The Diamondbacks have very few position battles heading into spring. Chris Snyder saw a surge in production late last season and is projected to be the starting catcher but it's likely he'll share time at the plate with Miguel Montero, a strong, but young, backup. 3B Mark Reynolds was impressive last season when called up to cover for Chad Tracy and is expected to retain the spot with Tracy a projected reserve. Tracy could open the season on the DL as he continues to rehab his knee, leaving a reserve spot open for Robby Hammock. The late signing of veteran outfielder Trot Nixon to a minor league contract puts him in the mix as well. Tony Pena and Brandon Lyon are vying for the vacated spot created when Jose Valverde was traded to the Astros. Lyon is the current favorite to start the season as closer but Pena also has the makeup of a closer and should eventually get the spot.
With Andrew Jones gone, Mark Kotsay was acquired in a trade with the A's to bridge the gap to top prospect Jordan Schafer who, when ready, will be the Braves long-term centerfielder. Kotsay is strong defensively but his health remains an issue. Speedy OF Josh Anderson was also acquired to compete for the spot. In left field, Matt Diaz spent the past two seasons improving his batting average (.338 in 2007) and will try to win the job outright over Brandon Jones, who had a breakout season in the minors and hopes to earn a roster spot in a platoon situation with Diaz. Lefty Mike Hampton is projected in the No. 4 spot but the Braves do have reason for concern. Although he appears to be healthy, he's missed all of the last two seasons due to injury and a strong comeback is in question. Competing with Hampton for the last two spots are lefties Chuck James and Jo-Jo Reyes along with righty Jair Jurrjens. Reyes and Jurrjens are top prospects with high expectations.
Manager Lou Piniella has several strong options for closer. Veteran Kerry Wood has been plagued by injuries throughout his career but hopes to continue the strong comeback he started at the end of 2007. Carlos Marmol is another option. With a 10-8 career record, he is young and may not be ready for the role. There's also Bob Howry who has the most experience as a closer of the three. Last season, Ryan Dempster saved 28 games in 31 opportunities but he is being yanked from the 'pen to compete for a spot in the rotation. RHP Jason Marquis went 12-9 last season for the Cubs and has had problems with consistency in the latter half of the last two seasons. RHPs Jon Lieber and Dempster along with LHP Sean Marshall are competing with Marquis for the last two spots.
The rotation spots after Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo are up for grabs and there's no shortage of competitors, just experience. Lefty Jeremy Affeldt is the most experienced of the bunch and he seems excited about the opportunity to start again after just over a season with the Rockies as a reliever. Joining him is former Colorado teammate Josh Fogg, who signed on late in hopes of joining the rotation as a veteran presence among the young bunch. Righty Matt Belisle is also in the mix but needs to work on consistency. Top prospects Homer Bailey and Edinson Volquez, acquired from the Rangers, have had limited starts and will need to step up to win a spot. Both Matt Maloney and Johnny Cueto have no major league starts and are outside candidates with a shot at making the rotation. First base is less of a battle because Joey Votto played in 24 games last season and proved he is major-league ready. Veteran Scott Hatteberg will likely play off the bench but he could get some at-bats at first. Center field is more of a question because Jay Bruce may need to start the season in the minors. Have no doubt though, he will take the spot and has already volunteered to bat leadoff. Ryan Freel and Corey Patterson are options to start the season, if necessary.
With Kazuo Matsui gone, second base is wide open for a large pool of candidates to grab. The Rockies like Jayson Nix but he has been slow to progress and could lose out to any of the contenders. In the mix are Marcus Giles and Jeff Baker, who have both seen their averages drop the past two seasons. Clint Barmes and Omar Quintanilla have a shot along with infield prospect Ian Stewart if he can successfully make the switch from third to second. RHP Jason Hirsh's rookie season was cut short after breaking his leg and he is now a strong candidate for one of the spots in the rotation. He will compete with LHPs Franklin Morales and Mark Redman plus RHP Kip Wells. Morales has limited experience in the majors (3-2, 3.43 ERA) and may need more time in the minors. Wells and Redman were signed to help the rotation and, if they don't land a spot, they'll end up in the bullpen.
Cameron Maybin was a huge piece of the trade that sent Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera to Detroit and the Marlins are hoping Maybin can win the starting center field spot (and leadoff) out of spring. Maybin has tremendous potential but at 20 he may need more time in the minors, temporarily handing the job to Cody Ross until Maybin is ready. Another question that remains is who will fill the spot at third left by Cabrera. Dallas McPherson, Jose Castillo and Jorge Cantu were all offseason signings to help fill the vacancy. Castillo is the likely candidate to take over but he has to win the job and prove he can be consistent. Of all the pitchers vying for the last spot in the rotation, RHP Ricky Nolasco has the advantage but he could be skipped with strong springs from any of the other young contenders -- Rick VandenHurk, rookie Daniel Barone and Anibal Sanchez, who is recovering from shoulder surgery.
The rotation is anchored by Roy Oswalt but nothing is set after the righty who will set a club record with his sixth consecutive opening day start. The Astros are hoping Brandon Backe can make a full recovery from surgery after missing most of 2007. Manager Cecil Cooper liked what he saw in Backe in his five September starts and envisions the righty somewhere from No. 2 to 4. Woody Williams also fits in there, provided he can be more consistent. Prospect Felipe Paulino is also in the mix for a spot but he may be too young. If he doesn't make it out of spring training, he could take over midseason. Other competitors are Chris Sampson and Shawn Chacon, who was a late February addition.
It was supposed to be an intense battle at third between veteran Nomar Garciaparra and emerging Andy LaRoche. But, LaRoche suffered a thumb injury in spring training and needs surgery that will sideline him up to 10 weeks. Garciaparra is coming off one of his worst offensive seasons, while LaRoche played well in the minors but fizzled in his major league debut. The Dodgers also have a surplus of outfielders after adding Andrew Jones. Juan Pierre will move to left field and seems willing to do what the Dodgers ask of him. Youngsters Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier are also competing for playing time and will likely platoon in right.
Yovani Gallardo was slated to be in the middle of the rotation but recent news that he will start the season on the DL and miss four weeks opens an extra slot in the rotation, for now. Righty Carlos Villanueva is a favorite for a spot; lefty Chris Capuano and righty Claudio Vargas are hoping to rebound; and Manny Parra is the young lefty with promise. The Brewers signed Eric Gagne to close, figuring that his flop in Boston (6.75 ERA in 20 games) was because the Sox switched him to a setup role. Derrick Turnbow could also close and new additions David Riske, Salomon Torres and Guillermo Mota will pitch out of the pen. Others vying for a spot in the bullpen are RHP Seth McClung, LHP Randy Choate and LHP Mitch Stetter. With all these extra arms, someone who doesn't make the grade could eventually be trade bait. Don't forget that Mike Cameron is slotted for center field but Gabe Gross and Tony Gwynn will battle for playing time until Cameron's 25-game suspension is served.
Position battles for the Mets are limited since most of the lineup is returning and Johan Santana's addition locks up the rotation. Right field was expected to be more of a battle, but it's already looking like Ryan Church will start. Church was going to compete with OF Endy Chavez but he injured his ankle playing winter ball. Chavez was limited to 71 games last season because of a hamstring injury.
The Phillies signed Geoff Jenkins in late December to help make up for the loss of RF Aaron Rowand to the Giants. Jenkins hit just .215 vs. lefties last season so he'll need to platoon with Jayson Werth, who platooned at the post last season with Shane Victorino. Werth hit .375 vs. lefties. The back end of the bullpen needs some fine-tuning and the Phillies hope RHPs Scott Mathieson, Tom Gordon, Ryan Madson and closer Brad Lidge can rebound from injuries. However, Lidge isn't off to a great start after injuring his knee the first week of spring training. He is expected to miss three to six weeks and manager Charlie Manuel said Gordon would close in the meantime. RHPs Francisco Rosario, Clay Condrey and J.D. Durbin along with lefties Fabio Castro, Mike Zagurski and Travis Blackley will contend.
A little bit of friendly competition never hurts but the starting center fielder spot will be a down-and-dirty battle between Nate McLouth and youngster Njyer Morgan. McLouth, who always seemed to be an afterthought in the organization, showed he can be a steady everyday player after the All-Star break when he covered for Chris Duffy. McLouth hit .258 with 13 home runs and a team-high 22 stolen bases. Morgan also made an impression during his September call-up, hitting .299 with seven steals and a .359 on-base percentage in 28 games.
In left field, Scott Hairston was a 2007 midseason acquisition for the Padres and hit .287 with eight homers and 20 RBI in just 87 at-bats. Rookie 3B Chase Headley, a prized prospect, seems willing to switch to the outfield and will be given a chance in left along with fellow rookie Matt Antonelli. Headley hasn't played in the outfield since his college days and Antonelli never played the position. Mark Prior will eventually take the fifth spot in the rotation but he continues to rehab his shoulder and isn't expected to return until mid-May or June. The Padres could use lefties Shawn Estes and Glendon Rusch or righties Justin Germano and Enrique Gonzalez. It's entirely possible that additional spots could open up later in the season if Randy Wolf and Chris Young can't rebound from their injuries.
With 3B Pedro Feliz and LF Barry Bonds gone, those spots are up for grabs in addition to first and second. Daniel Ortmeier remains the top choice at first but he has to earn it over Rich Aurilia, who played 55 games at the position last season. Aurilia is also up for the opening at third and competing with Kevin Frandsen. However, the Giants like Frandsen at second over incumbent Ray Durham and could acquire another player for third. Frandsen's status at second has been put on hold. While SS Omar Vizquel is out, Frandsen will cover. The plan for left field is to have Dave Roberts switch from center to left but Rajai Davis, Fred Lewis, Nate Schierholtz and Ortmeier are also options.
With the departure of Jim Edmonds, the Cards need a new center fielder and 21-year-old Colby Rasmus will be given a chance. Rasmus is a top-quality prospect who, in the event he doesn’t make the roster out of spring, could still emerge later in the season. Rick Ankiel will step in instead of playing in right where Brian Barton, Ryan Ludwick and Skip Schumaker are competing. As for the rotation, the Cards were hoping Matt Clement would be healthy and ready to take the No. 5 spot in the rotation come opening day but pitching coach Dave Duncan said Clement wouldn't be ready. Until Clement and Mark Mulder return, there are two open spots for Anthony Reyes, Brad Thompson and Todd Wellemeyer.
In 2006, the Nationals took a chance on veteran 1B Dmitri Young to cover for Nick Johnson all season. Young, signed to a minor league deal, worked his way out of a domestic dispute arrest, alcohol rehab and a diabetes diagnosis to finish 2007 with a .320 average, 74 RBI and 13 homers. Now, Johnson will have to win his job back. This season the Nationals embraced Elijah Dukes and hope for just as strong a comeback from the troubled outfielder to take over in left field. The Nats like Dukes' power and need that in the lineup. If Dukes can't stay out of trouble, they can stick with Wily Mo Pena.
