THE HOURS:

Spring Training Magazine
It's time for pitchers and catchers (Associated Press, February 10, 2007)

Detroit pitchers will try to get those infield throws down, Dice-K will make the transition to American-style baseball and Barry Zito will start justifying the $126 million that's become attached to his name.

That's right: It's time for pitchers and catchers.

Players start reporting to major league camps Tuesday, with the first official workouts of the year two days later.

With camp comes hope for every team (Larry Stone, 2/11/07, Seattle Times)

Now that the NFL season is over, it's time to turn our attention to the true sport of parity.

You know, the one that has had seven different champions in the past seven years.

The one in which a team that had just 83 victories in the 2006 regular season -- and almost threw away its division title by losing 9 of 11 in late September -- could rebound to win the World Series. And did so by defeating a team that lost 91 games the year before and hadn't had a winning season since 1993.

It's spring-training time, and after a winter in which a whopping $1.5 billion was spent on free agents, just about every team in baseball is busy making its case as a serious pennant contender. And believing it.

Even the Mariners, who have finished last three years in a row. Even the Pirates, whose streak of losing seasons goes back practically to the dead-ball era. Even the Cubs, who responded to their 96-loss season by committing $317.55 million to new players, much to the sheer delight of new manager Lou Piniella.

Taking a National perspective: As spring training approaches, here's a senior circuit watch list (Nick Cafardo, February 11, 2007, Boston Globe)
It's deja vu all over again for Sox (Tony Massarotti, February 11, 2007, Boston Herald)

In some ways, oddly enough, the Red Sox [team stats] are in precisely the same spot they were a year ago. They have a new, young starter for whom they paid a significant price. They have a new shortstop and a new second baseman, as well as a new leadoff hitter. And they have as big a question in the bullpen as any team in baseball. [...]

[H]ere is a positional overview of the Sox as they enter Spring Training 2007:

Starting pitchers

Jobs available: Five.

Leading candidates: Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jonathan Papelbon, Tim Wakefield.

Keep an eye on: Kason Gabbard, Devern Hansack, Jon Lester, David Pauley, Kyle Snyder.

Injured: Matt Clement.

Last year, it was Beckett. This year, it's Matsuzaka. But with Papelbon joining the rotation, too, it certainly seems as if the Red Sox are built for both the short-term and the long. Schilling and Wakefield are now both 40-something, but Beckett, Matsuzaka and Papelbon give the Red Sox a trio of 20-somethings that should be together for at least the next three years.

Barring injury, Gabbard, Hansack, Lester, Pauley and Snyder have little at a starting spot in camp. But remember: Unless the Red Sox can go an entire season without losing a starter to injury -- as was the case in 2004 -- all may be asked to make contributions at some point. Last season, the Red Sox had no fewer than 12 pitchers start games for them; only Beckett and Schilling started more than 23.

The American League champion Detroit Tigers, by contrast, used only eight starters, four of whom started 30 games or more.

Relief pitchers

Jobs available: Seven.

Leading candidates: Brendan Donnelly, Hideki Okajima, Joel Pineiro, J.C. Romero, Julian Tavarez, Mike Timlin.

Keep an eye on: Manny Delcarmen, Hansack, Craig Hansen, Javier Lopez, Edgar Martinez, Kyle Snyder.

The identity of the closer remains a mystery, but here's what we know: Because the Red Sox have flexibility among their positional players, manager Terry Francona will likely open the season with a 12-man staff. That means seven men in the bullpen, where the Red Sox are hoping to find quality among quantity.

Barring injury, right-handers Donnelly, Pineiro, Tavarez and Timlin will all be on the team, as will left-hander Romero and, presumably, Japanese import Okajima. That really leaves just one spot for everyone else, meaning that anyone among the group that includes Delcarmen, Hansack, Hansen and Snyder (among others) could easily pitch his way onto the team, maybe even into a big role.

Among the veteran and more established arms, Pineiro is the wild card here because he has never really been a full-time reliever. He posted a 2.66 ERA as a reliever last September, which is encouraging, but there is also the chance he could prove nothing more than a long man. If that happens, the closer competition will be wide open (if it's not already).

For Sox, decisions rest mostly with pitchers (Gordon Edes, February 11, 20077, Boston Globe)

So, what are the spring's 10 most compelling story lines, beyond the one that will have 100 media members staking out Edison Avenue on a daily basis?

1. Trade winds

The Sox have made only one trade of consequence this winter, the one that netted them veteran middle reliever Brendan Donnelly from the Angels for lefty Phil Seibel. Before last season, they made six deals, acquiring key pieces Crisp, Beckett, Lowell, and Mark Loretta while giving up the National League Rookie of the Year in Hanley Ramirez. The last deal made was the one that stirred up camp, sending pitcher/vocalist Bronson Arroyo to the Reds for Peña. Don't be surprised if newlywed Theo Epstein does it again. He has some movable pieces in Julian Tavarez, Lowell, Youkilis, Peña, and Crisp, and could revisit the Todd Helton talks or a deal for a closer.

2. The closer

The house money is on Joel Pineiro to make a successful conversion from horrid starter (21-35, 5.60 ERA his last two seasons in Seattle) to reliable closer, but the Sox haven't gone all in on that one. It has been repeated many times and will be said here again: Francona did not pick his closer until the third game of the regular season last year, when Papelbon trumped Keith Foulke once and forever. Forever, that is, until Papelbon's shoulder popped out of its joint, which has the Sox citing medical reasons for converting the most electrifying closer since Dick Radatz into a starter. Maybe it will go down that way, and Pineiro or Devern Hansack, the one-time lobsterman, will emerge, but unless Epstein can shake a closer out of somebody in a trade, the pressure will build to give Papelbon last call.

20 questions Richard Griffin, Cathal Kelly, Allan Ryan, 2/11/07, Toronto Star)

Fasten your seat belts, folks. Pitchers and catchers are reporting (as we type) for what should be a major-league season unlike any other. So, as the Blue Jays begin unpacking this week in Dunedin and 29 other teams head to their respective spring homes in Florida and Arizona, we were just wondering [....]

3 Who will be the Blue Jays' fourth and fifth starters?

Probably bargain free agents Tomo Ohka and John Thomson, both coming off injury-dotted seasons (in fact, each has seen down time two of the last years). When healthy, though, they have shown an ability to eat up innings, each topping 180 three times over the past five seasons. If even one pans out, the Jays will be happy, especially considering the eventual price tags on intended targets Ted Lilly and Gil Meche. Also in the mix: Josh Towers and Shaun Marcum.

4 Besides Ohka and Thomson, the Jays' projected front three of Roy Halladay, A.J. Burnett and Gus Chacin also had injury issues in 2006. Can the Jays keep their rotation ... ah, rotating?

Well, you coddle, you can listen, you can treat them with tender loving care, but arms are arms and arms get hurt. The Jays might be due for a relatively healthy season, though, and can at least hope for an improvement on 2006, when eight different pitchers not named Halladay, Burnett, Chacin or Lilly combined to make 60 starts and went a collective 11-32 with a 6.12 ERA.

5 But seriously now, does Towers have any chance of bouncing back from his almost unbelievable 2-10, 8.42 ERA season in 2006?

Unbelievably, poor Josh has had a season like that before, once going a combined 0-11 and 7.66 ERA between the Orioles and Triple-A Rochester in 2002. His career-high 13 wins for the Jays in 2005 earned him a two-year, $5.9 million (U.S.) deal and the Jays are wondering if he had some sort of adverse reaction to this sense of security.

Top 10 issues facing Pirates this spring (Dejan Kovacevic, 2/11/07, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

10. Mind the children

Part of the fun of spring training -- for management, too -- is getting a glimpse of the youngest talent. But, this spring, more than a glimpse might be warranted. Outfielder Andrew McCutchen, the Pirates' top prospect, opened eyes with his performance and poise as a 19-year-old last spring, and some in the organization view him as having a chance to reach Pittsburgh late this season. Catcher Neil Walker -- or is that third baseman Neil Walker? -- and starter Brad Lincoln will open camp with the major-leaguers, too. [...]

. Kids in relief?

Torres, Matt Capps, John Grabow and Damaso Marte have bullpen jobs, but the final three spots are blank. Expect Dan Kolb to take one despite his minor-league contract, and look for another to go to the loser of the fifth-starter competition. The last opening will go to one of a promising group of youngsters that includes Josh Sharpless, Jonah Bayliss, Brian Rogers, Juan Perez and Jesse Chavez.

4. The bench battles

Outfielder Nate McLouth and catcher-first baseman-outfielder Ryan Doumit are locks for two of the five bench spots, as is the loser of the starting duel between Jose Castillo and Jose Bautista. That leaves another outfielder, maybe Luis Matos, and definitely a backup middle infielder, maybe Jose Hernandez again. If Doumit is not the backup catcher -- the team values his bat enough to want him to play more often than that -- the job could go again to Humberto Cota.

Bavasi busy in offseason but are the M's better? (Geoff Baker, 2/11/07, Seattle Times)

Give the Mariners credit on one front: They sure were active this winter.

No matter what some pundits think about the intelligence of Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi, the willingness of ownership to go for broke, or the medical histories of some of the acquisitions, no one can accuse Seattle's baseball team of standing still. The big question facing the three-time defending American League West doormat is whether the sheer quantity of moves made this offseason came at the expense of true quality.

"We think that our club has much improved this offseason," Bavasi said of his winter maneuverings after recently adding free-agent starter Jeff Weaver to a rotation that also includes newcomers Miguel Batista and Horacio Ramirez. "I think [the winter] has gone well for us."

Just how well remains to be seen.

2B or not 2B for DeRosa? (CHRIS DE LUCA, 2/11/07, Chicago Sun-Times)

We all know what a healthy Derrek Lee can do in the middle of the Cubs' lineup. Ace pitcher Carlos Zambrano hasn't visited the disabled list since 2002. Alfonso Soriano testing the waters in center field will be firmly on the Arizona radar -- and one of the dominant stories of camp.

But when Cubs pitchers and catchers report Wednesday to Mesa, Ariz., several other players will spend the next six weeks helping to shape a new era for the Cubs.

Here's a closer look at five other players worth watching during spring training:

Rays boost Upton's work load hoping he hits back (MARC TOPKIN, February 11, 2007, St. Petersburg Times)

The Devil Rays think part of B.J. Upton's offensive struggles are the result of concern over his defensive problems.

So to lessen his worry, they plan to give him more to do.

In addition to Upton playing shortstop and third, the Rays will have him work at second and in the outfield this spring to explore the possibility of turning him into a super-utility-type such as the Angels' Chone Figgins.

And they hope he will establish himself as the impact offensive player he was supposed to be.

"I would like to take the pressure off his defense somewhat. Everything has been about his defense," manager Joe Maddon said. "During the last couple of years, it's been all about being the shortstop of the future, and then you throw him over to third base and it's about becoming the third baseman of the future.

"You know what? Let's come be a major-league baseball player, hit, and we'll figure out the best spot for you."

Focus on pitchers from the start: Questions abound as the Astros head to Florida for the beginning of spring training, but none is as important as this one: which two young hurlers will fill the fourth and fifth spots in the team's starting rotation? (BRIAN McTAGGART, 2/11/07, Houston Chronicle)

Will third baseman Morgan Ensberg and closer Brad Lidge rebound from their rocky 2006 seasons? Can Chris Burke make the transition to an everyday center fielder? Is Luke Scott the answer in right field?

The Astros hope to begin answering some of those questions Thursday when pitchers and catchers report to their spring training complex in Kissimmee, Fla., but those issues will take a back seat to a much larger concern.

"As we go in right now, I'm a little concerned about our pitching," said manager Phil Garner, who is gearing up for his third spring with the Astros. "I'm encouraged by the young pitching we have and encouraged by our options, but therein lies the unknown. I don't know how they're going to react until the season unfolds, and I'm concerned about that."

Specifically, Garner is uneasy about the fourth and fifth spots in the starting rotation after ace Roy Oswalt and newcomers Jason Jennings and Woody Williams.

Season's Greetings: About 70 players, many new to the Nats, are expected when the club opens spring training this week. The fans aren't the only ones who will need a scorecard (Barry Svrluga, 2/11/07, Washington Post)

This week in the home clubhouse at Space Coast Stadium in Viera, Fla., jerseys will hang for Washington Nationals numbered from 00 (Tony Womack) to 81 (Darnell McDonald). There will be two Diazes (Frank and Felix), a pair of Martinezes (Anastacio and Luis), three Mikes, a Michael -- not to mention a Micah -- and everyone from A(breu) to Z(immerman). Perhaps a social hour is in order. Handshakes all around.

"I'm not going to lie," veteran catcher Brian Schneider said. "I don't know some of these guys."

Nor, of course, do even ardent observers. The characters who left the Nationals after last season are far more accomplished than those who arrived since. In his sole season in Washington, Alfonso Soriano stole 41 bases and hit 46 homers, all while playing for then-manager Frank Robinson, whose 586 career home runs in the majors are 224 more than the members of Washington's current 40-man roster -- combined. Soriano was replaced in left field by . . . well, that hasn't quite been determined yet. Robinson was replaced by Manny Acta, who has managed 2,242 fewer big league games than the Hall of Famer -- which is to say, zero.

"We'll all have to get to know each other," Acta said.

Orioles Bank on a Rebuilt Bullpen: Team's Fortunes Could Hinge in Part on Three Free Agents Who Signed in Offseason (Jorge Arangure Jr., 2/11/07, Washington Post)

The decision to drastically revamp the bullpen, as the Orioles did this offseason in a rash of free agent spending, began in June 2006, at a time when most teams are starting to prepare postseason scouting reports.

2007 Marlins: 5 Questions (Joe Capozzi, February 11, 2007, Palm Beach Post)

Can the Marlins build a dependable bullpen and find a closer?

Larry Beinfest, who took over as general manager in 2002, has never opened camp without questions about the bullpen. But the Marlins begin this spring with perhaps the least experienced pool of relievers in the majors. With veterans Joe Borowski and Matt Herges gone, three of last season's rookies -- Taylor Tankersley, Ricky Nolasco and Reynel Pinto -- are among the closer candidates. [...]

Who will play center field?

This has been a question since Juan Pierre was traded after the 2005 season. Journeyman Alex Sanchez, signed to a minor-league contract, has a chance to start. He will be challenged by Reggie Abercrombie, Eric Reed and Cody Ross. The team also will pursue trade options.

Posted by Orrin Judd at February 11, 2007 8:51 AM