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 Tampa Bay Rays: Bedard, Erik LHP Erik Bedard signed a minor league deal with the Rays, and he
has a chance to win the No. 5 starter spot opened up with the injury
to RHP Jeremy Hellickson. Bedard made a solid early impression. "I
think he could be a really interesting component to what we're doing
here," manager Joe Maddon said. "He seems to be eager, he seems to
like it. A lot of good things going on there. This guy's good. He
was good last year (4-12, 4.59 ERA for Houston), and this guy could
be really good. It's up to us to uncover some of the things that he
may have gotten away from."
Tampa Bay Rays: McGee, Jake
LHP Jake McGee is working this spring to add to a repertoire that
relied heavily, nearly exclusively, on fastballs both. He is mixing
in a curveball and changeup in early bullpen sessions. "Hitters will
have more to think about," McGee said.
Tampa Bay Rays: Jennings, Desmond
CF Desmond Jennings reported to camp noticeably bulked up, putting
on at least 10-15 pounds of muscle in an effort to stay stronger
into and through the season. "I get here every spring and I probably
lose at least 10 pounds, so I feel I'll be around what I want to
play with once the season starts," he said.
Tampa Bay Rays: Loney, James
1B James Loney said the primary reason he re-signed with the Rays,
getting a three-year, $21 million deal, was how comfortable he felt
around the team. "It kind of felt like that feeling I was looking
for," Loney said. "I want to win with these guys. It would be fun
winning with these guys. It's just that feeling you want to
experience. I knew this place, I knew the people here, I knew they
were committed to winning."
Tampa Bay Rays: Hanigan, Ryan
C Ryan Hanigan, acquired in December from the Reds, already made a
solid impression on the Rays' pitching staff with the extensive work
he put in with them and watching video. "It takes a little time to
get to know people and get that relationship built, but he kind of
sped that process up," RHP Alex Cobb said. "That first bullpen I
threw to him, he was already talking about stuff I did in the past
and stuff he would like to see us try to build on and to try some
new things. When you hear that right out of the gate the first time
you throw a bullpen, you have nothing but trust for that guy, and
you know he's working as hard as he can off the field as well as on
the field to get that relationship built to the level it needs to be
at."
Houston Astros: Wojciechowski, Asher
RHP Asher Wojciechowski, who spent last season at Triple-A Oklahoma
City and arrived at his first major league camp as the pitching
prospect closest to reaching the majors, expects to throw Thursday
for the first time this spring. He pulled his lat muscle during a
bullpen session on Feb. 1 and is probably not going to be ready to
pitch in a Grapefruit League game until the second week of
exhibitions, he says.
Houston Astros: Amador, Japhet
1B Japhet Amador, the Mexican slugger the Astros signed from the
Mexican League's Mexico City Red Devils last August, is away from
the team for a medical emergency. It is unclear when he will report
to spring training.
Houston Astros: Appel, Mark
RHP Mark Appel, who hasn't thrown a bullpen session yet as he
recovers from the appendectomy he underwent Jan. 31, might be ready
to throw a bullpen session on Thursday.
Los Angeles Angels: Trout, Mike
CF Mike Trout started out his first interview of the 2014 season at
Los Angeles Angels camp by declaring he wouldn't talk about
negotiations with the club on a long-term contract.
However, he was willing to speak about his added sense of peace
heading into his third full season with the club — and his first as
the full-time center fielder with the departure of Peter Bourjos to
the St. Louis Cardinals.
"Playing center this year, I feel a lot more comfortable going into
the season," Trout said. "Last year, I started out in left, and it
was a big adjustment for me, playing center field my whole life.
Moving to left was a challenge. It didn't just affect me in the
outfield. At the plate, sometimes I was thinking about it. I just
try to put it all behind."
Texas Rangers: Scheppers, Tanner
RHP Tanner Scheppers received a scare when he experienced back
spasms while lifting weights. The spasms subsided after a day of
treatment but the Rangers will continue monitoring him. He figures
to work as a set-up reliever this season after posting a 1.88 ERA in
76 games last season.
Texas Rangers: Harrison, Matt
LHP Matt Harrison was scratched from a live batting practice session
Wednesday because of stiffness in his neck, though the Rangers say
they held him out as a precaution. However, there is a reason for at
least some concern after Harrison had more surgeries (three) than
starts (two) last season as he underwent two back procedures and
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome surgery. Harrison won 18 games in 2012.
Texas Rangers: Profar, Jurickson
2B Jurickson Profar will not be cleared to throw for at least
another week as he continues to experience tendinitis in his right
shoulder. The Rangers are counting on Profar, who turns 21 on
Thursday, to be their everyday second baseman after he spent his
rookie season last year shuttling between second base, third base,
shortstop and left field.
Texas Rangers: Lewis, Colby
RHP Colby Lewis is on the same schedule as the rest of the pitching
staff this spring. He did not pitch last season after undergoing hip
surgery while recovering from flexor tendon surgery in his right
elbow. Lewis is looking to win a spot in the starting rotation. He
was 6-6 with a 3.43 ERA in 16 stars in 2012.
Texas Rangers: Rowen, Ben
RHP Ben Rowen was cleared to begin throwing after missing his first
bullpen session of spring training because of a mild case of
tendinitis in his right biceps. Rowen, 25, has a chance to win a
spot in the bullpen after a stellar minor league season last year in
which he had a 0.69 ERA and 13 saves in a combined 51 games with
Triple-A Round Rock and Double-A Frisco.
Los Angeles Angels: Pujols, Albert
1B Albert Pujols will not be playing in the field on a daily basis
during spring training, according to manager Mike Scioscia. However,
the plan remains for Pujols to be the everyday first baseman during
the season. A partially torn plantar fascia limited Pujols to 99
games last season.
Los Angeles Angels: Hamilton, Josh
LF Josh Hamilton has gained 28 pounds since the end of last season,
partially by giving up the gluten-free regimen and fruit and
vegetable juicing he based his diet around a year ago. Manager Mike
Scioscia said he hopes the added muscle will give Hamilton back an
edge at the plate. Hamilton's home run total dipped from 43 in 2012
to 21 in 2013.
Houston Astros: Singleton, Jonathan
1B Jonathan Singleton was the only position player with a serious
chance to win a starting job to not show up early to spring training
to begin working out with the club ahead of the mandatory reporting
date.
Houston Astros: Crain, Jesse
RHP Jesse Crain, who was signed as a free agent reliever even though
he was recovering from the right biceps surgery he underwent in
October, suffered a right calf strain on Tuesday. The 2013 All-Star
hasn't pitched since July. He isn't expected back until April, but
it is unclear if the calf injury will delay his expected return
further.
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Baltimore Orioles: Paredes, Jimmy
OF/IF Jimmy Paredes was claimed Monday off waivers from the Orioles.
The Royals will be his fourth organization since the end of last
season, which he finished with the Astros. He was claimed in
November by the Marlins off waivers. When Miami put him on waivers,
the Orioles plucked him, but two days later the Royals claimed him
off waivers. Paredes hit .192 in 135 plate-appearances last season
with Houston. Paredes, who has one minor league option left, arrived
Wednesday at the Royals' camp.
Kansas City Royals: Cleto, Maikel
RHP Maikel Cleto, was designated for assignment after the Royals
picked up OF/IF Jimmy Paredes off waivers from Baltimore. Cleto had
a 3.55 ERA in 38 innings last season with Triple-A Omaha.
Kansas City Royals: Pena, Francisco
C Francisco Pena is in his first major league camp with the Royals,
but not the first time in the Royals clubhouse. "I used to run
around here when I was 11-12 years old," Pena said. He is the son of
Tony Pena, who managed the Royals to a 198-285 record from 2002-05.
"I'm glad to get the opportunity to come back," said Pena, who hit
.257 last season for Triple-A Las Vegas in the Mets' system. This
time it is as a player, attempting to win a backup job to All-Star C
Salvador Perez.
Kansas City Royals: Zimmer, Kyle
RHP Kyle Zimmer, the Royals' 2012 first-round pick, is in camp as a
non-roster invitee, but the club is going slow with in spring
training. He was shut down last August with shoulder stiffness and
had similar discomfort in January while throwing. The Royals opted
to hold him out of games until mid-to-late March.
Los Angeles Angels: Jimenez, Luis
3B Luis Jimenez had not arrived at spring training as of Feb. 19 due
to visa issues traveling from his native Dominican Republic,
according to a team spokesman. Jimenez played 34 games for the
Angels last season but spent most of the year in Triple-A. He will
compete for a bench spot this spring.
Los Angeles Angels: Conger, Hank
C Hank Conger said adapting to the new MLB-wide guidelines designed
to eliminate home-plate collisions is going to present a significant
challenge this spring. The official rule is not yet established, but
the Angels already started practicing moving off the plate to catch
throws in from the outfield. Conger said it should help player
safety "once everything gets refined."
Los Angeles Angels: Cowart, Kaleb
INF Kaleb Cowart gained about 15 pounds over the offseason while
working out in Atlanta with Yankees C Brian McCann and Braves 1B
Freddie Freeman, among others. The switch hitter said he has fixed
the hitch in his left-handed swing, and his approaches from both
sides now mirror each other. Cowart, 21, hit .221/.279/.301 with six
homers and 42 RBIs in 132 games for Double-A Arkansas last year.
Cincinnati Reds: Bailey, Homer
RHP Homer Bailey and the Reds agreed to a six-year, $105 million
deal, avoiding arbitration. Bailey indicated that deal was done, but
he declined to talk about it until it is officially announced.
Bailey, 27, was in his third year of arbitration eligibility. The
sides were set to go to a hearing Thursday in Tampa. The Reds had
offered $8.7 million, and Bailey was seeking a $11.6 million salary.
Bailey went 11-12 with a 3.49 ERA last year. He is 49-45 with a 4.25
ERA in his career with the Reds. He was the club's No. 1 draft pick
in 2004. BAiley has increased his innings and strikeouts and lowered
his ERA each of the last four years.
Cincinnati Reds: Marshall, Sean
LHP Sean Marshall is full-go, but the Reds will take it slow with
him after his shoulder problems last year. "Not that we're concerned
because he finished the year healthy — but you want to be sure he's
fully strong, that the strength in the shoulder is good," manager
Bryan Price said. "He had a little more conservative throwing
program this offseason.
Cincinnati Reds: Phillips, Brandon
2B Brandon Phillips, subject of trade rumors all offseason, refused
to take the media on the days positions players reported. "I'm just
here to play," he said to a team's spokesman.
Cincinnati Reds: Latos, Mat
RHP Mat Latos, who had knee surgery the first day of camp, is
progressing nicely. "He's doing good," general manager Walt Jocketty
said. "He'll be fine."
Cincinnati Reds: Rodriguez, Henry
INF Henry Rodriguez, who was designated for assignment Feb. 12,
cleared waivers and re-signed with the Reds on a minor league deal.
Rodriguez, 24, played nine games for Cincinnati last year, going
1-for-9 with no RBIs. He spent the bulk of the season with Triple-A
Louisville, hitting .274/.319/.335 with four homers and 41 RBIs in
126 games.
Cincinnati Reds: Bruce, Jay
RF Jay Bruce is going to hit cleanup against right-handers this
year. "I think Jay is that prototype No. 4 hitter," manager Bryan
Price said. "He's continuing to get better. So putting him in a
position to drive in runs and getting him another several at-bats
over the course of the season and in run-scoring opportunities
hitting behind a guy who gets on base a lot in Joey. It's not the
worst thing. There are worse lineups out there than having Joey and
Jay hitting three-four. That being said, against a left-handed
starter, in probability, (Ryan Ludwick) would hit fourth."
San Francisco Giants: Belt, Brandon
1B Brandon Belt and the Giants agreed to a one-year, $2.9 million
contract Feb. 18 before a scheduled arbitration hearing in Florida.
Belt, 25, was seeking $3.6 million, and the Giants had offered $2.05
million in their arbitration filing. Last season, Belt batted .289
with 17 home runs and 67 RBIs in 150 games. He has a career .273
batting average with 33 homers and 141 RBIs in three years with the
Giants.
New York Yankees: Jeter, Derek
SS Derek Jeter offered a simple reason why he will retire after the
2014 season. "It's time. You do this forever," he said.
Jeter met with the media Wednesday, the day Yankees position players
reported to spring training, and spoke publicly about his decision
to retire for the first time since posting the news on his Facebook
page a week earlier.
Jeter was not overly revealing about what led him to decide to call
a career at age 40 — all with the Yankees — and showed no emotion
as answered questions for nearly 25 minutes. "I always felt it would
be time to retire when baseball became work," Jeter said. "Playing
baseball is fun; not playing baseball is not fun. I didn't play much
last season and that wasn't fun. That's when I started thinking that
it was time to retire."
Baltimore Orioles: Jimenez, Ubaldo
RHP Ubaldo Jimenez finalized a four-year, $50 million contract with
the Orioles on Feb. 19. He will provide some support to young,
up-and-coming starters RHP Chris Tillman and LHP Wei-Yin Chen,
slotting somewhere in the top three spots in the rotation. His
signing costs the Orioles their first-round pick — 17th overall.
Last season with the Indians, Jimenez went 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA in
182 2/3 innings. He finished strong, winning American League Pitcher
of the Month for September after posting a 4-0 record with a 1.09
ERA in his final six starts
Baltimore Orioles: Hendriks, Liam
RHP Liam Hendriks was designated for assignment by the Orioles on
Feb. 19 to clear space on the 40-man roster for newly signed RHP
Ubaldo Jimenez. Hendriks, 25, made 10 appearances (eight starts)
last season with Minnesota, going 1-3 with a 6.85 ERA. He went from
the Twins to the Cubs, then from the Cubs to the Orioles in separate
December waiver claims. [© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
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