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NL WEST UPDATE - "SPRING STATS CAN BE MEANINGFUL" By Jason Martinez sdpadrefan.com 3/6/08 While many players use Spring Training as a tune-up for the real season, some players are fighting for jobs and final statistics can be the difference between a major league and minor league paycheck. Let's take a look at a few different position battles going on in the NL West. We've got a long way to go but some of these players on the bubble have just a few chances to prove themselves. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS … BULLPEN COMPETITION: With 1-2 spots available in the bullpen, a few competitors have stood out thus far. WHO'S HOT? Lefty Bill Murphy has allowed just one run in 4.1 innings with zero walks and five strikeouts. Righties Brandon Medders, who appeared in 30 games for Arizona in '07, and Emiliano Fruto, acquired in a late season trade last season, have each pitched in three games without allowing an earned run. WHO'S NOT? Hard-throwing Dustin Nippert has given up six run and six hits in three innings. … BENCH COMPETITION: Second Baseman Emilio Bonifacio, who was recently named Baseball America's Winter League Player of the Year, is making a case for himself with six hits in his first 14 at bats (.429 BA) of the spring. While Orlando Hudson is entrenched at second, Bonifacio is battling with Augie Ojeda (4-18) and newly acquired Chris Burke (5-17, HR) for a spot on the D-Back bench. … PLAYERS TO WATCH: Right fielder Justin Upton, who will be entering his first full season in the majors as a 20 year-old, is off to a 5 for 15 start (.333) with a home run. Max Scherzer, a first-round pick in the '06 draft, is likely headed to the minors for his first full professional season but he was very impressive in '07. In 17 starts between Hi and AA, Scherzer was 6-4 with a 3.28 ERA and 106 strikeouts in 90.2 innings pitched. Things aren't going so well this spring though, as he's given up three home runs in just four innings. COLORADO ROCKIES … FIGHTING FOR A JOB: The Rockies have quite a few veteran major leaguers in camp looking to make the team as a reliever or fifth starter. WHO'S HOT? Free-Agent signee Kip Wells is off to a great start, giving up one run in five innings. Lefty Mark Redman had pitched five scoreless innings before the Padres scored six in three innings on Thursday. WHO'S NOT? While Wells has only given up one run, he has four walks with zero strikeouts in his five innings. Another off-season acquisition, reliever Luis Viscaino, has given up eight runs (five earned) and seven hits in his first 1.2 innings pitched. … WHO'S ON SECOND? Second base is a wide-open competition between rookie Jayson Nix, converted third basemen Jeff Baker and Ian Stewart, and veteran Marcus Giles. While Nix has struggled (0-8, 4 K's), Baker has the hitting edge (4-15, HR, 4 RBI) over Stewart (4-17) and Giles (2-9) thus far. This might not be sorted out until the last week of camp. … PLAYERS TO WATCH: Right-hander Greg Reynolds, a first-round pick in the '06 draft, is a future front-line starter in the majors if he can stay healthy. In '07, he battled injuries for most of the season, but dominated AA batters in eight starts (4-1, 1.42 ERA). He has pitched two scoreless innings this spring. 2007 First-round pick Casey Weathers has an outside shot for the Colorado bullpen but he gave up three runs in his only outing of the spring while getting just one batter out. LOS ANGELES DODGERS … ANY SPOTS AVAILABLE ON THE PITCHING STAFF? There could be one spot, maybe two, in the bullpen. If Jason Schmidt is able to start the season, as expected, the rotation will be set. LOOK WHO'S BACK. Chan Ho Park is back in Dodgers camp and celebrated by tossing four scoreless innings in his first two outings. Park won 75 games in his five full seasons with the Dodgers, but has won just 33 games over his last six seasons. … THE VETERAN OR THE ROOKIE? Nomar Garciaparra and Andy LaRoche are battling it out. While Garciaparra has five hits in his first 15 at bats, LaRoche has been better with a .350 average (7-20) and one home run. However, manager Joe Torre has been known to favor veteran players. … PLAYERS TO WATCH: Free-Agent prize Andruw Jones, looking to rebound from a very poor 2007, is batting .133 (2-15). Juan Pierre, trying to hold on to his starting left field job, is batting .333 with 4 stolen bases. His competitors are Andre Ethier (.222 BA; 4-18, HR) and Matt Kemp (.375 BA; 7-19, HR). SAN DIEGO PADRES …FIFTH STARTER JOB UP FOR GRABS? Not one of the veterans has stepped up and taken a hold of the #5 slot, which could open the door for one of the youngsters. Favorite Shawn Estes (1.2 IP, 9 R, 8 H) has been lit up in two separate outings. Tim Stauffer and Justin Germano each had scoreless outings to start the spring but both were hit hard in their second outings. If one of these three cannot put together a solid outing very soon, the Padres could give strong consideration to lefty Wade LeBlanc. Glendon Rusch could also be in the mix after two scoreless innings on Thursday. … LEFT FIELD PICTURE STILL CLOUDY: If we've learned anything about this competition, it's that all four candidates came ready to win a job this spring. Scott Hairston hasn't played much, but he has two doubles in ten at bats. The other three have probably been the best hitters in camp thus far. Chase Headley is hitting the ball with authority, crushing a home run and two doubles while batting .462 in his first 13 at bats. Jody Gerut is not far behind, with five hits in 11 at bats, including a double and a triple. Paul McAnulty is making a very strong case with two home runs and six RBI's in his first 11 at bats. If this continues, there will be some tough decisions in the near future. … PLAYERS TO WATCH: Edgar Gonzalez (7-11) is the early leader to make the team as a reserve infielder, proving that he is a much better offensive player than any of his competitors. While Luis Rodriguez also has seven hits in 11 at bats, all of his hits have been singles. What's more impressive about Gonzalez is the fact that four of his seven hits have gone for extra bases (2 doubles, triple, HR). … With so many pitchers struggling to get batters out, there is plenty of opportunity for an unknown like Adam Bass to show what he can do. With four scoreless innings to start the spring, the right-hander has stood out in camp and could force his way onto the opening day roster if he can keep it up. The 26 year-old had a 2.16 ERA for Arizona's AAA affilliate in '07. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS …VETERANS IN DANGER OF LOSING JOBS? While Aaron Rowand is definitely the Giants' centerfielder, veterans Randy Winn (.273 BA; 3-11) and Dave Roberts (.313 BA; 5-16) could be looking at some competition from some younger players. Fred Lewis is doing everything that he can to make things interesting, with seven hits in his first 21 at bats. Lewis, who hit for the cycle in '07, has two doubles and a triple. He and Eugenio Velez are two of the more exciting players on the Giants roster. Velez is a second baseman that could push 36 year-old Ray Durham (.214 BA; 3-14) at second base. He has eight hits in 21 at bats (.381 BA) and five stolen bases. … #5 STARTER COMPETITION: Lefty Jonathan Sanchez was the favorite, although he has not helped himself out thus far. In three innings, he's given up six runs, five hits, and four walks. Kevin Correia is an option but he has also been hit hard (4 IP, 4 ER, 8 H) early in camp. Patrick Misch, a lefty who started four games in '07, has given up a run and three hits in four innings. With Noah Lowry likely to miss the first month of the season, two of these three pitchers will probably open the season in the rotation. … PLAYERS TO WATCH: Brian Wilson, who will likely start the season as the Giants closer, is armed with a 98 mph fastball and Robb Nen-like slider. He will be tough to hit once he learns how to pitch. He's given up two runs and four hits in his first 2.2 innings. |