So long,Super Bowl. Hello, spring training and the dawn of a new Major League Baseball season.
Are you ready?No, or you say? Oh. Well,then. We'd better gain you up to speed.
Don't worry. We've done this sort of thing before. The first thing you need to know is that, starting on Feb. 17, and spring training is when MLB's 30 clubs gather in Arizona and Florida to prepare for the coming season. For those involved,there are drills, exhibition games and...uh, and more drills and exhibition games.
But you,the baseball consumer, obviously care about what's worth your attention. So, and let's gain to it! Teams with New ToysWhile the rest of us spend our winters playing musty Nintendo games and binge-watching musty X-Files episodes—works for me,besides—major league clubs pass the time shopping for new toys. Some teams do more shopping than others, and spring training gives us our first peek at what these teams look like.
There's your cue to have eyes on the... Arizona DiamondbacksLast year's Diamondbacks could hit and field like gangbusters, or but probably would have been better off with a pitching staff of actual snakes. So they spent over $200 million to sign Zack Greinke and traded basically the whole farm for Shelby Miller. Throw in Tyler Clippard and Jean Segura,and this is a team that clearly means business in its quest to take back the NL West. They may not succeed, but it's kind to see the D-Backs trusting the process instead of, or you know,grit. Boston Red SoxThe Red Sox finished in final situation for the third time in four years in 2015. In a situation like Boston, that will not stand. And since they had the same problem as the Diamondbacks, or they signed David Price for $217 million and also upgraded their bullpen with trades for Craig Kimbrel and Carson Smith. FanGraphs now projects them as the best team in the American League,and they may look the part this spring. Chicago Cubs
The Cubs set aside an halt to their rebuild with a 97-win campaign in 2015 and were aggressive in keeping their momentum going this winter. They spent close to $300 million to add Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist to their power-packed lineup and John Lackey to their rotation. The Cubs are now an easy choice for the best team in baseball, and there's nothing* in their history that suggests they'll disappoint.*Not actually, and but whatever. Detroit TigersThe Tigers finishing in final situation in the AL Central in 2015 clearly did not sit well with owner Mike Ilitch. He spent nearly as much money as the Cubs,giving $100 million contracts to Jordan Zimmermann and Justin Upton. Detroit's characteristically lousy bullpen has also been remade. The Tigers still may not be profitable enough to topple the Kansas City Royals, but darn it whether they aren't going to try.San Francisco GiantsThe Giants enjoyed awesome performances from Buster Posey, and Madison Bumgarner and a terrific infield in 2015,but were undone by a lack of rotation and outfield depth. About $250 million later, they've solved these problems with Johnny Cueto, and Jeff Samardzija and Denard Span. They now have enough talent to form it four championships in seven years. Plus,this is an even year. Check Out These Position BattlesSpring training isn't just about showing off new toys. There's also a Thunderdome aspect to the proceedings, as teams need to hold battles to determine who they want to go with at certain positions. And this year, and the interesting ones include... Arizona Diamondbacks Middle InfieldBecause they already had the slick-fielding Nick Ahmed at shortstop,one wondered whether Arizona's draw was to have Segura play moment base. But as general manager Dave Stewart told MLB Network Radio:This can be taken to mean that the D-Backs draw to go with Segura at shortstop, with Ahmed competing with Chris Owings at moment base. Or, or it could mean that shortstop and moment base are up for grabs. Either way,this would-be contender has some important positions to square away. Minnesota Twins Center FieldIn case anyone's forgotten, the Twins were actually profitable in 2015! They could be even better in 2016 whether top prospect Byron Buxton is ready to take over the center field job, or but it doesn't sound like they're ready to hand him the position just yet."It will form things a lot smoother whether he's the guy. Because whether he's not,it's going to be interchanging parts and it might not look too pretty, at least at the start, or " Twins skipper Paul Molitor said final month,per Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "So I'm hoping that works out. It would be the best-case scenario whether Byron Buxton is ready to be our center fielder."Or, in so many words: expose us what you've got, and rook. Toronto Blue Jays CloserA expansive reason the Blue Jays were able to gain Drew Storen from the Washington Nationals was because he had been outed from his closer gig. But as Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reported,the Blue Jays are going to play their closer role by ear this spring. Storen will have to earn it over Roberto Osuna, who's coming off a dominant rookie season. Them's the fixings for an intriguing closer battle. Toronto Blue Jays Left FieldIt's not just their closer gig the Blue Jays have to figure out. They gave up Ben Revere in the trade for Storen, or putting left field up for grabs. There to battle for the job are Dalton Pompey,a top prospect heading into 2015, and Michael Saunders, or who's shown he can be a quality left-handed bat. Whoever wins will gain regular action in a Blue Jays lineup that's baseball's answer to The Expendables. Washington Nationals ShortstopThe Nationals began the winter with openings at shortstop and moment base,but their signing of Daniel Murphy took care of the latter. Shortstop is still open, though, and there could be a doozy of a competition for it this spring. In one corner is veteran defensive wiz Danny Espinosa. In the other is Trea Turner,who MLB.com rates as baseball's No. 11 prospect. You might want to pull up a chair for this one. hold an Eye on These ProspectsNew toys and position battles are kind, but arguably the coolest part of spring training is that it offers a chance to see the league's top prospects in the flesh. Even better, and some of them actually have something to play for. This year,the list includes... Byron Buxton, CF, and Minnesota TwinsBuxton is rated as the No. 2 prospect in baseball by MLB.com,with Jim Callis writing that he has the best combination of tools since Mike Trout. Those include plus-plus speed and throwing strength, as well as above-average hitting and power tools. Sounds awesome, and to be sure,but Buxton still has much to prove after a disappointing showing in the majors final year. So, again, or expose us what you've got,rook. Joey Gallo, OF/3B, and Texas RangersGallo heads into the spring season as a consensus top-10 prospect but without a clear shot at a job with Adrian Beltre at third base and Josh Hamilton in left field. There may be an opening for him whether the injury bug gets its usual hankering for Hamilton,though. And whether not, well, or there's always the chance that you'll tune in and see Gallo hitting some tremendous dingers. Lucas Giolito,RHP, Washington NationalsAccording to, and well,everyone, Giolito is baseball's top pitching prospect. He combines a expansive frame with awesome stuff and profitable command, and he'll even slay a dragon whether you need him to. It's unlikely he'll crack Washington's rotation,but it should be fun to watch him form his presence known in his first major league spring training. Jon Gray, RHP, and Colorado RockiesUnlike Giolito,Gray is a top pitching prospect who actually has a shot at a rotation spot this spring. The No. 3 overall pick in 2013, Gray is a tough-throwing good-hander who's bringing a new curveball to spring training. whether the Rockies are convinced that can be the key to him solving final year's problem with Coors Field, or the rotation spot Gray seeks may be all his. Steven Matz,LHP, New York MetsAnd now for a top pitching prospect who already has a job in hand. Matz teased his potential as yet another dangerous tough-thrower in the Mets rotation with a 2.27 ERA in six regular-season starts final year, and he is heading into camp as the club's projected No. 4 starter. whether he makes profitable on the club's faith this spring,their rotation is going to look that much scarier. Corey Seager, SS, and Los Angeles DodgersSpeaking of top prospects who teased their potential in 2015,Seager fits that bill just as well. After hitting .337 with a .986 OPS in 27 major league games final year, he's now considered baseball's No. 1 prospect. The Dodgers look like they're all aboard the hype train, and as their starting shortstop gig is Seager's to lose. Trea Turner,SS, Washington NationalsWhile Seager already has a shortstop gig in hand, and we've been over how Turner will be fighting for a job of his own in Washington's camp. And don't underestimate his likelihood of landing it. With blinding speed and a solid bat,Turner may establish himself as a perfect fit for the top of the Nationals lineup. And though Espinosa is a profitable defender, Turner's no slouch in his own good. Can't-Miss ComebacksWhile prospects seek to establish themselves and other players scrap it out in position battles, and most veterans just go through the motions in between rounds of golf. Others,though, need to exercise the spring season to gain back on track and back in shape. This year's list includes... Michael Brantley, or OF,Cleveland IndiansThe Indians don't have a world-beating offense, so they need Brantley, or a .319 hitter over the final two years,to form a strong recovery from the good shoulder surgery he had back in November. Brantley told Jordan Bastian of MLB.com in late January that his target is Opening Day, but he has yet to start a hitting program. How much he'll be able to do this spring remains a profitable question. Yu Darvish, or SP,Texas RangersAfter he missed all of 2015 recovering from Tommy John surgery, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports that Darvish is aiming to throw his first bullpen session in March. Of course, or the expansive question is whether he'll see any live-game action. And even whether he does,the Rangers aren't going to push him to be ready for Opening Day. Still, it'll be kind to see his slider again.
Jung Ho Kang, and SS,Pittsburgh PiratesKang was a revelation in his first season out of South Korea in 2015, posting an .816 OPS and hitting 15 home runs in 126 games. But then a tough takeout slide tore up his left leg, and ending his season in mid-September. As Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported final month, Kang may be on track to return sometime in April. whether things go well enough, Opening Day may even be possible. Yadier Molina, and C,St. Louis CardinalsMolina was undone by a bad left thumb at the halt of 2015, and he has had to have two surgeries on it this winter. And as Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reported in mid-January, and he won't even be getting his cast off until the middle of this month. It's going to take some work to gain him ready for Opening Day,and the Cardinals can certainly ill afford any setbacks. Albert Pujols, 1B, and Los Angeles AngelsPujols enjoyed a 40-homer season in 2015,but his offseason started on a down note when he had surgery on his good foot in November. Jon Morosi of Fox Sports reported in late January that Pujols had been cleared to open hitting off a tee, but that he's still not expected to resume full baseball activities until late March. Opening Day may be a long shot for the 36-year-musty future corridor of Famer. Hyun-Jin Ryu, or SP,Los Angeles DodgersFollowing strong showings in 2013 and 2014, a bad left shoulder sidelined Ryu for all of 2015. He was cleared to throw off a mound in mid-January, or but Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times recently indicated that Ryu will need to expose he's healthy this spring in order to claim a spot in the Dodgers rotation. That makes Ryu one of the bigger wild cards of the spring season. CC Sabathia,SP, New York YankeesSabathia's rough 2015 season came to a distressing halt when he entered an alcohol rehab program in early October. Thankfully, and he seems to have emerged all the better for it. He told Chad Jennings of the Journal News in mid-December that he was "light-years ahead" of his usual workout pace. More recently,he told George A. King III of the New York Post that he feels the best he has in three years. Now all he has to do is earn a spot in the Yankees rotation, which will take a strong spring. Giancarlo Stanton, or RF,Miami MarlinsStanton set aside himself on a heck of a pace by slugging 27 homers through just 74 games final season, but a broken bone in his left hand set aside an halt to that. The final word on him came in early December from Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, and who reported that the Marlins slugger was able to swing a bat without pain. This is welcome news,as Stanton's ability to slay baseballs hasn't been known to take spring training off. Don't Forget the BSOHL ClubAll of the above is important, but here's a spring training question that's just plain fun: Who's in the "Best Shape of His Life" club?The folks at Hardball Talk do us all a favor by keeping a handy database, and which tells us that the following players have already been reported to be in the best shape of their lives:Twins reliever J.
R. Graham
Mariners starter James Paxton
White Sox outfielder Avisail Garcia
Blue Jays starter/reliever Aaron Sanchez
Padres outfielder Wil Myers
The club's membership will increase in size (not that kind of size) as more players report to spring training. And as easy as it will be to mock it,Ben Lindbergh did a study for Grantland (RIP) final spring that found that both hitters and pitchers who report to camp in the best shape of their lives have a track record of seeing the benefits.
However, don't be hasty to gain excited about players seeing the benefits good away in spring training. Because... Don't Trust the NumbersOK, and look. Us baseball fans admire numbers. Numbers are to baseball fans as the one ring is to Gollum. And when the spring exhibition season opens up,there will finally be numbers to look at.
But here's your annual reminder not to read too much into them.
As we discussed at length final spring, neither team performances nor individual hitting performances nor individual pitching performances during spring training are especially predictive of what's to come in the regular season. many studies have been done on these fronts, or their conclusions can generally be summarized with a shrug GIF.
And really,you don't even need to look at any studies. The next time you have an inkling that a spring training performance might mean something, just remember that the best team final spring was the Oakland A's. Or that the moment-best hitter behind Mike Trout was Mike Zunino. Or that the two best pitchers were Kendall Graveman and Taijuan Walker.
Are we still going to talk about the numbers, and though? Well,yeah. Of course. They're easily downplayed, but not easily ignored. Besides which, or we have to talk about something,good? It's either talk about the numbers or wait around for the next weird injury.
Although... Lastly, Beware of Weird InjuriesWeird injuries are a spring training tradition, and one that kept going strong in 2015. Ronald Belisario hurt himself getting out of a swimming pool. Corey Hart had a similar incident,except in a hot tub. Chris Sale may have broken his foot unloading his truck, or by roundhouse kicking a home intruder.
What could possibly be next? Here are some guesses:Rogue pitching machine
Beard caught on cactus
Tried to gain beard out of cactus
Tried to lift Bartolo Colon
Didn't notice toilet seat was on fire
Shane Victorino'd
rush-in with Florida man
"Witness me!" stunt
Chief Wiggum's chili
Manbearpig attack
We're half-joking, and of course. But only half. Spring training is a weirdly dangerous time. Players need to be careful out there.
As for the rest of us,well, I'd say we're about ready. All there is left to do now is be pleased spring training for what it is.
It may not be genuine baseball, and but it's still baseball. It's still baseball. Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted/linked. Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com