Ah the delight. Pitchers and Catchers have finally reported. And so many more countdowns have just begun.

• Number of days until spring training games begin (a mere 10 days).
• Days until the world baseball classic begins (just 18 days to go).
• And the big one, Opening Night in Philadelphia (a small 49 days away).

So sit back, and bask in the sunshine of the desert or among the palm trees. Cause summers coming. Ever so slowly. And with more intriguing storylines than you could shake a stick at, spring training couldn’t get any better. Here’s a sampling:

• Will highly touted O’s prospect Matt Weiters make the Birds roster out of spring training, or begin the year in AAA?
• Who will be the Cardinals closer? Chris Perez? Ryan Franklin? Jason Motte? Josh Kinney? Stay tuned.
• Will Dontrelle Willis and/or Nate Robertson regain their form?
• Where will the remaining free agents land? Is Ken Griffey jr off to Atlanta? What about Tom Glavine? Manny Ramirez?
• How do C.C Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett look in pinstripes?
• Will Jed Lowrie win the Red Sox starting shortstop job over Julio Lugo?
• Is Noah Lowry healthy enough to snatch the Giants 5th starters job over Jonathan Sanchez? Or will Sanchez put it all together?
• Is Cameron Maybin ready for the big leagues at age 21?
• How much greater can the hype get surrounding David Price as he enters the Rays rotation?
• Will Carlos Marmol be closing out games at Wrigley? Or can Kevin Gregg come in and steal it from him?
• How will the Rockies deal without Matt Holliday?

Strap in for the ride folks, cause the next month and a half’s gonna be great.

Is spring training too long? I will admit. I’m super excited about the season. In fact, I’m as pumped as I can ever remember in my 8 year history of following mlb about march 30th and the following months. But there comes a time when days of games that mean very little begin to wear on you. I love stats. Standings. Browsing box scores of games that mean something. Where you can begin to piece together who’s having outstanding seasons, who’s flopping, you’re breakout guys, you’re perennial Cy Young pitchers, MVP candidates etc etc. When you can read the probable pitcher previews for that day and then go outside of the box and compare pitchers stats vs their upcoming opponents, their histories, what they have been doing this season, etc. It’s fascinating, and I could spend all day doing it. I’d love to do it. and I will do it. But right now, it’s just over and over, endless games without faces, without expression, without realistic meaning. Of course, there is still a purpose for spring training being this long. Pitchers have to stretch themselves out so by the time opening day roles around, they’re ready to go 6,7, maybe 8 innings and throw 100 pitches. That’s it. And as I was watching the Cardinals vs the Twins the other day, this issue came up. And that was the sole explanation. **** I want the season to begin. And yea, I do love the fact that when spring training begins and players start suiting up and you get guys tuning up for the season, I get little chills dreaming about the summer. I guess i’m just impatient, but when you get one of your key guys injured in a game that counts for nothing, like what happened to Curtis Granderson yesterday, it puts it into a little perspective. There really is no potential solution, i’m just ranting for the **** of it i guess, but the point remains the same, pitchers have to stretch out there arms, and I guess in reality, I just can’t wait until march 31st comes and I can settle in and watch the Tigers take on the Royals from Comerica Park. Good job there’s only 8 more days to wait then huh?

Now, a lot of you might suddenly be wondering, why, after checking in on AL central division teams for my previews so far, that the Twins or the Royals would be the next teams I’d preview next right? Aha! Well, I’m swiftly changing division for a second, mainly, because I can, and also the Orioles just so happened to succumb to my random pleasure for browsing the web. Also, I have two new resources to help me with my previews. The Baseball America Prospect handbook, and the Baseball Prospectus 2008 guide to the season. Both of which are so useful for this. So keeping you on your toes, I’m gonna look to Baltimore for inspiration.
I challenge you to name me 5 guys on the Orioles team. Go ahead. Or better, see if you can give me the 5 guys who are most likely to take the ball once every 5 days. Tough? Can’t do it? Well I’m not surprised. When new president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail declares the Orioles are in full rebuilding mode, this is what you get. Hey, at least they’ve got Camden Yards. But in reality, there’s more than meets the eye with these Orioles. Don’t get me wrong, they’re not about to become the next 06 Tigers, but there’s potential in a couple of years. So let’s look at what trading away Miguel Tejada and Erik Bedard has got them so far:

Let’s not beat around the bush here, the Orioles were pretty bad in 2007. As really, they have been for the last 10 years when they won the AL east and then lost out to the Indians in the AL Championship series. 1997 was the last time Camden Yards saw a winning team occupy the home dugout, when the likes of Raffy Palmeiro, Cal Ripken jnr and Mike Mussina wore the big bird on their chests. But the O’s didn;t really do very much well at all in 07. They were plain old average in just about every offensive category, starting with finishing 9th in runs scored in the AL at 756, and while they had the 6th best batting average in the AL at .272 and the 6th most hits in the AL with 1529, where did it get them? Those last two stats indicate some pretty respectable totals, which they are, but that didn’t exactly translate into team success did it? 07 might well have seen the emergence of future star Nick Markakis, but there’s not alot else here. If there’s one positive to take from this season for the O’s, it’s the fact that they lead the AL in fielding percentage. The O’s committed just 79 errors in 07, and were extremely solid in the field. So then, you think, solid defense, so-so offense, shouldn’t be a bad year right? wrong. and the tale of the tape lies in the age old line that pitching wins ballgames. And you can just guess where the O’s finished in ERA in the AL last year. A **** awful 12th with a horrendous 5.17. Hello Daniel Cabrera. And that’s before we take out Erik Bedard’s stellar 3.16 ERA. It’s the bullpen ERA that sets the fire really alight. A 5.75 reliever ERA is just ugly. And when you get the luxury of playing the Yankees and Red Sox almost 40 times a year, you’re gonna be in trouble.

Offseason/08 Outlook:

Despite the bad year, there’s reason to be optimistic in Baltimore. There’s potential. Yes Daniel Cabrera’s still here, (will they ever just man up and get rid of him already?) forever teasing the **** out of scouts and fans alike with lights out stuff at one point, and then suddenly falling apart the next with his control. Cabrera’s WHIP was an awful 1.54. And to top it off, he led the league in walks for the second consecutive year. (to put it into perspective, we can essentially look at WHIP as number of baserunners allowed per inning by the pitcher) But with Erik Bedard gone to Seattle, the O’s got prospect depth in return. They also got that from Houston when they traded Miguel Tejada away. So what’s left? Well, offensively, things shouldn’t be too bad for the O’s in 08. In fact, they might be a little better. The outfield looks extremely solid, with the crown jewel of the Bedard trade, Adam Jones set to man center field between another offseason acquisition, Luke Scott, part of the Tejada trade, and incumbent right fielder Nick Markakis. Jones has future all star written all over him, and Markakis is going to improve no matter what. Scott, on the other hand, is interesting. He’s shown that he can hit for both power (18 homers last year for the ‘Stros), and average at the big league level (.366 in 249 AB’s in 06 for Houston) but not both in the same season. There’s potential, but can he put it all together? If so, then the O’s have a pretty formidable outfield. The other certainty is Brian Roberts at second. He’s as solid as they come, and will continue to be one of the better second basemen in the league. But there are other question marks. Can Melvin Mora rediscover his stroke? The same goes for Catcher Ramon Hernandez, the once highly heralded A’s backstop. If these guys can rediscover some former magic, the O’s could have a considerably good offense.

On the pitching side of things, the rotation has alot of questions. Non roster invitee Steve Trachsel will hold down the veteran corps and provide a solid presence, and Daniel Cabrera will try yet again to put it all together. Then there’s Adam Loewen. The young Canadian lefty, who made just 6 starts last year due to a stress fracture in his elbow, has a world of potential. As does fellow lefty Garrett Olson. Olson hasn’t nailed down a slot in the rotation just yet though, as he’s up against Matt Albers and Brian Burres for the 5th starters slot. One things for sure though, the two guys who lose out will be headed to the pen as long men. Albers, acquired in the Tejada deal, and Burres got two less competitors for the rotation spot this past week when top prospects Hayden Penn and Radhames Liz were optioned to Triple A Norfolk. Both Penn and Liz figure to be the first call ups if the O’s need rotation help this year, and they both have high ceilings, giving O’s fans some reason for future optimism. The rotation will be rounded out with righty Jeremy Guthrie, who’s not going to turn any heads. Still, he proved solid and dependable in the rotation last year after stepping in when Jaret Wright when down, posting a 3.70 ERA in 175 1/3 innings. Perhaps the biggest loss of the entire season though for the O’s is Troy Patton. The 22 year old lefty acquired from Houston in the offseason has undergone season ending surgery to repair a torn labrum. But if can come back healthy in 2009, the O’s are pretty well stocked with good young arms for their rotation for several years to come. Bullpen wise, the Erik Bedard trade has landed the O’s with George Sherrill, the dependable, hard throwing lefty pegged by manager Dave Trembley to take the ball in the 9th, who posted a 2.36 ERA last year in the Mariners pen. Reliable relievers Chad Bradford (who in my mind besides the Twins Pat Neshek, has the most awesome delivery in all of baseball) and Jamie Walker are back, giving the O’s a solid trio of relievers. Hard throwing right Dennis Sarfate has alot of promise, as shown by his 1.08 ERA in 8 1/3 innings last year. He could emerge as a potential set up man. Besides that, Trembley has stated that he’d like to have two long men, with it looking more likely that those jobs will go to Albers and Burres. The battle for the last job comes down to Greg Aquino and rule 5 pick Randor Bierd, claimed from the Tigers, and he’s got a ton of potential too, but he’d have to make the club out of spring training and then stick there for the entire year, meaning any potential struggles could doom him.

Realistically, don’t expect too much from Baltimore in 2008. They’re in a full fledged rebuilding mode, but there’s definitely the potential for them to become quite something in a couple years. By giving Radhames Liz and Hayden Penn more time in triple A to work out their kinks, it just shows you that they don’t want to have their top prospects learn by doing when they’re not ready at the big league level. They’ll have a decent offense, and maybe Olson or Loewen will break out and surprise a few people, but they’re destined to be cellar dwellars once again.

Literally. When news broke that Tigers righty Jordan Tata punched a door at the Tigs spring training complex in Lakeland, many of you probably (myself included) wondered what the **** went wrong. Now, Tata faces 3 weeks on the shelf with a broken knuckle. And then you look inside the stats, and you can understand his frustration. He’s got a spring ERA of 27.00, and has now admitted that there might be something wrong with his shoulder as he’s lost the ‘feeling of control’. Either way, let’s hope 3 weeks without throwing will improve the situation.
And for those of you worrying about Todd Jones and his booming 24.55 ERA, let’s just say that Jones didn’t get the nickname ‘rollercoaster’ from nowhere. Even so, getting tanked for 6 runs and then 4 against Houston and Pittsburgh brings it to your attention a little. Is Jones reaching the end of the line? I honestly believe Jones just needs to get straightened out, and he’ll be fine by opening day. He was scheduled to pitch in today’s Tigers game vs the Reds, but pitching coach Chuck Hernandez decided Jones would be better served working out of the bullpen today, and thus, he’s had his session and is done for the day. He’ll pitch on thursday vs the Braves, and there are still 3 weeks to go before opening day. No need for anyone to start panicking.

Other worthy notes:

Injuries are starting to pile up around the league, including the Cubs Felix Pie, who will be sidelined for 3 to 5 days after testicular surgery. He’s in a hot battle to win the Cubs starting centre field job away from fellow prospect Sam Fuld.

Lance Berkman’s also suffering from leg tightness, which seeems to be bothering quite a few players this spring. Berkman’s a focal point of the ‘Stros offense, and they’re gonna need him healthy this year.

Josh Beckett apparantly suffered a little set back on his road to recovery from back spasms, which appeared before his start on sunday. News is now that Beckett may not make it back in time for opening day, and backs are tender beings, so you can bet that the Red Sox will be doing all they can to make sure their ace is in tact. How smart does Theo Epstein look now for signing Bartolo Colon eh??

There’s a big question in my mind surrounding Barry Zito right now. No injuries here, but apparantly Zito is adjusting his delivery, but whatever he’s doing, he’s getting hit hard. He’s got a 17.18 ERA in 3 spring starts, and once again gave up 8 runs for the second time vs the Royals Monday(albeit only 5 were earned). Something to definitely keep an eye on though, but truth be told Zito hasn’t looked himself in San Francisco at all…

The Rays Scott Kazmir is looking good on his return from a left elbow strain he suffered on Feb 26th. In his first throwing session from the mound since the injury, and said he felt good. Tremendous news for the Rays, as Kazmir is the kingpin of their staff, and really is destined for a breakout year.

Well folks, we’re already just over a week into spring training games, (can you believe that already, i certainly can’t!) and there’s a few injuries beginning to pile up around the league. From Jim Edmonds calf strain which will keep the Padres centre fielder out for 2-3 weeks, to Adam LaRoche’s broken thumb, and A-Rod’s sore shoulder. Spring Injuries are piling up! And the Tigers aren’t immune to the injury bug. Promising young outfielder Wilkin Ramirez partially separated his shoulder in yesterday’s 9-6 Tigers victory over the Braves, while Matt Mantei officially called it a career earlier in the week after going down with a shoulder problem. Other Tigers have ‘soreness’ issues right now, including Miguel Cabrera’s quads, and Edgar Renteria’s shoulder. If there’s good news to be taken from Tigers camp right now, it’s the progress of Fernando Rodney, who’s been playing catch all week and is a scheduled couple weeks away from getting into a game. That should make him ready for opening day. Still, the Tigers do have options. Denny Bautista has thrown the ball extremely well this spring, showing he’s finally been able to command his fastball, and it’s paying off, as he hasn’t surrendered a run in 5 spring innings so far. Preston Larrison has also been impressive, and Yorman Bazardo also hasn’t given up an earned run so far. The Tigers are also very pleased with their starters as of right now, and Verlander, Bonderman, Willis and Nate Robertson have all been very impressive. The Tigers are in Dunedin, Florida today to take on the Blue Jays, as Jeremy Bonderman will take the hill against Toronto’s Shawn Marcum at 1:05pm. You can also catch the Tigers 3 times on mlb.tv this week, Tuesday at Cleveland, Thursday vs Atlanta and Friday night @ the Astros. It’s gonna be a good week! 

On Tap for Today:

Mlb.tv’s got quite a few good spring training games going online today, including the Dodgers visiting the Cardinals in Jupiter at 1:05pm, and the Marlins at the Mets also at 1:05pm. There’s two more grapefruit games also on mlb.tv today, but if you’re after some cactus action then you might want to check in on the Diamondbacks/Cubs game at 3:05pm or the Giants/White Sox tussle at the same time. And we’re just under 3 weeks away from opening day in Japan! woohoo!! stay tuned for more baseball!

Pretty much sums it up. I make two comments, and both of them lead to something negative. Maybe i’ve just got no luck. What am I talking about? Well the Tigers have lost 2 straight (yea it’s spring training i know, but still nice to see your team win eh?) since I declared them unbeaten a couple days ago, and now after praising Matt Mantei, it appears he’s ran into some shoulder problems after his sunday outing. I’m preying that the issue with Mantei is nothing serious, for his personal sake, not just the Tigers, for he’s a great guy, and I’m also wondering what the **** happened to me to bring this bad luck on the Tigers. I’m fearful to talk about Jeremy Bonderman’s quality 3 Innings of work yesterday vs Tampa, and the fact that his changeup feels better than ever. Then again, we have been talking about Bonderman ‘taking the next step’ and his changeup for what seems like ever right? Every spring it comes up, and its the same story. If he develops a consistant, good pitch, then he’ll be the elite starter he has the potential to become. If not, then well, he won’t.
Tigers fans are in luck today either way as you can watch the 1:05pm game vs the Astros LIVE on mlb.tv, which I certainly will be doing, from Kissimmee, FL. Roy Oswalt will start for the ‘stros, and Nate Robertson will throw for the Tigers. Should give us a good look at least!

Good News on Gagne: Eric Gagne is reportedly feeling ‘strong’ and ‘healthy’, which is **** well a relief if you pardon the pun. He’s on pace to throw about 10 outings this spring, and he says he’s getting stronger each time he takes the hill. There’s nothing I’d like more than to see Gagne back to his pre dominant self, as he looked really off in Boston last season. Although he was pretty good in Texas, it seemed like having to accept a set up role was something he really struggled with after his trade late last year.

Hawpe, Rockies, Reach deal: Colorado locked up another member of its core to a multiyear deal after signing outfielder Brad Hawpe to a three year deal with an option for 2011. No details yet on the money, but it means the 28 year old Hawpe, who belted 29 homers and drove in 116 while batting .291 in 2007, will be around for a good while. If the Rockies can keep all their core together, then they could be good for the forseeable future.

Woohoo! I’m so excited. After months of waiting, Spring Training games get under way officially today! For those of you who want to follow along, there’s mlb.tv’s first live webcast today at 3:05pm ET of the Rockies/White Sox clash in Arizona. I’m thinking i’ll be taking a look! For you Tigers fans, Jeremy Bonderman takes the hill at 1:05pm ET from Joker Marchant Stadium against the Mets. The Tigers won their spring training tuneup game vs Florida Southern college yesterday, 17-4, with 5 Tigers going deep, including Miguel Cabrera’s bomb to straight away centre in the first inning! On tap to pitch today for the Tigers after Bonderman will be Jason Grilli, Zach Miner, Yorman Bazardo, Denny Bautista and Tim Byrdak. Should be a beauty!

Bring on the 08 season!