it's good they're paying more attention to these things because they're seeing the long-term effects concussions can have on players," Hill said before the Blue Jays played an exhibition game against Baltimore. "Not just baseball, but all sports. So, it's a good thing they're looking into it."

It's the latest in a series of moves by professional sports leagues to address an injury that doctors, players and executives are only beginning to fully understand. The NFL started imposing heavy fines and threatening suspensions for hits that were deemed illegal or dangerous last season. And NHL officials earlier this month recommended tighter enforcement of boarding and charging penalties in an effort to reduce concussions.

The joint statement from MLB and the union establishes mandatory baseline testing for all players and umpires and new steps for evaluating players who may have suffered the injury and for having them return to action.

The new disabled list is in addition to the 15- and 60-day DLs that already exist. Any player needing more than 14 days to recover will automatically be transferred to the 15-day disabled list.

"It really is comporting our disabled lists with the reality of management of concussions," MLB senior vice president of labor Dan Halem said.

Each team will also have to designate a specialist who deals with mild brain injuries to evaluate players and umpires when needed and be required send its medical reports to Dr. Gary Green, MLB's medical director, for approval before the injured player is cleared to return to the field.

"This policy, which reflects the collective expertise of many of the foremost authorities in the field, will benefit players, umpires and clubs alike, and I am proud of the spirit of cooperation that has led us to this result," Commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement.

It's a topic that has been on baseball's radar for more than two years, Halem said.

With players such as Hill, Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau and New York Mets outfielder Jason Bay missing huge chunks of games because of concussions in the last few seasons, baseball officials formed a committee to examine the issue this winter.

"The one thing you don't want to do is put someone in position the day after or two days later all of a sudden by saying, 'Are you feeling OK?"' Morneau said. "The worst thing you can do with a concussion is rush back to play. You're diagnosed and you have a week and if it clears up like most people hope it does and they usually do, with most people it's short-term, that's the best-case scenario."

The committee was chaired by Dr. Alex Valadka, MLB's consultant on mild traumatic brain injuries and the chief of adult neurosciences and neurosurgery at the Seton Brain and Spine Institute in Austin, Texas. It included Green, head athletic trainers from the Twins, Brewers and Indians, team doctors from the Pirates, Indians and White Sox, and Tony Clark, the union's director of player relations.

Halem said that several medical experts on the committee recommended the seven-day DL as a way to address one of the most fundamental challenges to evaluating players with concussions. He said medical research has shown that the average concussion - not the more serious ones suffered by Morneau, Bay and Hill, of course - clears within five to seven days.

"The problem that baseball had with the 15-day disabled list was that the clubs were reluctant to put a player on it for 15 days if he could be back in seven days," Halem said. "So some players who maybe should have been on the disabled list probably weren't."

Committee member Rick McWane, head athletic trainer for the Twins, said one of the goals was to take the onus off the player.

"You try to take as much off the player as possible, to try to be a hero, to try to shake it off," McWane said. "That's just not acceptable."

The committee met at the winter meetings in December and held numerous conference calls before finishing their proposal. It was submitted to Selig, who approved it, and then sent to the players' union before it was put into effect.

"Player safety is a major concern of the collective bargaining parties, and these new protocols and procedures should enhance our ongoing efforts to protect the health of players and umpires," MLBPA executive director Michael Weiner said in a statement.

New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi welcomed the new list, saying it will give the team and the player more options in the event of a concussion.

"I like it," Girardi said. "Sometimes that two or three days, or four or five, where a guy can't play really can put you in a hole when you don't want to sit him down 15 days. So, I think it's great."

Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon wondered if a player really could recover from a concussion in seven days and said he would love to use the shorter DL for "little tweener injuries."

"I like the idea of the seven-day DL for that little thing that's bothering somebody that permits you to stay at full strength and not hurt somebody else in the process," he said.

But baseball officials are adamant that this list is for concussions only, and they are taking steps to prevent abuse of the system. McWane said the team will have to submit a report to Green with as much detail as possible, including any available video of when the injury occurred, to prove that the player does have a concussion and not, say, a pulled hamstring.

"I think it takes some getting used to because what you don't want to have anyone do is manipulate the rule," Atlanta Braves GM Frank Wren said. "I think this winter we finally got comfortable with the fact that it is necessary and
 
Pabs, how's my boy Ackley looking? 
laugh.gif


Predictions from Keith Law.
Spoiler [+]
I filed divisional and playoff predictions Friday that will appear in our overall MLB preview package, but for the past few years I've drilled down a little further and eyeballed some won-lost records for all 30 teams while also explaining my logic in my standings and awards predictions.

Here are the picks for 2011:
[h3]AL East[/h3]
[h4]AL East[/h4]
Projected wins and losses in 2011.
[table][tr][th=""]Team[/th][th=""]W[/th][th=""]L[/th][/tr][tr][td]Boston[/td][td]94[/td][td]68[/td][/tr][tr][td]NY Yankees[/td][td]90[/td][td]72[/td][/tr][tr][td]Tampa Bay[/td][td]89[/td][td]73[/td][/tr][tr][td]Toronto[/td][td]83[/td][td]79[/td][/tr][tr][td]Baltimore[/td][td]78[/td][td]84[/td][/tr][/table]

I'd love to tell you the upstart Tampa Bay Rays could do it again, and they're certainly close enough to the Big Two to have a few things fall their way and sneak into the playoffs, but I think they win the title this year of "Best team not playing in the postseason." The Red Sox are the most complete team in the league right now, although I think their run-scoring may fall a little short of expectations, but their run prevention should be among the league's strongest. The Yankees' lineup will be a year older but could benefit from a healthier A-Rod and maybe some Jesus Montero later in the year; their weakness, on the other hand, will be run prevention, and I don't think I'm being controversial if I say they have maybe two starters I trust.

The Blue Jays have a long list of bounceback candidates, led by Adam Lind, Aaron Hill and now-freed Travis Snider, to go with some very intriguing young pitching, although Brandon Morrow's injury and Brett Cecil's lost velocity are bad omens. Baltimore spent some money to improve the big league product this winter, but any progress the Orioles see this year in the standings will come from emerging young stars like Brian Matusz, Matt Wieters or Zach Britton.
[h3]AL Central[/h3]
[h4]AL Central[/h4]
Projected wins and losses in 2011.
[table][tr][th=""]Team[/th][th=""]W[/th][th=""]L[/th][/tr][tr][td]Chicago[/td][td]90[/td][td]72[/td][/tr][tr][td]Minnesota[/td][td]88[/td][td]74[/td][/tr][tr][td]Detroit[/td][td]83[/td][td]79[/td][/tr][tr][td]Cleveland[/td][td]67[/td][td]95[/td][/tr][tr][td]Kansas City[/td][td]64[/td][td]98[/td][/tr][/table]

Adam Dunn seems like an ideal fit for a White Sox team that needed his OBP and some power to offset an inevitable step back by Paul Konerko, and I think their bullpen will once again be among the league's strongest. Their weakness is the back of the rotation, as I've never been an Edwin Jackson believer, and if we heard next week that Jake Peavy would never pitch again I don't think anyone would be surprised. I wonder if the Twins' apparent willingness to trade Francisco Liriano is motivated less by money than by something they know about his health or durability that we don't; this is not typically a rash organization or one that would blithely trade away a piece they need if they're going to contend this year. Detroit's rotation could be pretty strong if you think Rick Porcello turns it around (I was shocked by his struggles last year after such a strong rookie season) and Brad Penny stays healthy, but there's decline written all over that offense, and expensive bullpens are more often expensive than they are effective.

The Royals have a 100-loss team on paper -- or 105 or more -- but they're not going to spend the whole season with that roster; look for Mike Moustakas to get some big league time this year, joined later by Mike Montgomery, John Lamb and Eric Hosmer. I like Cleveland's current roster a little more than I like Kansas City's, but their system offers Lonnie Chisenhall and a number of projected relievers in its upper levels, without the high-end starters the Royals are bringing along.
[h3]AL West[/h3]
[h4]AL West[/h4]
Projected wins and losses in 2011.
[table][tr][th=""]Team[/th][th=""]W[/th][th=""]L[/th][/tr][tr][td]Texas[/td][td]88[/td][td]74[/td][/tr][tr][td]Oakland[/td][td]86[/td][td]76[/td][/tr][tr][td]LA Angels[/td][td]81[/td][td]81[/td][/tr][tr][td]Seattle[/td][td]67[/td][td]95[/td][/tr][/table]

Texas will be worse, and the division will be better, but I don't see Oakland or the Angels surpassing the Rangers without some help from injuries or outlier performances. For all the drama over Michael Young, the real drama in Arlington is in the rotation, an issue that could be easily addressed by returning Neftali Feliz to a starting role. If you could promise me right now that Brett Anderson would throw 180 innings, I might flip the A's into first place even with the questions around their offense, but I think asking him to be healthy and Trevor Cahill to miss enough bats (for which he has the raw stuff) to keep his ERA down and Dallas Braden to keep that smoke-and-mirrors act rolling and so on is probably too much, at least if you're looking for the safe way to bet.

The Angels are worse today than they were at this time last year, even with the addition of Dan Haren, although I admit there's a little part of me that still thinks Howie Kendrick is going to hit .310 one of these years; I might bump them up two wins if I had any faith they'd make Jeff Mathis the infrequently used backup to Hank Conger. King Felix and Seattle's offense should keep games at Safeco moving briskly all season.
[h3]NL East[/h3]
[h4]NL East[/h4]
Projected wins and losses in 2011.
[table][tr][th=""]Team[/th][th=""]W[/th][th=""]L[/th][/tr][tr][td]Philadelphia[/td][td]92[/td][td]70[/td][/tr][tr][td]Atlanta[/td][td]90[/td][td]72[/td][/tr][tr][td]Florida[/td][td]80[/td][td]82[/td][/tr][tr][td]NY Mets[/td][td]77[/td][td]85[/td][/tr][tr][td]Washington[/td][td]72[/td][td]90[/td][/tr][/table]

I don't know how long Chase Utley will be on the shelf, and that win estimate is more likely to be high than low; I still have the Phillies in first because their front four starters are tremendous and should help take pressure off a bullpen that has long been an Achilles' heel. Atlanta has the talent to surpass the Phillies, but they keep trying to sabotage themselves, like talking about batting Jason Heyward sixth, moving Martin Prado to left to install Dan Uggla at second, or choosing Brandon Beachy over Mike Minor based on the tiny sample of spring training.

Florida seems like the most likely team in the NL to make a surprise playoff run given all its young talent, but the roster is thin after that top veneer. The Mets probably aren't an 85-loss team right now, but that front office will look to turn over the roster once the team is clearly out of it. I don't really get the optimism around this year's Nationals team; the rotation is almost as bad as Kansas City's, Danny Espinosa (who's never been that good a hitter) is coming back from hamate surgery, and Jayson Werth is no longer playing at CBP in a contract year.
[h3]NL Central[/h3]
[h4]NL Central[/h4]
Projected wins and losses in 2011.
[table][tr][th=""]Team[/th][th=""]W[/th][th=""]L[/th][/tr][tr][td]Milwaukee[/td][td]88[/td][td]74[/td][/tr][tr][td]Cincinnati[/td][td]87[/td][td]75[/td][/tr][tr][td]St. Louis[/td][td]84[/td][td]78[/td][/tr][tr][td]Chicago[/td][td]77[/td][td]85[/td][/tr][tr][td]Pittsburgh[/td][td]67[/td][td]95[/td][/tr][tr][td]Houston[/td][td]64[/td][td]98[/td][/tr][/table]

This division will be competitive, but it probably won't be good. Even if Zack Greinke were ready to go on Opening Day, you could pick apart the Brewers -- for me the best team on paper in the NL Central -- on defense or bullpen or lack of rotation depth (which I guess is already becoming an issue). I could see the Reds losing value with Scott Rolen's age/health, Johnny Cueto's health, Travis Wood and Mike Leake's workloads, Jonny Gomes' glove and platoon issues, and Joey Votto not hitting like Superman again … but picking much of that value back up with Jay Bruce breaking out, Edinson Volquez returning, Chris Heisey (I hope) taking at-bats from Gomes, and Aroldis Chapman adding another 55-60 high-quality innings to that pen.

The Cardinals couldn't afford to lose a full year of Wainwright, with Jaime Garcia unlikely to repeat his outstanding 2010 campaign and an experiment with Kyle McClellan (a career 4.01 tERA/4.12 xFIP in the bullpen) as Wainwright's replacement looking dicey, to be kind; I wouldn't want to be in their shoes if they're eight or ten games out at the break and have to seriously consider shopping their first baseman. The Pirates and Astros are both 100-loss candidates, although in defense of both clubs, neither has tried to paper over its troubles by signing bad veterans to expensive contracts. The Pirates offer a few more interesting young players to watch, including Pedro Alvarez and Jose Tabata, while the Astros might have more midseason trade bait, like arb-eligible Hunter Pence or Brett Myers (who is signed through 2012).
[h3]NL West[/h3]
[h4]NL West[/h4]
Projected wins and losses in 2011.
[table][tr][th=""]Team[/th][th=""]W[/th][th=""]L[/th][/tr][tr][td]San Francisco[/td][td]90[/td][td]72[/td][/tr][tr][td]Colorado[/td][td]85[/td][td]77[/td][/tr][tr][td]LA Dodgers[/td][td]82[/td][td]80[/td][/tr][tr][td]San Diego[/td][td]79[/td][td]83[/td][/tr][tr][td]Arizona[/td][td]68[/td][td]94[/td][/tr][/table]

The NL West has a bigger gap between favorites and contenders than any other division in the majors, which says as much about the contenders as it does about the favorites. The Giants get a full season of Buster Posey and probably 400 or more at-bats from Brandon Belt to offset declines from Pat Burrell or Aubrey Huff, although I have no idea who's going to catch the ball at shortstop behind the statue of Miguel Tejada they've installed at AT&T park. (If the ball hits the statue, is the play dead?)

The Rockies play great defense, roll out three good-to-great starters and use a two-man lineup with a lot of easy outs. Money troubles aside, the Dodgers have a slew of players who have underperformed given their tools; Matt Kemp has the ability to be the way he was in 2009, but I can't tell you whether the managerial change will turn him around. I might be high on the Padres if Mat Latos isn't going to miss a chunk of the season. He might. Kevin Towers' bullpen magic may not work so well in homer-friendly Chase Field, and the D-backs have a lot of flyball pitchers on their staff to go with an anemic offense.
[h3]Player awards[/h3]
I did try to avoid picking repeat winners here; I don't see any real reason the Cy Young winners couldn't do so again, but it seemed I wouldn't be imparting much useful information if I just named a bunch of guys who won last year. That said, I'm trying to predict who will win these awards, not who will end up deserving them, so if I felt that strongly about any repeater, I would have picked him.

AL MVP: Robinson Cano





Best player on one of the league's best teams at an up-the-middle position. Also considered Evan Longoria (my second choice), Miguel Cabrera, Adrian Gonzalez and Joe Mauer.

NL MVP: Troy Tulowitzki





I get that Carlos Gonzalez is an exciting player, but he's not the best player on his own team, and Gonzalez's difficulties hitting outside of Coors (not just breaking balls but fastballs with movement) are well-documented enough that I think it's fair to say that CarGo's status on MVP ballots is partly a function of his home park. Of course, this could end up Buster Posey's award this year anyway, assuming Albert Pujols doesn't put on a contract-year push for the ages.

AL Cy Young: Jon Lester





I believe I picked Lester last year, and he had a great season even if he wasn't that close to King Felix. He'll get more run support and more defensive support this year, to the extent that either still clouds voters' thinking.

NL Cy Young: Josh Johnson





Was neck-and-neck with Halladay until his season ended early, and he would have at least made the voting close if he'd thrown a full season. Halladay is a monster, but I'm not going to bet on him throwing 250 innings again. I also considered Cliff Lee and Clayton Kershaw, and I like Yovani Gallardo as a dark horse.

AL Rookie of the Year: Jeremy Hellickson





I don't like picking pitchers for this award, but the crop of AL position player rookies isn't strong; J.P. Arencibia would be the leading candidate among the bats. Chris Sale could sneak in here if he ends up the closer in Chicago for more than half the year, and I'd consider Dustin Ackley here if I thought he'd get more than 3½ months in the big leagues.

NL Rookie of the Year: Freddie Freeman





Freeman has a full-time job and no obvious internal replacement if he stumbles out of the gate. If Brandon Belt had a full-time job, I'd lean towards him, although they could pull the plug on him quickly if he struggles.
[h3]Breakout players[/h3]
I chose not to do a breakout candidates column this year for two reasons. One is that last year's list includes a lot of guys I still like but who either didn't break out at all last year (Matt Wieters, Travis Snider) or broke out partway (Jay Bruce, Gordon Beckham). A breakout list that just says "see last year's entry" isn't helping anyone.

The bigger reason is that I don't have enough new names to fill out a whole column. Is it fair to call Logan Morrison or Mike Stanton a breakout candidate when both have already performed so well in half-seasons in the majors? "Buster Posey leads Law's list of breakout candidates" feels a little cheap, although you'd probably click on it anyway to see if I'd mailed in my column or something.

Anyway, a few young players whom I like to be better in 2011 than they were in 2010 include Baltimore LHP Brian Matusz, Pittsburgh RHP James McDonald (finally left alone in a starting role?), Arizona CF Chris Young, Cleveland CF Michael Brantley and Seattle 1B Justin Smoak. I might have included Toronto RHP Brandon Morrow or Milwaukee LHP Manny Parra (assuming he was moved to the bullpen) had either been healthy. And I'll mention that one name I've heard scouts out here talk up this spring is Texas 1B Mitch Moreland, who looks stronger and has shown more power in BP.

Piece on A-Rod.

Spoiler [+]
TAMPA, Fla. -- As he packed a bag at his locker Tuesday morning, Mark Teixeira talked about Alex Rodriguez, and about how much time it takes to recover from surgery. If you recall, Rodriguez had hip surgery in the spring of 2009 -- a procedure that is relatively new in baseball -- and at the end of last season, he looked wooden in the field and at the plate, struggling to move laterally.

http:///sports.espn.go.com/espn/gallery/enlargePhoto?id=6272640&story=6272602">http://sports.espn.go.com...272640&...idth=440,height=750,scrollbars=no,noresize'); return false;" href="http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog?name=olney_buster&id=6272602#">[+] Enlarge
in_u_rodrigueza_200.jpg

Derick E. Hingle/US PresswireA-Rod is as healthy as he's been in years.

But Rodriguez has dropped weight, greatly improved his flexibility, and as Teixeira noted, he has had more time to heal, to get past the effects of his surgery. Rodriguez has had a spectacular spring, with a slugging percentage of .936 going into the Yankees' last exhibition.

"I played with Alex in 2003, in Texas," Teixeira said. "To me, this is like the Alex of 2003. … This is the sharpest he has looked since 2003."

Rick Porcello started against the Yankees in Tuesday's exhibition, the final spring game for both teams, and Rodriguez came to the plate with the bases loaded and one out, and after falling behind in the count, Rodriguez dug himself out of a hole, fouling off a couple of tough pitches. By the end of his at-bat, Rodriguez was taking vicious cuts, barely missing a couple of pitches, and Porcello, working carefully, wound up walking him to force in a run.

A little while later, Rodriguez darted to his right to intercept a ground ball, and he got to his feet and threw to first base to cut down a runner. He has made plays to his right this spring, Joe Girardi mentioned earlier in the day, that you would not have seen last year.

Like all teams, the Yankees will open the season with questions, about the back end of their rotation, in particular. But they appear to have an answer in Alex Rodriguez, who seems poised to have the kind of season he had in 2007, or 2003.

• Generally, it was a good spring for the Yankees in finding solutions; Ivan Nova has looked good, Bartolo Colon appears to be capable of being a weapon, with his fastball humming in the low to mid-90s, and the Yankees might have struck it big (given the price) with Eric Chavez, who feels like he has rediscovered some power in his swing.

Other teams that found answers this spring: The Giants, who look nothing like a club with a spring hangover and everything like a team intent on repeating, with a slimmed-down Pablo Sandoval prepared for a rebound season; the Rockies, who could have a dominant bullpen, because of all the power arms at Jim Tracy's disposal; the Braves, who got great work out of their two young closer candidates, Craig Kimbrel and Jonny Venters, and out of rookie first baseman Freddie Freeman; and Oakland, which appears to have the deepest pitching staff of any team in the majors.

Girardi is optimistic as the Yankees' season is set to begin.

• Grady Sizemore's spring has given the Indians a sense of optimism, writes Paul Hoynes. It still looks like Sizemore could be back around tax day.

Chase Utley told reporters the other day that his goal is to come back before the All-Star break, and Brad Lidge is out at least three to six weeks; shoulder strains can be completely unpredictable. As mentioned yesterday, rival executives believe the Phillies will be very aggressive during the season in looking to add pieces for their everyday lineup; remember, this is a front office that has made deals for Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee twice in the past 21 months.

And it's also worth bringing back this little nugget from a column last month: The Phillies appear to have one of the easiest schedules of any team in the majors in the first part of the season. Only seven of their first 31 games are against clubs that had records over .500 last year, with only one series against the Reds and Giants before the All-Star break. It's a nice break for them that early in the year, when their lineup will probably be at its weakest, they will get to see some of the weakest teams, with that incredible rotation.

The toughest opening schedule in the NL: The Arizona Diamondbacks, with 27 of their first 37 games against teams with records over .500.

To review, the toughest opening schedule in the AL belongs to the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Royals have the easiest.

• Frank and Jamie McCourt are quietly working on a settlement.

In a related story: Andre Ethier indicates his days with the Dodgers may be numbered.

Earlier this spring, I had a conversation with a respected executive about the Dodgers. "Where will they be in five years?" he asked. "They've got [Matt] Kemp and Ethier and [Clayton] Kershaw now, but they don't have a lot coming up behind them. If McCourt has to sell the team, the guy who takes over is going to have a big challenge on his hands."

A Dodgers fan would rather eat his tickets than have lunch with Frank McCourt, writes Bill Plaschke. From the column, about a season-ticket holder:
  • After all these years, Brian Gadinsky was invited to lunch with the owner of the Dodgers.
    And he turned it down.

    He turned it down for the same reason he had earlier trashed his season-ticket renewal notice, which led to the invitation in the first place.

    He turned it down because it would mean breaking bread with Frank McCourt, and he is done with Frank McCourt.

    "My friends all asked me if I was crazy," Gadinsky said. "I told them, no, I am just tired. ... I am tired of being loyal to a man who has not returned that loyalty."
• Baseball has established a seven-day disabled list to deal with concussion symptoms. A smart move, a good decision.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. The Blue Jays decided to start Edwin Encarnacion at third base, with Jose Bautista moving to right field. Look, in a very short time, Brett Lawrie will be summoned from the minors, and so it's a no-brainer to facilitate Bautista's comfort at the plate. Toronto is paying him to hit, and not because of his glove; John Farrell might as well put him in right field now.

2. Alex Gordon has been so good this spring that he will hit third for the Royals.

3. The Giants are deciding what to do with Brandon Belt. This is a big decision, writes Tim Kawakami. If the Giants open the season with Belt in the minors and keep him there for less than two weeks, that would ensure that he could not become a free agent until after the 2017 season. If he starts the year in the big leagues and remains, he would become eligible for free agency after 2016. From someone familiar with service-time rules: "In most seasons the season is 183 days long -- this year it is actually 182 days long. In order to avoid a full year's service time a player must have less than 172 days in that season. In other words, the Giants -- in this hypothetical situation -- would want to make sure Belt is off the ML roster for at least 11 days. And maybe, because of one less day in the season, they would do 12 days. At 11 days the cutoff would be April 10; at 12 days the cutoff would be April 11."

To play devil's advocate: Belt is clearly going to be the first baseman by mid-April, at the latest, and the Giants should consider the possibility that Belt will help them win a couple of games early in the year -- and as they know from last season's NL West race, one or two wins could make all the difference. From a big-picture perspective, it would be a no-brainer: They should leave Belt in the minors for at least a couple of weeks to control his service time.

4. Terry Francona must decide what he's going to do with his lineup against lefties and righties.The guess here is that very soon, he will be platooning J.D. Drew and David Ortiz.

5. Jordan Zimmermann will have an innings limit this season of 150-165.

6. The Padres and Mets swapped former first-rounders.

7. Jeff Suppan was released by the Giants.

8. Mark Hendrickson is thinking about what's next after being cut.

9. The Rays' bullpen has taken shape, Marc Topkin writes.

10. The Rangers settled on their pitching staff, Jeff Wilson writes.

11. Freddie Freeman will hit eighth for the Braves.

12. Scott Cousins is poised to be part of the Marlins' roster to start the year.
[h3]Dings and dents[/h3]
1. Stephen Strasburg is about to embark on the hard part of his rehab, writes Adam Kilgore.

2. Brian Wilson will open the year on the disabled list.

3. Jake Peavy had a good side session, but he is still bummed out.

4. J.J. Putz is ready to go; Stephen Drew is not.

5. Jason Bay could start the year on the disabled list.

6. J.A. Happ could start the year on the disabled list.

7. Jonathan Lucroy has been cleared for action.
[h3]The battle for jobs[/h3]
A Mariners pitcher completed an improbable journey, Geoff Baker writes.
[h3]Tuesday's games[/h3]
1. Scott Kazmir had good results in his final outing; his fastball topped out at 89 mph, Mike DiGiovanna writes.

2. Roy Oswalt is ready to go, after making his last start.

3. Hideki Matsui threw out three hits at the right time.

4. Ross Ohlendorf struggled in his last spring outing.

5. Brett Cecil's velocity climbed.

6. Jaime Garcia had a nice finish to his spring.

Rumors.

Spoiler [+]
http://[h3]Innings limit for Zimmermann[/h3]
11:19AM ET

[h5]Jordan Zimmermann | Nationals [/h5]


We mentioned Tuesday that the Chicago Cubs will be keeping a close eye on the pitch count of top prospect Andrew Cashner. Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports the Nationals have the same thing in mind for Jordan Zimmermann.

Zimmermann appears to have made a strong recovery from Tommy John Surgery and has enjoyed a solid spring. Kilgore says the Nationals still have yet to decide the precise number of innings, but it will likely fall within the 150-165 range.

Zimmermann will begin the season third in the rotation behind Livan Hernandez and John Lannan.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Decision time on Belt[/h3]
11:19AM ET

[h5]San Francisco Giants [/h5]


It has been one of the most talked-about decisions in all of spring training -- whether the San Francisco Giants will keep uber prospect Brandon Belt around as their starting first baseman.

There is no debate whether Belt is one of the Giants' 25 best players, but the question remains whether the club wants to delay the start of his service time clock while he gets plenty of bats at Triple-A Fresno. John Shea writes in Wednesday's San Francisco Chronicle that the Giants' brass is leaning toward keeping Belt with the big league club.

If Belt stays by the Bay, Shea says that would be bad news for first baseman Travis Ishikawa, who could be the odd man out since the Giants may not be willing to cut Aaron Rowand and eat the $24 million left on his contract.

Aubrey Huff, now the first baseman, would move temporarily to right field until Cody Ross comes off the disabled list. If Belt lands in Frenso, the main beneficiary would be Mark DeRosa, writes Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News.

Our Buster Olney gives his take on the big decision in Wednesday's blog:

- Doug Mittler

olney_buster_30.jpg
[h5]Buster Olney[/h5]
Tough decision on Belt
"To play Devil's Advocate: Belt is clearly going to be the first baseman by mid-April, at the latest, and the Giants should consider the possibility that Belt will help them win a couple of games early in the year -- and as they know from last season's NL West race, one or two wins could make all the difference. From a big-picture perspective, it would be a no-brainer: They should leave Belt in the minors for at least a couple of weeks to control his service time."
http://[h3]Finding a place for Mather[/h3]
11:03AM ET

[h5]Joe Mather | Cardinals [/h5]


Joe Mather failed to win a utility spot with the Atlanta Braves after being claimed him off waivers from the Cardinals, but he still could find his way back to the big leagues.

Mather was outrighted to Triple-A Gwinnett Tuesday, but Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta JC says he is a good candidate for a promotion if he turns the corner offensively.

Mather hit just .137 (7-for-51) this spring and is a .233 hitter in parts of two seasons with the Braves.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Bautista's move to the outfield[/h3]
10:46AM ET

[h5]Jose Bautista | Blue Jays [/h5]


The decision of the Toronto Blue Jays to move Jose Bautista from third base to right field makes plenty of sense, even if the timing seems curious.

Up until Tuesday, Bautista was expected to play third, but manager John Farrell called an audible by moving Edwin Encarnacion to third base and naming Juan Rivera as his full-time designated hitter.

Bautista is no stranger to the outfield, so the transition will be a minimal one. In fact, he tied for second in the American League with 14 outfield assists in 2010. Those numbers came despite the fact that he started 45 games at third base.

Farrell says the main reason for the move was the strong play of Encarnacion, but ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney writes in Wednesday's blog that there is another factor:

- Doug Mittler

olney_buster_30.jpg
[h5]Buster Olney[/h5]
Lawrie headed to third base
"Look, in a very short time, Brett Lawrie will be summoned from the minors, and so it's a no-brainer to facilitate Bautista's comfort at the plate. Toronto is paying him to hit, and not because of his glove; John Farrell might as well put him in right field now."

http://[h3]Ethier's future in Hollywood[/h3]
10:25AM ET

[h5]Andre Ethier | Dodgers [/h5]


Andre Ethier is hinting that 2011 could be his final season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, even if his team will ultimately have the final say.

The right fielder did not back off from comments he made to the Associated Press Monday night in which he said "a lot of signs are pointing" to him leaving the club after last season. Ethier is entering the final season of a two-year, $15.25 million contract that will pay him $9.25 million this year, but is not eligible for free agency until after 2012.

Ethier was leading the NL in all of the Triple Crown categories when he broke his pinkie last May.

Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com calls Ethier's comments a "cry for action" from a team that may not have the financial resources to hand out a mega-contract.

On the flip side, Ethier could be trying to get the Dodgers to cut him loose in a cost-cutting move, just as they did to Russell Martin last winter.

Our Buster Olney says Ethier might have a good reason for wanting his days in LA to be numbered:

- Doug Mittler

olney_buster_30.jpg
[h5]Buster Olney[/h5]
The future in LA
"Earlier this spring, I had a conversation with a respected executive about the Dodgers. 'Where will they be in five years?' he asked. 'They've got [Matt] Kemp and Ethier and [Clayton] Kershaw now, but they don't have a lot coming up behind them. If Frank McCourt has to sell the team, the guy who takes over is going to have a big challenge on his hands.'"

http://[h3]Happ could miss start vs. Oswalt[/h3]
10:12AM ET

[h5]J.A. Happ | Astros [/h5]


The Houston Astros could be shuffling their rotation for a weekend series in Philadelphia after J.A. Happ was forced to leave Tuesday's game against their Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City after three innings with a strained right oblique.

Happ is slated to pitch Sunday against Roy Oswalt, the pitcher he was traded for last July.

Bud Norris and Nelson Figueroa, listed as the fourth and fifth starters, could each move up a slot in the rotation. One possibility for fifth starter is Ryan Rowland-Smith, who lost out to Figueroa, in the spring competition, or long reliever Aneury Rodriguez.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Mets options without Bay[/h3]
10:00AM ET

[h5]Jason Bay | Mets [/h5]


The New York Mets have a new manager and general manager, but also the same old back luck.

Left fielder Jason Bay was scratched from Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals with discomfort in his left side and could be headed to the disabled list, reports Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.

The Mets had spent all spring answering questions about the health of right fielder Carlos Beltran, who has been plagued by knee problems but appears ready for Opening Day. The Mets already will be without ace Johan Santana for a good portion of the season following elbow surgery while backup catcher Ronny Paulino is likely headed to the DL.

The likely candidate to replace Bay in left field would be Lucas Duda, who batted just .202 after a September call-up but had a solid spring. Another option is Willie Harris, who is expected to back up Beltran in right.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Shortstop issues in the desert[/h3]
9:37AM ET

[h5]Stephen Drew | Diamondbacks [/h5]


The Arizona Diamondbacks face a sticky situation at shortstop after sending Stephen Drew for an MRI on an abdominal injury that has bothered him for a few weeks.

While the results of the MRI were "negative" and the infielder is not expected to need a trip to the disabled list, Drew's availability for Opening Day is in doubt, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.

The club's best backup option is Tony Abreu, but he reportedly has been placed on waivers and may not clear in time for Friday's game in Colorado. Utility man Willie Bloomquist has experience at shortstop, but the D-backs see him as an option for only a game or two.

Look for the D-backs to keep a close eye on teams making final cuts Wednesday.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Wednesday test for Stewart[/h3]
8:36AM ET

[h5]Ian Stewart | Rockies [/h5]


Ian Stewart could still hit the disabled list, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post, who adds that the third baseman will stay behind in Scottsdale to continue to get at-bats and rehab.

Renck adds that Stewart will serve as a DH in a minor league game Wednesday. If his hamstring responds positively, Stewart will be in the Rockies' Opening Day lineup on Friday.

Stewart left a game Monday with a hamstring problem, which may or may not be related to his knee injury, but was not in the lineup versus Seattle Tuesday. Ty Wigginton, who could share time at the hot corner with Jose Lopez, started in Stewart's place.

The club acquired Josh Fields Monday as insurance, but if the Rockies use Jonathan Herrera at second base to start the season, it appears Fields will not be needed in the big leagues whether Stewart breaks camp on the 25-man or not -- which appears highly unlikely at this stage.

- Jason A. Churchill

http://[h3]Granderson's Opening Day status[/h3]
8:22AM ET

[h5]Curtis Granderson | Yankees [/h5]


UPDATE: Granderson says he feels better about his chances of playing Thursday after participating in a workout Tuesday.

--

We mentioned last week that the New York Yankees might need to do some shuffling in the outfield, at least temporarily, if Curtis Granderson is forced to miss the start of the season with an oblique strain.

George King of the New York Post writes Granderson is optimistic he can play in Thursday's opener against the Tigers if he is able to compete in minor league games Tuesday and Wednesday.

If Granderson is sidelined, Brett Gardner would move back to center field, leaving more playing time in left field to Andruw Jones.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Suppan looking for work[/h3]
8:15AM ET

[h5]Jeff Suppan | Giants [/h5]


The San Francisco Giants ended up having no need for Jeff Suppan, so the team has parted ways with the veteran right-hander who was signed as an insurance policy, reports John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Shea reports that Suppan would have made the club if the Giants were not so pitching-rich. Suppan has not had a winning record since 2006 nor had an ERA below 4.00 since 2005, but may have worked out some mechanical problems this spring.

With Suppan no longer around, Ryan Vogelsong would assume the role of spot starter of needed.

Suppan could be attractive to a team looking for a fifth starter on a temporary basis. One possibility could be the Padres, who will begin the year with Mat Latos on the disabled list.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Davis a step closer to a trade?[/h3]
7:21AM ET

[h5]Chris Davis | Rangers [/h5]


Despite a solid spring, Chris Davis was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City Tuesday to make room for Mitch Moreland, Michael Young and Mike Napoli to man first base and the DH spot. Davis' tenure with the Texas Rangers could end sometime this season of another club believes in his spring and long-term future abilities.

Davis has big-time power but has problems making consistent contact due to lack of pitch recognition and a long power swing. He appears to have made little progress in that area this spring, striking out 17 times against three bases on balls.

Still, Davis hits for power -- five homers and seven doubles to produce a .741 slugging percentage in 23 games this month -- which is always an attractive attribute.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are looking for more pop from their first baseman and if they don't get it from James Loney, Davis could be a fit.

- Jason A. Churchill

http://[h3]Phillies dealing with loss of Lidge[/h3]
7:20AM ET

[h5]Brad Lidge | Phillies [/h5]


The Philadelphia Phillies may begin the season with the best rotation in baseball, but the bullpen is a cause for concern with Brad Lidge possibly facing a lengthy stay on the disabled list.

A report in the Delaware News Journal says Lidge could be out until June with a posterior rotator cuff strain.

Todd Zolecki of MLB.com says Lidge could be back as soon as the end of May if everything goes well.

While Ryan Madson appeared to be the closer in waiting a few weeks ago, manager Charlie Manuel and GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said Jose Contreras is his top choice for now. "Ryan has not proven to us he can be a closer in the major leagues," Amaro said. "Can that happen? That's possible. Can we necessarily rely on him to be that guy? I don't think so."

Such news may prompt the Phillies to eventually check around the league for bullpen help. Rumor Central's Jason A. Churchill suggests the Phils might even go after a proven closer such as Heath Bell or David Aardsma, once Aardsma comes back from the DL in April.
 
Pabs, how's my boy Ackley looking? 
laugh.gif


Predictions from Keith Law.
Spoiler [+]
I filed divisional and playoff predictions Friday that will appear in our overall MLB preview package, but for the past few years I've drilled down a little further and eyeballed some won-lost records for all 30 teams while also explaining my logic in my standings and awards predictions.

Here are the picks for 2011:
[h3]AL East[/h3]
[h4]AL East[/h4]
Projected wins and losses in 2011.
[table][tr][th=""]Team[/th][th=""]W[/th][th=""]L[/th][/tr][tr][td]Boston[/td][td]94[/td][td]68[/td][/tr][tr][td]NY Yankees[/td][td]90[/td][td]72[/td][/tr][tr][td]Tampa Bay[/td][td]89[/td][td]73[/td][/tr][tr][td]Toronto[/td][td]83[/td][td]79[/td][/tr][tr][td]Baltimore[/td][td]78[/td][td]84[/td][/tr][/table]

I'd love to tell you the upstart Tampa Bay Rays could do it again, and they're certainly close enough to the Big Two to have a few things fall their way and sneak into the playoffs, but I think they win the title this year of "Best team not playing in the postseason." The Red Sox are the most complete team in the league right now, although I think their run-scoring may fall a little short of expectations, but their run prevention should be among the league's strongest. The Yankees' lineup will be a year older but could benefit from a healthier A-Rod and maybe some Jesus Montero later in the year; their weakness, on the other hand, will be run prevention, and I don't think I'm being controversial if I say they have maybe two starters I trust.

The Blue Jays have a long list of bounceback candidates, led by Adam Lind, Aaron Hill and now-freed Travis Snider, to go with some very intriguing young pitching, although Brandon Morrow's injury and Brett Cecil's lost velocity are bad omens. Baltimore spent some money to improve the big league product this winter, but any progress the Orioles see this year in the standings will come from emerging young stars like Brian Matusz, Matt Wieters or Zach Britton.
[h3]AL Central[/h3]
[h4]AL Central[/h4]
Projected wins and losses in 2011.
[table][tr][th=""]Team[/th][th=""]W[/th][th=""]L[/th][/tr][tr][td]Chicago[/td][td]90[/td][td]72[/td][/tr][tr][td]Minnesota[/td][td]88[/td][td]74[/td][/tr][tr][td]Detroit[/td][td]83[/td][td]79[/td][/tr][tr][td]Cleveland[/td][td]67[/td][td]95[/td][/tr][tr][td]Kansas City[/td][td]64[/td][td]98[/td][/tr][/table]

Adam Dunn seems like an ideal fit for a White Sox team that needed his OBP and some power to offset an inevitable step back by Paul Konerko, and I think their bullpen will once again be among the league's strongest. Their weakness is the back of the rotation, as I've never been an Edwin Jackson believer, and if we heard next week that Jake Peavy would never pitch again I don't think anyone would be surprised. I wonder if the Twins' apparent willingness to trade Francisco Liriano is motivated less by money than by something they know about his health or durability that we don't; this is not typically a rash organization or one that would blithely trade away a piece they need if they're going to contend this year. Detroit's rotation could be pretty strong if you think Rick Porcello turns it around (I was shocked by his struggles last year after such a strong rookie season) and Brad Penny stays healthy, but there's decline written all over that offense, and expensive bullpens are more often expensive than they are effective.

The Royals have a 100-loss team on paper -- or 105 or more -- but they're not going to spend the whole season with that roster; look for Mike Moustakas to get some big league time this year, joined later by Mike Montgomery, John Lamb and Eric Hosmer. I like Cleveland's current roster a little more than I like Kansas City's, but their system offers Lonnie Chisenhall and a number of projected relievers in its upper levels, without the high-end starters the Royals are bringing along.
[h3]AL West[/h3]
[h4]AL West[/h4]
Projected wins and losses in 2011.
[table][tr][th=""]Team[/th][th=""]W[/th][th=""]L[/th][/tr][tr][td]Texas[/td][td]88[/td][td]74[/td][/tr][tr][td]Oakland[/td][td]86[/td][td]76[/td][/tr][tr][td]LA Angels[/td][td]81[/td][td]81[/td][/tr][tr][td]Seattle[/td][td]67[/td][td]95[/td][/tr][/table]

Texas will be worse, and the division will be better, but I don't see Oakland or the Angels surpassing the Rangers without some help from injuries or outlier performances. For all the drama over Michael Young, the real drama in Arlington is in the rotation, an issue that could be easily addressed by returning Neftali Feliz to a starting role. If you could promise me right now that Brett Anderson would throw 180 innings, I might flip the A's into first place even with the questions around their offense, but I think asking him to be healthy and Trevor Cahill to miss enough bats (for which he has the raw stuff) to keep his ERA down and Dallas Braden to keep that smoke-and-mirrors act rolling and so on is probably too much, at least if you're looking for the safe way to bet.

The Angels are worse today than they were at this time last year, even with the addition of Dan Haren, although I admit there's a little part of me that still thinks Howie Kendrick is going to hit .310 one of these years; I might bump them up two wins if I had any faith they'd make Jeff Mathis the infrequently used backup to Hank Conger. King Felix and Seattle's offense should keep games at Safeco moving briskly all season.
[h3]NL East[/h3]
[h4]NL East[/h4]
Projected wins and losses in 2011.
[table][tr][th=""]Team[/th][th=""]W[/th][th=""]L[/th][/tr][tr][td]Philadelphia[/td][td]92[/td][td]70[/td][/tr][tr][td]Atlanta[/td][td]90[/td][td]72[/td][/tr][tr][td]Florida[/td][td]80[/td][td]82[/td][/tr][tr][td]NY Mets[/td][td]77[/td][td]85[/td][/tr][tr][td]Washington[/td][td]72[/td][td]90[/td][/tr][/table]

I don't know how long Chase Utley will be on the shelf, and that win estimate is more likely to be high than low; I still have the Phillies in first because their front four starters are tremendous and should help take pressure off a bullpen that has long been an Achilles' heel. Atlanta has the talent to surpass the Phillies, but they keep trying to sabotage themselves, like talking about batting Jason Heyward sixth, moving Martin Prado to left to install Dan Uggla at second, or choosing Brandon Beachy over Mike Minor based on the tiny sample of spring training.

Florida seems like the most likely team in the NL to make a surprise playoff run given all its young talent, but the roster is thin after that top veneer. The Mets probably aren't an 85-loss team right now, but that front office will look to turn over the roster once the team is clearly out of it. I don't really get the optimism around this year's Nationals team; the rotation is almost as bad as Kansas City's, Danny Espinosa (who's never been that good a hitter) is coming back from hamate surgery, and Jayson Werth is no longer playing at CBP in a contract year.
[h3]NL Central[/h3]
[h4]NL Central[/h4]
Projected wins and losses in 2011.
[table][tr][th=""]Team[/th][th=""]W[/th][th=""]L[/th][/tr][tr][td]Milwaukee[/td][td]88[/td][td]74[/td][/tr][tr][td]Cincinnati[/td][td]87[/td][td]75[/td][/tr][tr][td]St. Louis[/td][td]84[/td][td]78[/td][/tr][tr][td]Chicago[/td][td]77[/td][td]85[/td][/tr][tr][td]Pittsburgh[/td][td]67[/td][td]95[/td][/tr][tr][td]Houston[/td][td]64[/td][td]98[/td][/tr][/table]

This division will be competitive, but it probably won't be good. Even if Zack Greinke were ready to go on Opening Day, you could pick apart the Brewers -- for me the best team on paper in the NL Central -- on defense or bullpen or lack of rotation depth (which I guess is already becoming an issue). I could see the Reds losing value with Scott Rolen's age/health, Johnny Cueto's health, Travis Wood and Mike Leake's workloads, Jonny Gomes' glove and platoon issues, and Joey Votto not hitting like Superman again … but picking much of that value back up with Jay Bruce breaking out, Edinson Volquez returning, Chris Heisey (I hope) taking at-bats from Gomes, and Aroldis Chapman adding another 55-60 high-quality innings to that pen.

The Cardinals couldn't afford to lose a full year of Wainwright, with Jaime Garcia unlikely to repeat his outstanding 2010 campaign and an experiment with Kyle McClellan (a career 4.01 tERA/4.12 xFIP in the bullpen) as Wainwright's replacement looking dicey, to be kind; I wouldn't want to be in their shoes if they're eight or ten games out at the break and have to seriously consider shopping their first baseman. The Pirates and Astros are both 100-loss candidates, although in defense of both clubs, neither has tried to paper over its troubles by signing bad veterans to expensive contracts. The Pirates offer a few more interesting young players to watch, including Pedro Alvarez and Jose Tabata, while the Astros might have more midseason trade bait, like arb-eligible Hunter Pence or Brett Myers (who is signed through 2012).
[h3]NL West[/h3]
[h4]NL West[/h4]
Projected wins and losses in 2011.
[table][tr][th=""]Team[/th][th=""]W[/th][th=""]L[/th][/tr][tr][td]San Francisco[/td][td]90[/td][td]72[/td][/tr][tr][td]Colorado[/td][td]85[/td][td]77[/td][/tr][tr][td]LA Dodgers[/td][td]82[/td][td]80[/td][/tr][tr][td]San Diego[/td][td]79[/td][td]83[/td][/tr][tr][td]Arizona[/td][td]68[/td][td]94[/td][/tr][/table]

The NL West has a bigger gap between favorites and contenders than any other division in the majors, which says as much about the contenders as it does about the favorites. The Giants get a full season of Buster Posey and probably 400 or more at-bats from Brandon Belt to offset declines from Pat Burrell or Aubrey Huff, although I have no idea who's going to catch the ball at shortstop behind the statue of Miguel Tejada they've installed at AT&T park. (If the ball hits the statue, is the play dead?)

The Rockies play great defense, roll out three good-to-great starters and use a two-man lineup with a lot of easy outs. Money troubles aside, the Dodgers have a slew of players who have underperformed given their tools; Matt Kemp has the ability to be the way he was in 2009, but I can't tell you whether the managerial change will turn him around. I might be high on the Padres if Mat Latos isn't going to miss a chunk of the season. He might. Kevin Towers' bullpen magic may not work so well in homer-friendly Chase Field, and the D-backs have a lot of flyball pitchers on their staff to go with an anemic offense.
[h3]Player awards[/h3]
I did try to avoid picking repeat winners here; I don't see any real reason the Cy Young winners couldn't do so again, but it seemed I wouldn't be imparting much useful information if I just named a bunch of guys who won last year. That said, I'm trying to predict who will win these awards, not who will end up deserving them, so if I felt that strongly about any repeater, I would have picked him.

AL MVP: Robinson Cano





Best player on one of the league's best teams at an up-the-middle position. Also considered Evan Longoria (my second choice), Miguel Cabrera, Adrian Gonzalez and Joe Mauer.

NL MVP: Troy Tulowitzki





I get that Carlos Gonzalez is an exciting player, but he's not the best player on his own team, and Gonzalez's difficulties hitting outside of Coors (not just breaking balls but fastballs with movement) are well-documented enough that I think it's fair to say that CarGo's status on MVP ballots is partly a function of his home park. Of course, this could end up Buster Posey's award this year anyway, assuming Albert Pujols doesn't put on a contract-year push for the ages.

AL Cy Young: Jon Lester





I believe I picked Lester last year, and he had a great season even if he wasn't that close to King Felix. He'll get more run support and more defensive support this year, to the extent that either still clouds voters' thinking.

NL Cy Young: Josh Johnson





Was neck-and-neck with Halladay until his season ended early, and he would have at least made the voting close if he'd thrown a full season. Halladay is a monster, but I'm not going to bet on him throwing 250 innings again. I also considered Cliff Lee and Clayton Kershaw, and I like Yovani Gallardo as a dark horse.

AL Rookie of the Year: Jeremy Hellickson





I don't like picking pitchers for this award, but the crop of AL position player rookies isn't strong; J.P. Arencibia would be the leading candidate among the bats. Chris Sale could sneak in here if he ends up the closer in Chicago for more than half the year, and I'd consider Dustin Ackley here if I thought he'd get more than 3½ months in the big leagues.

NL Rookie of the Year: Freddie Freeman





Freeman has a full-time job and no obvious internal replacement if he stumbles out of the gate. If Brandon Belt had a full-time job, I'd lean towards him, although they could pull the plug on him quickly if he struggles.
[h3]Breakout players[/h3]
I chose not to do a breakout candidates column this year for two reasons. One is that last year's list includes a lot of guys I still like but who either didn't break out at all last year (Matt Wieters, Travis Snider) or broke out partway (Jay Bruce, Gordon Beckham). A breakout list that just says "see last year's entry" isn't helping anyone.

The bigger reason is that I don't have enough new names to fill out a whole column. Is it fair to call Logan Morrison or Mike Stanton a breakout candidate when both have already performed so well in half-seasons in the majors? "Buster Posey leads Law's list of breakout candidates" feels a little cheap, although you'd probably click on it anyway to see if I'd mailed in my column or something.

Anyway, a few young players whom I like to be better in 2011 than they were in 2010 include Baltimore LHP Brian Matusz, Pittsburgh RHP James McDonald (finally left alone in a starting role?), Arizona CF Chris Young, Cleveland CF Michael Brantley and Seattle 1B Justin Smoak. I might have included Toronto RHP Brandon Morrow or Milwaukee LHP Manny Parra (assuming he was moved to the bullpen) had either been healthy. And I'll mention that one name I've heard scouts out here talk up this spring is Texas 1B Mitch Moreland, who looks stronger and has shown more power in BP.

Piece on A-Rod.

Spoiler [+]
TAMPA, Fla. -- As he packed a bag at his locker Tuesday morning, Mark Teixeira talked about Alex Rodriguez, and about how much time it takes to recover from surgery. If you recall, Rodriguez had hip surgery in the spring of 2009 -- a procedure that is relatively new in baseball -- and at the end of last season, he looked wooden in the field and at the plate, struggling to move laterally.

http:///sports.espn.go.com/espn/gallery/enlargePhoto?id=6272640&story=6272602">http://sports.espn.go.com...272640&...idth=440,height=750,scrollbars=no,noresize'); return false;" href="http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog?name=olney_buster&id=6272602#">[+] Enlarge
in_u_rodrigueza_200.jpg

Derick E. Hingle/US PresswireA-Rod is as healthy as he's been in years.

But Rodriguez has dropped weight, greatly improved his flexibility, and as Teixeira noted, he has had more time to heal, to get past the effects of his surgery. Rodriguez has had a spectacular spring, with a slugging percentage of .936 going into the Yankees' last exhibition.

"I played with Alex in 2003, in Texas," Teixeira said. "To me, this is like the Alex of 2003. … This is the sharpest he has looked since 2003."

Rick Porcello started against the Yankees in Tuesday's exhibition, the final spring game for both teams, and Rodriguez came to the plate with the bases loaded and one out, and after falling behind in the count, Rodriguez dug himself out of a hole, fouling off a couple of tough pitches. By the end of his at-bat, Rodriguez was taking vicious cuts, barely missing a couple of pitches, and Porcello, working carefully, wound up walking him to force in a run.

A little while later, Rodriguez darted to his right to intercept a ground ball, and he got to his feet and threw to first base to cut down a runner. He has made plays to his right this spring, Joe Girardi mentioned earlier in the day, that you would not have seen last year.

Like all teams, the Yankees will open the season with questions, about the back end of their rotation, in particular. But they appear to have an answer in Alex Rodriguez, who seems poised to have the kind of season he had in 2007, or 2003.

• Generally, it was a good spring for the Yankees in finding solutions; Ivan Nova has looked good, Bartolo Colon appears to be capable of being a weapon, with his fastball humming in the low to mid-90s, and the Yankees might have struck it big (given the price) with Eric Chavez, who feels like he has rediscovered some power in his swing.

Other teams that found answers this spring: The Giants, who look nothing like a club with a spring hangover and everything like a team intent on repeating, with a slimmed-down Pablo Sandoval prepared for a rebound season; the Rockies, who could have a dominant bullpen, because of all the power arms at Jim Tracy's disposal; the Braves, who got great work out of their two young closer candidates, Craig Kimbrel and Jonny Venters, and out of rookie first baseman Freddie Freeman; and Oakland, which appears to have the deepest pitching staff of any team in the majors.

Girardi is optimistic as the Yankees' season is set to begin.

• Grady Sizemore's spring has given the Indians a sense of optimism, writes Paul Hoynes. It still looks like Sizemore could be back around tax day.

Chase Utley told reporters the other day that his goal is to come back before the All-Star break, and Brad Lidge is out at least three to six weeks; shoulder strains can be completely unpredictable. As mentioned yesterday, rival executives believe the Phillies will be very aggressive during the season in looking to add pieces for their everyday lineup; remember, this is a front office that has made deals for Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee twice in the past 21 months.

And it's also worth bringing back this little nugget from a column last month: The Phillies appear to have one of the easiest schedules of any team in the majors in the first part of the season. Only seven of their first 31 games are against clubs that had records over .500 last year, with only one series against the Reds and Giants before the All-Star break. It's a nice break for them that early in the year, when their lineup will probably be at its weakest, they will get to see some of the weakest teams, with that incredible rotation.

The toughest opening schedule in the NL: The Arizona Diamondbacks, with 27 of their first 37 games against teams with records over .500.

To review, the toughest opening schedule in the AL belongs to the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Royals have the easiest.

• Frank and Jamie McCourt are quietly working on a settlement.

In a related story: Andre Ethier indicates his days with the Dodgers may be numbered.

Earlier this spring, I had a conversation with a respected executive about the Dodgers. "Where will they be in five years?" he asked. "They've got [Matt] Kemp and Ethier and [Clayton] Kershaw now, but they don't have a lot coming up behind them. If McCourt has to sell the team, the guy who takes over is going to have a big challenge on his hands."

A Dodgers fan would rather eat his tickets than have lunch with Frank McCourt, writes Bill Plaschke. From the column, about a season-ticket holder:
  • After all these years, Brian Gadinsky was invited to lunch with the owner of the Dodgers.
    And he turned it down.

    He turned it down for the same reason he had earlier trashed his season-ticket renewal notice, which led to the invitation in the first place.

    He turned it down because it would mean breaking bread with Frank McCourt, and he is done with Frank McCourt.

    "My friends all asked me if I was crazy," Gadinsky said. "I told them, no, I am just tired. ... I am tired of being loyal to a man who has not returned that loyalty."
• Baseball has established a seven-day disabled list to deal with concussion symptoms. A smart move, a good decision.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. The Blue Jays decided to start Edwin Encarnacion at third base, with Jose Bautista moving to right field. Look, in a very short time, Brett Lawrie will be summoned from the minors, and so it's a no-brainer to facilitate Bautista's comfort at the plate. Toronto is paying him to hit, and not because of his glove; John Farrell might as well put him in right field now.

2. Alex Gordon has been so good this spring that he will hit third for the Royals.

3. The Giants are deciding what to do with Brandon Belt. This is a big decision, writes Tim Kawakami. If the Giants open the season with Belt in the minors and keep him there for less than two weeks, that would ensure that he could not become a free agent until after the 2017 season. If he starts the year in the big leagues and remains, he would become eligible for free agency after 2016. From someone familiar with service-time rules: "In most seasons the season is 183 days long -- this year it is actually 182 days long. In order to avoid a full year's service time a player must have less than 172 days in that season. In other words, the Giants -- in this hypothetical situation -- would want to make sure Belt is off the ML roster for at least 11 days. And maybe, because of one less day in the season, they would do 12 days. At 11 days the cutoff would be April 10; at 12 days the cutoff would be April 11."

To play devil's advocate: Belt is clearly going to be the first baseman by mid-April, at the latest, and the Giants should consider the possibility that Belt will help them win a couple of games early in the year -- and as they know from last season's NL West race, one or two wins could make all the difference. From a big-picture perspective, it would be a no-brainer: They should leave Belt in the minors for at least a couple of weeks to control his service time.

4. Terry Francona must decide what he's going to do with his lineup against lefties and righties.The guess here is that very soon, he will be platooning J.D. Drew and David Ortiz.

5. Jordan Zimmermann will have an innings limit this season of 150-165.

6. The Padres and Mets swapped former first-rounders.

7. Jeff Suppan was released by the Giants.

8. Mark Hendrickson is thinking about what's next after being cut.

9. The Rays' bullpen has taken shape, Marc Topkin writes.

10. The Rangers settled on their pitching staff, Jeff Wilson writes.

11. Freddie Freeman will hit eighth for the Braves.

12. Scott Cousins is poised to be part of the Marlins' roster to start the year.
[h3]Dings and dents[/h3]
1. Stephen Strasburg is about to embark on the hard part of his rehab, writes Adam Kilgore.

2. Brian Wilson will open the year on the disabled list.

3. Jake Peavy had a good side session, but he is still bummed out.

4. J.J. Putz is ready to go; Stephen Drew is not.

5. Jason Bay could start the year on the disabled list.

6. J.A. Happ could start the year on the disabled list.

7. Jonathan Lucroy has been cleared for action.
[h3]The battle for jobs[/h3]
A Mariners pitcher completed an improbable journey, Geoff Baker writes.
[h3]Tuesday's games[/h3]
1. Scott Kazmir had good results in his final outing; his fastball topped out at 89 mph, Mike DiGiovanna writes.

2. Roy Oswalt is ready to go, after making his last start.

3. Hideki Matsui threw out three hits at the right time.

4. Ross Ohlendorf struggled in his last spring outing.

5. Brett Cecil's velocity climbed.

6. Jaime Garcia had a nice finish to his spring.

Rumors.

Spoiler [+]
http://[h3]Innings limit for Zimmermann[/h3]
11:19AM ET

[h5]Jordan Zimmermann | Nationals [/h5]


We mentioned Tuesday that the Chicago Cubs will be keeping a close eye on the pitch count of top prospect Andrew Cashner. Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports the Nationals have the same thing in mind for Jordan Zimmermann.

Zimmermann appears to have made a strong recovery from Tommy John Surgery and has enjoyed a solid spring. Kilgore says the Nationals still have yet to decide the precise number of innings, but it will likely fall within the 150-165 range.

Zimmermann will begin the season third in the rotation behind Livan Hernandez and John Lannan.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Decision time on Belt[/h3]
11:19AM ET

[h5]San Francisco Giants [/h5]


It has been one of the most talked-about decisions in all of spring training -- whether the San Francisco Giants will keep uber prospect Brandon Belt around as their starting first baseman.

There is no debate whether Belt is one of the Giants' 25 best players, but the question remains whether the club wants to delay the start of his service time clock while he gets plenty of bats at Triple-A Fresno. John Shea writes in Wednesday's San Francisco Chronicle that the Giants' brass is leaning toward keeping Belt with the big league club.

If Belt stays by the Bay, Shea says that would be bad news for first baseman Travis Ishikawa, who could be the odd man out since the Giants may not be willing to cut Aaron Rowand and eat the $24 million left on his contract.

Aubrey Huff, now the first baseman, would move temporarily to right field until Cody Ross comes off the disabled list. If Belt lands in Frenso, the main beneficiary would be Mark DeRosa, writes Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News.

Our Buster Olney gives his take on the big decision in Wednesday's blog:

- Doug Mittler

olney_buster_30.jpg
[h5]Buster Olney[/h5]
Tough decision on Belt
"To play Devil's Advocate: Belt is clearly going to be the first baseman by mid-April, at the latest, and the Giants should consider the possibility that Belt will help them win a couple of games early in the year -- and as they know from last season's NL West race, one or two wins could make all the difference. From a big-picture perspective, it would be a no-brainer: They should leave Belt in the minors for at least a couple of weeks to control his service time."
http://[h3]Finding a place for Mather[/h3]
11:03AM ET

[h5]Joe Mather | Cardinals [/h5]


Joe Mather failed to win a utility spot with the Atlanta Braves after being claimed him off waivers from the Cardinals, but he still could find his way back to the big leagues.

Mather was outrighted to Triple-A Gwinnett Tuesday, but Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta JC says he is a good candidate for a promotion if he turns the corner offensively.

Mather hit just .137 (7-for-51) this spring and is a .233 hitter in parts of two seasons with the Braves.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Bautista's move to the outfield[/h3]
10:46AM ET

[h5]Jose Bautista | Blue Jays [/h5]


The decision of the Toronto Blue Jays to move Jose Bautista from third base to right field makes plenty of sense, even if the timing seems curious.

Up until Tuesday, Bautista was expected to play third, but manager John Farrell called an audible by moving Edwin Encarnacion to third base and naming Juan Rivera as his full-time designated hitter.

Bautista is no stranger to the outfield, so the transition will be a minimal one. In fact, he tied for second in the American League with 14 outfield assists in 2010. Those numbers came despite the fact that he started 45 games at third base.

Farrell says the main reason for the move was the strong play of Encarnacion, but ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney writes in Wednesday's blog that there is another factor:

- Doug Mittler

olney_buster_30.jpg
[h5]Buster Olney[/h5]
Lawrie headed to third base
"Look, in a very short time, Brett Lawrie will be summoned from the minors, and so it's a no-brainer to facilitate Bautista's comfort at the plate. Toronto is paying him to hit, and not because of his glove; John Farrell might as well put him in right field now."

http://[h3]Ethier's future in Hollywood[/h3]
10:25AM ET

[h5]Andre Ethier | Dodgers [/h5]


Andre Ethier is hinting that 2011 could be his final season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, even if his team will ultimately have the final say.

The right fielder did not back off from comments he made to the Associated Press Monday night in which he said "a lot of signs are pointing" to him leaving the club after last season. Ethier is entering the final season of a two-year, $15.25 million contract that will pay him $9.25 million this year, but is not eligible for free agency until after 2012.

Ethier was leading the NL in all of the Triple Crown categories when he broke his pinkie last May.

Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com calls Ethier's comments a "cry for action" from a team that may not have the financial resources to hand out a mega-contract.

On the flip side, Ethier could be trying to get the Dodgers to cut him loose in a cost-cutting move, just as they did to Russell Martin last winter.

Our Buster Olney says Ethier might have a good reason for wanting his days in LA to be numbered:

- Doug Mittler

olney_buster_30.jpg
[h5]Buster Olney[/h5]
The future in LA
"Earlier this spring, I had a conversation with a respected executive about the Dodgers. 'Where will they be in five years?' he asked. 'They've got [Matt] Kemp and Ethier and [Clayton] Kershaw now, but they don't have a lot coming up behind them. If Frank McCourt has to sell the team, the guy who takes over is going to have a big challenge on his hands.'"

http://[h3]Happ could miss start vs. Oswalt[/h3]
10:12AM ET

[h5]J.A. Happ | Astros [/h5]


The Houston Astros could be shuffling their rotation for a weekend series in Philadelphia after J.A. Happ was forced to leave Tuesday's game against their Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City after three innings with a strained right oblique.

Happ is slated to pitch Sunday against Roy Oswalt, the pitcher he was traded for last July.

Bud Norris and Nelson Figueroa, listed as the fourth and fifth starters, could each move up a slot in the rotation. One possibility for fifth starter is Ryan Rowland-Smith, who lost out to Figueroa, in the spring competition, or long reliever Aneury Rodriguez.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Mets options without Bay[/h3]
10:00AM ET

[h5]Jason Bay | Mets [/h5]


The New York Mets have a new manager and general manager, but also the same old back luck.

Left fielder Jason Bay was scratched from Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals with discomfort in his left side and could be headed to the disabled list, reports Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.

The Mets had spent all spring answering questions about the health of right fielder Carlos Beltran, who has been plagued by knee problems but appears ready for Opening Day. The Mets already will be without ace Johan Santana for a good portion of the season following elbow surgery while backup catcher Ronny Paulino is likely headed to the DL.

The likely candidate to replace Bay in left field would be Lucas Duda, who batted just .202 after a September call-up but had a solid spring. Another option is Willie Harris, who is expected to back up Beltran in right.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Shortstop issues in the desert[/h3]
9:37AM ET

[h5]Stephen Drew | Diamondbacks [/h5]


The Arizona Diamondbacks face a sticky situation at shortstop after sending Stephen Drew for an MRI on an abdominal injury that has bothered him for a few weeks.

While the results of the MRI were "negative" and the infielder is not expected to need a trip to the disabled list, Drew's availability for Opening Day is in doubt, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.

The club's best backup option is Tony Abreu, but he reportedly has been placed on waivers and may not clear in time for Friday's game in Colorado. Utility man Willie Bloomquist has experience at shortstop, but the D-backs see him as an option for only a game or two.

Look for the D-backs to keep a close eye on teams making final cuts Wednesday.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Wednesday test for Stewart[/h3]
8:36AM ET

[h5]Ian Stewart | Rockies [/h5]


Ian Stewart could still hit the disabled list, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post, who adds that the third baseman will stay behind in Scottsdale to continue to get at-bats and rehab.

Renck adds that Stewart will serve as a DH in a minor league game Wednesday. If his hamstring responds positively, Stewart will be in the Rockies' Opening Day lineup on Friday.

Stewart left a game Monday with a hamstring problem, which may or may not be related to his knee injury, but was not in the lineup versus Seattle Tuesday. Ty Wigginton, who could share time at the hot corner with Jose Lopez, started in Stewart's place.

The club acquired Josh Fields Monday as insurance, but if the Rockies use Jonathan Herrera at second base to start the season, it appears Fields will not be needed in the big leagues whether Stewart breaks camp on the 25-man or not -- which appears highly unlikely at this stage.

- Jason A. Churchill

http://[h3]Granderson's Opening Day status[/h3]
8:22AM ET

[h5]Curtis Granderson | Yankees [/h5]


UPDATE: Granderson says he feels better about his chances of playing Thursday after participating in a workout Tuesday.

--

We mentioned last week that the New York Yankees might need to do some shuffling in the outfield, at least temporarily, if Curtis Granderson is forced to miss the start of the season with an oblique strain.

George King of the New York Post writes Granderson is optimistic he can play in Thursday's opener against the Tigers if he is able to compete in minor league games Tuesday and Wednesday.

If Granderson is sidelined, Brett Gardner would move back to center field, leaving more playing time in left field to Andruw Jones.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Suppan looking for work[/h3]
8:15AM ET

[h5]Jeff Suppan | Giants [/h5]


The San Francisco Giants ended up having no need for Jeff Suppan, so the team has parted ways with the veteran right-hander who was signed as an insurance policy, reports John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Shea reports that Suppan would have made the club if the Giants were not so pitching-rich. Suppan has not had a winning record since 2006 nor had an ERA below 4.00 since 2005, but may have worked out some mechanical problems this spring.

With Suppan no longer around, Ryan Vogelsong would assume the role of spot starter of needed.

Suppan could be attractive to a team looking for a fifth starter on a temporary basis. One possibility could be the Padres, who will begin the year with Mat Latos on the disabled list.

- Doug Mittler

http://[h3]Davis a step closer to a trade?[/h3]
7:21AM ET

[h5]Chris Davis | Rangers [/h5]


Despite a solid spring, Chris Davis was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City Tuesday to make room for Mitch Moreland, Michael Young and Mike Napoli to man first base and the DH spot. Davis' tenure with the Texas Rangers could end sometime this season of another club believes in his spring and long-term future abilities.

Davis has big-time power but has problems making consistent contact due to lack of pitch recognition and a long power swing. He appears to have made little progress in that area this spring, striking out 17 times against three bases on balls.

Still, Davis hits for power -- five homers and seven doubles to produce a .741 slugging percentage in 23 games this month -- which is always an attractive attribute.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are looking for more pop from their first baseman and if they don't get it from James Loney, Davis could be a fit.

- Jason A. Churchill

http://[h3]Phillies dealing with loss of Lidge[/h3]
7:20AM ET

[h5]Brad Lidge | Phillies [/h5]


The Philadelphia Phillies may begin the season with the best rotation in baseball, but the bullpen is a cause for concern with Brad Lidge possibly facing a lengthy stay on the disabled list.

A report in the Delaware News Journal says Lidge could be out until June with a posterior rotator cuff strain.

Todd Zolecki of MLB.com says Lidge could be back as soon as the end of May if everything goes well.

While Ryan Madson appeared to be the closer in waiting a few weeks ago, manager Charlie Manuel and GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said Jose Contreras is his top choice for now. "Ryan has not proven to us he can be a closer in the major leagues," Amaro said. "Can that happen? That's possible. Can we necessarily rely on him to be that guy? I don't think so."

Such news may prompt the Phillies to eventually check around the league for bullpen help. Rumor Central's Jason A. Churchill suggests the Phils might even go after a proven closer such as Heath Bell or David Aardsma, once Aardsma comes back from the DL in April.
 
Mets piece.

Spoiler [+]
If you spent all winter reading headlines, you might think that the Mets are in a bad position now. The stories that defined the team’s off-season — Johan Santana missing at least the first half, two injury-prone pitchers inhabiting the back of the rotation, ownership’s financial situation — don’t paint a pretty picture. But quietly the Mets’ new front office has assembled a team that might surprise those who haven’t dug deeply enough. Particularly impressive is the bullpen. It contains a number of underrated pitchers who together could form one of the stronger units in the NL.

Despite the turmoil surrounding him, Francisco Rodriguez remains one of the game’s elite relievers. He had something of a rough transition to New York, producing a 3.71 ERA and 4.01 FIP (4.23 xFIP) during his first season. But last year he returned to normal levels, and even displayed more control has he had a 2.20 ERA and 2.63 FIP in 57.1 innings. If he remains healthy he’ll again anchor the bullpen. This year he figures to have a strong supporting cast.

The names Bobby Parnell, Taylor Buchholz, .J. Carrasco, Tim Byrdak, Blaine Boyer, and Pedro Beato might not seem impressive at first glance. Yet they all bring skills to the table that can be invaluable in creating a quality bullpen. Among them you’ll find strikeouts, control, ground balls, upside, and left-handedness. But don’t just take my word for it. Check out the projections. We’ll use ZiPS for this exercise.

metsbullpen.jpg


If we were to plug these numbers into last year’s rankings, that would have placed the Mets 14th in ERA and 10th in FIP. The 2009 team finished a bit better in ERA and at the same level in FIP, but that’s kind of the point. The general perception is that the Mets got worse, but the reality doesn’t match up. The guys slated to break camp with the team represent a quality cadre of relievers by any standard. There are reinforcements, too. Jason Isringhausen looms as a possibility once he recovers from injury. Beato, too, could beat his projections — at least, that’s the idea behind keeping him on the 25-man roster.

One testament to the strength of the Mets bullpen came today, when the team designated Manny Acosta for assignment this morning. Acosta is no great shakes. In his 153.2 MLB innings he has produced a 3.40 ERA and 4.47 FIP. Last year, though, he was one of the Mets best relievers, with a 2.95 ERA and 3.63 FIP. Relievers with those types of results who can strike out more than a batter per inning are normally valuable; it would be surprising to see a second division team claim Acosta on waivers. But the Mets have enough confidence in their other guys that they felt the right move was removing another one of its top relievers from 2010.

The real surprise from the Mets bullpen comes from its complete makeover. Of the seven relievers, only two, Rodriguez and Parnell, pitched with the team last season. During the off-season they lost Pedro Feliciano and Hisanori Takahashi, both of whom provided more value last season than any Mets reliever not named Francisco. Yet they’re coming back with a unit that projects to be only slightly worse. If they catch a lucky break with Beato and Parnell pitches like he did during his time in the majors last year, the bullpen could be even stronger.

The 2011 Mets have plenty of weaknesses. Yet one area where they figure to excel is the bullpen. It took a near-complete off-season makeover, but the new administration has apparently assembled a group of fine, underrated pitchers to handle relief duty. They might not represent the best group of relievers in the NL, but they’ll finish in the top half. That might not seem like high expectations, but given the general perception of the Mets in 2011, it certainly will surprise some people.

Have this series on Organizational Rankings, I'll go from bottom to top.
Astros #30.

Spoiler [+]
Sorry, Astros fans – for the second year in a row, your team is bringing up the rear.

Present Talent – 65.00 (30th)

Astros Season Preview

Future Talent – 65.00 (30th)

Astros Top 10 Prospects

Financial Resources – 72.69 (23rd)
Baseball Operations – 62.50 (30th)

Overall Rating – 66.68 (30th)

Things aren’t going very well down in Houston. In addition to having both the worst rated major league roster and the bleakest future outlook in terms of talent, the Astros also scored the lowest grade of any baseball operations department, and were in the bottom tier of teams in terms of financial resources. There isn’t just one glaring problem here – it’s a collection of wide-ranging issues that harm the team’s chances of winning now or any time in the foreseeable future.

Put simply, it’s hard to find too many things to be optimistic about. Their best asset is probably the somewhat generous payrolls that Drayton McLane has funded, but even that strength is hampered by low quality contracts that are eating away at the team’s effective payroll for the next several years. For instance, they’re paying Roy Oswalt $7 million this year to pitch for the Phillies, and Carlos Lee is earning $19 million in the hopes that he might return to being an average player. That’s $26 million that is basically wasted money off their 2011 payroll, so their actual amount of money to build value with is smaller than it might appear on the surface.

Going forward, things aren’t going to get a whole lot better. Lee’s contract expires at the end of next season, but a good chunk of that money will simply need to be reallocated to Hunter Pence to keep him around as he gets expensive in his final two arbitration seasons. The Astros simply don’t have much in the way of cost-controlled young talent to build around, as the roster is mostly filled with aging expensive players, and the building blocks they do have are all getting to the point where their contracts are nearing market value.

If the Astros had demonstrated organizational strengths that allowed them to bring in young, cheap talent to surround guys like Pence and Wandy Rodriguez, there would be some reasons for optimism. Instead, however, the plan has been (and continues to be) to use resources on guys like Clint Barmes, Bill Hall, and Brandon Lyon, all of whom could be useful role players to a contender but serve to offer no real long term value to Houston as they try and rebuild. The team has revamped their scouting department after years of not investing in the draft, and while that could pay off long term, the help won’t come any time soon.

You don’t have to be a sabermetric-leaning organization to win baseball games or grade out well in these rankings. The Twins, Braves, and Angels have all created consistent winners without heavy integration with the kinds of things that we talk about a lot around here, and they’ve all gained the respect of their opponents with their abilities to scout and develop talent. The Astros, however, have turned a blind-eye to many of the advances in analyzing the game while simultaneously failing at the traditional parts as well.

The organization just needs significant changes. With Drayton McLane putting the team up for sale, perhaps there is hope that new ownership can provide a new direction and eventually get this team back on course. However, with the pace of ownership transfers in MLB and the significant amount of work to be done by whoever takes over, this will not be a quick fix. There are long-standing problems in place that can’t be patched over, and it will likely take a total overhaul to get things back on track in Houston.

If there is good news, it’s likely that things have reached a point where these problems can no longer be ignored. The Astros have averaged 75 wins per year the last two seasons, and they’ll probably be lucky to match that number this season. Consistent irrelevance in the NL Central will likely be enough to force the changes that are long overdue in Houston. Sometimes, it’s necessary to hit rock bottom. The Astros are pretty close to that now, so there’s only one way to go from here. It’s just going to be a long, slow climb to the top.

Diamondbacks #29.

Spoiler [+]
Quite the fall from grace – not that long ago viewed as one of the best young teams in baseball, the Diamondbacks are rebuilding once again.

Present Talent – 69.17 (26th)

Diamondbacks 2011 Season Preview

Future Talent – 80.00 (t-16th)

Diamondbacks 2011 top 10 prospects

Financial Resources – 69.62 (27th)
Baseball Operations – 75.00 (t-25th)


Overall Rating – 72.38 (29th)

The Diamondbacks front office has been in transition since the middle of 2010. On July 1 ownership fired GM Josh Byrnes, just two and a half years after signing him to an eight-year extension. That left Jerry DiPoto in charge of the team for a few months until management hired Kevin Towers to take over the role.

Towers has more experience than most GMs in the game, having led the San Diego Padres from 1995 through 2009. Yet Arizona’s baseball operations score ranks tied for 25th in the league, along with Washington, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh. Why such a low mark, then, just a year after we ranked Arizona No. 16? The front office changes certainly play a large role.

Through the start of last season the team had a long-term plan in place. Josh Byrnes was under contract through the 2015 season, and there was little reason to believe his job was in jeopardy. The team had finished last in 2009, but finished first or second in the previous two seasons. But when things fell apart in 2010 ownership wasted little time in making a change.

The Diamondbacks do have quality people in place. We know Towers’ pedigree, both as a scout and as a GM. He has already helped improve the Diamondbacks, and while the team will likely finish last again in 2011, he’ll likely have them out of that position in 2012. If professional scout Joe Bohringer, whom we met twice during the FanGraphs Arizona trip, is any indication, the team also has hard-working, enlightened members in its scouting department.

Chances are we’ll see Arizona with a much better baseball ops score next year. But for now, with a major change to the team’s long-term plans and three general managers in the last year, the low score is understandable.

On the financial side, since their tremendous turn-of-the-century outlays, the Diamondbacks have been a team on a budget. In fact, the team’s current financial situation is largely dictated by the $268.9 million the team paid its players from 2001 through 2003. It’s not as bad now as it was in 2004, when the team owed $200 million to players who helped win the franchise only World Series title. But as of last April the team still owed $40 million to long-gone players.

Last year owner Ken Kendrick spoke with The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro regarding the team’s financial situation. In addition to the $40 million still owed to former players, Kendrick also talked about the team’s payroll and profit situations:
If the team doesn’t perform well and we’re in a tough economy and we have the payroll where we have it, then it’s going to be tough to make a profit. We’ll deal with that when and if it comes. Our focus is putting a good team on the field, having a team that appeals to the fans and generating increases in attendance, and therefore revenue.

The team didn’t perform well last year, and ownership responded by having an interim GM trade its best pitcher. Losing Dan Haren was a further blow to a struggling team, but the team’s financial situation puts it in the type of position where such a move might become necessary. This shouldn’t prove an issue this year, since payroll will check in under $60 million and no player on the team will make more than $5.85 million. But it is clear that the team needs a contender in order to boost payroll beyond that point. At this point that appears to mean building a contender on the cheap and then raising payroll once they start winning again. That’s never a comfortable position for any team.

Just a year after ranking No. 16 on our organizational list, the Diamondbacks have fallen all the way to No. 29. In many ways it speak to problems that brew below the surface, which only come to light later. Heading into 2010 it appeared that the Diamondbacks were a quality franchise that had suffered an unlucky 2009. But throughout the season it became apparent that they were a bit worse than that. They might now be in good hands with Kevin Towers, but it’s going to take plenty of work, and some lucky breaks from the farm system, for Arizona to again climb the organizational ranks.


Pirates #28

Spoiler [+]
The Pirates have some strength on the farm (though, it should be noted, that tie for 5th place is a 10-way tie, as Marc and Reed handled the prospect ratings, and with just two voters, the organizations are clustered more tightly in that section), but they are not very well regarded in the other three areas, and so they find themselves in the bottom tier once again.

Major League Talent: 67.50 (t-27th)

Pirates Season Preview

Minor League Talent: 85.00 (t-5th)

Pirates Top 10 Prospects

Financial: 70.38 (27th)
Baseball Operations: 75.00 (t-25th)

Overall Rating – 72.87 (28th)

In some ways, the Pittsburgh Pirates are the National League Central’s answer to the Cleveland Indians. Both are led by forward-thinking front offices, and Pirates’ General Manager Neal Huntington was a member of Cleveland’s front office for about ten years. Both front offices have hired prominent internet “saberists
 
Mets piece.

Spoiler [+]
If you spent all winter reading headlines, you might think that the Mets are in a bad position now. The stories that defined the team’s off-season — Johan Santana missing at least the first half, two injury-prone pitchers inhabiting the back of the rotation, ownership’s financial situation — don’t paint a pretty picture. But quietly the Mets’ new front office has assembled a team that might surprise those who haven’t dug deeply enough. Particularly impressive is the bullpen. It contains a number of underrated pitchers who together could form one of the stronger units in the NL.

Despite the turmoil surrounding him, Francisco Rodriguez remains one of the game’s elite relievers. He had something of a rough transition to New York, producing a 3.71 ERA and 4.01 FIP (4.23 xFIP) during his first season. But last year he returned to normal levels, and even displayed more control has he had a 2.20 ERA and 2.63 FIP in 57.1 innings. If he remains healthy he’ll again anchor the bullpen. This year he figures to have a strong supporting cast.

The names Bobby Parnell, Taylor Buchholz, .J. Carrasco, Tim Byrdak, Blaine Boyer, and Pedro Beato might not seem impressive at first glance. Yet they all bring skills to the table that can be invaluable in creating a quality bullpen. Among them you’ll find strikeouts, control, ground balls, upside, and left-handedness. But don’t just take my word for it. Check out the projections. We’ll use ZiPS for this exercise.

metsbullpen.jpg


If we were to plug these numbers into last year’s rankings, that would have placed the Mets 14th in ERA and 10th in FIP. The 2009 team finished a bit better in ERA and at the same level in FIP, but that’s kind of the point. The general perception is that the Mets got worse, but the reality doesn’t match up. The guys slated to break camp with the team represent a quality cadre of relievers by any standard. There are reinforcements, too. Jason Isringhausen looms as a possibility once he recovers from injury. Beato, too, could beat his projections — at least, that’s the idea behind keeping him on the 25-man roster.

One testament to the strength of the Mets bullpen came today, when the team designated Manny Acosta for assignment this morning. Acosta is no great shakes. In his 153.2 MLB innings he has produced a 3.40 ERA and 4.47 FIP. Last year, though, he was one of the Mets best relievers, with a 2.95 ERA and 3.63 FIP. Relievers with those types of results who can strike out more than a batter per inning are normally valuable; it would be surprising to see a second division team claim Acosta on waivers. But the Mets have enough confidence in their other guys that they felt the right move was removing another one of its top relievers from 2010.

The real surprise from the Mets bullpen comes from its complete makeover. Of the seven relievers, only two, Rodriguez and Parnell, pitched with the team last season. During the off-season they lost Pedro Feliciano and Hisanori Takahashi, both of whom provided more value last season than any Mets reliever not named Francisco. Yet they’re coming back with a unit that projects to be only slightly worse. If they catch a lucky break with Beato and Parnell pitches like he did during his time in the majors last year, the bullpen could be even stronger.

The 2011 Mets have plenty of weaknesses. Yet one area where they figure to excel is the bullpen. It took a near-complete off-season makeover, but the new administration has apparently assembled a group of fine, underrated pitchers to handle relief duty. They might not represent the best group of relievers in the NL, but they’ll finish in the top half. That might not seem like high expectations, but given the general perception of the Mets in 2011, it certainly will surprise some people.

Have this series on Organizational Rankings, I'll go from bottom to top.
Astros #30.

Spoiler [+]
Sorry, Astros fans – for the second year in a row, your team is bringing up the rear.

Present Talent – 65.00 (30th)

Astros Season Preview

Future Talent – 65.00 (30th)

Astros Top 10 Prospects

Financial Resources – 72.69 (23rd)
Baseball Operations – 62.50 (30th)

Overall Rating – 66.68 (30th)

Things aren’t going very well down in Houston. In addition to having both the worst rated major league roster and the bleakest future outlook in terms of talent, the Astros also scored the lowest grade of any baseball operations department, and were in the bottom tier of teams in terms of financial resources. There isn’t just one glaring problem here – it’s a collection of wide-ranging issues that harm the team’s chances of winning now or any time in the foreseeable future.

Put simply, it’s hard to find too many things to be optimistic about. Their best asset is probably the somewhat generous payrolls that Drayton McLane has funded, but even that strength is hampered by low quality contracts that are eating away at the team’s effective payroll for the next several years. For instance, they’re paying Roy Oswalt $7 million this year to pitch for the Phillies, and Carlos Lee is earning $19 million in the hopes that he might return to being an average player. That’s $26 million that is basically wasted money off their 2011 payroll, so their actual amount of money to build value with is smaller than it might appear on the surface.

Going forward, things aren’t going to get a whole lot better. Lee’s contract expires at the end of next season, but a good chunk of that money will simply need to be reallocated to Hunter Pence to keep him around as he gets expensive in his final two arbitration seasons. The Astros simply don’t have much in the way of cost-controlled young talent to build around, as the roster is mostly filled with aging expensive players, and the building blocks they do have are all getting to the point where their contracts are nearing market value.

If the Astros had demonstrated organizational strengths that allowed them to bring in young, cheap talent to surround guys like Pence and Wandy Rodriguez, there would be some reasons for optimism. Instead, however, the plan has been (and continues to be) to use resources on guys like Clint Barmes, Bill Hall, and Brandon Lyon, all of whom could be useful role players to a contender but serve to offer no real long term value to Houston as they try and rebuild. The team has revamped their scouting department after years of not investing in the draft, and while that could pay off long term, the help won’t come any time soon.

You don’t have to be a sabermetric-leaning organization to win baseball games or grade out well in these rankings. The Twins, Braves, and Angels have all created consistent winners without heavy integration with the kinds of things that we talk about a lot around here, and they’ve all gained the respect of their opponents with their abilities to scout and develop talent. The Astros, however, have turned a blind-eye to many of the advances in analyzing the game while simultaneously failing at the traditional parts as well.

The organization just needs significant changes. With Drayton McLane putting the team up for sale, perhaps there is hope that new ownership can provide a new direction and eventually get this team back on course. However, with the pace of ownership transfers in MLB and the significant amount of work to be done by whoever takes over, this will not be a quick fix. There are long-standing problems in place that can’t be patched over, and it will likely take a total overhaul to get things back on track in Houston.

If there is good news, it’s likely that things have reached a point where these problems can no longer be ignored. The Astros have averaged 75 wins per year the last two seasons, and they’ll probably be lucky to match that number this season. Consistent irrelevance in the NL Central will likely be enough to force the changes that are long overdue in Houston. Sometimes, it’s necessary to hit rock bottom. The Astros are pretty close to that now, so there’s only one way to go from here. It’s just going to be a long, slow climb to the top.

Diamondbacks #29.

Spoiler [+]
Quite the fall from grace – not that long ago viewed as one of the best young teams in baseball, the Diamondbacks are rebuilding once again.

Present Talent – 69.17 (26th)

Diamondbacks 2011 Season Preview

Future Talent – 80.00 (t-16th)

Diamondbacks 2011 top 10 prospects

Financial Resources – 69.62 (27th)
Baseball Operations – 75.00 (t-25th)


Overall Rating – 72.38 (29th)

The Diamondbacks front office has been in transition since the middle of 2010. On July 1 ownership fired GM Josh Byrnes, just two and a half years after signing him to an eight-year extension. That left Jerry DiPoto in charge of the team for a few months until management hired Kevin Towers to take over the role.

Towers has more experience than most GMs in the game, having led the San Diego Padres from 1995 through 2009. Yet Arizona’s baseball operations score ranks tied for 25th in the league, along with Washington, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh. Why such a low mark, then, just a year after we ranked Arizona No. 16? The front office changes certainly play a large role.

Through the start of last season the team had a long-term plan in place. Josh Byrnes was under contract through the 2015 season, and there was little reason to believe his job was in jeopardy. The team had finished last in 2009, but finished first or second in the previous two seasons. But when things fell apart in 2010 ownership wasted little time in making a change.

The Diamondbacks do have quality people in place. We know Towers’ pedigree, both as a scout and as a GM. He has already helped improve the Diamondbacks, and while the team will likely finish last again in 2011, he’ll likely have them out of that position in 2012. If professional scout Joe Bohringer, whom we met twice during the FanGraphs Arizona trip, is any indication, the team also has hard-working, enlightened members in its scouting department.

Chances are we’ll see Arizona with a much better baseball ops score next year. But for now, with a major change to the team’s long-term plans and three general managers in the last year, the low score is understandable.

On the financial side, since their tremendous turn-of-the-century outlays, the Diamondbacks have been a team on a budget. In fact, the team’s current financial situation is largely dictated by the $268.9 million the team paid its players from 2001 through 2003. It’s not as bad now as it was in 2004, when the team owed $200 million to players who helped win the franchise only World Series title. But as of last April the team still owed $40 million to long-gone players.

Last year owner Ken Kendrick spoke with The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro regarding the team’s financial situation. In addition to the $40 million still owed to former players, Kendrick also talked about the team’s payroll and profit situations:
If the team doesn’t perform well and we’re in a tough economy and we have the payroll where we have it, then it’s going to be tough to make a profit. We’ll deal with that when and if it comes. Our focus is putting a good team on the field, having a team that appeals to the fans and generating increases in attendance, and therefore revenue.

The team didn’t perform well last year, and ownership responded by having an interim GM trade its best pitcher. Losing Dan Haren was a further blow to a struggling team, but the team’s financial situation puts it in the type of position where such a move might become necessary. This shouldn’t prove an issue this year, since payroll will check in under $60 million and no player on the team will make more than $5.85 million. But it is clear that the team needs a contender in order to boost payroll beyond that point. At this point that appears to mean building a contender on the cheap and then raising payroll once they start winning again. That’s never a comfortable position for any team.

Just a year after ranking No. 16 on our organizational list, the Diamondbacks have fallen all the way to No. 29. In many ways it speak to problems that brew below the surface, which only come to light later. Heading into 2010 it appeared that the Diamondbacks were a quality franchise that had suffered an unlucky 2009. But throughout the season it became apparent that they were a bit worse than that. They might now be in good hands with Kevin Towers, but it’s going to take plenty of work, and some lucky breaks from the farm system, for Arizona to again climb the organizational ranks.


Pirates #28

Spoiler [+]
The Pirates have some strength on the farm (though, it should be noted, that tie for 5th place is a 10-way tie, as Marc and Reed handled the prospect ratings, and with just two voters, the organizations are clustered more tightly in that section), but they are not very well regarded in the other three areas, and so they find themselves in the bottom tier once again.

Major League Talent: 67.50 (t-27th)

Pirates Season Preview

Minor League Talent: 85.00 (t-5th)

Pirates Top 10 Prospects

Financial: 70.38 (27th)
Baseball Operations: 75.00 (t-25th)

Overall Rating – 72.87 (28th)

In some ways, the Pittsburgh Pirates are the National League Central’s answer to the Cleveland Indians. Both are led by forward-thinking front offices, and Pirates’ General Manager Neal Huntington was a member of Cleveland’s front office for about ten years. Both front offices have hired prominent internet “saberists
 
Originally Posted by Proshares


Pabs, how's my boy Ackley looking? 
laugh.gif
30t6p3b.gif
laugh.gif


Just got sent to Triple-A not too long ago. He did solid in ST, wasnt hitting too well early but was getting on base at a good rate and still needs some work on the defensive side, he'll be ready in a couple months to come back up
pimp.gif
 
Originally Posted by Proshares


Pabs, how's my boy Ackley looking? 
laugh.gif
30t6p3b.gif
laugh.gif


Just got sent to Triple-A not too long ago. He did solid in ST, wasnt hitting too well early but was getting on base at a good rate and still needs some work on the defensive side, he'll be ready in a couple months to come back up
pimp.gif
 

slideshow
My column from today's paper on Chipper. A season preview of sorts for our local Southeastern daily.

I grabbed my cap off the chain link fence and pulled my socks above the knee.

Orange clay seeped its way into my cleats as I darted across the barren infield, my hands a powdery white from disrupting a portion of chalk along the third base line.

Uncomfortable as it was sporting high socks with the cuff cutting into my calf, I could handle it.

With a fresh pinch of light pink Big League Chew sandwiched between my molars, I was one step closer to becoming a major league ballplayer like my boyhood idol, Chipper Jones.

Seventeen years ago, Chipper was entering his third season with the Atlanta Braves after the strike in 1994 prematurely ended what was supposed to be his first full-length campaign as the franchise’s up-and-coming star.

The following year, he assumed a starting role at the hot corner while I caught pitches from Mark Moore and Co. for the Hope Mills Royals. We finished on a nine-game losing streak and the Braves won the World Series.

By the turn of the century, Chipper was the South’s favorite player, captivating the hearts of thousands of little leaguers whose summer dreams settled a few feet away from the visitor’s dugout at Turner Field.

I was entering the seventh grade, successfully securing a spot in the outfield for the John Griffin Middle baseball team.

What was there not to like about No. 10 at this moment? Chipper was a slick-fielding switch hitter with power who became the face of a franchise that won a MLB record 14 consecutive division titles. He was legendary manager Bobby Cox’s Golden Child, a baseball savior that, along with a Hall-of-Fame pitching staff, created one of the most successful decade-long runs in sports history. Meanwhile, I was years away from meeting my future wife and was more focused on winning a Madden tournament than studying for my history test.

The rest is history.

When the 38-year-old third baseman embarks on season No. 18 Thursday at Nationals Park in Washington, he’ll do so with a renewed sense of self-worth after injuries over the last six years have led to missed starts and down numbers.

Refocused on a final season after coming back from knee surgery, Chipper had a tremendous spring, hitting .407 with a team-leading four homers and 15 RBIs.

Braves fans in D.C. will be eyeing the on-deck circle as Nate McLouth steps to the plate in the top of the first to catch a glimpse of the franchise in the opener of what could be his last hurrah.

Like my abbreviated baseball career, Chipper’s best years are behind him but with that being said, a new lineage of southern youngsters have a chance this season to watch Larry lace them up one last time.

Take advantage of the opporunity.

It won’t last for long.
Read more: The Robesonian - CRAWFORD Seventeen years later  Chipper has same effect
 

slideshow
My column from today's paper on Chipper. A season preview of sorts for our local Southeastern daily.

I grabbed my cap off the chain link fence and pulled my socks above the knee.

Orange clay seeped its way into my cleats as I darted across the barren infield, my hands a powdery white from disrupting a portion of chalk along the third base line.

Uncomfortable as it was sporting high socks with the cuff cutting into my calf, I could handle it.

With a fresh pinch of light pink Big League Chew sandwiched between my molars, I was one step closer to becoming a major league ballplayer like my boyhood idol, Chipper Jones.

Seventeen years ago, Chipper was entering his third season with the Atlanta Braves after the strike in 1994 prematurely ended what was supposed to be his first full-length campaign as the franchise’s up-and-coming star.

The following year, he assumed a starting role at the hot corner while I caught pitches from Mark Moore and Co. for the Hope Mills Royals. We finished on a nine-game losing streak and the Braves won the World Series.

By the turn of the century, Chipper was the South’s favorite player, captivating the hearts of thousands of little leaguers whose summer dreams settled a few feet away from the visitor’s dugout at Turner Field.

I was entering the seventh grade, successfully securing a spot in the outfield for the John Griffin Middle baseball team.

What was there not to like about No. 10 at this moment? Chipper was a slick-fielding switch hitter with power who became the face of a franchise that won a MLB record 14 consecutive division titles. He was legendary manager Bobby Cox’s Golden Child, a baseball savior that, along with a Hall-of-Fame pitching staff, created one of the most successful decade-long runs in sports history. Meanwhile, I was years away from meeting my future wife and was more focused on winning a Madden tournament than studying for my history test.

The rest is history.

When the 38-year-old third baseman embarks on season No. 18 Thursday at Nationals Park in Washington, he’ll do so with a renewed sense of self-worth after injuries over the last six years have led to missed starts and down numbers.

Refocused on a final season after coming back from knee surgery, Chipper had a tremendous spring, hitting .407 with a team-leading four homers and 15 RBIs.

Braves fans in D.C. will be eyeing the on-deck circle as Nate McLouth steps to the plate in the top of the first to catch a glimpse of the franchise in the opener of what could be his last hurrah.

Like my abbreviated baseball career, Chipper’s best years are behind him but with that being said, a new lineage of southern youngsters have a chance this season to watch Larry lace them up one last time.

Take advantage of the opporunity.

It won’t last for long.
Read more: The Robesonian - CRAWFORD Seventeen years later  Chipper has same effect
 
Originally Posted by Kevin Cleveland

Josh Fields got traded again. 
laugh.gif

He was playing his winter ball down here for San Juan. Apparently, he stunk it up so bad, they let him go after a couple of games.
laugh.gif
 
He looked soooooo lost and out of place.
 
Originally Posted by Kevin Cleveland

Josh Fields got traded again. 
laugh.gif

He was playing his winter ball down here for San Juan. Apparently, he stunk it up so bad, they let him go after a couple of games.
laugh.gif
 
He looked soooooo lost and out of place.
 
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