Is it Time to Worry About Joba?

Below is a quote from a NY Post article about Joba's lack of MPH's on his heater:

"Scouts who have watched Chamberlain this spring are puzzled with his lack of velocity. In his last outing against the Phillies, the fastball was clocked between 88 and 92 mph. He labored so much that one scout wondered if Chamberlain was healthy, or concerned that a shoulder problem that landed him on the DL last year was going to resurface. Another scout noticed Chamberlain slowing down as he was ready to uncork a pitch. "

As a Joba owner this news makes me very worried and I wish they would just put his fat ass in the bullpen already. With Rivera's age one would think that Joba is the closer of the very near future for the Yankees. I know that the Yanks have Mark Melancon, who has the stuff to be a closer, but Joba has proved he can deliever. The brain trust that runs the Yankees want him to be better then Beckett so much I think they have become short-sighted about how to maximize Joba's value.

Other News:

SFGATE.com article about A's Bullpen situation

Brandon Morrow heads back to the Pen

Tigers release Sheffield who has 499 HR and no team

AROD aims for May return to Yanks

Jordan Schafer's Time has Come

The Braves traded Josh Anderson to Detriot for Rudy Darrow. This opens the door for Schafer who is raking the ball this spring hitting .386 in 57 ABs. He also has shown some good speed with 5 SBs in the spring. He was suspended for 50 games last season for PEDs and went into a massive slump after he returned which dipped him under the Heyward shadow even further. His defense is excellent and that should make him the CF in Atlanta for a long time.

Other Moves:

As everyone knows, Wieters and Price were sent down to AAA and I don't understand why pundits/fans are upset with their respective clubs. Both of these teams play in the AL East where they print $$ and if they can delay ARB years on the 2 best prospects and save some cash they absouletly should send them down. I would also love for GMs tp be honest and stop saying that they need "seasoning" in AAA. If Price needed "seasoning" why in the hell was he closing out game 7 of the ALCS against Boston. This was the same issue with Longoria last season and you can see the "Super 2" rules here

Chris Perez was optioned to AAA which makes Motte the likely closer for St. Louis

Andrew McCutchen was Optioned to AAA after going 5-5 against the Phils

Minor League Draft Rd. 4

Round 4
43. Brian Matusz, Baltimore Orioles
44. Dustin Ackley, University of North Carolina
45. Mike Stanton, Florida Marlins
46. Jeremy Hellickson, Tampa Bay Rays
47. Casey Weathers, Colorado Rockies
48. Logan Morrison, Florida Marlins
49. James McDonald, Los Angeles Dodgers
50. Tim Alderson, San Francisco Giants
51. Matt Dominguez, Florida Marlins
52. Jesus Montero, New York Yankees
53. Adam Miller, Cleveland Indians
54. Taylor Teagarden, Texas Rangers
55. Wade Davis, Tampa Bay Rays
56. Desmond Jennings, Tampa Bay Rays

I was dead set on getting a catcher this round and I really wanted Montero who went 2 picks prior. I am not crazy about Teagarden but I think that his defense wil lkeep him in the MLB. The 1 negative on Montero is that his catching days seem to be limited by his build. No that is not a typo someone selected Casey Weathers with the 47th overall pick. The pick that I like the best is Tim Alderson from SF. He is only 19 but his stuff is nasty and combined with Lincecum, Cain, and Bumgarner the future looks bright for the Giants.

Other News:
Brett Gardner is starting CF for the Yanks

Gregg lands Cubs closer Role

Minor League Notebook Podcast

Rick Porcello Scouting Report

Strasburg Q&A with Baseball America

Minor League Draft Rd. 3

I had the 3rd pick in the 3rd round and I think is pick is going to haunt me as Perez has been shut down this spring. This draft was before spring training and every pundit had Perez getting the closer role for St. Louis but that job looks to going to Jason Motte (who I drafted later). Looking back I wish I picked up an elite talent at SS with either Escobar or Triunfel. It is pretty clear that my Perez pick was the worst of this round and my favorite picks of the round were Alonso from the Reds and Carlos Santana (C) from Cleveland. Hind sight is 20/20!

29. Yonder Alonso, Cincinnati Reds
30. Josh Vitters, Chicago Cubs
31. Chris Perez, St. Louis Cardinals
32. Carlos Carrasco, Philadelphia Phillies
33. Jarrod Parker, Arizona Diamondbacks
34. Chris Tillman, Baltimore Orioles
35. Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians
36. Aaron Hicks, Minnesota Twins
37. Grant Green, USC
38. Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers
39. Alcides Escobar, Milwaukee Brewers
40. Angel Villalona, San Francisco Giants
41. Mat Gamel, Milwaukee Brewers
42. Carlos Triunfel, Seattle Mariners

PROGRAMMING NOTE: * I am traveling on business to Austin, Texas and will return posting regularly on Friday.

Baseball America's All-Winter Team

Review of Baseball America's All-winter team

Starting Rotation:
Franklin Morales (SP) Col- 37 Ks and 13 BB in 53 IP
Carlos Carrasco (SP) Phi- 45 Ks and 13 BB in 47 IP
Travis Blackley (SP) Ari- 55 Ks and 19 BB in 63.67 IP
Ian Kennedy (SP) NYY- 31 Ks and 21 BB in 34.67 IP
Juan Gutierrez (SP) Ari- 5-2 record 2.63 ERA and 56 Ks in 65 IP

Closer:
Shawn Kelly (RP) Fla- 9-9 in saves and 21 Ks in 14.67 IP

Position Players:
Pablo Sandoval (3B) SF- .396/.449/.677 with 12 HR in 214 ABs *POY*
Luis Valbuena (2B) Cle- .304/.381/.483
Greg Petit (SS) As- .315/.386/.414 and 14 doubles
Fernando Martinez (OF) NYM- 18 XBH is 153 ABs
Sam Fuld (OF) Cubs- .322/.425/.513 with 25 XBH
Max Ramirez (C) Tex- .291/.391/.618 with 15 HRs in 220 PA
Juan Francisco (DH) Reds- .360/.419/.665 in 161 ABs
Jesus Guzman (3B) SF- .304/.381/.483
Gerardo Parra (OF) Ari- .329/.404/.504 with 7 HRs and 31 BB

Baseball Amercia selected Sandoval as the Winter Ball Player of the Year and below is a quote from the article describing the season Sandoval had this past winter:

"Playing in winter ball for Navegantes del Magallanes, Sandoval continued lambasting opposing pitchers. In 52 games Sandoval batted .396/.449/.677 with 12 HRs. He even drew 18 walks, though 8 of them were when the opposing team decided it was betterto intentionally allow Sandoval to trot down to first base rather than allow him to inflict more damage upon thier pitchers"

This was a quote by Ben Badler from BA and I love the use of the term "lambasting"

Other News:
Article about Ryan Ludwick's terrible Spring

Chris Perez sidelined with Shoulder issues

Carmona gets hit with line drive

Homer Bailey may be heading to the Pen

Josh Fields could lead off for the Sox

How Some Prospects are Handling the Spring

Let's examine the current spring stats for some of the top prospects still playing this spring:

Jordan Shafer (ATL)- He is hitting .419 and has stole 4 bags. He has been over shadowed by his 50 game suspension from PEDS last season, but he could be the CF for the Braves this season.

Colby Rasmus (STL)- He is hitting .234 while only slugging .362. He plate displine was been horrible with 16 K with 6 BB. To make room for Rasmus, the Cards have moved Schumaker to 2B and that experiment is not working out. If he continues to suck, I see him in AAA and Skip back in LF.

Travis Snider (TOR)- He is hitting .361 with a .694 SLG and 3 HR. His plate displine has been ok as he has 9 Ks and only 1 BB.

A. McCutchen (PIT)- He is hitting .280 with 2 SB and 1 HR. His K:BB ratio is solid with 14 K and 9 BB. I really don't think he will ever hit for power and overall I don't like him from a fantasy perspective.

Smoak (TEX)- He is hitting .261 with 1 HR this spring and a 9:3 K:BB ratio. The experts say he is the next Teixeira, and with him hitting in steamy Arlington, he could put up sopme silly numbers down the road.

C. Maybin (FLA)- He is hitting .364 with 1 HR and a 9:4 K:BB ratio. One of the biggest knocks on Maybin is his ver high K rate and supressed BA. He has a very nice combo of speed and power and if he hits his potential we are looking at a top flight fantasy OF.

Josh Hamilton- I know he isn't a prospect but many people are predicting that he can't repeat last year performance. So far this spring in 41 ABs he is hitting .439 with a .829 SLG%. He has hit 3 Hr (one was a 450 Ft monster blast off Chad Billingsby) and 15 RBI. If you project 15 RBI in 41 ABs over 500 ABs you get 182 RBIs! I know the sample size is small but this guy hits in Texas all summer and has good protection, the sky is the limit.

From Today's Action:

Lincecum: 3.2 IP 7 H 4 ER 4 BB 6 K (He is human)

Tommy Hanson: 4.0 IP 3H 0 ER 2 BB 3 K

Other News:
Japanese Posting Rules

Joba will be the closer if something happens to Mariano

Pablo Sandoval takes ball in the Chops

K. Escobar almost ready to face hitters

College Prospects Through Week 4

Below is a summary of how some of the top college prospects are faring this season through 4 weeks:

Hitters:

Grant Green SS- .298/.394/4.21 with 4 HR and 6:14 BB:K ratio. He is the presumed favorite to be the #2 pick in this June's draft.

Dustin Ackley 1B/OF- .426/.539/.721 with 4 HR and 14:8 BB:K ratio.

Josh Phegley C- .434/.547/.792 with 5 HR and 15:10 BB:K ratio. 792 SLG% is video game type stuff.

Kentrail Davis OF- .327/.507/.582 with 3 HR and 17:11 BB:K ratio.

Chris Dominguez 3B- .365/.474/.667 with 5 HR and 9:13 BB:K ratio.

Pitchers:

Stephen Strasburg- 27.1 IP with an 1.98 ERA and a 59:5 K:BB ratio.

Alex White- 23.1 IP with an 3.86 ERA and a 28:8 K:BB ratio

Kyle Gibson- 30 IP with an 0.90 ERA and a 38:8 K:BB ratio

Andy Oliver- 26 IP with an 5.19 ERA and a 33:9 K:BB ratio

Mike Minor- 24.2 IP with an 3.65 ERA and a 20:8 K:BB ratio

Other News:
Great Article on Wieters from the Baltimore Sun

MiLB Article on Marlins Prospect Dallas McPherson

Radhames Liz heads to Baltimore Bullpen

Wade Davis and Tim Beckham sent down

Minor League Draft Rd. 2

Here are the results for the 2nd round of my Minor League draft. I really didn't need a pitcher but I love Cahill and never thought he would be available at the end of the 2nd round. The pick that I just don't like is Fernando Martinez from the Mets who went #1 in the second round and #15 overall. I think he is over-hyped becuase he is the top prospect for the Mets but that really isn't saying all that much. He has a history of injuries and already this spring he has been shut down. Dayan Viciedo, from the White Sox, is a very intresting pick and time will tell if the Sox hit gold 2 years in a year with a Cuban prospect (Alexei Ramirez). I pick that I like the most is Stephen Strasburg, out of San Diego St. University, who is the clear #1 pick in this year's draft. As noted in a previous post, this kid hit 102 MPH 7 times in one game. He is being "advised" by Boras so we will see if the National pony up for this prized pitcher come June.

15. Fernando Martinez, New York Mets
16. Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers
17. Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
18. Rick Porcello, Detroit Tigers
19. Dayan Viciedo, Chicago White Sox
20. Stephen Strasburg, San Diego State Univ.
21. Lars Anderson, Boston Red Sox
22. Brett Wallace, St. Louis Cardinals
23. Dexter Fowler, Colorado Rockies
24. Eric Hosmer, Kansas City Royals
25. Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates
26. Trevor Cahill, Oakland Athletics
27. Brett Anderson, Oakland Athletics
28. Derek Holland, Texas Rangers

Other News:

For those who are looking for the next contract year super star here are the potenial 2010 free agents

Cole Hamels sent back to Philly to meet with team doctors

MLB.com scouting reports for upcoming draft

Examining Nolasco's Splits

Ricky Nolasco, 26 year old Florida Marlins Ace, had two very different halves last season. He has lost his "sleeper" status within most leagues but if he could possibly maintain his 2nd half figures, he could be a top fantasy pitcher in 2009. Let's look at his tale of 2 seasons:

2008 1st Half:
IP: 95.7
W: 8
ERA: 4.05
WHIP: 1.31
BB/9: 2.7
K/9: 6.3
GB%: 34
FB%: 45

2008 2nd Half:
IP: 116.7 (138.7)
W: 7 (11)
ERA: 3.09 (1.82)
WHIP: .93 (1.01)
BB/9: 1.0 (1.8)
K/9: 9.2 (8.6)
GB%: 43 (50)
FB%: 40 (28)

Nolasco posted an amazing WHIP of .93 in the 2nd half and shaved almost a full percentage point off his ERA. Keeping the ball on the ground is essential to post a top notch ERA, so his 9% increase in GB% along with his 5% decrease in FB% is encouraging for 2009. To put his 2nd half numbers into perspective lets compare them to CC Sabathia's 2nd half numbers who we all know had an amazing run down the stretch with the Brewers. Sabathia posted a 1.82 ERA with a WHIP of 1.01 compared to 3.09 and .93 for Nolasco. CC walked 1.8 and fanned 8.6 per 9. To make it easier I have put Sabathia's 2nd half numbers in ( ) next to Nolasco's. I am not saying that Nolasco is going to put up Sabathia type numbers for a full season, but he has the skills to be elite.

Other News:
Scouting Report for Missouri RHP Kyle Gibson

Free Press Enterprize Article about Rick Porcello

Jerry Crasnick article about the Oakland A's young prospects

NY Post on AROD's replacement Cody Ransom

MLB.com on Lincecum's outing vs. Japan

New Book about Manny

My Minor League Draft

I am involved in a 6X6, HR, R, RBI, SB, OBP, SLG,QS(Quality Starts), K, SV, HLD, ERA, WHIP, with daily transactions, 2000 IP minimum, 40 man rosters (35 active) with a 20 man minor league roster. Over the next few weeks I am going to profile our minor league draft commenting on the best/worst picks in my opinion. My picks will be in bold and italics

Round 1
1. Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles
2. David Price, Tampa Bay Rays
3. Cameron Maybin, Florida Marlins
4. Travis Snider, Toronto Blue Jays
5. Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves
6. Pedro Alvarez, Pittsburgh Pirates
7. Colby Rasmus, St. Louis Cardinals
8. Tommy Hanson, Atlanta Braves
9. Justin Smoak, Texas Rangers
10. Tim Beckham, Tampa Bay Rays
11. Gordon Beckham, Chicago White Sox
12. Matt Laporta, Cleveland Indians
13. Mike Moustakas, Kansas City Royals
14. Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco Giants

I had the 3rd pick and I was praying that somehow Wieters or Price would slip but my prayers were not answered. In went into the draft looking to bolster my OF and C positions as they were my weakest. Looking back at the draft, I picked more on my current needs over the best overall prospect that was available. I think Heyward is going to be the best OF prospect in this draft but Maybin is close behind and will get playing time starting in 2009 which is what I need. Maybin has 30/30 potential but he has to reduce his K rate to maintain his position as the lead off batter for the Marlins. There were no real stretches in this round, so it is hard to select a worst pick, but the player I would never draft, in the first round, is Colby Rasmus from the Cardinals. With the #6 position I would have selected Justin Smoak from Texas instead who projects like Mark Teixeira. Tim Beckman, selected #10 was the first pick in last June's draft by the Rays, has a couple of road blocks in his way to the majors with the great season from Bartlett and with the Rays having Reid Brignac at AAA. I had no need for a pitcher in round 1 as I have Webb, Sabathia, Joba, Johan Santana, and Papelbon my roster but I think Tommy Hanson has the potential to have a John Smoltz type career.

Other News:
Podcast with Jeff Erickson and John Sickels discussing Minor League prospects

Ethier Happy to Have Manny Back

Andre Ethier was having a pretty average year before Manny came on board as he hit .271 with 7 HR in the first half and then exploded after Manny protected him in the LAD line-up. Manny came over to LA on July 31 and lets examine his numbers on a monthly basis:

Pre Manny
April- Avg: .329 HR: 7 SLG: .482
May- Avg: .292 HR: 2 SLG: .416
June- Avg: .195 HR: 3 SLG: .390
July- Avg: .281HR: 4 SLG: .490

With Manny
August- Avg: .292 HR: 7 SLG: .615
September- Avg: .462 HR: 2 SLG: .692

To sum it up, after Manny arrived in LA Either hit .367 with 9 HRs with a SLG % of .643 and an impressive OPS of 1.08. Ethier is 26 and will be entering his prime hitting age in 2009 and I think a breakout season is in store for Either.

Other News:
-Grant Green, SS from USC, is stumbling out of the block this season. He currently is hitting .229/.341/.371 with 1 HR and 3 BB to 9 K's. I know it is early but many see him as the #2 pick in the upcoming draft so his progress from here on out will be interesting.

Keith Law on Dayan Viciedo of the Chicago White Sox

Ervin Santana will start season on DL

Article on Jose Ceda's shoulder injury

Minor League Notebook's Hot and Cold Prospect List

Minor League Notebook Weekly Podcast

How Many Johan's Does it Take to Pass a Physical

This is not a good spring to be named Johan Santana, Ervin Santana's real name is Johan but in 2003 he changed it to Ervin so he wouldn't be confused with the other Johan Santana. Personally, if I were to change my name I would pick something much more intimidating the Ervin.

Ervin Santana injured his elbow while pitching in an intra-squad game on Tuesday and is expected to miss the beginning of the season. You can find the link to the OC Register here about Santana and Scioscia's comments.

Other News:

Tommy Hanson pitched today against the Phillies going 4 innings giving up 1 ER on 4 hits while striking out 7. In the same game Phillies top pitching prospect, Carlos Carrasco, didn't fare that well going 2 inning giving up 3 ER on 6 hits and had 0 strike outs. This performance pushed his Spring ERA to 7.71 and given the recent performance of J.A. Happ and Park, it looks like Carlos is going to start the season in Allentown.

ARod is going to have "hybrid" surgery and will be out 6-9 weeks

The best box score from today's action was from the University of Michigan vs the NY Mets because the mighty Wolverines blasted noted Phillie Killer, Tim Redding, for 5 ER in a 1/3 of an inning for an ERA of 135.

The WBC is Under Way

I really didn't pay attention to the WBC in 2006 but this year the WBC seems to have a different feel to it. This is a great way to get a look at some prospects that are playing for their respective countries or getting more PT as teammates left for the WBC. You can view a list of all the WBC roster here. The first major upset occurred yesterday when the Netherlands, lead by Sidney Ponson, beat Edision Volquez and the Dominican Republic 3-2. The USA beat Canada 6-5 in what was a very intense game as USA looked to avenge the loss in the WBC from 2006. Joey Votto was 4-5 with a double and HR for team Canada. The USA will take on Venezuela tonight at 8:00 pm on ESPN. Team Japan has a couple of interesting players, Yu Darvish (SP) and Norichika Aoki (OF), that are worth keeping an eye on. Most people have heard of Darvish but Aoki is an Ichirio type player, he has a won batting title and set the Central League record for hits in a season with 202 in 2005, that could become a viable fantasy option if he makes it to the MLB. The current global economic slump may lead to more Japanese players coming to MLB because the teams in Japan are owned by corporations that may be in desperate need of cash and sending Darvish, who claims he has no ambition to play here, to the Yankees for $100 million could sure up a balance sheet in a hurry.

Phillippe Aumont- Seattle Mariners (RHP), ranked #93 on Baseball America's list of Prospects, looked pretty impressive in his appearance against USA yesterday. You can view his Pitch F/X which shows his movement, velocity and location of his pitches here.

I know I am a homer but John Mayberry Jr, of the Phillies, is making the case to be the right handed bat to come off the bench for the Phils. In 8 games, he is hitting .292 with a SLG % of .625 while hitting 2 HR and 8 RBI. Mayberry came from Texas in a swap of minor league players and he played his college ball at Stanford. He has the distinction of being selected in the 1st rd twice as he failed to sign out of high school. He is a giant at 6'6 and 230 LBS and has the ability to hit some deep HRs as he hit a ball over Frenchy's Bar in left field at Clearwater yesterday.

Other News:
Peter Gammons raving about Marlins prospect Mike Stanton

USA Today Fantasy Chat with Ron Shandler

Article about Mets pitching prospect Jon Niese

Article about Joba and a mechanical flaw in his delivery

MLB.com on Orioles System

MLB.com article about Mike Stanton and Matt Dominguez from the Marlins

Brett Gardner the next Ellsbury?

Brett Gardner is in the middle of a position battle with Melky for the CF position of the Yankees. I am very high on Gardner this season and long term for that matter. He potentially could be the lead-off hitter for the Yankees for many years to come barring Austin Jackson doesn't explode. While Jacoby Ellsbury is a fantasy favorite due to his extreme speed, as he is going #57 per Mock Draft Central's ADP, Gardner is not in the top 418! To compare these two speedsters I will break down their final season in AAA:

In 2007 Ellsbury played 87 games and amassed 363 ABs in AAA.
Avg: .298
HR: 2
R: 66
RBI: 28
BB: 32
K: 47
2B: 14
3B: 5
SB: 33

In 2008 Gardner played in 94 games and he had 341 ABs in AAA:
Avg: .296
HR: 3
R: 68
RBI: 32
BB: 70
K: 76
2B: 12
3B: 11
SB: 37

They both played in the International League so you would assume that the competition would be similar from 2007 to 2008. Gardner did K more but his BB/K ratio was much better at .92 vs .68 for Ellsbury. Looking at these 2 stat lines it is hard to say Ellsbury or Gardner will be the better fantasy option, but they are much closer then most people think. We will have to wait and see if Gardner can translate these numbers into MLB success, but given his skills, I believe he presents a very profitable end game pick.

They are similar is size as well with Gardner listed at 5'10 and 180 LBS and Ellsbury is 6'1 and 185 LBS. The both throw and bat from the left side.


Other News:
John Maine is a head case

Joba gets Shelled in outing

Interview with Stephen Strasburg

Strasburg has 16 K's and touches 102 MPH 7 times

Fantasy Pros 911 Article about Future Closers in the AL

Keith Law on Top Prospects

Baseball America's Top 10 College Prospects

1. Stephen Strasburg (RHP) - San Diego State
2. Grant Green (SS) - USC
3. Alex White (RHP) - NC
4. Dustin Ackley (1B) - NC
5. Kyle Gibson (RHP) - Missouri
6. Kendal Volz (RHP) - Baylor
7. Andrew Oliver (LHP) - Oklahoma St.
8. Mike Minor (LHP) - Vanderbilt
9. Jason Stoffel (RHP) - Arizona
10. Kentral Davis (OF) - Tennesse

The Nationals have the first pick in the upcoming draft and they would be nuts not to spend the $ to sign Strasburg who is being "advised" by Scott Boras. I will profile the draft later as it isn't until June.

Jeff Erickson, founder of Rotowire, conducts a radio show via blogtalkradio and every Tuesday he will have John Sickels as his guest for Prospect Tuesdays. Sickels is a leading authority on Minor League Baseball and his insight is valuable. You can find a link to the show here

Other News:
Article about Tim Linecum

MLB.com article about the Mets Farm System

Article about Red Sox prospect Junichi Tazawa

Baseball America vs. Baseball Prospectus Top 100

Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus have released their top 100 list for 2009. I was surprised to see Brett Anderson ahead of Cahill on the BA list and that Cahill fell to #23 on the BP list (Anderson #24). I disagree with Colby Rasmus at #3 and I think he will be a bust. He is going to get playing time this season because Skip Schumaker is moving to 2B so we will see if he has any skills. Most of these names are well known except Netali Feliz who came to Rangers from Atlanta in the Texieria deal. The biggest knock against Feliz is that he pitches in Arlington which is a bandbox and inflates ERAs.

Baseball America:
1. Matt Weiters
2. David Price
3. Colby Rasmus
4. Tommy Hanson
5. Jason Heyward
6. Travis Snider
7. Brett Anderson
8. Cameron Maybin
9. Madison Bumgarner
10. Netali Feliz

Baseball Prospectus:
1. Matt Weiters
2. David Price
3. Madison Bumgarner
4. Pedro Alvarez
5. Travis Snider
6. Neftali Feliz
7. Rick Porcello
8. Colby Rasmus
9. Buster Posey
10. Jason Heyward

Baseball America Top 100 Prospects for 2009

Baseball Prospectus Top 100 Prospects for 2009

Other News:
-Matt Wieters hit his first HR of the Spring and he is hitting .429.

-Watch Brett Gardner of the Yankees who fighting for the CF position with Melky and Austin Jackson. He is hitting .500 with a HR and has stole a few bags. He could have some value with his speed especially if he is batting at the top of the Yankees order.

-This is the time to really watch Spring Training as the big guns are leaving for the World Baseball Classic and the prospects will get the bulk of the playing time. I will be covering the WBC when the games begin.

Interview by Baseball America with David Price

Article about Oakland A's power hitting 1B Chris Cater