Ah Springtime. The time when a young man’s fancy turns to love…of BASEBALL. Here are some Spring Training views of my own
In the category of good (like if Vinny Rottino becomes the next Chase Utley) news:
Prince Fielder – Wow. He arrives early to camp unsatisfied with his first year (which was pretty darn good) and is resolved on improving his game. I must admit, I was skeptical about Prince. I wanted the Crew to keep Overbay and move him to the outfield just in case Prince wasn’t ready like we thought. I was just unconvinced about Prince’s defense and his drive. He’s proved me very wrong. I will eat that crow. Last year, not only did he do well, but the fact that he’s not happy and is driven to do better is a tremendous sign of maturity from this young slugger. Prince could rest on his name alone, but he seems determined to make a name for himself.
Bill Hall…you earned it.
This is how far we have come with catcher depth in only a couple years. We used to have to choose from Mo-Mo and Gary Bennett, which was basically like trying to choose who has more musical talent: Paris Hilton or Ashlee Simpson. We now have Estrada, Miller, and Rivera (with Closser as a worthy candidate too). Catchers are a valuable commodity often overlooked and it’s good to see such current and future talent.
Chicago Cubs = SI Curse’d
In the category of unsettling (like if Wes Helms was on a bender) news:
Rickie Weeks needed Cortisone shots? Uh-oh. Last time I heard about those kinds of shots, it was to relieve Barry Bonds of his pain due to a lack of a soul. I love Rickie. I stood up for him when his D was shaky last year. (The schmucks on the local sports talk radio up here were begging the team to trade Weeks…morons.) He got through it and BAM, hurt. I hope he gets to 100% and that this doesn’t become a nagging injury all year. I do feel good in Graffy (or El Nino) as his backup, but we need Rickie’s bat and speed.
Can someone tell me why we got rid of a healthy and beloved Cirillo when Koskie’s future is so cloudy? Someone? Anyone? And Counsell? He’s not a true third basemen. I don’t need to see his weird ass swing in a starting line up. He’s a .250 hitter, which means he’s a decent, but expensive backup for JJ Hardy at best. I understand why they have to move Hall to the outfield, but couldn’t they wait until Koskie feels better or Braun gets a little more experience? This position scares the hell out of me for sure. Jared’s previous post is right on.
Joe and Jared hit on Mench and Jenkins quite well. All I have to say is “Well, stop complaining and show meâ€.
In the category of predictions that could come true, but probably won’t (like chanting “Future Yankee†at Torii Hunter):
I might get a lot of crap for this, but I think Jenkins is going to have a much better year. Why? Three reasons: He seems to have a chip on his shoulder. His benching and the subsequent trade rumors hopefully lit a fire under his butt. Second, it’s a contract year for Jenks and he won’t want a pay cut. He’ll probably hope to score on the free agent market and he’ll need a solid year to do so. Finally, his stats suggest he will have a better year. Since 2002, he’s been up and down. (.243, .296, .264, .292, .271…).He’s due for a .280-.290 year.
In the category of pressing questions:
Many people want to write off JJ Hardy, also known as the females’ favorite Brewer, but they don’t remember that before he had a freak accident, he was tearing it up. Even a manager in one of my fantasy leagues traded Hardy for Chone Figgins in the early part of the year (I’m not saying it was smart, I’m just saying it happened). The big question is will he bounce back and be able to get hits on a regular basis?
Who is Brady Clark? I mean besides the baldest guy on the team. Is he the guy that hit .306 in 2005? Or the guy who hit .263 in 2006 and lost his starting job? We’ll find out this spring.
In the category of WTF (like when Doug Melvin shaved off his ‘stache) news:
Someone tell me why Astro fans feel they are going to run the division. You lost your arms! You have Roy Oswalt and Jason Jennings (who I feel is still a #3 at best)…then who? Wooden Williams? Wandy Rodriguez? Yes, the Berkman and Lee batting tandem is going to be good, but if the Tigers taught us anything last year is that you can’t underestimate good pitching. Oh and enjoy El Caballo half assing it in the outfield. As much as I like Carlos, he has his money now so it will be interesting to see what kind of effort he puts forth.
Cub Fans…let me get this straight. You go out and spend a ton of money of pitchers like Jason Marquis, but when the only reliable, non-permainjured arm you have wants some money, you low ball? Is the guy in charge of this the same one in charge of Lovie Smith’s contract?