Dodgers left field job - In going 5-for-47 with just one extra-base hit (a double) through Sunday's games, Jerry Sands appears to have taken himself out of the running for the left field job and likely, a spot on the 25-man roster. Sands entered camp with a real chance at winning the job after batting .342 for the Dodgers in September, but things just haven't clicked for him this month. Look for Juan Rivera to start in left field (.256/.310/.513 this spring) with Tony Gwynn as his late-inning defensive replacement. At this point we can't be sure Sands will ever be a big league regular, though we should see him back in LA at some point this year. Alex Castellanos could be another option, and even Trent Oeltjen (.290/.405/.419) could see LF at-bats at some point.
Dodgers rotation - Ted Lilly is nursing a neck injury that appears likely to at least delay his regular season debut until April 14. Lilly may even need a DL stint, which would open up the door for a start or two from Nathan Eovaldi. Eovaldi has impressed all spring, allowing just one run in 10.2 innings with a 6:2 K:BB. Lilly turned 36 in January, so caution is probably the best approach here. Lilly was healthy enough to make 33 solid starts last year, posting a 3.97 ERA with a 7.4 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9. Assuming the neck isn't a long-term issue, he should be able to make it through another 30 or so starts.
Giants 1B/LF situation - Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but when perusing box scores Friday and Saturday, I noted that Brandon Belt started both games at first base with Aubrey Huff in left field. For the spring, Belt is batting .280/.429/.660 with three homers and five doubles in 50 at-bats. Huff has been average at best with a .275/.310/.450 line, but considering Nate Schierholtz is batting an empty .233 (.586 OPS), both Huff and Belt could and should be in line for regular at-bats. Adding Buster Posey back to the Giants lineup helps, but they are going to also need a lift from a guy like Belt, and it appears in reading between the lines on the box score, that they are going to give him a chance. If simply left alone, Belt could be good for .290/.370/.500 with 20 homers and 10 steals this year.
Padres first base - Despite a solid 2011 from Jesus Guzman, the Padres appear to have settled on Yonder Alonso - .304/.316/.411 in a so-so spring - as their primary first baseman. That does make sense considering the Padres gave up Mat Latos to get Alonso and others from the Reds. Guzman is batting just .234, but he should be solid enough as a part-time first baseman and corner outfielder. Alonso meanwhile has yet to show the type of power that we thought we'd see, but it could be coming. Petco Park may limit him to 12-15 homers this year, but Alonso should be able to hit for a decent average given last year's (Triple-A) 0.77 EYE.
Giants second base job - Freddie Sanchez is the starter here when healthy, but after getting a cortisone shot in his troublesome shoulder this week, Sanchez could be out a while. In the meantime, Emmanuel Burriss is the current underwhelming favorite to fill in while he's out. Emmanuel is a .250/.311/.281 hitter in 584 career big league at-bats with one home run and (pay attention here) 35 stolen bases. Burriss once stole 68 bases in a minor league season (2007), but he's yet to demonstrate that he can get on base enough to let his legs provide any sort of fantasy value. Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot are the other options, but they are even less appealing.
Diamondbacks rotation - Despite being outpitched (handily) by Trevor Bauer this spring, Josh Collmenter will open 2012 in the Arizona rotation, pitching the third game of the year. Collmenter though may have a short leash considering his 9.75 ERA and 4:5 K:BB in 12 innings this spring. Bauer, last year's #3 overall pick, posted a 3.60 ERA in 10 innings with an excellent 9:1 K:BB. Starting Bauer off in Double-A as the Diamondbacks plan to do, serves the purpose of giving him time to develop a bit of polish while also delaying his arbitration-eligibility by a year. Look for Bauer in the big leagues sometime in June once either Collmenter washes out or someone gets hurt.
Phil Hughes, NYY - In case there was any doubt, the Yankees made it clear this week that Hughes would be a member of the rotation. He beats out Freddy Garcia among others, but with Andy Pettitte looking at a possible May debut, Hughes' time in the rotation could be short unless he starts strong and significantly outpitches Ivan Nova. This spring Hughes has a 2.08 ERA and 8:2 K:BB in 13.1 innings while Nova sits at 6.89 despite a 14:1 K:BB in 19.2 innings. The Yankees have been impressed with Hughes' velocity this spring, so perhaps that long-awaited breakout is coming this year.
Wade Davis, TB - Davis will begin the year in the bullpen after losing out to Jeff Niemann as the #5 starter. He had a 4.91 ERA this spring to Niemann's 4.05, so any sign of a struggle from Niemann could lead to Davis' return to the rotation. Also a factor is the terrible performance this spring by projected #4 starter Jeremy Hellickson (15.30 ERA). Davis of course signed a seven-year $35.1 million contract this offseason, a deal that looks to be team-friendly if Davis can be a solid #3 starter, but it doesn't appear he'll be getting that chance this year. Look for the Rays to deal a pitcher for an offensive upgrade sometime this year, a move that would get Davis back in the rotation. He regressed some in 2011, dropping from a 6.1 K/9 to 5.1 and losing about one mph on his fastball, but the long-term upside remains solid.
Lonnie Chisenhall, CLE - The Indians former top prospect has disappointed again this spring, batting just .205 this spring and being assigned to minor league camp as a result. He loses out on the 3B job to journeyman Jack Hannahan who hit just .250/.331/.388 in 110 games last year. Chisenhall posted just a .699 OPS for the Indians last year, but did show some pop with seven homers in 212 at-bats (30.3 AB/HR). His EYE though in those at-bats was a miniscule 0.16 after he posted marks in the 0.60 range in his two previous minor league stints. He'll head to Triple-A to hopefully improve his pitch recognition and will likely be the team's starting third baseman at some point in the next few months.
Brett Jackson, CHC - With Jackson major league ready, the Cubs are reportedly shopping Marlon Byrd with the Nationals and Braves being the two most interested teams. Jackson has hit .276/.400/.586 with a pair of homers and a 0.60 EYE in 29 at-bats this spring and could step in and handle center field for the Cubs. Byrd has hit .286/.306/.413 this spring, but considering he's on the wrong side of 30 and in the last year of a three-year deal, but rebuilding Cubs would assumedly deal him if the return were at least semi-adequate. The Cubs could also wait until sometime during the season to deal Byrd in order to give Jackson a little more seasoning, but even if they do make a deal, Reed Johnson could in theory fill in until Jackson is ready. Regardless, this is a guy you want to target in keeper formats, as he went 20-20 in the upper minors last year.
Freddie Freeman, ATL - Freeman got off to a slow start this spring, but that's all changed in recent days. Monday he notched a two-homer game for the second straight game and now has five long balls in his last five games and is 8-for-15 overall in those contests. Freeman had an excellent rookie season, batting .282/.346/.448 with 21 home runs. We'd like to see some improvement in his 75% CT%, a mark that led to 142 strikeouts, but last year was his age 21 season, so improvement there is likely. Based on scouting reports and his minor league track record, Freeman isn't likely to be much more than a 25-homer guy, but if you draft him, hope for more contact which would push the average into the .290s.
Mike Aviles, BOS - Not only has Aviles won the starting shortstop job over Jose Iglesias, but he's also in the running to lead off for the Red Sox. Aviles has batted .313/.313/.500 this spring with no walks in 48 at-bats. On the plus side, 53% of his hits have gone for extra bases (no HR), but don't you want your leadoff guy to be an OBP guy? Aviles in that department has a .318 career mark in over 1,200 at-bats. The Red Sox are better off letting Cody Ross lead off, but we'll have to wait and see here. Aviles offers 10 HR / 15 SB potential and would see a slight spike in value if he can actually hold down the leadoff spot. I'm skeptical.
Mat Gamel, MIL - Gamel is one of my favorite sleepers this spring. He's yet to establish himself at the big league level, but even though Gamel is batting just .229 this spring, he hit his fourth homer on Tuesday and his K:BB is solid at 8:5. Gamel has posted OPS's of .898 and .912 at the Triple-A level the last two years and has nothing to prove except that he can hit big league pitching and not be too much of a downgrade from Prince Fielder at first base. A tall order indeed, but in a thin NL 1B pool, his upside stands out.
Eric Hosmer, KC - Hosmer appears poised for a major breakout this season. The first baseman launched a pair of two-run homers off a tough customer in Yovani Gallardo on Tuesday and he now has four this spring to go with a .373 average. Not that this means a whole lot, but it's also fun to note that he's driven in 22 runs in just 59 at-bats. Hosmer also has an 8:8 K:BB this spring, which if he can even approach that sort of plate discipline this year would be a huge step in his development. Hosmer's BB% last year was just 6% and his EYE 0.41, but he still managed to hit .293 as a 21 year-old. Hosmer's GB% was a bit high last year at 49.7%, but I wouldn't be overly surprised to see him hit .310 with 25 home runs this year.
Jason Castro, HOU - Injuries have led us to forget that Castro is a former top-10 overall draft pick, but he's been making enough noise this spring to get him back on our radars. After going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI Tuesday, Castro is now batting .303 this spring. He's yet to go deep and just two of his 10 hits have been for extra bases, but as a #2 catcher, you could probably do much worse. Castro is recovering from ACL surgery and could be limited early on this year, but by May, he should be starting five times a week. Keep in mind, this is a guy who batted .309/.399/.517 in A-ball in 2009, so he knows how to hit.
Alejandro De Aza, CHW - De Aza appears set to be Chicago's starting center fielder and leadoff man, at least to begin 2012. He is 27 and has just 346 big league at-bats to his credit (.280/.337/.410), and while he's not going to win you any leagues, he's worth paying attention to in AL-only and deeper mixed leagues for his ability to run. De Aza hit his first homer of the spring on Tuesday and is batting .280/.327/.340 with three stolen bases in six attempts. If he can maintain an adequate OBP and stay atop the line for most of the year, consider him good for 20-25 steals with perhaps five home runs. Nothing too exciting, but you can't have an elite player at every position and there is value in guys who start for their teams.
