Below you’ll find a comprehensive list of the 2010 MLB Spring Training Non-roster invitees for all Major League teams, as of February 8, 2010. This information is easy to obtain, but not as easy to compile and format, into one master list so I ask that if you want to take the entire list for whatever purpose you at least cite your source. I’ll cite mine. MLB.com To make things more interesting I also add links to unofficial team blogs for each of the Major League baseball teams and on some players I added links to random blogs pertaining to the player.The information is useful for people looking to obtain autographs through the mail, or you really lucky people who will be going to Arizona or Florida for spring training.

Baltimore Orioles

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

57 Jake Arrieta R/R 6-4 225 03/06/86
75 Chris George L/L 6-2 185 09/16/79
73 Mike Hinckley R/L 6-3 205 10/05/82
– Will Ohman L/L 6-2 210 08/13/77
74 Frank Mata R/R 6-0 168 03/11/84
76 Josh Perrault R/R 6-3 205 06/11/82
45 Dennis Sarfate R/R 6-4 225 04/09/81
55 Alfredo Simon R/R 6-4 230 05/08/81
56 Ross Wolf R/R 6-0 180 10/18/82

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

83 Luis Bernardo R/R 6-0 170 01/16/88
79 Adam Donachie R/R 6-1 215 03/03/84
71 Michel Hernandez R/R 6-0 215 08/12/78
72 Caleb Joseph R/R 6-3 180 06/18/86
16 Chad Moeller R/R 6-3 210 02/18/75

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

80 Miguel Abreu R/R 5-11 190 11/14/84
78 Blake Davis L/R 5-11 165 12/22/83
6 Scott Moore L/R 6-2 195 11/17/83

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

81 Matt Angle L/R 5-10 175 09/10/85
77 Jeff Salazar L/L 6-0 195 11/24/80
82 Jonathan Tucker R/R 5-7 170 07/02/83

Boston Red Sox

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

61 Randor Bierd R/R 6-4 190 03/14/84
53 Fernando Cabrera R/R 6-4 225 11/16/81
83 Kris Johnson L/L 6-4 170 10/14/84
93 Casey Kelly R/R 6-3 195 10/04/89
82 Adam Mills R/R 5-11 190 11/19/84
84 Edwin Moreno R/R 6-1 220 07/30/80
46 Joe Nelson R/R 6-1 205 10/25/74
55 Brian Shouse L/L 5-10 190 09/26/68
36 Jorge Sosa R/R 6-2 220 04/28/77
97 Kyle Weiland L/R 6-4 195 09/12/86

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

91 Luis Exposito R/R 6-3 210 01/20/87
72 Gustavo Molina R/R 6-1 245 02/24/82

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

78 Lars Anderson L/L 6-4 215 09/25/87
96 Yamaico Navarro R/R 5-11 170 10/31/87
62 Angel Sanchez R/R 6-2 205 09/20/83
60 Gil Velazquez R/R 6-3 190 10/17/79

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

87 Zach Daeges L/R 6-4 225 11/16/83
92 Ryan Kalish L/L 6-1 205 03/28/88
85 Che-Hsuan Lin R/R 6-0 180 09/21/88
54 Darnell McDonald R/R 5-11 210 11/17/78

Chicago White Sox

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

65 Greg Aquino R/R 6-1 190 01/11/78
66 Ryan Z. Braun R/R 6-1 220 07/29/80
47 Daniel Cabrera R/R 6-9 260 05/28/81
78 Charles Leesman L/L 6-4 210 03/10/87
68 Erick Threets L/L 6-5 240 11/04/81

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

38 Cole Armstrong L/R 6-3 210 08/24/83
81 Miguel Gonzalez R/R 6-0 200 12/03/90
55 Donny Lucy R/R 6-2 205 08/08/82
79 Josh Phegley R/R 5-10 215 02/12/88

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

67 Freddie Bynum L/R 6-1 185 03/15/80
77 Brent Morel R/R 6-1 220 04/21/87
75 C.J. Retherford R/R 5-10 190 08/14/85

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

70 Jason Botts S/R 6-5 250 07/26/80
76 Jordan Danks L/R 6-4 210 08/07/86
74 Josh Kroeger L/L 6-3 230 08/31/82
80 Jared Mitchell L/L 6-0 195 10/13/88

Cleveland Indians

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

20 Mike Gosling L/L 6-2 210 09/23/80
35 Jason Grilli R/R 6-5 225 11/11/76
73 Frank Herrmann L/R 6-4 220 05/30/84
80 Josh Judy R/R 6-4 200 02/09/86
64 Yohan Pino R/R 6-0 190 12/26/83
81 Zach Putnam R/R 6-2 225 07/03/87
27 Anthony Reyes R/R 6-2 230 10/16/81
56 Saul Rivera S/R 5-10 175 12/07/77
79 Alex White R/R 6-3 185 08/29/88
– Jamey Wright R/R 6-5 225 12/24/74

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

65 Damaso Espino R/R 6-1 210 05/08/83

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

9 Brian Buscher L/R 6-0 220 04/18/81
76 Lonnie Chisenhall L/R 6-1 200 10/04/88
12 Mark Grudzielanek R/R 6-1 200 06/30/70
78 Beau Mills L/R 6-3 220 08/15/86
6 Luis Rodriguez S/R 5-9 190 06/27/80
74 Niuman Romero S/R 6-0 160 01/24/85

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

47 Shelley Duncan R/R 6-5 225 09/29/79
26 Austin Kearns R/R 6-3 245 05/20/80

Detroit Tigers

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

67 Phil Dumatrait R/L 6-2 205 07/12/81
62 Enrique Gonzalez R/R 5-10 225 07/14/82
64 Josh Rainwater R/R 6-1 220 04/09/85
70 Cody Satterwhite R/R 6-4 205 01/27/87
72 Robbie Weinhardt R/R 6-2 205 12/08/85

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

66 Robinzon Diaz R/R 5-11 215 09/19/83
74 John Murrian R/R 6-1 210 06/15/88
71 Mike Rabelo S/R 6-0 210 01/17/80
75 Eric Roof L/R 6-5 185 11/15/86
63 Max St. Pierre R/R 6-0 175 04/17/80

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

65 Kory Casto L/R 6-0 215 12/08/81
19 Jeff Larish L/R 6-2 200 10/11/82
73 Gustavo Nunez S/R 5-10 150 02/08/88

Kansas City Royals

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB
73 Adam Bostick L/L 6-1 225 03/17/83
62 Bryan Bullington R/R 6-4 210 09/30/80
69 Jorge Campillo R/R 6-1 225 08/10/78
52 Bruce Chen L/L 6-1 215 06/19/77
79 Danny Duffy L/L 6-2 185 12/21/88
77 Matt Herges L/R 6-0 210 04/01/70
59 Philip Humber R/R 6-4 220 12/21/82
67 John Parrish L/L 5-11 190 11/26/77
68 Nelson Payano L/L 6-1 190 11/13/82
66 Francisco Rosario R/R 6-0 195 09/28/80
65 Josh Rupe R/R 6-2 210 08/18/82
57 Brad Thompson R/R 6-1 190 01/31/82

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

63 Edwin Bellorin R/R 5-9 225 02/21/82
74 Cody Clark R/R 6-2 205 09/14/81
70 Steven Lerud L/R 6-1 210 10/13/84
26 Vance Wilson R/R 5-11 215 03/17/73

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

46 Wilson Betemit S/R 6-3 230 11/02/81
72 Irving Falu S/R 5-9 180 06/06/83
71 Ernesto Mejia R/R 6-6 190 12/02/85
76 Mike Moustakas L/R 6-0 195 09/11/88

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

41 Buck Coats L/R 6-3 200 06/09/82
78 David Lough L/L 6-0 180 01/20/86
75 Derrick Robinson S/L 5-11 170 09/28/87
64 Scott Thorman L/R 6-3 235 01/06/82

Los Angeles Angels

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Ryan Brasier R/R 6-0 200 08/26/87
– Ryan Chaffee R/R 6-2 190 05/18/88
– Tyler Chatwood R/R 5-11 175 12/16/89
– Travis Chick R/R 6-2 220 06/10/84
– Michael Kohn R/R 6-2 200 06/26/86
– Tommy Mendoza R/R 6-2 195 08/18/87
– Kevin Nabors R/R 6-3 210 08/12/85
– Trevor Reckling L/L 6-1 195 05/22/89
– Francisco Rodriguez R/R 6-3 215 02/26/83
– Will Smith R/L 6-5 235 07/10/89
– Andrew Taylor R/L 6-1 190 08/18/86

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Hank Conger S/R 6-1 220 01/29/88
– Anel De Los Santos R/R 6-3 210 06/19/88
– Alberto Rosario R/R 5-10 190 01/10/87
– Brian Walker L/R 6-0 215 07/16/85

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Alexi Amarista L/R 5-8 150 04/06/89
– Ryan Mount L/R 6-0 190 08/17/86
– Efren Navarro L/L 6-0 200 05/14/86
– Abel Nieves R/R 5-11 175 08/14/85
– Gary Patchett R/R 6-2 180 09/25/78
– Andrew Romine S/R 6-1 190 12/24/85
– Hainley Statia S/R 5-10 160 01/19/86
– Nate Sutton L/R 6-0 195 09/01/82

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Cory Aldridge L/R 6-1 225 06/13/79
– Bradley Coon L/L 6-0 175 12/11/82
– Jeremy Moore L/R 6-1 190 06/29/87
– Michael Ryan L/R 5-11 220 07/06/77

Minnesota Twins

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Jose Lugo L/L 6-1 180 04/10/84
– Mike Maroth L/L 6-0 195 08/17/77
– Anthony Slama R/R 6-3 205 01/06/84
– Kyle Waldrop R/R 6-5 215 10/27/85

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Jair Fernandez R/R 6-1 170 12/10/86
– Danny Lehmann R/R 5-11 185 09/05/85
– Daniel Rams R/R 6-2 205 12/19/88

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Brian Dinkelman L/R 5-11 195 11/10/83
– Chris Parmelee L/L 6-1 223 02/24/88
– Brock Peterson R/R 6-3 230 11/20/83
– Steve Singleton L/R 5-11 180 09/12/85

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Jacque Jones R/R 5-10 200 04/25/75
– Juan Portes R/R 5-11 170 11/26/85
– Ben Revere L/R 5-9 166 05/03/88
– Rene Tosoni L/R 6-0 195 07/02/86

New York Yankees

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Zack Segovia R/R 6-2 245 04/11/83

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Mike Rivera R/R 6-1 235 09/08/76

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Reid Gorecki R/R 6-1 200 12/22/80

Oakland Athletics

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

57 Cedrick Bowers R/L 6-2 220 02/10/78
70 Sam Demel R/R 6-0 200 10/23/85
52 Lenny DiNardo L/L 6-2 220 09/19/79
36 Fernando Hernandez R/R 5-11 190 07/31/84
45 Marcus McBeth R/R 6-2 185 08/23/80
66 Tyson Ross R/R 6-5 215 04/22/87
59 Matt Wright R/R 6-4 270 03/13/82

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

71 Josh Donaldson R/R 6-1 215 12/08/85
72 Joel Galarraga R/R 6-0 155 03/20/82
19 Anthony Recker R/R 6-2 240 08/29/83
68 Max Stassi R/R 5-10 205 03/15/91

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

61 Adrian Cardenas L/R 6-0 185 10/10/87
76 Grant Green R/R 6-3 180 09/27/87
18 Dallas McPherson L/R 6-4 225 07/23/80
28 Eric Sogard L/R 5-10 180 05/22/86
73 Jemile Weeks S/R 5-10 175 01/26/87
75 Matthew Whitney R/R 6-3 215 02/13/84

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

25 Matt Carson R/R 6-2 200 07/01/81
23 Michael Taylor R/R 6-6 250 12/19/85
67 Corey Wimberly S/R 5-8 180 10/26/83

Seattle Mariners

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Chad Cordero R/R 6-0 225 03/18/82
– Mike Koplove R/R 6-0 160 08/30/76
– Chris Seddon L/L 6-3 220 10/13/83
– Steven Shell R/R 6-4 225 03/10/83
– Levale Speigner R/R 5-11 170 09/24/80

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Eliezer Alfonzo R/R 5-11 220 02/07/79
– Josh Bard S/R 6-3 225 03/30/78
–Guillermo Quiroz R/R 6-1 215 11/29/81

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

59 Tommy Everidge R/R 6-0 240 04/20/83
– Brad Nelson L/R 6-2 265 12/23/82
16 Josh Wilson R/R 6-0 175 03/26/81
6 Chris Woodward R/R 6-0 190 06/27/76

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Corey Patterson L/R 5-10 175 08/13/79

Tampa Bay Rays

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

49 Winston Abreu R/R 6-2 170 04/05/77
73 Joe Bateman R/R 6-1 185 05/06/80
47 Jeff Bennett R/R 6-3 200 06/10/80
74 Jason Cromer R/L 6-4 225 12/11/80
72 Richard De Los Santos R/R 6-1 175 06/01/84
52 Carlos Hernandez S/L 5-11 205 04/22/80
– Heath Phillips L/L 6-3 280 03/24/82
68 R.J. Swindle L/L 6-3 190 07/07/83

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Alvin Colina R/R 6-3 210 12/26/81

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

26 Joe Dillon R/R 6-2 215 08/02/75
32 Chris Richard L/L 6-2 210 06/07/74
43 Ryan Shealy R/R 6-5 240 08/29/79

Texas Rangers

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

55 Willie Eyre R/R 6-2 205 07/21/78
44 Geoff Geary R/R 6-0 180 08/26/76
47 Kasey Kiker L/L 5-10 170 11/19/87
59 Clay Rapada R/L 6-5 200 03/09/81
22 Tanner Scheppers R/R 6-4 170 01/17/87

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

72 Emerson Frostad L/R 6-1 210 01/13/83
11 Toby Hall R/R 6-3 240 10/21/75
61 Kevin Richardson R/R 6-3 230 09/12/80

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

71 Matthew Brown R/R 6-0 200 08/08/82
6 Esteban German R/R 5-9 195 01/26/78
15 Ray Olmedo S/R 5-11 175 05/31/81
12 Justin Smoak S/L 6-4 220 12/05/86

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

18 Mitch Moreland L/L 6-2 230 09/06/85
74 Chad Tracy R/R 6-3 205 07/04/85

Toronto Blue Jays

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

36 Lance Broadway R/R 6-3 195 08/20/83
67 Willie Collazo L/L 5-8 180 11/07/79
4 Kyle Drabek R/R 6-0 185 12/08/87
72 Daniel Farquhar R/R 5-10 170 02/17/87
71 Shawn Hill R/R 6-2 225 04/28/81
33 Zach Jackson L/L 6-5 220 05/13/83
64 Chad Jenkins R/R 6-4 225 12/22/87
66 Rommie Lewis L/L 6-5 230 09/02/82
69 Steven Register R/R 6-1 180 05/16/83
73 Zachary Stewart R/R 6-2 205 09/28/86

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

9 J.P. Arencibia R/R 6-0 215 01/05/86
13 Raul Chavez R/R 5-11 240 03/17/73
62 Travis D’Arnaud R/R 6-2 195 02/10/89
12 Brian Jeroloman L/R 5-11 200 05/10/85
75 Matt Liuzza R/R 5-11 225 02/03/84
31 Kyle Phillips L/R 6-1 225 04/03/84

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

76 David Cooper L/L 6-0 200 02/12/87
77 Brad Emaus R/R 5-11 210 03/28/86
68 Jesus Merchan R/R 6-0 185 03/26/81
46 Brett Wallace L/R 6-2 205 08/26/86

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

1 Joey Gathright L/R 5-10 185 04/27/81
20 Adam Loewen L/L 6-6 235 04/09/84
70 Chris Lubanski L/L 6-3 210 03/24/85
63 Jorge Padilla R/R 6-1 215 08/11/79
7 Jeremy Reed L/L 6-0 210 06/15/81

Arizona Diamondbacks

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

41 T.J. Beam R/R 6-6 200 08/28/80
75 Josh Ellis R/R 6-1 215 08/07/84
70 Barry Enright R/R 6-3 220 03/30/86
74 Tom Layne L/L 6-3 185 11/02/84
13 Rodrigo Lopez R/R 6-1 185 12/14/75
61 Kyler Newby R/R 6-4 225 02/22/85
72 Wes Roemer R/R 6-0 205 10/07/86
76 Bryan Shaw S/R 5-10 205 11/08/87
73 Matt Torra R/R 6-3 225 06/29/84

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

37 Carlos Corporan S/R 6-2 220 01/07/84
77 Sean Coughlin L/R 6-1 205 05/14/85
79 Konrad Schmidt R/R 6-0 225 08/02/84

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

21 Jeff Bailey R/R 6-2 200 11/19/78
60 Mark Hallberg R/R 5-11 170 12/09/85

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

78 Collin Cowgill R/L 5-9 195 05/22/86
71 Evan Frey L/L 6-0 170 06/07/86
12 Drew Macias L/L 6-3 200 03/07/83

Atlanta Braves

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Mariano Gomez L/L 6-6 240 09/12/82
– Scott Proctor R/R 6-0 190 01/02/77

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– J.C. Boscan R/R 6-2 215 12/26/79
– Orlando Mercado R/R 5-9 210 03/13/85

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Joe Thurston L/R 5-11 210 09/29/79

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Brent Clevlen R/R 6-2 190 10/27/83
– Mitch Jones R/R 6-0 215 10/15/77

Chicago Cubs

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

70 Andrew Cashner R/R 6-6 210 09/11/86
– Casey Coleman L/R 6-1 180 07/03/87
20 Thomas Diamond R/R 6-3 230 04/06/83
78 Jeff Kennard R/R 6-2 220 07/26/81
68 J.R. Mathes L/L 6-3 210 11/09/81
53 Vince Perkins L/R 6-5 240 09/27/81
76 James Russell L/L 6-4 205 01/08/86

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

71 Robinson Chirinos R/R 6-1 185 06/05/84
– Steve Clevenger L/R 6-0 195 04/05/86
75 Chris Robinson R/R 6-0 200 05/12/84

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Darwin Barney R/R 5-10 180 11/08/85
67 Starlin Castro R/R 6-1 160 03/24/90
73 Blake Lalli L/R 6-1 210 05/12/83
– Kevin Millar R/R 6-0 215 09/24/71
9 Chad Tracy L/R 6-2 215 05/22/80
61 Josh Vitters R/R 6-3 200 08/27/89

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

57 Matt Camp L/R 6-0 175 05/29/84
59 Brett Jackson L/R 6-2 210 08/02/88
4 Bryan LaHair L/R 6-5 220 11/05/82
15 Bobby Scales S/R 6-0 185 10/04/77
– Brad Snyder L/L 6-3 200 05/25/82

Cincinnati Reds

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

81 Jon Adkins L/R 6-0 210 08/30/77
79 Jose Arredondo R/R 6-0 175 03/30/84
76 Mike Leake R/R 6-1 190 11/12/87
62 Justin Lehr R/R 6-2 215 08/03/77
69 Alexander Smit L/L 6-3 215 10/02/85

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

26 Wilkin Castillo S/R 6-0 200 06/01/84
75 Chris Denove R/R 6-1 215 12/09/82
78 Devin Mesoraco R/R 6-1 220 06/19/88
37 Corky Miller R/R 6-1 245 03/18/76
74 Brandon Yarbrough L/R 6-2 180 11/09/84

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

16 Chris Burke R/R 5-11 195 03/11/80
43 Miguel Cairo R/R 6-1 210 05/04/74
73 Zack Cozart R/R 6-1 185 08/12/85

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

58 Josh Anderson L/R 6-2 195 08/10/82
80 Daniel Dorn L/L 6-2 190 07/20/84
70 Todd Frazier R/R 6-3 220 02/12/86
17 Laynce Nix L/L 6-1 220 10/30/80

Colorado Rockies

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Jimmy Gobble L/L 6-3 210 07/19/81
– Tim Redding R/R 5-11 230 02/12/78
– Justin Speier R/R 6-3 205 11/06/73

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Paul Lo Duca R/R 5-9 215 04/12/72
39 Paul Phillips R/R 5-11 205 04/15/77

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Jay Payton R/R 5-10 205 11/22/72

Florida Marlins

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Clay Hensley R/R 5-11 190 08/31/79
– Daniel Jennings L/L 6-3 190 04/17/87
– Seth McClung L/R 6-6 260 02/07/81
– Kasey Olenberger R/R 6-4 235 03/18/78
– Matt Peterson R/R 6-5 220 02/11/82
– Chris Schroder R/R 6-1 210 08/20/78
– Scott Strickland R/R 5-10 220 04/26/76
– Derrick Turnbow R/R 6-3 210 01/25/78
– Jose Veras R/R 6-5 235 10/20/80
– Jay Voss L/L 6-4 195 04/22/87

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Brad Davis R/R 6-1 190 12/29/82
– Chris Hatcher R/R 6-2 190 01/12/85
– Vinny Rottino R/R 6-1 220 04/07/80

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Brian Barden R/R 5-11 200 04/02/81
– Matt Dominguez R/R 6-1 210 08/28/89
– Hector Luna R/R 6-0 225 02/01/80
– Osvaldo Martinez R/R 5-10 170 05/07/88
– Logan Morrison L/L 6-3 245 08/25/87
– Donnie Murphy R/R 5-10 185 03/10/83
– Danny Richar L/R 6-1 195 06/09/83

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Bryan Petersen L/R 6-0 200 04/09/86
– Mike Stanton R/R 6-5 240 11/08/89

Houston Astros

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Josh Banks R/R 6-3 210 07/18/82
– Gustavo Chacin L/L 5-11 205 11/04/80
– Roy Corcoran R/R 5-10 185 05/11/80
– Casey Daigle R/R 6-5 240 04/04/81
– Chia-Jen Lo R/R 5-11 180 04/07/86
– Shane Loux R/R 6-2 235 08/31/79
– Gary Majewski R/R 6-2 215 02/26/80

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Kevin Cash R/R 6-0 200 12/06/77
– Jason Castro L/R 6-3 210 06/18/87
– Brian Esposito R/R 6-1 190 02/24/79
– Lou Santangelo R/R 6-1 205 03/16/83

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Drew Meyer L/R 5-10 200 08/29/81
– Oswaldo Navarro R/R 6-0 155 10/02/84
– Chris Shelton R/R 6-0 215 06/26/80

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Jason Bourgeois R/R 5-9 190 01/04/82
– Alex Romero L/R 6-0 200 09/09/83
– Cory Sullivan L/L 6-0 200 08/20/79

Los Angeles Dodgers

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

26 Luis Ayala R/R 6-2 190 01/12/78
88 Scott Dohmann R/R 6-1 200 02/13/78
79 Francisco Felix R/R 5-11 205 07/28/83
70 Josh Lindblom R/R 6-5 240 06/15/87
45 Justin Miller R/R 6-2 200 08/27/77
35 Ramon Ortiz R/R 6-0 175 05/23/73
48 Russ Ortiz R/R 6-1 215 06/05/74
78 Juan Perez R/L 6-0 180 09/03/78
28 Josh Towers R/R 6-1 185 02/26/77
36 Jeff Weaver R/R 6-5 200 08/22/76

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

77 JD Closser S/R 5-10 200 01/15/80
81 Gabriel Gutierrez R/R 5-11 190 11/24/83
82 Justin Knoedler R/R 6-2 215 07/17/80

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

30 Angel Berroa R/R 6-0 195 01/27/78
21 Nick Green R/R 6-0 180 09/10/78
76 John Lindsey R/R 6-1 245 01/30/77
13 Doug Mientkiewicz L/R 6-0 210 06/19/74
72 Russ Mitchell R/R 6-1 182 02/15/85
63 Argenis Reyes S/R 5-10 165 09/25/82

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Alfredo Amezaga S/R 5-10 180 01/16/78
66 Brian Barton R/R 6-3 190 04/25/82
– Brian Giles L/L 5-10 205 01/20/71
61 Prentice Redman R/R 6-3 185 08/23/79
2 Michael Restovich R/R 6-6 240 01/03/79

Milwaukee Brewers

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

67 Eric Arnett R/R 6-5 230 01/25/88
70 Zach Braddock L/L 6-4 230 08/23/87
39 Chris Capuano L/L 6-2 225 08/19/78
48 Tim Dillard R/R 6-4 225 07/19/83
50 John Halama L/L 6-5 215 02/22/72
68 Kyle Heckathorn R/R 6-6 240 06/17/88
73 Kameron Loe R/R 6-7 240 09/10/81
76 A.J. Murray S/L 6-3 220 03/17/82
77 Scott Schoeneweis L/L 6-0 190 10/02/73
52 Chris Smith R/R 6-2 200 04/09/81

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

87 Jonathan Lucroy R/R 6-0 185 06/13/86
79 Martin Maldonado R/R 6-1 210 08/16/86
20 Matt Treanor R/R 6-0 210 03/03/76

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

15 Jim Edmonds L/L 6-1 210 06/27/70
65 Trent Oeltjen L/L 6-1 190 02/28/83
66 Logan Schafer L/L 6-1 180 09/08/86
63 Adam Stern L/R 5-11 185 02/12/80

New York Mets

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Travis Blackley L/L 6-3 200 11/04/82
64 Elmer Dessens R/R 5-11 200 01/13/71
– R.A. Dickey R/R 6-2 215 10/29/74
– Josh Fogg R/R 6-0 205 12/13/76
– Bobby Livingston L/L 6-3 205 09/03/82
– Carlos Muniz R/R 6-1 190 03/12/81
– Eric Niesen L/L 6-1 180 09/04/85

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Francisco Pena R/R 6-2 230 10/12/89

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Russ Adams L/R 6-0 200 08/30/80
– Jolbert Cabrera R/R 6-1 215 12/08/72
– Mike Cervenak R/R 5-11 200 08/17/76
– Ike Davis L/L 6-5 195 03/22/87
29 Andy Green R/R 5-10 180 07/07/77
– Luis Hernandez S/R 5-10 180 06/26/84
– Mike Hessman R/R 6-5 215 03/05/78
– Ruben Tejada R/R 5-11 165 09/01/89

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

2 Frank Catalanotto L/R 6-0 205 04/27/74
– Jesus Feliciano L/L 6-0 174 06/06/79
– Kirk Nieuwenhuis L/R 6-3 210 08/07/87

Philadelphia Phillies

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Phillippe Aumont L/R 6-7 220 01/07/89
– B.J. Rosenberg R/R 6-2 215 09/17/85
– Joe Savery L/L 6-3 215 11/04/85
– Ryan Vogelsong R/R 6-3 215 07/22/77
– Ehren Wassermann S/R 6-0 190 12/06/80
– Bill White L/L 6-3 225 11/20/78

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Tuffy Gosewisch R/R 5-11 190 08/17/83
24 Paul Hoover R/R 6-1 210 04/14/76
– Kevin Nelson R/R 6-3 215 04/08/81
– Dane Sardinha R/R 6-0 215 04/08/79
– John Suomi L/R 5-11 200 10/05/80

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Ozzie Chavez S/R 6-1 160 07/13/83
– Freddy Galvis S/R 5-10 170 11/14/89
– Cody Ransom R/R 6-2 190 02/17/76
33 Andy Tracy L/R 6-3 240 12/11/73
– Wilson Valdez R/R 5-11 170 05/20/78

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Domonic Brown L/L 6-5 204 09/03/87
– Chris Duffy L/L 5-9 185 04/20/80
– Tyson Gillies L/R 6-2 190 10/31/88
– Dewayne Wise L/L 6-1 190 02/24/78

Pittsburgh Pirates

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

66 Jimmy Barthmaier R/R 6-5 215 01/06/84
74 Brian Bass R/R 6-2 215 01/06/82
71 Brian Burres L/L 6-2 175 04/08/81
77 D.J. Carrasco R/R 6-3 220 04/12/77
23 Vinnie Chulk R/R 6-2 195 12/19/78
78 Anthony Claggett S/R 6-3 195 07/15/84
72 Neal Cotts L/L 6-1 200 03/25/80
38 Craig Hansen R/R 6-6 225 11/15/83
79 Steven Jackson R/R 6-5 230 03/15/82
27 Jeff Karstens R/R 6-3 185 09/24/82
36 Wilfredo Ledezma L/L 6-4 225 01/21/81
68 Jean Machi R/R 5-11 245 02/01/82
69 Jeremy Powell R/R 6-5 230 06/18/76
70 Jack Taschner L/L 6-3 205 04/21/78
65 Justin Thomas L/L 6-3 220 01/18/84
50 Virgil Vasquez R/R 6-3 205 06/07/82
30 Tyler Yates R/R 6-4 250 08/07/77

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

75 Luke Carlin S/R 5-11 185 12/20/80
81 Hector Gimenez S/R 5-10 210 09/28/82
67 Erik Kratz R/R 6-4 250 06/15/80
55 Tony Sanchez R/R 6-0 220 05/20/88

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

82 Doug Bernier R/R 5-11 175 06/24/80
80 Brian Friday R/R 5-11 180 12/16/85

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

76 Brian Myrow L/R 5-11 210 09/04/76
61 Jonathan Van Every L/L 6-1 190 11/27/79

San Diego Padres

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

41 Mark Worrell R/R 6-1 215 03/08/83

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Chris Denorfia R/R 6-0 205 07/15/80
– Matt Stairs L/R 5-9 215 02/27/68

San Francisco Giants

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Denny Bautista R/R 6-5 195 08/23/80
– Santiago Casilla R/R 6-0 200 07/25/80
– Craig Clark L/L 6-2 200 07/09/84
– Rafael Cova R/R 6-2 175 03/05/82
– Steve Edlefsen S/R 6-2 180 06/27/85
– Eric Hacker S/R 6-1 210 03/26/83
– Osiris Matos R/R 6-1 200 08/06/84
– Tony Pena R/R 6-2 180 03/23/81
– Felix Romero R/R 6-2 200 06/18/80
– Clayton Tanner R/L 6-1 202 12/05/87
– Daniel Turpen R/R 6-4 230 08/17/86
– Craig Whitaker R/R 6-4 210 11/19/84

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Steve Holm R/R 6-0 210 10/21/79
– Johnny Monell L/R 5-11 205 03/27/86
– Hector Sanchez S/R 6-0 185 11/17/89
– Jackson Williams R/R 5-11 200 05/14/86

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Ehire Adrianza S/R 6-1 155 08/21/89
– Brandon Crawford L/R 6-2 200 01/21/87
– Nick Noonan L/R 6-0 180 05/04/89

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Wendell Fairley L/R 6-2 195 03/17/88
– Roger Kieschnick L/R 6-3 200 01/21/87
– Thomas Neal R/R 6-1 205 08/17/87

St. Louis Cardinals

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Rich Hill L/L 6-5 205 03/11/80
70 Lance Lynn R/R 6-5 250 05/12/87
76 Evan MacLane L/L 6-2 185 11/04/82
77 Pete Parise R/R 6-1 185 12/05/84
78 Oneli Perez R/R 6-2 200 05/26/83
72 Fernando Salas R/R 6-2 200 05/30/85
79 Eduardo Sanchez R/R 5-11 155 02/16/89
99 Charlie Zink R/R 6-1 190 08/26/79

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

80 Tony Cruz R/R 5-11 205 08/18/86
81 Charles Cutler L/R 6-0 200 07/29/86
82 Steven Hill R/R 5-11 200 03/14/85
86 Robert Stock L/R 6-0 175 11/21/89

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

87 Daniel Descalso L/R 5-10 190 10/19/86
3 Ruben Gotay S/R 5-11 190 12/25/82
88 Peter Kozma R/R 6-0 170 04/11/88
89 Donovan Solano R/R 5-10 165 12/17/87

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

74 Tyler Henley L/L 5-10 200 06/10/85

Washington Nationals

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Miguel Batista R/R 6-1 210 02/19/71
68 Victor Garate L/L 6-2 210 09/25/84
18 Eddie Guardado R/L 6-0 225 10/02/70
41 Logan Kensing R/R 6-1 190 07/03/82
52 Joel Peralta R/R 5-11 195 03/23/76
46 Ryan Speier R/R 6-7 210 07/24/79
58 Drew Storen S/R 6-2 180 08/11/87

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

56 Jamie Burke R/R 6-0 225 09/24/71
62 Derek Norris R/R 6-0 210 02/14/89

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

10 Eric Bruntlett R/R 6-0 200 03/29/78
24 Pete Orr L/R 6-1 195 06/08/79
59 Josh Whitesell L/L 6-1 225 04/14/82

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

38 Chris Duncan L/R 6-5 230 05/05/81
– Kevin Mench R/R 6-0 215 01/07/78
3 Jerry Owens L/L 6-3 195 02/16/81

(AP Photo/H. Rumph, Jr.)

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they’re here to stay
Oh, I believe in yesterday

Worst loss in Cincinnati Reds history.  And neither Eric Milton, Josh Fogg or Gary Majewski were part of the box score.

Johnny Cueto had a bad day.  Shit happens.  But when the bullpen comes in and gives up an additional 13 runs one has to wonder if Monday’s game officially marks the end of the 2009 season for the Reds.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — STOP LOOKING AT THE STANDINGS!

The Reds are barely an average baseball team and they are lucky to even be mentioned in conversations about the NL Central.  It’s completely irrelevant how many games out of first place the Reds are right now because, trust me, this team is not going to win anything this year.

So, whom do we blame?

DUSTY BAKER?

Believe me, I don’t like the guy, but even I can’t blame him for the Reds mediocrity.  Well, not all of it.

WALT JOCKETTY?

Maybe.  Building a competitive baseball team in a small market takes time (generations?).  Jocketty has done it before — albeit in a “small” market that drew 40,000/game — but can he do it here?

That promised “strong” rotation of Harang, Arroyo, Volquez, Cueto and Owings has turned into a pretty average of collection of pitchers.

Harang still has his moments, but he’s no longer AARON HARANG. Bronson Arroyo… who the hell knows what’s up with him? We may have already seen the best we’re ever going to get out of Edinson Volquez. I like Johnny Cueto (as long as we agree to never mention last night’s game again). And Micah Owings is much more interesting with a bat in his hand than a glove and ball.

I guess what I’m saying is that the Reds rotation is going to look a whole lot different in 2010.

In other words: More rebuilding.

COREY PATTERSON?

Sure, why the hell not?

Remember this day, folks. It’s when you look at the calendar and start counting the days until college football starts.

While I was really hoping for a Bronson Arroyo/Cole Hamels match-up tonight (miles and miles of flowing locks of luxurious hair…), Johnny Cueto/Hamels had the potential to be a good match-up, too.

Or so I thought.

The Reds had a chance to tie or win in the bottom of the 9th, but sometimes three runs is all you’re going to get out of this team.

The Reds are now suffering through a four-game losing streak, are a measly two games over .500, and 7-10 at GABP. Truthfully, it makes my head spin.

No offense, Joey.

Oh, remember when the Reds traded Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez for (essentially) Gary Majewski and Bill Bray, and how the trade was going to do wonders for our bullpen?  That was funny.

Larry Broadway
2005 Topps Nationals #27
Category: Failed Prospect
Position: 1B
Bio/Summary: Sigh. I really thought Larry was going to be something for the Nationals…there seemed to be a hole in first base once Nick Johnson left (I thought that was going to happen too), and that he’d just slide right in there. Unfortunately, I didn’t understand the nature of baseball stats and that a .343 OBP in AAA is really pretty lousy. At this point he’s never even made the majors, which I thought they could at least do for him.
Rating: 5/10 – I like Larry and this is a decent shot of him. Certainly not amongst the worst cards in the set.

Brian Schneider
2005 Topps Nationals #30
Category: Nationals Lynchpin
Position: C
Bio/Summary: Schneider used to frustrate the hell out of me. His defense wasn’t all that great, and every single time I saw him hit, it seemed he was hitting into a double play. In all my times of seeing him play I can recall two hits total. 2007 is a perfect capsule of my frustration with him: 235/326/336. A 77 OPS+ is passable, I guess, but man, he got way too much playing time. I’m glad he’s gone.
Rating: 4/10 – This picture’s a slight improvement. At least you can see his face and it’s something other than a batting pose.

Gary Majewski
2005 Topps Nationals #37
Category: Fringe Player
Position: RP
Bio/Summary: Ah, the infamous Gary Majewski. I can’t think of this guy without thinking of Jim Bowden, and that’s just not a good thing. If you’re not familiar with the story, he was one of the members of the trade of several Nationals also-rans for Austin Kearns, Felipe Lopez, and Ryan Wagner. It turned out that, once he arrived, he was injured, and the Reds filed a complaint that Bowden had known (he probably did). On top of that, that trade didn’t even pan out for either side! Ah, wasted potential.
Rating: 4/10 – More interesting pose, but this picture was clearly taken at sunset with a flash. The shadows suck.

Claudio Vargas
2005 Topps Nationals #34
Category: Fringe Player
Position: SP
Bio/Summary: I used to get him and Luis Ayala confused. I think it’s because I was convinced for a long time that Vargas was a reliever, but he’s actually a starter. Not a great one, mind you. He’s only ever been league average once, his rookie season. The rest has been a frustrating mess of too many dingers and too many walks. Mind you, he didn’t last long as a National, departing with a 9.24 ERA on waivers.
Rating: 4/10 – Meh. It’s a somewhat interesting pose.

Today is the Phillies’ final off day until the season starts and things are starting to come into focus a little bit as far as what the team will look like come Opening Night.  I’ve been gallivanting off watching the World Baseball Classic and March Madness over the last few weeks, so it’s time to focus my attention back on the Phillies.  The regular season starts in 10 days.  Here are my thoughts on the state of the team right now.

• I don’t think the Cole Hamels thing will be a big deal, unless it is… Everything seems fine with Cole and his inflamed elbow, and he pitched again without any pain.  It looks like he probably won’t start opening day, but may end up starting on April 10, which means he basically won’t miss any starts.  I’m not sure how many Phillies fans are with me on this, but I’m secretly terrified.  We’re not repeating without a healthy Hamels.  We’re just not.  And the track record for young pitchers who exponentially increase their innings from one season to the next without being injured or ineffective or both the following season is not good.  I don’t mean to be alarmist about this, and all of the reports are good.  But I wouldn’t be terribly opposed to Hamels starting the season on the DL and coming back somewhere around April 20th.  At the very least I wouldn’t mind seeing Charlie Manuel go with 5 starters right out of the gate, even though we technically wouldn’t need a 5th starter until April 20th.  The more innings we can save on Cole’s arm (and Jamie Moyer, while we’re at it) the better.
• The 5th starter race is getting interesting. Kyle Kendrick got sent down to the minors and Carlos Carrasco still clearly could use some more seasoning, so it is now a two horse race between JA Happ and Chan Ho Park.  Both have been impressive this spring, which will make for an interesting decision for the Phillies front office.  My heart is still with Chan Ho because I love his story (and the changeup he’s learned from Jamie Moyer), but everything I hear is that the team will go with Happ.  I guess this makes sense, as they have more invested in Happ as a prospect and Park is a veteran on a one year deal who pitched almost exclusively out of the bullpen last season.  With the way both of these guys have pitched I don’t think they can go wrong, but I’m still hoping for Chan Ho.
• The final bench/bullpen spot is now probably just the final roster spot. That is to say, how the bottom of the roster shakes out will probably largely depend on whether the team decides to keep 11 or 12 pitchers and who wins the 5th starter job.  If they go with 11 pitchers to start the year, Miguel Cairo will probably make the team.  Marcus Giles and John Mayberry have kind of crapped out of late, and Jason Donald and Lou Marson were both sent to the minors.  Pablo Ozuna has hit very well this spring, but for some reason the team just doesn’t seem that into him.  I can’t say I blame them; Ozuna has had 200 ABs in a season just once in his career, and that was 4 years ago.  He’s not as versatile as Cairo and doesn’t have the major league track record.  If the Phillies go with 12 pitchers, Gary Majewski has a very good chance to make the team, though Dave Borkowski and Mike Koplove have made decent cases for themselves as well.
• It looks like Chris Coste has dodged another bullet. Coste may be the favorite for the backup catcher spot under the “devil you know” clause.  Both he and Ronny Paulino have not been very good this spring, with Paulino looking to be a terrible defender.  At least Coste has some familiarity with the staff and is a fan favorite.  With Lou Marson set to be the full time catcher in Lehigh Valley in ‘09, there doesn’t appear to be a spot in the organization for Paulino. He could be traded or released.
• Completely baseless trade rumor. The Rangers are potentially looking to deal Frank Catalanotto to find ABs for Andruw Jones. We have an redundancy of lefty power hitters off the bench in Matt Stairs and Geoff Jenkins.  Jenkins and Catalanotto both have cumbersome contracts that make them difficult to deal and expensive to release.  Perhaps a swap is in order?  Catalanotto is guaranteed $6 million in the last year of his deal; Jenkins is guaranteed $8 million (both figures include ‘10 buyouts).  Catalanotto can play a few different positions and could provide some pop from the right side.  Jenkins could be a decent lefty DH in the AL.  Catalanotto would be an instant fan favorite in South Philly.  Maybe if the Phillies threw in some cash to even the salaries…alright, they’re not all winners.  I do like Catalanotto, though.  Ten days until Opening Night!

With Spring Training extended because of the World Baseball Classic, it’ s safe to say it is still early in Phillies camp, and a lot can change between now and April 5.  But with that said, let’s take another look at the stories in Clearwater.

• The 5th starter job may be a two man race. Chan Ho Park and JA Happ have pitched very well in their outings since Rich Dubee declared that he would officially begin evaluating the competition.  Kyle Kendrick still has not sufficiently developed the secondary pitches to compliment his sinker and does not appear poised on the mound.  He could be headed for the minors or even out of the organization.  Carlos Carrasco appears to be in need of more seasoning as well.
• A few non-roster relievers are pitching like they want a spot. Gary Majewski appears to be the best of the bunch, and probably has the best chance to make the roster as he is left-handed.  He’s only 29 and just 2 seasons (and an arm injury, unfortunately) removed from being a very effective reliever for Washington.  Dave Borkowski, Robert Mosebach, and Mike Koplove all look good as well.
• John Mayberry continues to hit. If he keeps it up, he has to make this team.  We can use Matt Stairs or Geoff Jenkins, we don’t need both.
• We’ve heard this song before, but Ryan Howard looks good this spring. Now that his money issues are out of the way, I am optimistic that he doesn’t murder us with a slow start and finishes with a batting average around .275
• Some of the injured guys get back tomorrow. Pedro Feliz, Brad Lidge, and Chad Durbin could all see some action Wednesday, and Chris Coste played two innings yesterday.  No word on when we will see Chase Utley this spring, but the team is still thinking he’ll be in the lineup Opening Day.  Carlos Ruiz is back from the WBC tomorrow, and his neck should be fine.

There’s no question that the Phillies World Series run in 2008 was keyed by the bullpen.  Philly lead the National League in bullpen ERA with a 3.22 last season, in contrast to 2007 when they were more than a run worse at 4.50.  It’s amazing how manager Charlie Manuel went from a corn-fed country dolt to a beloved World Champion once the bullpen became reliable.  My point is this: The bullpen matters.  But relief pitchers are also maddeningly inconsistent from year to year.  Most or all of the Phils relievers in 2008 had either career or near-career years in 2008.  With most of those pitchers back in 2009, will the team be able to match their bullpen success of a year ago?

Assuming that the Phillies carry 12 pitchers for most or all of the season (I think that’s a safe assumption), that leaves seven spots in the bullpen.  Of those spots, five appear to be locked up already with a sixth guaranteed to JC Romero when he returns from a 50 game suspension June 1.  Here’s a look at who we’ll see out the Phillies bullpen in 2009:

Brad Lidge:  “Lights Out” had perhaps one of the best seasons for a closer ever in 2008, going a perfect 48 for 48 in save chances including the playoffs.  And it’s not as if he gets by on guts and guile, Lidge is flat out dominant with his fastball/slider combo.  While it would be unreasonable to expect another perfect season in ‘09, LO should remain one of the top closers in the game and leave the ninth inning mostly heart attack free for Phillies fans and Charlie Manuel.  Lidge signed a three year contract extension that will keep him turning out the lights in Philly through 2011.

Ryan Madson: Madson pitched very well for the Phillies down the stretch last season, splitting set up duties with JC Romero.  He even seemed to pick up a few more mph on his fastball in the second half, consistently touching 95-96.  He has steadily improved since dropping the idea of being a starter and he will be very important in the eighth inning this season, especially while Romero is serving his suspension.  Madson is just entering his prime and seems to be the best bet (besides Lidge) to repeat his performance from last season.  The Phillies seem to be confident in this, as they signed him to a 3 year, $12 million dollar contract in the offseason.

Chad Durbin: Durbin lead the National League with 87.2 relief innings pitched in 2008 and seemed to tire from it down the stretch.  2008 was also a career year for Durbin and I am concerned about his ability to repeat his performance in 2009.  The journeyman’s career had been marked by inconsistency before arriving in Philadelphia as teams never seemed to be able to define a role for him.  It seems like the swingman/multiple inning reliever role might  cause him to log too many innings and tire again.  However, he maybe effective an inning at a time in the sixth or seventh innings.  It will be interesting to see if Charlie Manuel attempts to limit his innings in ‘09 and if it will make him more effective in the second half of the season.

Scott Eyre: After being cast off by the Cubs in ‘08, Eyre pitched very effectively after arriving in Philadelphia via trade.  In ‘09, the Phillies will need Eyre to step up his role for the first two months while Romero is out as he may be the only lefty the team carries in the bullpen.  The Phillies proved that you can get away with this set up last year, as Romero was the only lefty in the pen until Eyre arrived in August, but it is definitely not an ideal scenario.  Once Romero returns however, Eyre should settle in as a situational lefty, a role in which he excels.

Clay Condrey: Condrey was very effective for the Phillies last season, though I have no idea how.  I pretty much have a heart attack every time Charlie summons him from the bullpen.  He pitched particulary well in the second half, posting a 2.73 ERA and pitching in increasingly important situations.  While he should never see the 7th, 8th, or 9th innings of a close game, he could potentially be alright in ‘09 pitching the sixth inning or mopping up games that are out of hand.  Despite what he did last season, he doesn’t really have the type of track record that makes me trust him in important situations.  I’ll be surprised if he holds on to his spot in the bullpen for the entire 2009 season.

JC Romero: Though he has a propensity for working himself into and out of jams, Romero is a strike out reliever that has proven himself to be a trustworthy set up man since arriving in Philadelphia halfway through the ‘07 season.  Of course, he will not be available until June 1st this season after failing a drug test in ‘08.  I have mixed feelings about Romero’s situation.  50 games seems like a harsh suspension for someone who is guilty of “negligence” and not cheating.  Everyone at Major League Baseball acknowledges the fact that Romero did not knowingly ingest a banned substance.  So I wonder why he would get the same suspension as someone who knowingly cheated the game?  But at the same time, with the steroid climate being what it is in baseball, players need to be more responsible for the things they put in their bodies and for being proactive about eliminating performance enhancing drugs from the game.  “I didn’t know” can no longer be an acceptable excuse, but there is a difference between negligence and juicing.  On the field, the Phillies will certainly miss Romero and the other relievers will need to step up until he returns.

Who else is in the mix? Well, that largely depends on who wins the fifth starter job, which I discussed here. If Chan Ho Park does not make the rotation, he will certainly be in the bullpen as a multiple inning guy.  If Kendrick wins the fifth starter spot, I would love to see JA Happ in the bullpen to try to get out lefties until JC Romero gets back.  I think that is a role he could excel in.  Other candidates for a bullpen spot include Dave Borkowski, Gary Majewski, Blaine Neal, Antonio Bastardo, Sergio Escalona, Mike Zagurski, Mike Koplove, and Robert Mosebach.  All of those players would need to be extremely impressive in spring training in order to win a spot, but it is a possibility especially if JA Happ either makes the rotation or the team decides he is better off starting in AAA.  Of those candidates, Mosebach intrigues me the most because he is a big, hard throwing guy who was just recently converted to a reliever and may be effective in that role.  He was a Rule 5 pick however, so the Phillies would risk losing him if he does not stay on the major league roster all season.

Bud Selig has done a lot of good things for the game of baseball since he became acting commissioner in 1992. Selig realigned the divisions, introduced the Wild Card, helped baseball get through the strike of 1994 and was instumental in formulating a revenue sharing model. However, Selig has done a couple of things over the years that I have questioned. Home-field advantage in the World Series is decided by the winner of the All-Star game, introducing inter-league play(I believe it takes away from the World Series ), he allowed the steriod-era to happen and most recently he organized the World Baseball Classic 

Much like Inter-league play, the World Baseball Classic is good for the fans but not good for Major League Baseball. Fans are intrigued by the World Baseball Classic because not only will the World Baseball Classic give fans the opportunity to see their favorite MLB players play for their respective country but the tournamant will also give fans the opportunity to see the top players from across the world who they may not be familiar with. Remember in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, the world was first introduced to Daisuke Matsuzaka and Kosuke Fukudome.

That being said, the World Baseball Classic is a bad idea for Major League Baseball. The main reason….PITCHING. A major league pitcher whether a starter or reliever, is the most unique position and most precious commodity in sports.  General Managers spend millions on trying to find it by any which way possible. Whether it be signing a major league talent, scouting Japan or the Dominican Republic or by going to the local High School General Managers are always looking to improve their clubs through pitching. So when you have that pitching you have to take care of it like you are taking care of your baby.

The pitching position is such a precious commodity because with just one pitch and one tweak of the arm, your career could be over. Just ask Mark Prior. What the World Baseball Classic asks pitchers to do is throw unnecessary pitches at a time when most pitchers are not ready to throw….In Spring Training. 

I am sure Cubs ownership is thrilled with the fact that injury-prone Rich Harden will be pitching for team Canada, I am sure the Reds ownership are doing jumping jacks in their office because their 2 young guns, Edison Volquez and Johnny Cueto are pitching for the Dominican Republic and I really think the Twins are beyond ecstatic that their ace Fransisco Liriano, who is coming off of Tommy John surgery is pitching for the Domincan Republic as well.

How worried should these teams be? Let’s take a look at team USA’s pitching staff from the 2006 World Baseball Classic and compare their respective era’s in 2005 and 2006

Player                                                  2005          2006

Jake Peavy                                            2.88              4.09

Dontrelle Willis                                    2.63              3.87

Al Leiter                                                6.13             DNP

Roger Clemens                                      1.87              2.30

Todd Jones                                             2.10              3.94

Brian Fuentes                                         2.91              3.44

Joe Nathan                                             2.70               1.58

Huston Street                                         1.72               3.31

Brad Lidge                                             2.29               5.28

Chad Cordero                                         1.82               3.19

Scot Shields                                           2.75                2.87

Mike Timlin                                           2.24                4.36

Gary Majewski                                       2.93                4.61

As you can see, except for Joe Nathan every pitcher who tossed for team USA in 2006 had a higher era than they did in 2005. I don’t think this is just a mere coincidence. When pitchers are taken out of there routine at the beginning of the season, it affects them for the entire season.

I hope team USA’s pitching staff in 2009 World Baseball Classic fairs better in the regular season than predecessors. If not, Mr Selig will have a tough time convincing anyone, especially owners the World Baseball Classic is a good for Major League Baseball.

According to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, the Phils have signed reliever Gary Majewski to a minor league deal.

Meanwhile, the Mets are back in talks with Derek Lowe.

It seems like we’re moving in opposite directions, here.

This is a situation that I never, ever want to see again:

Bases loaded, one out, Gary Majewski on the mound.

Seriously, talk about trial by fire.  The dude was sent down to the minors early in the season (because he sucks), he spent a bunch of games “pitching” in the minors (sucking, for the most part), then he gets brought back up (by default). 

And the first thing Dusty Baker decides to do with him is put him on the mound in a bases-loaded jam?!

I picked a bad time to turn on ESPN’s MLB GameCast.

Majewski managed to get the inning-ending double play (by accident, I’m sure), but come on!

Oh… Babe Bruce went 2-4, with 1 homer and an RBI in the loss.

If putting Josh Fogg on the 15-day DL with “back spasms” is the only way to get him out of a Reds uniform for the next couple of weeks, I’m all for it.

I’d have back spasms too if I had to turn around that often to see all the hit-balls flying around the field.

But bringing up Chris Sabo’s Goggles‘ favorite Gary Majewski as the corresponding roster move?  How’d they come to that conclusion?  My guess is a spirited game of Rock/Paper/Scissors broke out in the Louisville (Lew-ih-vul) Bats clubhouse, and Majewski was the lucky winner.

Let me be the first to suggest that Rock/Paper/Scissors games be banned from the clubhouse from this day forward.

If the rumors are true about Homer Bailey getting the call later this week, my guess/prayer is that David Weathers is the one (finally) released to make room for Bailey on the roster.

Could it be?  Could it possibly be that my boy Gary Majewski is showing signs of becoming a competent Major League pitcher?  Well, if lowering your ERA to 11.57 is a sign of progress, then Majewski is certainly heading in the right direction.

Gary Wayne Majewski

Season

W	L	ERA	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K
0	1	11.57	7.00	15	9	9	2	2	7

Individual Games

DATE	W	L	ERA	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
4/3/08	0	0	9.00	1	2	1	1	0	1
4/6/08	0	1	16.20	1.2	5	3	3	1	2
4/10/08	0	0	40.50	0.2	4	3	3	1	1
4/14/08	0	0	0.00	1.0	1	0	0	0	2
4/17/08	0	1	5.40	1.2	2	1	1	0	1
4/20/08	0	0	9.00	1.0	1	1	1	0	0

Keep up the good work, Gary.  Any day now you’ll be serving up 450+ foot homeruns in the Majors.

A lot of Reds sites are posting minor league updates for Jay Bruce (Red Reporter) and Homer Bailey (Redleg Nation), but for some reason no one is posting Gary Majewski’s minor league stats. 

Well, it pleases me to be the first.

Welcome to the beginning of a new feature on Chris Sabo’s Goggles – The Majewski Report

Gary Wayne Majewski

Season

W	L	ERA	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K
0	1	18.90	3.1	11	7	7	2	2	4

Individual Games

DATE	W	L	ERA	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
4/3/08	0	0	9.00	1.0	2	1	1	0	1
4/6/08	0	1	16.20	1.2	5	3	3	1	2
4/10/08	0	0	40.50	0.2	4	3	3	1	1

As you can see, Gary Majewski actually gets worse as the season goes on.  Most pitchers start off slow at the beginning of the season, but gradually improve.  Not Gary Majewski.  He takes suck to levels of suck that we haven’t seen since, well… the last time Majewski pitched for the Reds. 

How’s that house-hunt in Louisville (Lew-ih-vul) going, Gary?

I think I just pulled my hamstring looking at this picture:

This got me thinking about other pitchers that have unusual or unconventional throwing motions.

Juan Marichal obviously comes to mind:

So does Kent Tekulve:

And who can forget Gary Majewski: 

Completely off the subject, but sometimes I wish I had a Bengals blog.  Between Chris Henry and Ocho Cinco Chad Johnson, I’d be writing 1,000 words a day.  Give it a rest, guys!

Gary Majewski, the supposed prized piece of the Austin Kearns/Felipe Lopez trade showed his true value today when he was sent to Triple-A Louisville (Lew-ih-vul).

Apparently, Mr. Majewski was frustrated by the move:

“I would have liked to pitch more,” he said.

 Yes, Gary, and we would have liked you to find the plate more.  And thrown more strikes.  And given up fewer hits.  And walked fewer batters.  It would’ve been nice if you cut that stupid hair of yours, too, but we can talk about that later.

“That’s what happens when you’ve got 34 pitchers in camp.”

The only thing that means is that there were 33 pitchers in camp better than you.

“I feel good. I came in in shape. I’ll go down there and work on things.”

I suggest you start looking for a house in Louisville, Gary.  You might be down there “working on things” for a while.

This installment of the bullpenternet has news, analysis, wild conjecturing, father-daughter games, and shopping!!

• Sox fans break down the upcoming Rule 5 Draft, focusing on the Royals’ AA Loogy Carlos Guevara (among others). (SOSH)

• Retrospective: former-DOE-daughter relieved former-MLB-no hitter-father in 1956 American Legion game: rambling article follows 51 years later. (Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune)

• Red Sox miss out on Kerry Wood, consider signing Percival or…Japan? (Yardbarker; DaBigTicket)

• A bad week for a few middle relievers: following the Joe Kennedy tragedy, Indians’ relief pitcher Juan Lara’s career is cut short. (ESPN)

• Paul White breaks down the relief pitcher free agent market, noting that “signing relievers is a buyer-beware proposition.” The article also creates a list of remaining free agent relievers . . . a little shorter than this one. (USA Today)

• The USA Today article gives us another chance to kneel before the relief pitching guru GM, Kevin Towers:

“There’s a lot of wear and tear on these guys over a year or two years,” says San Diego GM Kevin Towers, whose team led the majors with a 3.01 bullpen ERA this year. “It’s such a heavy workload, you have to be careful.” [. . .]

Towers says he prefers to limit his spending on relievers.

“There are guys out there,” he says. “You have to put them in the right situation.” [. . .]

“Bullpen depth is almost as important as quality,” Towers says. “You almost need to have five guys you trust from the sixth inning on. Starting pitchers don’t go as deep into games these days, and if you depend on a couple of guys, you’ll be using them every night.”

 

• Keith Law gives faint praise to the Francisco Cordero signing, noting that the Reds got the best guy out there…but gave him the second largest contract for a relief pitcher for a “ridiculous” four years: (ESPN Insider)

“It is irresponsible for any GM to give a reliever a four-year deal, but it’s even more so when the deal soaks up over 10 percent of the signing team’s payroll and the GM is only under contract for the first of those four years. There’s way too much chance of this deal going south before it’s over or even half over, even if it clearly does make the Reds better in 2008.

• Braves superfans look way down the pike at the performance of their relief pitchers in the Mexican Pacific League (Mexicans!), Venezuelan Winter League, and the Dominican Winter League: Edgar Osuna is turning into a Class-A Loogy. (Talking Chop)
• Finally, if you’re running out of ideas for what to get the kid who has everything? How about a LSU Tigers relief pitcher bib? (Cafe Press) [in fact, there is a wide variety of relief pitcher gear over at Cafe Press - and no, none of it is ours...yet].

Cleans up messes for $18,999,992.01 less than Scott Linebrink

Thanks to On the DL we have baseball players Chad Codero and Gary Majewski enjoying a night on the town.

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