One liners or more on the National League
Because Doug Davis is due to have surgery for thyroid cancer in mid-April, Edgar Gonzalez will have to make more than just the one start early on.
Although John Smoltz (shoulder) will go on the disabled list, he’s still expected to start April 6 against the Mets, making him fine to have active this week.
The talk about making Kosuke Fukudome the leadoff man against lefties is truly bizarre. It’s obvious that Ryan Theriot, a career .301/.384/462 hitter against lefties and a .267/.325/.327 hitter against righties, should hit high in the order versus southpaws and bat eighth the rest of the time if he absolutely has to play against righties.
It seems like a given now that Corey Patterson will be the primary center fielder (adequate) and leadoff hitter (ugh) on Opening Day.
Scott Podsednik entered Friday’s game with 13 walks in 41 at-bats this spring, or exactly as many as he had in 214 at-bats for the White Sox last year.
The Marlins decided on Rick VandenHurk as their No. 2 starter.
Michael Bourn has more strikeouts than hits this spring, a scary sign for a player the Astros are so heavily counting on him.
Juan Pierre didn’t need a good spring to guarantee that Joe Torre would go forward with him as the everyday left fielder and leadoff hitter, but he’s been positively awful and Andre Ethier, the superior player anyway, has been awesome.
Tony Gwynn Jr.’s strong spring could mean that Gabe Gross won’t have any fantasy value even while Mike Cameron sits out the first 25 games. Gwynn figures to get most of the starts against right-handers, with Gabe Kapler filling in versus lefties.
With no outfield solution acquired, it’s still looking like Angel Pagan will be the Mets’ primary left fielder.
Carlos Ruiz is penciled in as the No. 8 hitter, but he’s making a case to hit ahead of Feliz with his .372/.420/.558 line this spring.
The Pirates officially named Nate McLouth their center fielder and then kept Nyjer Morgan as a backup anyway, something they originally said they wouldn’t do.
Justin Germano was picked as the fifth starter. He’ll make his first two starts at home against the Dodgers and in San Francisco, so he’ll be a nice play in NL-only leagues.
Now Eugenio Velez has gone from interesting sleeper to potential 40-steal guy. Ray Durham figures to start at second base initially, but the Giants would love to dump his contract, making room for Velez as a full-time.
From the group of Skip Schumaker, Ryan Ludwick and Brian Barton, Schumaker figures to get the most playing time in April.
With his salary preventing the Nats from finding a taker, Felipe Lopez likely will begin the year on the team’s bench. He’ll have to be mixed in frequently if the Nationals eventually hope to trade him. Still, it’s clear scouts haven’t liked what they’ve seen of him so far this spring.
