Major league teams poised for start of spring
Cubs full of talent; Rockies regrouping
With major-league spring training camps getting ready to open in a week or so in Arizona and Florida, it’s time to take a look at some of the things each of 30 major league teams will be trying to accomplish before games start to count.:
NL West
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
(Scottsdale, Ariz.): With new general manager Mike Hazen and new manager Torey Lovullo, the Diamondbacks are rebooting after a dismal 2016 season. Fernando Rodney, who turns 40 during camp, gets to show he still has closer’s stuff. COLORADO ROCKIES
(Scottsdale, Ariz.): After an aggressive winter of player moves, including the addition of closer Greg Holland, the parent club of the Albuquerque Isotopes will see how the pieces fit together. Ian Desmond, who went from a shortstop in Washington to a center fielder in Texas, now gets to test his hand at first base. LOS ANGELES DODGERS
(Glendale, Ariz.): After finally solving their second base problem by acquiring Logan Forsythe from Tampa Bay, the Dodgers will focus on getting their starting rotation to opening day in one piece. Clayton Kershaw, Scott Kazmir, Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu all had health issues in 2016 that sidelined them. SAN DIEGO PADRES (Peoria,
Ariz.): The Padres are committing to young catcher Austin Hedges as their shuffling of personnel continues. Hedges will use the six weeks of camp to familiarize himself with a rebuilt rotation that includes newcomers Jhoulys Chacin, Clayton Richard, Trevor Cahill and Tyrell Jenkins. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
(Scottsdale, Ariz.): The Giants put their closing miseries of 2016 behind them with the addition of Mark Melancon, allowing them to focus on other things such as who gets the most playing time in left field. Mac Williamson, who had 112 at-bats last season, gets first crack at the job.
NL Central
CHICAGO CUBS (Mesa,
Ariz.): The defending World Series champs — been a while since we’ve said that — have more talented players than positions to fill, a very nice problem. So, finding playing time and keeping everyone happy should keep manager Joe Maddon quite busy. CINCINNATI REDS (Goodyear, Ariz.): The Reds would like to get injury-prone catcher Devin Mesoraco back on the
field. Mesoraco is rehabbing after hip and shoulder surgeries and will use camp to gauge his progress toward playing again. MILWAUKEE BREWERS
(Phoenix): The Brewers must hash out their starting rotation and determine if new corner infielders Eric Thames and Travis Shaw are ready for everyday action at first base and third base, respectively. Catching remains a wide-open competition. PITTSBURGH PIRATES (Bradenton, Fla.): Despite a winter of swirling trade rumors, outfielder Andrew McCutchen is still on the Pirates’ roster. It is no coincidence that the club regressed as McCutchen was doing likewise in 2016, so getting him going again is of paramount importance. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (Jupiter, Fla.): The Cardinals are reconfiguring their infield once again, with Matt Carpenter moving across the diamond to first base. That means Kolten Wong must hold his own at second base, and likewise for shortstop Almedys Diaz.
NL East
ATLANTA BRAVES (Kissimmee, Fla.): As they prepare to move into a new ballpark with a rebuilding team, the Braves opted to go for experience in their starting rotation by adding Bartolo Colon, R.A. Dickey and Jaime Garcia over the winter, giving a deep crop of young pitchers time to develop. MIAMI MARLINS (Jupiter,
Fla.): As the Marlins seek to move past the devastating late-season death of Jose Fernandez, they will count on outfielder Giancarlo Stanton and second baseman Dee Gordon to lead the way. Edinson Volquez
and Dan Straily join a restructured rotation. NEW YORK METS (Port St.
Lucie, Fla.): With Matt Harvey returning from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, Jacob deGrom coming off an elbow nerve surgery and Zack Wheeler out since 2015 following Tommy John surgery, emerging with a healthy starting rotation will be a focus. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
(Clearwater, Fla.): The Phillies have a new-look outfield with Howie Kendrick in left and Michael Saunders in right, but the biggest change is no longer having Ryan Howard around, leaving first base for Tommy Joseph to prove he is an everyday player. WASHINGTON NATIONALS
(West Palm Beach, Fla.): The Nationals enter camp with Shawn Kelley, who has had two Tommy John surgeries, as the leading candidate for the closer role. Even 42-year-old Joe Nathan, another two-time TJ patient, will get a look.
AL West
HOUSTON ASTROS (West
Palm Beach, Fla.): The outfield picture is crowded with George Springer, Josh Reddick, Jake Marisnick and Nori Aoki, leaving Carlos Beltran to get at-bats as the DH. Catcher Brian McCann, a disappointment with the Yankees, gets to work with a deep and experienced pitching staff. LOS ANGELES ANGELS
(Tempe, Ariz.): The starting rotation was ravaged by injuries in 2016, so putting together a healthy staff is vital, beginning with ace Garrett Richards, coming off a serious elbow issue. If Albert Pujols isn’t recovered from foot surgery by opening day, someone
else spot. will get at-bats in the DH OAKLAND ATHLETICS
(Mesa, Ariz.): The A’s have retooled their infield by signing Rajai Davis to play center and Matt Joyce in a likely platoon in right, with either Mark Canha or Jake Smolinski. Trevor Plouffe is the new third baseman, meaning Ryon Healy will get more at-bats as the DH. SEATTLE MARINERS (Peoria, Ariz.): GM Jerry DiPoto is going to continue acquiring players until the Mariners get this right. Jean Segura and Mitch Haniger, both of whom went from the Brewers to Arizona to Seattle, are the new starters at short and right field, respectively. Another exBrewer, Yovani Gallardo, joins the rotation. TEXAS RANGERS (Surprise,
Ariz.): Barring a late addition, Ryan Rua gets the chance to prove he can be the regular first baseman. Right fielder Shin-Soo Choo, who missed the last six weeks of 2016 with a fractured forearm, needs a healthy, full season for the Rangers to succeed. AL Central CHICAGO WHITE SOX (Glendale, Ariz.): The White Sox begin life without Chris Sale under new manager Rick Renteria, who will give Charles Tilson a good look in center after the trade of Adam Eaton. Third baseman Todd Frazier is still dealing with a sprained finger on his left hand from last season but indicated he has time to get ready. CLEVELAND INDIANS
(Goodyear, Ariz.): It will be easier to move past the heartbreak of losing the World Series if Michael Brantley can
return to left field after more than a year of shoulder woes. Edwin Encarnacion figures to add plenty of pop as the new DH. DETROIT TIGERS (Lakeland, Fla.): Newcomer Mikie Mahtook will try to show he deserves the bulk of the playing time in center field. After an injury-plagued 2016, righthander Jordan Zimmermann plans to live up to the big contract he signed before that season. KANSAS CITY ROYALS (Surprise, Ariz.): It won’t be an easy camp after the tragic death of young right-hander Yordano Ventura. Right fielder Jorge Soler hopes to blossom after being crowded out by the talent-rich Cubs. MINNESOTA TWINS (Fort
Myers, Fla.): The Twins will have a better chance of bouncing back from their awful 2016 campaign if closer Glen Perkins recovers from shoulder surgery. Newcomer Jason Castro will handle the catching duties and slugging second baseman Brian Dozier remains the anchor of the lineup despite a winter of trade speculation.
AL East
BALTIMORE ORIOLES (Sarasota, Fla.): Returning Mark Trumbo to the fold was huge for a team reliant on home runs to score, but the pitchers no longer have Matt Wieters behind the plate. Newcomer Welington Castillo will familiarize himself with the pitchers throughout camp. BOSTON RED SOX (Fort
Myers, Fla.): David Ortiz will be missed in many ways but the Red Sox showed they continue to go for it by adding ace Chris Sale to their rotation. Pablo Sandoval gets one more chance to prove he can hold down third base as well as his weight. NEW YORK YANKEES (Tampa, Fla.): With Mark Teixeira in retirement, Greg Bird and Tyler Austin will battle for playing time at first base. They also added free agent Chris Carter on Tuesday. Right field also is in play with prospect Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks vying for the starting job. TAMPA BAY RAYS (Port Charlotte, Fla.): The Rays must find a replacement for second baseman Logan Forsythe, who was traded to the Dodgers. If Brad Miller isn’t moved from first base to that position, Nick Franklin and Tim Beckham are the leading candidates to see action at second. TORONTO BLUE JAYS (Dunedin, Fla.): With prodigal son Jose Bautista back in the fold and DH Kendrys Morales added to the mix, the Blue Jays again will depend on muscle to score runs. With Edwin Encarnacion gone, Toronto will try a platoon of Justin Smoak and Steve Pearce at first base.