Training Camp:Las Vegas Rat Pack

The Rat Pack took a major step last year toward reclaiming their ancient Austin Outlaws legacy, winning over 100 games and coming one game away from the DMBL World Series.
Positional battles: Most of the roles seem settled, with many players falling into platoons. Carlos Pena and Richie Sexson have shared time at first base, Jeff Keppinger and Yunel Escobar at shortstop, and Chris Davis and Alex Gordon at third. Vlad Guerrero and Ichiro Suzuki have also shared time in the pre-season, but will likely take full-time roles once the season starts.
Pre-season surprises/disappointments: Young Alex Gordon looks ready to step up and take a major role in the team. Gordon is hitting a solid .326/.392/.630 so far with 11 RBIs. Matt Holliday is on a tear, leading the team with 19 RBIs and hitting .372/.444/.535. The most disappointing players in the lineup are Joe Mauer (.200/.265/.317) and Guerrero (.183/.219/.317). Mauer says that he's been distracted by talks of moving him to second base or shortstop.

Josh Beckett (2-0, 2.05) looks ready to shake off his past failures and contribute this year and Rich Harden (1-2, 2.84) is hoping to stay healthy for a full year for the first time since 2006. Tim Lincecum has struggled early on (2-2, 6.75), but the club is not worried about their potential ace.

Roster outlook: Vegas, as usual, has a full reserve of ineligible prospects, but they're likely to keep them on Opening Day. They only have two players to cut so there shouldn't be much drama this week. Look for a utilty player - Richie Sexson and Rich Aurilia shouldn't get too comfy - and perhaps a reliever to go.