Category: Team News Page 10 of 11

Spring Training Preview: Chicago

On June 21, 2020

In 2000 Spring Training, Team News

The last spot in the rotation will probably come down to either Tricky Nichols or Herb Pennock, with Rube Foster, Mark Buehrle, Lee Meadows, and Ted Lyons as outside candidates.
- Ed Walsh and Joe Lake still look like the middle of the rotation, but they need to improve, but none of the above have really made their argument, with Buehrle likely falling out of contention.
  - Ben Sheets, Meadows, Lake, and Foster look set for the rotation. But Frank Smith has been horrible, and Lyons is on his way to AAA. Foster could stumble, and Smith could still pull it out, but any of the others could step up as well for that 5th slot.
The final bullpen slots will be between that group, Victor Cruz, and Wilbur Wood.
- Cruz has struggled, and Wood has impressed, as have Koji Uehara, Fernando Rodney, and Ken Sanders, but nothing is settled in the bullpen behind AJ Minter.
  - Uehara and Akinori Otsuka have been very strong, and Wood is off to AAA. This has the makings of a very fine bullpen.
Carlton Fisk is set at C, but it’s not clear if Hal King, Dave Nilsson, or (less likely) Pop Snyder back him up.
- Snyder was sent down to AAA.
SS is pretty open, with Chico Carrasquel holding a slight edge over Luke Appling and Julio Gotay.
- If any of these could hit a lick, they could seize the role.
Not all of Rocky Colavito, Cristobal Torriente, Avisail Garcia, and Minnie Minoso will make the team, but at least 2 of them should.
- Colavito has struggled mightily, earning a move to AAA. Of this group, Minoso has probably impressed the most.
  - Ah, Spring Training! Minoso is now struggling to make the roster.
Frank Thomas has struggled mightily, allowing both Adrian Gonzalez and Bob Watson to push into the conversation.
- 1B continues to be a muddle: Thomas is hitting better, but both Gonzalez and Jose Abreu are smacking the ball.
With a need for additional bodies to play 2B and 3B (and a real possibility of edging Nellie Fox as the reserve 2B), Chicago recalled Rickie Weeks and Joe Crede from AAA Milwaukee.
- Weeks has moved up in the pecking order, with both Fox and Crede likely to start the season in AAA.

	Near Definite	Likely	Possible	Long Shot
Starting Pitchers	Ben Sheets Joe Lake Lee Meadows	Rube Foster	Ed Walsh Frank Smith Tricky Nichols Herb Pennock Mark Buehrle
Middle Relievers			Victor Cruz
Setup		Akinori Otsuka Koji Uehara Ken Sanders	Fernando Rodney
Closer	AJ Minter
C	Carlton Fisk		Hal King Dave Nilsson
1B		Frank Thomas	Adrian Gonzalez Jose Abreu
2B	Eddie Collins	Rickie Weeks	Nellie Fox
3B		Dick Allen	Robin Ventura	Joe Crede
SS			Chico Carrasquel Luke Appling Julio Gotay
OF	Joe Jackson Mike Fiore	Kevin Mitchell	Duffy Lewis Cristobal Torriente Avisail Garcia Bob Watson	Minnie Minoso

Spring Training Preview: Memphis

By mknn

On June 21, 2020

In 2000 Spring Training, Team News

The back of the rotation is pretty open, with 2 spots up for grabs and a competition between Len Barker, Dean Chance, and Jon Lester.
- With Barker out for quite some time, and with literally no SP performing even adequately, this is wide open. Look for David Bush to be considered as well.
  - Bush and McMahon are the only SPs showing much promise. Assuming they make it, the other 3 slots are between Chance, Nixey Callahan, Eddie Cicotte, Roger Clemens, and Lester (all of whom have had highly mediocre Springs). The shock here is Clemens, who came in as the presumed #1 starter. Tim Wakefield has been sent back to AAA.
Luiz Gohara looks to be the closer, with Heath Bell and Derek Lowe behind him. It’s not clear beyond that, with Joe Beggs, Jonathan Papelbon, and Eddie Watt all in the running.
- Gohara has lost the inside track on the closer job, with Papelbon and Watt now competing for it.
  - Watt–yet to allow an earned run–will close for now, with Papelbon and Beggs setting things up for him.
  - Ellis Kinder has been called up for some bullpen depth.
None of the IF jobs are up for grabs, although it’s not clear if Dustin Pedroia or Pete Runnels will backup Claude Richey at 2B, and Vern Stephens, Wayne Causey, and Nomar Garciaparra are all trying to make case to be Francisco Lindor‘s backup at SS.
- 2B got more interesting, as Ritchey is mired in a horrible slump while Pedroia is hitting .500. Lindor is playing fine, but Causey, Stepehns, and Garciaparra are all playing better at this point. Something has to give here, with 3B Bill Melton the odd man out right now.
  - Pedroia has earned the starting nod right now, but none of the 2B are performing terribly.
  - Bill White would be the starter at 1B right now, with George Scott struggling to stay on the roster, given the other players who could fill in at 1B.
  - The SS situation hasn’t really changed. Stephens is doing best right now, and Lindor has to improve quite a bit to make the roster at all.
There may be 2 roster spots open for David Justice, Eddie Rosario, Joe Kelley, Fred Lynn, Dwight Evans, and Manny Ramirez to compete over.
- Kelly, Ramirez, Mookie Betts, and Lynn are playing themsleves out of consideration while Tony Conigliaro and Rosario are moving up the chart.
  - The OF is pretty dire. Conigliaro and Rosario are hitting best. The assumption is that Ted Williams will come around, but aside from that it’s wide open. Right now, Lynn has been sent to AAA, and Justice is in danger of missing the roster cut for sure.
Jim Pagliaroni is hitting well enough to lay claim to the starting C job, with Bob Brenly‘s defense giving him the edge over Billy Bryan as the reserve.

	Near Definite	Likely	Possible	Long Shot
Starting Pitchers	Sadie McMahon	David Bush	~~Len Barker~~ Nixey Callahan Roger Clemens Dean Chance Jon Lester Eddie Ciccotte
Middle Relievers			Heath Bell Derek Lowe Luiz Gohara Turk Farrell	Ellis Kinder
Setup		Jonathan Papelbon Joe Beggs
Closer		Eddie Watt
C			Jim Pagliaroni Bob Brenly Billy Bryan
1B	Bill White		George Scott
2B		Dustin Pedroia Pete Runnels	Claude Richey
3B	Wade Boggs		Bill Melton
SS		Vern Stephens	Wayne Causey Francisco Lindor Nomar Garciaparra
OF	Ted Williams	Eddie Rosario Tony Conigliaro	Reggie Smith David Justice Dwight Evans Mookie Betts Joe Kelley Manny Ramirez

Spring Training Preview: Detroit

By mknn

On June 21, 2020

In 2000 Spring Training, Team News

Spring training will determine if Whitey Wilshere ends up in the rotation or the bullpen, but either way he’ll probably make the roster. Gene Conley, Hank Aguirre, Tom Hughes, Si Johnson, and Johnny Marcum are also in the race for the back-end of the rotation.
- Jason Schmidt and Claude Passeau have struggled mightily (Passeau especially has put himself in danger of not making the team at all), opening up more competition for starting spots. Wilshere is almost guaranteed one, and Marcum has impressed as well.
  - Passeau has moved down to AAA. Newhouser and Wilshere have spots in the rotation, but the rest is unsettled. If Johnson has a decent 2nd start, he is in, but nobody else has shown enough, leaving eight pitchers vying for the final 2 spots.
- Wilshere moving to the rotation opens up a lot of room in the bullpen, with Mike Henneman joining Buddy Napier as candidates to close.
  - Napier has been rocked hard, moving him to the edge of the roster entirely. Henneman is the closer, with Mark Dewey the only other decent bullpen performer so far.
Robby Thompson and Charlie Gehringer are competing to start at 2B, and Ray Chapman and Sparky Adams to backup George Davis at SS.
- Thompson is far ahead of Gehringer at this point, and Chapman is even outperforming Davis at SS so far.
  - It’s all so confusing. Phillips was brought in just for flexibility, and he’s outperforming everyone. Thompson and Adams continue to impress, while both Davis and Gehringer are edging towards demotion. Jorge Orta has been recalled.
Only 2 of Al Kaline, Wes Covington, and Jody Gerut will make the roster in all likelihood.
- Right now, it’s Covington and Gerut, as Kaline–along with Ty Cobb–are the worst performing OFers of the Spring. Veteran utility player Tony Phillips has been called up to add some roster flexibility as well.
  - Cobb has recovered slightly, but Kaline has just about lost his roster slot. Geoff Jenkins has been recalled to add some competition here as well.
Ed Bailey has closed the gap with Bill Carrigan at C, and Phil Roof has been added as a 3rd option.
- Bailey is hitting better than Carrigan, leaving open the possibility of a platoon situation.
Hank Greenberg is struggling, opening the door for Nate Colbert to push him at 1B and Bob Bailey has hit enough to make a strong case for a roster spot.
- Even Greg Brock is outhitting Greenberg at this point.

	Near Definite	Likely	Possible	Long Shot
Starting Pitchers	Hal Newhouser Whitey Wilshere	Si Johnson	Jason Schmidt Johnny Marcum Gene Conley Hank Aguirre Tom Hughes Red Ehret Justin Verlander Mickey Lolich
Middle Relievers		Kevin Hart
Setup		Mark Dewey	Buddy Napier Roberto Hernandez
Closer			Mike Henneman
C		Ed Bailey Bill Carrigan		Phil Roof
1B		Hank Greenberg	Nate Colbert Greg Brock
2B		Robby Thompson	Tony Phillips Charlie Gehringer	Jorge Orta
3B	Jimmy Collins	Bob Bailey
SS		George Davis	Ray Chapman Sparky Adams
OF		Ty Cobb Chili Davis	Wes Covington Oscar Gamble Jody Gerut Al Kaline	Geoff Jenkins

Spring Training Preview: Birmingham

By mknn

On June 20, 2020

In 2000 Spring Training, Team News

The final 2 rotation spots are being fought over by Vic Willis, John Clarkson, and Warren Spahn.
- Other than Alejandro Pena, the starters have been mediocre (Spahn) at best and very poor (Jim Whitney) at worst. More starts and IPs are needed here with Scott Baker having pushed his way into the mix as well.
  - Pena, Spahn, and Whitney have been confirmed in the rotation, with Clarkson, John Malarkey, Baker, Greg Maddux, and Tim Hudson fighting over the last 2 spots.
The bullpen has no clear leader, however: this looks like a bullpen by committee situation, unless Carlos Diaz or Juan Rincon can take hold of the closer spot.
- The back end has clarified some: Ron Perranoski‘s Spring performance has been bad enough to move him to AAA, while Jack Wisner, Fred Fussell, and Hoyt Wilhelm are holding on to their roster spots by threads.
  - Wisner and Jay Howell were sent back to AAA (with Tommy Bond coming back as a reserve arm), but the bullpen is still unsettled. Harley Young has been the best of the bunch so far, but he really doesn’t look like closer material. Rincon has struggled, so Diaz looks most likely to be the closer on opening day.
1B is up for grabs between Frank McCormick and Jake Beckley.
While Emil Frisk is the highest rated OF, the rest is up for grabs between Bob Nieman, Billy Southworth, Ginger Beaumont, Andy Pafko, Hank Aaron, and Al Schweitzer.
- Curtis Granderson has forced himself into the conversation as well, with Pafko, Southworth, and Schweitzer all struggling mightily and Ken Griffey, Sr. earning a trip back to AAA.
  - Pafko is also back in AAA, with Woody English, Omar Infante, and Alfonso Soriano coming the other way.
Dale Murphy has hit best at C, leaving Del Crandall struggling as the 3rd option and perhaps threatening Gene Tenace‘s starting role.
The competition at 3B between Chipper Jones and Eddie Mathews is closer than expected, with Jones having the better Spring so far.
While 2B is still unclear–Tom Herr is out-performing Frank Isbell—Cupid Childs is heading to AAA.

	Near Definite	Likely	Possible	Long Shot
Starting Pitchers	Alejandro Pena Jim Whitney Warren Spahn		John Malarkey John Clarkson Scott Baker Tim Hudson Greg Maddux
Middle Relievers			Hoyt Wilhelm Vic Willis Fred Fussell Sam Streeter	Tommy Bond
Setup		Harley Young	Juan Rincon
Closer			Carlos Diaz
C	Gene Tenace	Dale Murphy	Del Crandall
1B		Frank McCormick Jake Beckley
2B			Frank Isbell Tom Herr	Omar Infante
3B	Eddie Mathews	Chipper Jones
SS		Herman Long	George McBride Troy Tulowitzki	Woody English
OF	Emil Frisk	Ginger Beaumont Hank Aaron Curtis Granderson	Bob Nieman Billy Southworth	Al Schweitzer Alfonso Soriano

Spring Training Preview: Brooklyn

By mknn

On June 20, 2020

In 2000 Spring Training, Team News

The back end of the rotation is up for grabs, with Frank Knauss and Fernando Valenzuela having the inside track on the #3 and #4 spots, with 1 out of Don Sutton, Jordan Zimmerman, and Smokey Joe Williams likely to hold the final slot.
- Only Dutch Leonard and perhaps Orel Hershiser have been solid as SP, with Knauss and Valenzuela being downright horrible. It’s early, but look for Sutton, Dick Redding, and Brickyard Kennedy to get looks as well.
  - Four slots are set, with Sutton, Don Drysdale, Leonard, and Hershiser earning starting slots. Kennedy, Redding, and Williams are vying for the last spot, with Valenzuela heading to AAA.
Dave Von Ohlen, Trevor Hildenberger, Darren Dreifort, and Terry Forster are battling for the middle of the bullpen.
- The bullpen has been very strong through 10 games, with only Watty Clark‘s role as closer settled.
There’s no question Jackie Robinson can contribute, the question is at what position. 1B is blocked by Dan Brouthers, leaving the challenge of Hobe Ferris at 2B.
- Robinson has performed well, for sure. Davey Lopes, called up when Sandy Koufax went down injured, hasn’t done much to change the situation at 2B, where Ferris’ glove still probably gives him the edge.
  - Lopes–and Tommy Corcoran–have hit better than any other middle infielders, so it’s pretty unsettled up the middle, especially since neither Dickie Thon nor Pee Wee Reese have been able to crack the Mendoza line..
It’s possible that 1 of Michael Brantley, Matt Holliday, Jeffrey Leonard, Curt Flood, and Art Griggs forces their way onto the roster.
- Flood, Brantley, Hi Myers, and Griggs have been totally overmatched in the early going, with Holliday and the surprising Jermaine Dye moving up the roster.
  - Griggs, Flood, Myers, and Brantley have all headed down to AAA (along with C Hank Gowdy). Todd Walker, Morrie Arnovich, and Raul Mondesi have been recalled for some OF flexibility.

	Near Definite	Likely	Possible	Long Shot
Starting Pitchers		Dutch Leonard Orel Hershiser Don Sutton Don Drysedale	Dick Redding Smokey Joe Williams Brickyard Kennedy	~~Sandy Koufax~~ Frank Knauss Jordan Zimmerman
Middle Relievers		Dave Von Ohlen Darren Dreifort		Kyle McPherson
Setup		Erig Gagne Trevor Hildenberger Terry Forster
Closer	Watty Clark
C	Mike Piazza		Steve Yeager Duke Farrell
1B	Dan Brouthers		Jackie Robinson	Todd Walker
2B		Hobe Ferris	Davey Lopes
3B		Ron Cey	Jim Delahanty
SS			Dickie Thon Pee Wee Reese Tommy Corcoran
OF		Roy White Duke Snider Matt Holliday	Jermaine Dye John Briggs Beals Becker Jeffrey Leonard	Morrie Arnovich Raul Mondesi

Spring Training Preview: New York Gothams

By mknn

On June 20, 2020

In 2000 Spring Training, Team News

There’s a lot of SP depth, but perhaps 1 of Sad Sam Jones, Matt Latos, and Al Mays could force their way into the conversation.
- The Gotham pitching has been pretty remarkable all Spring, which hasn’t really clarified the situation. It has meant that Pete Donohue‘s struggle probably move them out of the rotation contenders.
  - Donohue is headed back to AAA. The 5th spot is still up for grabs, most likely between Gaylord Perry and Al Spalding, with Buck O’Brien and Mays having a shot as well.
  - Carl Hubbell should be back before the end of Spring Training, but Latos will miss opening day.
Will Clark and Willie McCovey will both make the roster, but it’s not clear which will play 1B.
- Neither McCovey nor Bill Terry are playing well, and the less said about Clark’s first 10 games, the better.
  - Terry is still struggling, but both McCovey and Clark have recovered.
2B is up for grabs between Brian Dozier and Mark Loretta.
- Not so much: Dozier is playing great and Loretta could lose the backup spot to newly recalled Larry Doyle.
The starting OF is pretty much set, but it’s not clear who between Jimmy Sheckard, Wally Berger, Carl Furillo, and Carlos Moran will make the team as reserves.
- Johnny Callison‘s struggles have opened up an opportunity in the OF, with Berger, Moran, and Furillo all playing very well.
  - George Burns is back in AAA.
SS has been remarkable productive, with Brandon Crawford, Art Fletcher, and Eugenio Suarez all knocking the cover off the ball with regularity.
- Suarez has cooled off a bit.
Pinky Higgins has seized the 3B job, with neither Art Devlin nor Ken Boyer doing much at all. Boyer, in fact, has been optioned to AAA.
John Kerins has leapfrogged Dick Dietz to be the likely backup to Buster Posey behind the plate.

	Near Definite	Likely	Possible	Long Shot
Starting Pitchers	Christy Mathewson Mickey Welch	Sad Sam Jones Juan Marichal	Gaylord Perry Al Spalding ~~Matt Latos~~ ~~Carl Hubbell~~	Al Mays Buck O'Brien
Middle Relievers		Matt Thornton Mike Norris		Aaron Loup Marcel Lachemann Sergio Romo
Setup		Robb Nen Carson Smith
Closer	Brian Wilson
C	Buster Posey	John Kerins	Dick Dietz
1B		Willie McCovey	Will Clark Bill Terry
2B		Brian Dozier	Mark Loretta	Larry Doyle
3B		Pinky Higgins	Art Devlin
SS		Art Fletcher Brandon Crawford	Eugenio Suarez
OF	Willie Mays Wally Berger	Benny Kauff Carl Furillo Carlos Moran	Johnny Callison Jimmy Sheckard	Ben Oglive

Spring Training Preview: New York Black Yankees

By mknn

On June 20, 2020

In Team News

Most of the questions are in the rotation. Ron Guidry is a lock, and the scouting department are insisting Jim Clinton has a slot as well. But the other 3 slots have 8 contenders in Waite Hoyt, Dave Righetti, Red Ruffing, Jack Scott, Lady Baldwin, Jake Peavy, AJ Burnett, and Whitey Ford. 3 of those make the rotation, 3 make the bullpen, and 2 head back to the minors.
- Guidry has been great. Clinton has pitched his way out of consideration, as have Peavy and Burnett. The rest remains up for grabs, with Ford and Baldwin the most impressive so far.
  - The rotation is pretty open, but in a way that is good for the Black Yankees. Clinton remains the worst of the group, and heads to AAA. Aside from him, though, they’ve all been decent. If the season started tomorrow, it would be Guidry, Baldwin, Hoyt, Ford, and Righetti. But it all could change based on performances for the rest of the Spring.
- Sparky Lyle, Ralph Citarella, and Dellin Betances have yet to give up a run on the bullpen, and Fritz Coumbe has been pretty stout as well.
  - Lyle has been hurt, but he was amazing before that. Citarella and Goose Gossage look like the setup crew, with Coumbe and Betances in the mix as well.
Thurman Munson is the starting C, but Smoky Burgess and Manny Sanguillen are fighting to be his backup.
- Sanguillen has a clear edge at this point.
Both Lou Gehrig and Don Mattingly should make the roster, although it’s not clear which will see more playing time.
- Mattingly has the clear edge here as Gehrig has struggled to find a groove offensively. Moose Skowron has been recalled for the rest of Spring training.
Both Willie Randolph (2B) and Doug DeCinces (3B) have outside shots to unseat the incumbents (Hardy Richardson and Chris Brown).
- Richardson has had a very rough time of it, likely losing out to Randolph if the season started now while neither DeCinces nor Brown are doing anything notable.
  - Richardson doesn’t make the roster as of right now, with Craig Counsell or Aaron Hill backing up Randolph at 2B. That sounds fine until you realize Counsell and Hill are also the best performers at 3B so far. That has led to Red Rolfe being recalled from AAA.
It would take great Springs from Albert Belle, Charlie Keller, or Joe Harris to force their way into the OF picture.
- Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Aaron Judge are playing at an incredibly high level. Eric Davis‘ speed and defense probably earn him a roster spot, and nothing else is clear.
  - Even with Harris, Charlie Keller, and Sam Thompson not making the roster, the truth here is this is probably the best OF in the league.

	Near Definite	Likely	Possible	Long Shot
Starting Pitchers	Ron Guidry	Lady Baldwin Whitey Ford	Waite Hoyt Dave Righetti Red Ruffing Jack Scott Jake Peavy AJ Burnett
Middle Relievers			Fritz Coombe Dellin Betances Bryan Hickerson David Robertson
Setup		Ralph Citarella Goose Gossage
Closer	Sparky Lyle
C	Thurman Munson	Manny Sanguillen	Smoky Burgess
1B		Don Mattingly	Lou Gehrig	Moose Skowron
2B		Willie Randolph	Hardy Richardson
3B			Chris Brown Doug DeCinces	Red Rolfe
SS		Derek Jeter	Aaron Hill	Craig Counsell
OF	Babe Ruth Aaron Judge Mickey Mantle	Eric Davis Albert Belle		Charlie Keller Sam Thompson Joe Harris

Spring Training Preview: Miami

By mknn

On June 20, 2020

In 2000 Spring Training, Team News

The final 2 rotation slots are likely to be pulled from Don Newcombe, Ramon Martinez, and Livan Hernandez, but both Jose Mendez and Eustaquio Pedroso have outside shots as well.
- Rube Waddell has been excellent, but neither Camilo Pascual nor Tommy Bridges as good as expected. As such, there are a lot of open slots. Pedroso has seized 1 of them with some great performances, and Mendez has an edge on the other, while Hernandez has been pretty awful.
  - Hernandez has pitched himself back to AAA, while the front of the rotation has solidifed as Waddell, Pedroso, Martinez, and Bridges.
  - That leaves Willis, Pascual, Newcombe, and Mendez competing for the final rotation spot.
In the bullpen, while Aroldis Chapman and Bill Landrum are solid, and Tony Fossas can succeed in a situational role, doubts exist about Dalier Hinojosa and Ed Bauta especially.
- Unfortunately, Fossas, Bauta, and Sandy Consuegra have had a rough go of it. Miami has recalled Ryota Igarashi, Dontrelle Willis, and Alex Colome to help find some bullpen solutions to get to Chapman and Landrum.
  - Both Bauta and Hinjosa have solidified their roster spots, if not their exact roles, while Fossas has moved to AAA. Igarashi could join him, but deserves another couple of appearances.
2B, 3B, and SS are all up for grabs: Cookie Rojas and Paul Molitor are neck-and-neck at 2B; Evan Longoria, Manny Machado, and Gary Sheffield at 3B; and Robin Yount and Chico Fernandez at SS.
- Molitor is on the verge of playing himself out of the league behind Rojas (which would clearly open a role for Dihigo, but he hasn’t hit a lick either). But he’s doing better than Longoria, who is literally hitless so far, at the bottom of a muddled pile at 3B, led by the surprising Willie Kamm.
  - Molitor and Longoria were both sent to AAA to work it out, with Tito Fuentes getting a shot in major league camp.
- Yount has taken control at SS, so there’s that, at least.
In the OF, the talents of Alejandro Oms and Martin Dihigo are undeniable, but there are questions about whether they are ready for the WBL.
- The OF is still crowded, with Jose Cardenal, Ryan Braun, and Eddie Milner all arguing for playing time and Ozzie Canseco being sent to AAA.
  - Oms and Dihigo don’t have to hit much to earn a roster spot due to their versatility and glovework. Milner and Braun, however, are on the bubble.
  - Tony Gonzalez has forced himself into the conversation, and perhaps even into a starting role.
C is now an issue as well, as both John Munyan and Alan Ashby are performing on par with expected starter Charlie Bennett.
- The trio continues to be indistinguishable–if that continues, Bennett will start due to his defense, and a coin flip will pick his backup.
- At 1B, Joe Adcock and Yonder Alonso are pounding the ball, leaving Edwin Encarnacion‘s roster spot in doubt.

	Near Definite	Likely	Possible	Long Shot
Starting Pitchers	Rube Waddell Eustaquio Pedroso	Ramon Martinez Tommy Bridges	Jose Mendez Camilo Pascual Don Newcombe Dontrelle Willis
Middle Relievers			Alex Colome Ed Bauta Sandy Consuegra	Ryota Igarashi
Setup		Dalier Hinojosa Bill Landrum
Closer	Aroldis Chapman
C			Charlie Bennett John Munyan Alan Ashby
1B		Joe Adcock Yonder Alonso		Edwin Encarnacion
2B		Cookie Rojas	Martin Dihigo	Tito Fuentes
3B		Willie Kamm	Manny Machado Gary Sheffield
SS		Robin Yount	Chico Fernandez
OF	Jose Canseco	Jose Cardenal	Tony Gonzalez Tommie Agee Yasiel Puig Sandy Amoros Alejandro Oms	Ryan Braun Eddie Milner

Spring Training Preview: Ottawa

By mknn

On June 20, 2020

In Team News

The starting rotation is set, but the bullpen is still up in the air. Questions abound about Karl Spooner as a closer, and the group of Greg Holland, Ryan Dempster, and Chris Leroux needs to sort itself out.
- Old Hoss Radbourn and Roy Halladay have struggled, opening some room in the rotation behind Gary Peters, Clark Griffith, and Bob Brown. Randy Johnson looks the most likely to take advantage.
  - Peters, Griffith, and Brown seem set, but the Mounties still need to sort out the final 3 slots. Johnson’s talent is undeniable, but he and Felix Hernandez have been hit quite hard, leaving Halladay, Dempster, and Radbourn in the lead.
- Spooner, Leroux, and Scott Diamond have struggled mightily, throwing the bullpen into a bit of chaos. Holland and Ted Bowsfield have been excellent.
  - It just got worse, to the point where Diamond, Leroux, and Spooner were all sent down to AAA. Monk Dubiel and Tom Henke were recalled.
  - Bowsfield is the closer, with Gary Lavelle and Steve Howe in front of him.
1B is a bit of a logjam, with John Olerud leading the way, but being pushed by John Mayberry, Carlos Delgado, and Roy Sievers.
- The best performer at 1B has been Steve Garvey, who is really more of a 3B at this point in his career. Beyond that, the logjam remains even more closely packed as Olerud and Sievers have both had problems.
  - Garvey and Delgado are doing well, with Mayberry and Sievers heading to AAA.
Tim Raines may be the best option at 2B, but he’s not long for the infield, and Roberto Alomar, Bernie Allen, and George Cutshaw aren’t far behind Raines.
At 3B, Josh Donaldson and Anthony Rendon are clearly both on the roster, but the starer is yet to be determined. Same thing at SS with Freddy Parent and Alex Rodriguez.
- Parent is ahead of A-Rod at the moment. Henry Easterday has been added to the roster for some flexibility, but has little chance of making the final roster.
The OF is totally open: Brant Alyea and Jackie Jensen look solid, but behind them George Van Haltren, Larry Walker, Phil Bradley, Rick Monday, and Terry Puhl haven’t really separated themselves from each other, and Ken Griffey, Jr. has a shot as well.
- Ah, Spring. Alyea and Jensen have been the worst of the lot, with Puhl, Bradley, and Monday leading the way.
  - Alyea, Van Haltren, and Jensen would all start at AAA if the season started now.
Kirt Manwaring is great defensively, but given he has yet to get a single hit, he’s not likely to make the opening day roster.

	Near Definite	Likely	Possible	Long Shot
Starting Pitchers		Clark Griffith Gary Peters Bob Brown	Old Hoss Radbourn Roy Halladay Ryan Dempster	Randy Johnson Feliz Hernandez
Middle Relievers		Greg Holland Reggie Cleveland		Tom Henke Monk Dubiel
Setup		Gary Lavelle Steve Howe
Closer		Ted Bowsfield
C		Gary Carter	Emil Gross	Kirt Manwaring
1B		Carlos Delgado John Olerud
2B		Tim Raines George Cutshaw	Bernie Allen Roberto Alomar
3B		Josh Donaldson Anthony Rendon	Steve Garvey
SS		Freddy Parent Alex Rodriguez		Henry Easterday
OF	Phil Bradley Terry Puhl	Ken Griffey, Jr. Larry Walker Rick Monday		Brant Alyea Jackie Jensen George Van Haltren

Spring Training Preview: Houston

By mknn

On June 20, 2020

In 2000 Spring Training, Team News

There’s a lot to sort out here starting with the starting rotation, where the final 2 slots will go to someone from the group of Dock Ellis, Stubby Overmire, Bret Saberhagen, and Leon Day.
- Saberhagen is leading the way in this group, and Scott Erickson has forced himself into the conversation as well. Day and Overmire are most likely to miss the roster cut based on performances so far.
  - Day has been horrible, earning a trip to AAA, along with Overmire.
  - The rotation is still a bit up for grabs. Stephen Strasbourg, Roy Oswalt, Ice Box Chamberlain, and Toad Ramsey are likely in, leaving Saberhagen, Ellis, and Erickson vying for the final spot and the long relief roles.
The bullpen is a bit more settled: Brad Lidge is set as the closer, but Spring performances will determine the exact roles for Trevor Hoffman, Tug McGraw, Mark Melancon, and Billy Wagner.
- Melancon, Hoffman, and Andrew Chafin have been great, while Wagner has been hit extraordinarily hard.
  - Wagner and Dan Quisenberry are both on the verge of heading to AAA.
On the infield, only SS is set with Carlos Correa. Paul Goldschmidt and Jeff Bagwell are vying to start at 1B, DJ LeMahieu, Craig Biggio, and HR Johnson are in the mix at 2B, and George Brett, Morgan Ensberg, and Aramis Ramirez all have shot to start at 3B.
- At 1B, Andres Galarraga has been the best of the bunch by a fair measure, with both Bagwell and especially Goldschmidt struggling.
  - Right now, there’s nothing to choose between Galarraga, Bagwell, and Goldschmidt.
- Johnson’s forcing himself into the conversation somewhere as well, especially given Correa’s struggles at SS.
  - This is still true: Johnson is hitting everything thrown to him. The end result of this is Shawon Dunston likely not making the opening day roster.
  - 3B is pretty much settled: Brett is pounding the ball and both Ramirez and Ensberg are struggling.
The OF isn’t much clearer: the group of Luis Gonzalez, Larry Hisle, Gorman Thomas, and Casey Stengel look to have a slight edge, but any of Lance Berkman, Pete Hill, Felipe Alou, Jim Wynn, and Tony Gwynn could earn a starting position.
- Wynn, Gwynn, and Stengel have been the standouts so far, with Wynn being perhaps Houston’s best hitter through 10 games. Hill, and especially Hisle, have struggled, with Hisle being sent to AAA in an effort to clear some roster space.
  - Alou and Hill are both struggling, and seem unlikely to make the roster. Hisle has been recalled, along with Lance Blankenship.

	Near Definite	Likely	Possible	Long Shot
Starting Pitchers		Toad Ramsey Roy Oswalt Stephen Strasbourg Ice Box Chamberlain	Scott Erickson Dock Ellis Bret Saberhagen
Middle Relievers			Mike Hartley Tug McGraw Andrew Chafin	Dan Quisenberry Billy Wagner
Setup		Tervor Hoffman Mark Melancon
Closer	Brad Lidge
C	Jim O'Rourke	Jorge Posada
1B			Jeff Bagwell Paul Goldschmidt Andres Galarraga
2B		HR Johnson	Craig Biggio DJ LeMahieu	Lance Blankenship
3B	George Brett		Morgan Ensberg Aramis Ramirez
SS		Carlos Correa		Shawon Dunston
OF		Casey Stengel Jim Wynn Tony Gwynn	Luis Gonzalez Gorman Thomas Lance Berkman	Pete Hill Felipe Alou Larry Hisle