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Cruz rewarding Rangers for their patience

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:59:12 GMT

Indians get RHP from Brewers

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:41:03 GMT

Spring Training Capsules

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:19:09 GMT

Baseball's Top 10 Second Base Prospects

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:27:52 GMT

ROSTER REPORT

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:38:58 GMT

Determined to improve their pitching from the dismal showing in 2009, the Brewers are bringing 32 pitchers to camp, including 10 non-roster players. The bullpen is set for the most part, but the last two jobs in the rotation are up for grabs. There will be three new starting position players from a year ago: CF Carlos Gomez, SS Alcides Escobar and C Gregg Zaun. There's a reserve outfield spot to be won, as well as one in the infield. ARRIVALS: LHP Randy Wolf (free agent from Dodgers), LHP Doug Davis (free agent from Diamondbacks), RHP LaTroy Hawkins (free agent from Astros), C Gregg Zaun (free agent from Rays), CF Carlos Gomez (trade with Twins), C George Kottaras (waiver claim from Red Sox), INF/OF Joe Inglett (waiver claim from Rangers), SS Luis Cruz (waiver claim from Pirates), RHP Marco Estrada (waiver claim from Nationals), OF Jim Edmonds (minor league free agent from Cubs), LHP Scott Schoeneweis (free agent from Diamondbacks), LHP Chuck Lofgren (Rule 5 draft pick from Indians). DEPARTURES: CF Mike Cameron (free agent, signed with Red Sox), OF Jason Bourgeois (claimed off waivers by Astros), C Jason Kendall (free agent, signed with Royals), SS J.J. Hardy (traded to Twins), C Mike Rivera (non-tendered, signed minor league deal with Yankees), RHP Seth McClung (non-tendered, signed minor league deal with Marlins), OF Frank Catalanotto (free agent, signed minor league deal with Mets), INF Felipe Lopez (free agent, signed with Cardinals), RHP Braden Looper (free agent, unsigned), RHP David Weathers (free agent, unsigned). SPRING FOCUS: The Brewers must determine who will fill the last two spots in the rotation, with holdovers RHP Dave Bush, LHP Manny Parra and RHP Jeff Suppan the leading candidates. The backup catching job is up for grabs, along with one reserve spot in the outfield and the infield. The bullpen is fairly set, but there should be at least one spot available. PROJECTED ROTATION: 1. LHP Randy Wolf 2. RHP Yovani Gallardo 3. LHP Doug Davis 4. RHP Dave Bush 5. LHP Manny Parra The last two spots in the rotation are in flux. RHP Jeff Suppan, the highest-paid player on the team ($12.5 million), is in the equation, and club officials may feel compelled to keep him in the rotation because of his salary. But Suppan has been in decline ever since signing a four-year, $42 million deal three years ago, and he must prove he's a viable alternative. Wolf and Davis were signed as free agents to provide stabilizing forces who can be counted upon for quality innings. Gallardo had trouble throwing strikes at times last year but has a tremendous upside as a budding ace. LHP Chris Narveson is in the picture as well. PROJECTED BULLPEN: RHP Trevor Hoffman (closer) RHP LaTroy Hawkins RHP Todd Coffey RHP Claudio Vargas LHP Mitch Stetter RHP Carlos Villanueva LHP Scott Schoeneweis This is a veteran bunch that can be expected to perform in crunch time. Hoffman is 42 but is coming off a brilliant first season with the Brewers in which he converted 37 of 41 save opportunities and made the All-Star team. Club officials have their fingers crossed that he has more gas left in the tank. Schoeneweis, a non-roster invitee, will compete to be a second lefty in the pen behind Stetter. Rule 5 pick Chuck Lofgren and prospect Zach Braddock are in that competition as well. RHP David Riske, who had Tommy John surgery last June, is ahead of schedule and wants to make the opening-day roster, but he probably won't be ready. PROJECTED LINEUP: 1. 2B Rickie Weeks 2. C Gregg Zaun 3. LF Ryan Braun 4. 1B Prince Fielder 5. 3B Casey McGehee 6. RF Corey Hart 7. SS Alcides Escobar 8. CF Carlos Gomez Weeks, Braun and Fielder are certainties in their spots in the lineup, but everything else will be in play. Escobar and Gomez both have the speed to be leadoff hitters but have not shown the patience and on-base percentage required to stay in that spot. Hart potentially could move into the No. 2 spot, but Zaun, a switch hitter, could provide more opportunities for Weeks to run while batting from the left side. McGehee was a solid run-producer behind Fielder last year, but Hart also has batted fifth for extended periods over his career. Manager Ken Macha has some experimenting to do in spring training. PROJECTED RESERVES: INF Craig Counsell INF/OF Joe Inglett OF Jody Gerut OF Jim Edmonds C George Kottaras or C Matt Treanor Counsell was invaluable last season as a fill-in at third base, shortstop and second base. Inglett can also play the outfield, which makes him the leading candidate to claim the second utility job. Gerut is a sure-thing as a backup outfielder, but Edmonds must prove he still has it after sitting out the 2009 season. Kottaras and Treanor both have been backup catchers in the majors, but Treanor is a non-roster player. Prospect Jonathan Lucroy figures to get a good look as a potential backup catcher as well. TOP ROOKIES: SS Alcides Escobar will be a candidate for NL Rookie of the Year after an impressive showing at the end of the 2009 season. In 38 games, he batted .304, and he is a defensive whiz. 3B Mat Gamel would love to supplant Casey McGehee at the position, but if he doesn't, he probably will go to Class AAA, because it serves him no purpose to sit on the bench. LHP Zach Braddock blossomed after being switched from a starting role to relief, and he will get a good look in spring training. Braddock performed well in the Arizona Fall League and is one to watch. MEDICAL WATCH: --RHP David Riske (Tommy John elbow surgery in June 2009) was on a more conservative program than other pitchers in camp but reported no problems after his first two bullpen sessions. --RHP Mark DiFelice (right shoulder surgery in December 2009) is expected to miss the 2010 season but was signed to a minor league deal with hopes he'll come back next year. --LHP Chris Capuano (Tommy John elbow surgery in May 2008) remains on the comeback trail. He signed a minor league deal, and if there are no setbacks, he'll probably begin the season in the minors. --RHP Josh Butler (right elbow inflammation) was cleared to resume a throwing program in mid-March but was not ready to pitch in exhibition games. --OF Trent Oeltjen (sore left wrist) was hurt March 5. It was not known how much time he would miss. --3B Mat Gamel (strained right shoulder) was out indefinitely with a recurrence of a problem that surfaced early in spring training.

NOTES, QUOTES

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:38:56 GMT

--RHP Trevor Hoffman is being brought along slowly because the Brewers want to keep him fresh. He faced hitters Monday for the first time this spring, throwing 35 pitches, and is scheduled to pitch his first exhibition game Friday. --3B Matt Gamel, held out of the first three exhibition games with a strained right shoulder, didn't last long upon his return. Gamel played only two innings before aggravating the ailing shoulder and was shut down for an undetermined period. --CF Carlos Gomez, with a .292 career on-base percentage, didn't seem to profile as a No. 2 hitter. But manager Ken Macha has tried him in that spot in the lineup with pleasing results. Macha said hitting coach Dale Sveum was working with Gomez to keep his front elbow down and use his speed rather than hit so many fly balls. --LHP Chris Narveson has caught the eye of manager Ken Macha with his performance during exhibition play. In his first two outings, Narveson logged five scoreless innings. There is no obvious spot in the rotation, and Narveson is out of minor league options, so keeping him would require some maneuvering. --INF/OF Joe Inglett will have to show he can play several positions to win the second utility role in the infield. Manager Ken Macha thinks Inglett looks most comfortable at second base, but Inglett isn't likely to see much action there behind 2B Rickie Weeks. --INF Craig Counsell was bothered for a few days by neck stiffness, but it wasn't considered serious. Counsell had disk fusion surgery in 2002, and his neck stiffens up on occasion. --OF Jody Gerut and OF Jim Edmonds appear to have the inside track on the two reserve outfield spots on the roster. Gerut and Edmonds would provide much more experience than the reserve outfielders with whom the Brewers began the 2009 season, Brad Nelson and Chris Duffy. --OF Trent Oeltjen (bruised left wrist) was finally cleared to play in games again after sitting out nearly a week. BY THE NUMBERS: 0 -- Earned runs allowed by LHP Randy Wolf over five innings in his first two exhibition starts. QUOTE TO NOTE: "We have combinations and permutations. There's a gazillion of them, of things that could happen to fill out the pitching staff. We've got conundrums, too." -- Manager Ken Macha, on the decisions looming on his pitching staff before the end of camp.

INSIDE PITCH

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:38:54 GMT

Closer Trevor Hoffman isn't the easiest player to find in camp, especially if you're only watching Cactus League games. Hoffman, whose schedule during spring training always is a bit different from other pitchers, did not appear in the Brewers' first 10 exhibition games and wasn't slated to see action for several more. That doesn't mean Hoffman is in the clubhouse, playing cards, however. In fact, nobody works harder at his craft to prepare for the season. Manager Ken Macha said all reports he received from pitching coach Rick Peterson on Hoffman were encouraging. "Rick was impressed with the intensity that he does his bullpen (sessions) with," Macha said. "He said it's like the ninth inning, saving a game." Hoffman said his first game was planned for Friday. After straining an oblique last spring and opening the season on the disabled list, he was being treated with extra caution by the medical staff. "They feel like it might be better to save some of the innings you might use in spring training for the season," said the 42-year-old changeup specialist. "If I save three or four innings here and have success with them during the season, it's a bonus. "It's kind of a feel thing, regardless of when we get started. I definitely want to be out there and comfortable with catchers, the umpire, hitters. I don't want to rush into it at the end." Hoffman said he'd only need four or five innings before opening day to get ready for the season. Basically, he's a big believer in saving his bullets for when it counts. "You've got to trust that once the bright lights go on, you need to be at the level you want," he said. "I just want to get through this spring healthy. That's something I couldn't do last year." Macha said he'd schedule an appearance for Hoffman as soon as he gets the word that the closer is ready.

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