Conor Jackson spent a lot of time at first base last season (68 games) because regular first baseman Chad Tracy was plagued by knee problems over two seasons. Jackson is expected to move back to left field, leaving manager Bob Melvin with a glut of outfielders who need playing time. Jackson, who hit .315 vs. lefties last season, could still spend time at first in a platoon with Tracy. As for the bullpen, RHP Chad Qualls is projected to be the closer but that could change. RHPs Tony Pena and Jon Rauch or newcomer Tom Gordon could land the job depending on the mix of the rest of the bullpen. The final few spots could go to Yusmeiro Petit, Billy Buckner, Doug Slaten or Travis Blackley.
Even with a rebuilt rotation, slots 1-4 seem to be claimed and that leaves a few to fight for the last spot. Tom Glavine finally re-signed but is recovering from surgery. Jorge Campillo, Jo-Jo Reyes, Charlie Morton, James Parr and Tommy Hanson will all compete during camp. In even bigger flux is the outfield. Left field was going to be a platoon of Matt Diaz and Brandon Jones but the late addtion of Garret Anderson means that Jones is likely out. As for Jeff Francoeur in right field, his production tailed off significantly last season and he has a lot to prove. Jordan Schafer, Josh Anderson and Gregor Blanco will all be fighting for playing time in center.
Carlos Marmol appears to have the inside edge as closer after a dominant 2008 as the setup man but he will have to compete with newcomer Kevin Gregg. Marmol was 2-4 with a 2.68 ERA last season. Gregg came over in a November trade with the Marlins and is expected to be 100 percent after knee surgery. He saved 29 games for Florida last season. The bullpen has one more open spot and whoever doesn't land the fifth rotation spot could head to the 'pen. The competitors include Chad Gaudin, Ken Kadokura, Sean Marshall and Jeff Samardzija. Gaudin was mostly a reliever last season after spending 2007 exclusively as a starter in Oakland. Kadokura is a 13-year veteran of Japanese ball and the Cubs still need to decide if they will be better served with Samardzija in the bullpen over the rotation. Marshall is considered to be the favorite for the job. Finally, center field is an issue because after Kosuke Fukudome's terrible second half last season, he lost his role in right field and the Cubs acquired Milton Bradley to take his place. Now, Fukudome will have to fight for playing time in center. He'll compete with Reed Johnson, who finished last season with a .303 average, six homers and 50 RBI.
The Reds searched all offseason to acquire a catcher and ended up with Ramon Hernandez in an early December trade. The Reds had their eye on him and after an injury-plagued 2007, Hernandez seemed to get back into his groove in the second half of 2008. The Reds hope Hernandez's experience will be good for young Ryan Hanigan but Hanigan could end up getting more starts. In left field, the Reds are hoping rookie Chris Dickerson can emerge as a solid starter. If he falters, the Reds have Jerry Hairston along with Jonny Gomes and Jacque Jones, who were signed to minor league deals. For the fifth spot in the rotation, Micah Owings, Homer Bailey, Daryl Thompson and Ramon Ramirez will compete. Also note that eyes will be on SS Alex Gonzalez, who has a lot to prove after missing all of last season after knee surgery.
Catcher John Baker got his first shot at the majors last season when, starting in July, he had to step in to cover for Matt Treanor. Now Treanor is gone and Baker will have a shot to land the role full-time after hitting .299 last season with five homers and 32 RBI. He'll compete with Mike Rabelo, who hit .202 with three homers and 10 RBI after 109 at-bats. To replace 1B Mike Jacobs, the Marlins are giving rookie Gaby Sanchez a shot. He was the MVP of the Southern League after hitting .314 with 17 homers, 42 doubles and 92 RBI at Carolina last season. At third, the club is again counting on youth with Dallas McPherson taking over. Jorge Cantu will compete for time in both spots. Depending on how the youngsters turn out will decide where Cantu plays most. He has experience at both corner infield spots.
The Astros need to find a way to replace catcher Brad Ausmus and 3B Ty Wigginton. The late addition of Ivan Rodriguez means the veteran and Gold Glover will fill the spot with Humberto Quintero serving as his backup. Prior to Pudge's arrival, J.R. Towles, Toby Hall and Lou Palmisano were all competing for the job. As for third base and the loss of Wigginton's power, a platoon is set with Geoff Blum and Aaron Boone. Blum will likely get more at-bats after hitting a .240 last season with 14 home runs and 53 RBI. Boone will be waiting to face lefties. Will one emerge as a frontrunner? For the rotation's last spot, RHP Brandon Backe struggled last season after trying to rebound from Tommy John surgery. He ended the season 9-14 with a 6.05 ERA. Young righties Bud Norris and Felipe Paulino could fight their way into the rotation. Norris has not yet played in the majors and Paulino missed all of 2008 with arm injuries.
The biggest battles at the Dodgers' camp will center on pitching. There are a few opened spots in the bullpen and the fifth spot in the rotation is up for grabs. RHP Claudio Vargas could be considered the leader in the race for the rotation spot. Vargas went 3-2 with a 4.62 ERA in 11 appearances, including four starts, with the Mets last season but didn't pitch in the majors after June 24. Another option is Jason Schmidt, who hasn't pitched in the majors since mid-June 2007, limited by shoulder injuries. Also in the mix are LHPs Eric Stults and Shawn Estes. Other possibilities are youngsters Ramon Troncoso, James McDonald and Scott Elbert but they could also end up in the bullpen to fill one of those empty spots. Initially, the Dodgers wanted to acquire another veteran reliever for the bullpen but they are moving forward with the competition they signed to minor league deals during the offseason. As it stands, Jeff Weaver, Carmen Cali, Stephen Randolph, Scott Strickland and Tanyon Sturtze will compete along with anyone who doesn't land that fifth rotation spot.
Third base was set to be a battle during spring with Bill Hall the favorite, likely sharing at-bats because he has struggled against righties. But Hall will be sidelined four to six weeks with a calf injury that occurred while conditioning on his own. When he returns, he could platoon with Mike Lamb. Also in the mix are two youngsters -- Casey McGehee and Mat Gamel. McGehee hit .296 with 12 homers and 92 RBI in 133 games at Triple-A Iowa last season before getting a September call-up. And Gamel is a top prospect who had two at-bats in September. Also note that the late addition of RHP Braden Looper allows the Brewers to move Seth McClung out of the rotation and back into a relief role. McClung would go back to the rotation should anything happen to one of the starters.
In 2008, 2B Luis Castillo was in the first year of his four-year deal and had one of the worst seasons of his career. He was limited to 87 games, hit .245 and drove in only 28 runs. He claims he tried to play too soon after knee surgery and that this season will be different. He was committed during the offseason, working hard over the winter and losing weight and says he is ready to prove he can rebound. Alex Cora would be Castillo's replacement if he underperforms. Cora was a Red Sox free agent and signed a one-year deal. He was mostly a shortstop for the Sox last season but did start seven games at second. Cora finished the season with a .270 average and nine RBI. The last time Cora played a majority of games at second over shortstop was 2005, when he split the season between Cleveland and Boston. Former All-Star pitcher Freddy Garcia is coming to camp on a minor league deal and is the favorite to win the fifth rotation spot. Garcia is hoping for a strong rebound after shoulder surgery sidelined him in August 2007. RHP Tim Redding is other main candidate. He was signed as a free agent after going 10-11 with a 4.95 ERA in 33 starts last year with the Nationals. He would likely end up in the bullpen if he doesn't land the rotation spot. And rookie LHP Jon Niese has an outside shot but he will likely start the season in the minors.
Much of the pieces are in place for the returning World Series champions, so there is very little up for grabs. The fifth rotation spot is open with four competitors. RHP Kyle Kendrick is the favorite to land the job after two seasons, a 21-13 record and career 4.78 ERA. LHP J.A. Happ and RHP Carlos Carrasco are both rookies. Happ has five starts over two seasons and Carrasco has no major league experience. Veteran Chan Ho Park is well past his prime but is giving it his best shot. Keep in mind 2B Chase Utley is returning from hip surgery and is ahead of his projected recovery, while 3B Pedro Feliz was expected to be ready for opening day after back surgery and could be delayed.
The only claimed pitching spots are LHP Paul Maholm at the top of the rotation and Matt Capps as closer and John Grabow as a setup man. Ian Snell and Zach Duke are likely to place in the next two rotation spots. Snell was the opening day starter in 2008 but underperformed after going 7-12 with a 5.42 ERA. LHP Tom Gorzelanny was fighting for a rotation spot and hoping to make a comeback but the Pirates were not impressed with his progress this spring and sent him to the minors. With Gorzelanny gone, youngsters Ross Ohlendorf, Jeff Karstens and Jimmy Barthmaier are left. Prospect Daniel McCutchen is a possibility but will likely start the season in the minors. In the bullpen, the roles after Capps and Grabow need to be worked out.
RHP Mark Prior hasn't pitched in the majors since August 2006, missing two-plus seasons because of shoulder surgery. His last productive season was 2005 when he went 11-7 with a 3.67 ERA for the Cubs. He says this time he's ready to seriously contend for a spot in the rotation. LHP Wade LeBlanc and RHP Kevin Correia are considered top contenders. LeBlanc is a top prospect who struggled last season in his four major league starts and Correia is fighting for a spot after signing a minor league deal. Josh Geer, Chad Reineke, Jae Kuk Ryu, Cesar Carrillo and Cesar Ramos will also compete.
First base, Second base, Third base, Bullpen, Rotation spot No. 5
Sandoval
Aurilia
The Giants' infield will be a major focus during spring training. Newcomer Edgar Renteria signed a two-year deal with the Giants and will play shortstop. The rest is up for grabs. The club is planning to move Pablo Sandoval to third after 12 starts there last season (he had 17 starts at first). Sandoval showed huge numbers in his first major-league season. In 41 games, he had a .345 average with 24 RBI and three homers. If he is solid at third, Travis Ishikawa is the favorite at first but he will compete with John Bowker and Josh Phelps. If Sandoval stumbles, veteran infielder Rich Aurilia and Juan Uribe will share time. As for the battle at second, Kevin Frandsen, Emmanuel Burriss and Eugenio Velez will compete. The fifth spot in the rotation will likely be claimed by LHPs Noah Lowry or Jonathan Sanchez. Lowry, who missed all of 2008 after two surgeries, has already experienced some tightness during his first spring workouts. Sanchez finished last season 9-12 with a 5.01 ERA. All offseason there were reports of moving Sanchez, but now, just before spring training begins, GM Brian Sabean says Sanchez has a better chance of being the No. 5 starter than Lowry. There are plenty of pitchers left to compete for two open spots in the bullpen.
Closer, Third base, Second base, Center field, Left field
Perez
Motte
There's a lot up for grabs on the Cardinals' roster and it features good old competition with lots of young and promising talent. After closer Jason Isringhausen lost his job last season, Chris Perez took over and is again a candidate to hold the post. He tallied seven saves in 11 opportunities and finished with a 3.46 ERA. Jason Motte is another young candidate but has even less major league experience than Perez. Veterans Ryan Franklin and Josh Kinney will also compete. In the infield, second base is now vacant after the departure of Adam Kennedy. Skip Schumaker could compete even though he has spent his career in the outfield. Second and third base feature many of the same contenders, including youngsters Brendan Ryan, Brian Barden, Jarrett Hoffpauir and Tyler Greene in addition to Joe Thurston. Third base is only available until Troy Glaus is ready to return. At third, the competition will likely focus on David Freese and Brent Wallace, again young talent from the farm. In the outfield, top prospect Colby Rasmus will fight for time in a crowded outfield and Chris Duncan is also in the mix.
First base, Second base, Left field, Rotation spot No. 5
Hernandez
Belliard
Washington had a glut of outfielders before landing Adam Dunn. Now Dunn, with Elijah Dukes, Austin Kearns, Lastings Milledge and Josh Willingham will fight for time in the outfield. Dunn will get at-bats at both first base and left field. Nick Johnson has been hampered by injuries but when he plays his bat is effective. If Dunn steps in to replace Johnson at first, Willingham will likely take over in left field. Second base features competition between Anderson Hernandez, Ronnie Belliard and Willie Harris. Harris and Wily Mo Pena will be backups. The last spot in the rotation is up for grabs with RHP Collin Balester or RHP Jordan Zimmermann likely landing the spot. Balester made his major league debut in 2008 and struggled through 15 starts, finishing with a 5.51 ERA. Zimmermann is the Nationals' top pitching prospect and has already made an impression in the first days of spring training. RHP Shawn Hill, trying to return from a forearm injury, is another candidate, as is RHP Jason Bergmann.
