Photo Credit: USATSI
Opening Day is right around the corner! The weather is warming up and it’s time to play ball! Time to dust off that glove and put on your baseball pants. Spring Training is almost halfway over and there are some players who have gotten off to a sizzling start.
The Boston Red Sox starting rotation has been pretty underwhelming to say the least. However, Clay Buchholz has been the lone bright spot for it. His spring ERA is 1.80, not giving up a run until Boston’s game against the Braves, surrendering four runs in four innings of work. Only two of those runs were runs. Buchholz is now the veteran of this rotation and has accepted the role as a leader and motivator for the younger players.
The Cubs have one of the best young talents in Kris Bryant. Bryant was the second pick in the 2013 draft and it was for a good reason. He has ten hits so far in Spring Training, six of which left the yard. Cubs president Theo Epstein and Bryant’s agent Scott Boras are currently in disagreement about where Bryant will start the season. The current labor agreement allows the Cubs to keep Bryant in Triple-A for the first twelve days of the season to remain in control of him for an additional year. Boras clearly wants his client to be in the majors as soon as possible and Bryant has shown that he can handle the major leagues so far in spring. The two sides continue to duke it out with Epstein saying Boras will not influence the Cubs’ decision about what to do with Bryant.
The Angels were left without one of the top hitters when power hitter Josh Hamilton suffered a shoulder injury that will likely keep him out until at least May. Hamilton, also a former addict, relapsed recently and is expected to face a suspension from the league. It is unclear if he will also enter a treatment program to deal with his sobriety. On the field, CJ Cron has stepped up nicely in Hamilton’s spot. Cron is batting .357 this spring and is fighting for a roster spot in a very crowded Angels lineup. He had a rough 2014 season with the Angels, including two demotions to Triple-A and many long stretches on the bench.
Trying to fill the void left behind by Pablo Sandoval in San Francisco won’t be easy, but Casey McGehee is doing a good job thus far. McGehee won Comeback Player of the Year last season and has high expectations for himself that he will top that this season. He is batting .500 in Spring Training and has done extremely well defensively. If he continues to play well, the loss of Sandoval and Michael Morse may be a little less painful for San Francisco fans.
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