Utley, others have plenty to prove
Posted: Friday, March 13, 2009 1:06 PM
Spring training is absurdly long this year to accommodate the World Baseball Classic. But with four weeks to Opening Day, hitters are beginning to sharpen their focus while pitchers are getting into longer outings. Results start to matter.
Thus, here are 10 players to watch over the next month, and then on into the season:
CHASE UTLEY: A high-speed recovery from hip surgery is underway (don’t think A-Rod and the Yankees aren’t watching intently at the progress being made by Utley). Utley is fielding, and hitting live pitching. Game action may be as little as a week away. And Utley in the lineup on opening day is not completely out of the question.
TODD HELTON: Matt Holliday is gone from the Rockies (traded to Oakland), and Garrett Atkins will soon follow. Helton and Troy Tulowitzki are the anchors for Colorado. If the Rockies are to contend in a wide-open NL West, Helton must rebound from last year’s back issues, and display a potent bat.
ERIC CHAVEZ: It’s scary when a player feels his winter was good because he underwent “only one surgery.” The only player signed to a long-term deal by A’s general manager Billy Beane, Chavez is being counted on to man third base for a team that fancies challenging the Angels. With Holliday, Jason Giambi, and Orlando Cabrera, a healthy Chavez rounds out a surprisingly potent lineup. But Chavez is missing some time this spring after suffering a setback in his rehab from right shoulder surgery.
YOVANI GALLARDO: How does a team replace CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets without spending huge dollars? Simply put, it can’t. Thus, Milwaukee hopes that Gallardo, its brightest starting pitching prospect, who last season returned from a torn ACL to start Game 1 of the NLDS, can assume a top-of-the-rotation spot.
FRANCISCO LIRIANO: The Twins have terrific starting pitching. And if Liriano is healthy, they have every reason to challenge the Indians and White Sox in the AL Central. Often, a pitcher doesn’t fully recover until the second season following surgery. Which is precisely the hope held by the Twins for Liriano.
JUSTIN VERLANDER: Despite its horrid 2008, Detroit feels it should be mentioned as a contender in the AL Central. But the Tigers need their pitching back, and Verlander must rebound from a subpar performance last season (4.84 ERA, 1.40 WHIP). Walking four batters in two innings of his most recent spring start didn’t inspire early confidence.
SKIP SCHUMAKER: The Cardinals need him as their leadoff hitter. And they need a second baseman. So they are trying to convert Schumaker from the outfield to second base. It’s a brutal transition, eased perhaps slightly by the long spring. But the Cardinals have no other leadoff hitter, hence the importance of this switch.
NICK ADENHART: Suddenly, the Angels have pitching concerns. Ervin Santana is dealing with elbow inflammation, and is unlikely to start the season on time. Jered Weaver is starting slowly, and Joe Saunders is trying to squelch whispers about shoulder issues. So Adenhart, the Angels’ top prospect, has a window in which to earn a job, and help the team.
PEDRO MARTINEZ: His World Baseball Classic audition was successful, even if it was cut short by the Dominican Republic unexpectedly being shown the door by the Netherlands in the first round. And teams took note of what they saw from Martinez, although the Mets still claim they have no interest in re-signing the veteran right-hander, who must stay healthy.
The Angels were never serious about adding Manny Ramirez, which drew some heat from restless fans. Could a Martinez signing ease some concerns over that fragile Angels’ rotation?
The Dodgers admit "interest" in Martinez, although no contact with him yet. A SoCal "competition" for Martinez could land him a better deal.
ERIC BYRNES: The spark for Arizona’s 2007 run had his 2008 ruined by leg injuries. He is being eased into spring games, although all sides proclaim he is well. Arizona’s offense, mired in a swarm of strikeouts, missed his energy last year.
FIVE SWINGS:
The Sporting News is an entertaining read after its recent redesign. The latest issue presented questions to baseball folk asking for five responses. Here are the five I found intriguing:
1. RANDY JOHNSON’S move to San Francisco seems a winner for both sides. But Bob Brenly, who managed Johnson in Arizona, opines that the last time Johnson left Arizona (for the Yankees) things didn’t work. Brenly says Arizona is a “great place to pitch.”
2. GARRETT ATKINS says the best NL fastball belongs to Tim Lincecum. Last year, Matt Holliday called Lincecum’s curve the best in the NL. Get the idea this kid is the best young gun in the game?
3. STEVE PHILLIPS loves the Red Sox offseason budget shopping spree (adding John Smoltz, Brad Penny, Takashi Saito and Rocco Baldelli). They lost out on Mark Teixeira, but brought in bulk for less money. Same as the Angels did with their signings of Juan Rivera, Bobby Abreu, and Brian Fuentes.
4. RAUL IBANEZ could be a terrific unheralded signing. Curtis Granderson calls Ibanez one of his five top outfielders, citing Ibanez’s ability to scale outfield walls. And former teammate J.J. Putz calls Ibanez as “well rounded a hitter” as any in the game. Ibanez replaces Pat Burrell for the Phillies. Burrell’s signing with Tampa Bay was lauded by Phillips for adding “great makeup and leadership” to the Rays.
5. GEOVANY SOTO (homegrown product of the MacPhail era in Chicago) is called by Tim McCarver the best catcher in the game. McCarver cites “rare leadership skills combined with offensive punch.”
