Sardine City flirted with contention last year, but ended up near the bottom. Can this be the year that they finally come of age?Positional battles: Not much to write up here. Only shortstop looked like any kind of competition, but it looks like Edgar Renteria and Stephen Drew will settle into a platoon. Glen Perkins may end up stealing a rotation spot away from either Ubaldo Jimenez or Dustin McGowan. Both pitched poorly in the pre-season while Perkins was solid in his two starts (2-0, 1.88, 1.19 WHIP). The closer role seems to be open, too. Taylor Buchholz saved 3 games in the pre-season and Brandon Morrow saved 2, but Buchholz had much better numbers (2.02 vs 5.14 ERAs, 1.13 vs 1.71 WHIPs). Morrow's future is as a starter, so the club may opt to stick him into long relief.
Pre-season surprises/disappointments: Ryan Braun exploded for 11 home runs and a .373 average. He also led the team in runs (25) and RBIs (29). Carlos Quentin also had a good spring, hitting .324/.413/.490 with 24 runs scored. B.J. Upton struggled, hitting a measly .184, but his .345 OBP was encouraging. Also struggling is rookie third bagger Evan Longoria (.245/.342/.426).
Jimenez (2-1, 5.40) and McGowan (2-1, 5.08) have both put their jobs in danger, despite getting the run support. Among relievers, Zach Miner was particularly brutal (0-1, 9.00 ERA in 11 appearances). Lefty Cole Hamels looked sharp, amassing a 3.67 ERA and going 2-0.
Roster outlook: The Sardines have 6 extra players on their roster. Of course, their reserve squad is full of ineligibles, but the Straphangers are known for sticking with their youth. The club has several extraneous players that could be cut to make room, including journeymen like Eric Hinske, Marco Scutaro, and Jeff Francoeur. With Miner's awful spring, he's also a prime candidate for a pink slip.
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