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 The final Training Camp post brings us to the defending champions. Can they repeat? The road will be very difficult for the Fist. Positional battles: Adam Jones, Chase Headley and Adam Lind have been battling it out for the final outfield spot. We may see some sort of platoon and Jones will like slot in as a late inning defensive replacement when he's not in the lineup. Otherwise, manager Darren Daulton says he will just stick with the hot hand. Hiroki Kuroda had a rotation slot practically given to him, but his pre-season meltdown has opened the door for Paul Maholm and Greg Maddux to overtake him. Vancouver is planning on platooning the two. Of course the last time a team platooned two rotation members was Marietta's disastrous Brett Tomko/Mark Hendrickson debacle from a few years back. Pre-season surprises/disappointments: We already mentioned Maholm (1-0, 2.45) and Maddux (3-1, 4.30), but it has not been a good spring for Vancouver's pitching staff. Zack Greinke in particular was hot and cold (1-2, 5.64) and most of the bullpen was roughed up. Victor Martinez looks to be back in form after suffering an off-season injury (.385/.444/.487). Omar Infante earned a utility role and maybe more with his excellent hitting (.364/.375/.571). Infante tied with Kevin Kouzmanoff for the team lead in RBIs (12). Adam Lind (.339/.371/.475) was the most productive of the young outfield trio. Adam Jones (.203/.211/.362) was the worst. Roster outlook: Vancouver has made most of their cuts and has 2 more to go. Look for one of their relievers to get cut and one of their young third basemen - either Kouzmanoff or Pedro Alvarez.
 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.
 The Animals look to be contenders once again, after posting two straight 90+ win seasons, and 3 out of the last 4. Positional battles: After John Maine's dismal spring (1-1, 16.20), management lost confidence in him and brought in Newark castoff David Bush. Bush pitched solidly in his only spring start as did Chris Sampson, a reclamation project from Vancouver. One of the two could claim the 5th starter job, but Philly is likely not done scouring the scrap heaps. Pre-season surprises/disappointments: The Animals have to like what they've seen from trade acquisitions Scott Kazmir (2-1, 2.28, 36 K in 27.2 innings) and Shawn Marcum (2-1, 2.09, also 36 K, but in 38.2 innings). The bullpen combo of Dan Wheeler, Octavio Dotel, and Francisco Cordero has been lights out, surrendering only 2 earned runs in 28.1 innings. Matt Cain has struggled so far with an 8.10 ERA in 5 starts. Catcher John Baker leads the team with a .391 average to go along with a nice .968 OPS. Brian Roberts locked up the second base job by hitting .375/.445/.510 with 15 runs scored. His backup, Jose Lopez, has been impressive in his limited at bats, hitting 4 homers in only 35 at bats (.743 slugging also). Roster outlook: The Endzone Animals have been the most active team on the waiver wire. They've claimed four players off other teams' waivers and signed another four players. They have 37 total players, including 5 ineligibles. A few of those ineligibles will likely be cut, with keeper Yovani Gallardo the only sure thing. Once Philly sorts out their rotation, expect several starters to be cut as well. Waiver claims Kosuke Fukudome and Ryan Sweeney are also on thin ice.
 The Sugar Bear championship run was finally broken last year, but does anyone really think it's over? Positional battles: The Sugar Bears may be one of the most platoon-heavy teams in the league, so not everyone is actually fighting for a job per se, but any playing time at all. Going into the season it looks like the platoons will be Salty and Olivo at catcher, Cabrera and Fontenot at second, and Lowrie and Vazquez at short. Some other defensive subs can be expected too. The rotation is set, with Brett Myers and Javier Vazquez relegated to subbing in when the other starters get injured. Pre-season surprises/disappointments: Andy Pettitte was disappointed to be cut after putting up a 1-0, 0.60 line in two starts. Nonetheless, Newark had no room for the veteran. Kevin Gregg could be this year's no-name awesome Newark reliever - he went 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA and one save in 12 appearances - but that role will probaby be filled by Joey Devine, who didn't pitch in the preseason. Another top producer who was sent packing was Melky Cabrera (.324/.378/.529). Luke Scott also had an impressive spring, hitting .320/.358/.587 with 5 homers and 14 RBIs. Jim Thome led the team with 18 RBIs, but his .213 batting average should send him back to the farm squad. The Sugar Bears surprisingly had many players hitting below the Mendoza line, though many only had limited at bats. Roster outlook: The Sugar Bears made a few cuts already, but still need to trim the roster by 5 players. The Sugar Bears have five ineligibles and will probably cut several of them (Smoltz and Pie look like likely candidates, despite Newark's loyalty toward Smoltz). DH-only Jim Thome may be in trouble as well as Myers. Scott's great performance also doesn't assure him of sticking with the team, as Melky and Pettitte can attest.
 Team Buddah threatened to move to Connecticut, but they ended up being scared off by a chimp. Despite the, ahem, monkey business, the Buddahs will try again to build toward a competitive team. Positional battles: Ummm, none really. Most positions seem to be pretty set at the moment, with maybe catchers Chris Snyder and Jason Varitek platooning. Otherwise, there have been zero battles in training camp. Pre-season surprises/disappointments: Team Buddah got off to a great start in the pre-season and ended up with a 16-10 record. Kevin Slowey has been no small part of that. Slowey ended up 4-1 with a 4.01 ERA. Jamie Moyer (1-2, 8.14) has been the only disappointing member of the rotation. Elijah Dukes has had an exceptional spring - .280/.372/.561 with 6 homers and 18 RBIs. Mike Jacobs led the team in home runs (7) and RBIs (21) but his average (.239) and on-base percentage (.261) leave much to be desired. Chris Snyder, despite getting most of the time behind the plate has been terrible with the stick (.150/.271/.333). Roster outlook: The Buddahs only have two cuts to make and have already put several players up on the trading block. They have four ineligibles, but the team is in rebuilding mode, so there's a chance that they could be kept if no trades are made. However, keeping all four forces the Buddahs to dump a possibly superior option.
 Oops, looks like I skipped the Falcons earlier on, so let's go back and see what this franchise is up to this year. The Falcons missed the playoffs last year, but look like a good bet to return this year. Positional battles: The Falcons have a whopping 11 starters in camp this spring. Johan Santana and Cliff Lee are locks to win jobs and first round pick Ricky Nolasco will probably take the third. After that, it's wide open. Jair Jurrjens has a jump on the position with his brilliant spring (3-0, 0.42 in 3 starts). Andy Sonnanstine was protected by the team, so he might have a heads up on the others as well. Ivan Rodriguez and Yadier Molina have split time behind the plate and it looks like that might be the way the Falcons will go when the season opens. Infield positions seem pretty set, with the Lance Berkman/Justin Morneau loser at first base moving to DH. Jermaine Dye and Ryan Ludwick will probably take two of the three outfield slots, with Skip Schumaker and Rick Ankiel battling it out over the final one. Pre-season surprises/disappointments: Schumaker has made his best case to take the starting job, hitting a team-high .371, with a .405 OBP and .571 slugging. Lance Berkman is leading the team in homers (7) and runs scored (21). David Wright leads in RBIs (20) and has a .999 OPS. The only really disappointing hitter is projected starting shortstop J. J. Hardy, who is hitting .229/.244/.325. Other than Jurrjens, Joakim Soria (1.29, 7 saves) and Brad Lidge (2-0, 2.25), the pitching has been pretty shaky. First round pick Nolasco, in particular, has struggled (1-1, 7.50 in 2 starts). Roster outlook: The Falcons have 33 players on the roster and only one ineligible - who they already announced will be cut. That leaves 2 more players. But the Falcons aren't done playing with the waiver wire just yet. Obviously several of the starters will be cut before Opening Day, but it's hard to project without knowing how many more claims the Falcons will make.
 The Mighty Men are making a big push this year to go from the cellar to the top of the Hanover Division. Positional battles: Kurt Suzuki has played most of the time in the pre-season, but Geovany Soto will most likely take more of a full-time role once the season begins. Other lineup positions are pretty well set, with only some minor competition for backup roles. Marietta is not often a team that relies heavily on platoons, but there are a few likely candidates in the lineup for one. With eight starters on the roster, Marietta has a very deep staff. You can write off Brad Penny immediately and Aaron Harang, despite a solid spring, may be relegated to spot starting. One more starter will be benched - it could be lefty Francisco Liriano, returning after a year lost to injury. Liriano and Harang are the only starters who have pitched in the pre-season that have not been cut, so that might be a bad sign. Pre-season surprises/disappointments: The Mighty Men have not started any of their projected starting staff in the preseason, so it's hard to criticize the statlines of the Micah Owings and Brian Bannisters. Nick Punto has done his best to earn a bigger role, hitting .349/.383/.512 and it's very well known that owner David Landsman has a softspot in his heart for the scrappy Punto. Of the starters with significant at bats, Derek Jeter (.225/.314/.337) and Jason Bay (.208/.314/.337) have been disappointing. Roster outlook: Well, it looks like this post came one day too late as Marietta made a bundle of cuts yesterday. Shortstop Cristian Guzman and reliever Carlos Villanueva have already drawn interest, but the rest may have to wait a while before finding another roster spot in the DMBL. Marietta is still one man over the limit. With only two ineligibles, it will probably be a qualifying players. Penny is a possible candidate.
 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.
 Hoboken was certainly the busiest team on draft day, making several pick-related deals to gear up for 2010. Clearly the 2009 season is viewed as a rebuilding year for the franchise. Positional battles: Nick Blackburn has had a solid spring and seems like a lock to take the fourth rotation slot, with Greg Smith the likely winner of the fifth. Rookie Clayton Kershaw has had a disastrous spring thus far, though it's only been one start. Things look pretty rough at the hot corner as Joe Crede and Hank Blalock have shared most of the time there, but Crede has struggled mightily, while Blalock has been solid. There are a lot of outfielders in camp and none of the three positions are a given. Marlon Byrd has gotten a lot of time in the field, but has been terrible (.217, .649 OPS). Denard Span has been excellent and may be the way to go for a youth movement. Chris Duncan has been mediocre and limited to DH, a position that Adam Dunn will likely dominate. Others have been mediocre or worse, leaving this field wide open. Pre-season surprises/disappointments: Ryan Church may have earned himself a big role in the poor outfield with his spring (.388/.467/.633). Catcher Mike Napoli is second on the team with 14 RBIs and leads the team with 5 homers. Hanley Ramirez looks ready for the season (.307/.390/.500, 4 HR, 13 R, 10 RBI). Adam Dunn has been brutal in the early going (.130/.333/.304) as has the aforementioned Joe Crede (3-38). Takashi Saito seems to have the closer role sewn up (2.25 ERA, 10 saves in 10 games). The rest of the pen has been hit ( Brian Tallet - 1.50 in 12 games) or miss ( Ryan Madsen - 0-1, 6.91 in 13 games). Aaron Cook has been the ace of the pre-season with a 2-0 record and 2.38 ERA in 4 starts. Roster outlook: The Cutters have already made some cuts, but remain 5 playes over the limit. They have five ineligibles, four of which are pitchers, so there's a possibility that a couple of them will be cut. In addition look for some veteran outfielders to be culled after the roles become clearer.
 It's double-dose Friday. Hey I've gotta finish these before the season starts, right? And with only 12 more games left on the pre-season schedule, that means we have about a week until Opening Day! Hillsborough made great strides and finally made it over the hump and into the playoffs last year. This team looks about as strong as last year's, so they should at least be contenders for a playoff spot this year. Positional battles: Russell Martin and Kelly Shoppach have been battling over the starting catcher job, with newcomer Shoppach taking an early edge over incumbent Martin. Though Shoppach's .250/.286/.469 line doesn't inspire a lot of awe, it is light years ahead of Martin's awful .179/.319/.205. Shoppach's absolutely destroyed lefties in spring training, but he's been just as bad as Martin against righties. How about the battle royale for the third base job? Aubrey Huff was protected by the Hitmen, but they went ahead and drafted three more third base-eligible players. Veteran Mike Lowell and journeyman Ty Wigginton will provide a lot of competition for Huff. So far in the preseason, Huff has played the most at the hot corner, doubling the combined games of the other two contenders. Wigginton has an advantage in that he can also play in the outfield. We did say three more, right? In case you were wondering, Ron Belliard is eligible to play third, but is more likely to play second for the Hitmen. Pre-season surprises/disappointments: Huff has taken the challenge to heart and has been ripping the ball so far (.400/.492/.800). First-round pick Shin-Soo Choo has claimed a starting spot with his fast start (.325/.460/.550). The rest of the outfield is also on a tear - Nick Markakis (.322/.446/.559) and Carlos Lee (.322/.355/.661) seem ready for the season to start. Ryan Howard is the weak link right now, outside of the catching platoon. The slugger is off to a poor .227 start, but has 3 homers and 8 RBIs in his 14 games. Everyone is still waiting for young Felix Hernandez to step up and fulfill his potential, but things aren't looking so hot right now for him. King Felix is off to an 0-1, 16.20 start in his 2 games and has been sent back to AAA Motown for some instruction. Justin Verlander is ready to take his place, however. Verlander, who seemed like he could lose his rotation spot, has been brilliant in 2 spring starts, giving up only 3 runs in 15.1 innings for a 1.76 ERA. Roster outlook: Finally a team with an interesting roster. The Hitmen have a near-maximum 38 players on the roster, which will leave 8 looking for jobs come opening day. The Hitmen have 5 ineligibles, some of which will likely be gone. Max Scherzer, a protected ineligible, seems to be the only one assured of staying with the team. The club has 10 relievers, plus swingman Seth McClung on the roster. At least 3 of them, and maybe 4 will likely be sent packing. On the offensive side, Mike Lowell and Juan Pierre shouldn't start shopping for homes in Jersey just yet.
 The O-Bombers come in with a philosophy of change - no more mediocrity. The new-look Bushslappers felt that the previous moniker was too negative and will now focus on something more positive, like bombs. Positional battles: The fifth starter battle boils down to Ryan Rowland-Smith and Oliver Perez. Rowland-Smith can also pitch out of the bullpen, so the club may be cautious with the rookie and let Perez start out in the rotation and bring the Australian out when he inevitably falters. Although Derrek Lee is the favorite at first base, he has a bit of competition in camp this year. Veteran Todd Helton will give him a good run and Casey Kotchman could also challenge Lee. Meanwhile, at second base, the club made a draft day deal in order to acquire Howie Kendrick in the draft, so you know he will have every chance to win the job from Dan Uggla. Carlos Beltran and Matt Kemp should have starting jobs in the outfield, with Hideki Matsui possibly playing some DH along with the loser of the first base battle. Look for rookies Jay Bruce and Lastings Milledge to also get some at bats, possibly in platoon roles. Pre-season surprises/disappointments: The team has gotten off to a great start offensively, with most of the projected lineup hitting well. The team is led by catcher Brian McCann (.397/.438/.534). Lee has gotten a big jump on winning the first base job with a .377 average and 1.045 OPS. Lee also leads the team with 12 RBIs. Jose Reyes has surprised with his hot hitting - leading the team in runs scored (12) and second in RBIs (10). The pitching staff has been pretty bad so far in spring, including two projected starters - Erik Bedard (0-2, 8.36) and Chris Young (0-3, 12.12). Half the bullpen has been lights out - closer Jonathan Papelbon, in particular, has a 2.12 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 10 games - while the other half has been roughed up. Roster outlook: The O-Bombers are carrying only one extra player in the pre-season, including five ineligibles. Chris Ray seems to be the most likely candidate to be cut at this point, but the team could make a surprise cut (or acquisition) yet.
 After finishing out of the playoffs the last two seasons, the Mudcats will look to return in 2009, but is it their turn? So far, the Cats have the league's best record at 11-3. Positional battles: A.J. Pierzynski and Bengie Molina seem to have a platoon going right now, but Pierzynski has been struggling and losing ground to Molina. Most infield positions seem locked up, but look for Carlos Guillen to make a play for some at-bats. The outfield also seems to be set, with perhaps Fred Lewis and Delmon Young looking to gain a platoon role. The Cats only have 5 starters on the roster, so there won't be any surprises in the rotation. Edwar Ramirez has been doing a good job closing games in the pre-season (3 saves, 0.00 ERA in 8 games), but Brian Fuentes will likely take the job once the season starts. Pre-season surprises/disappointments: Troy Tulowitzki is making his case to take the starting shortstop role (.367/.441/.600), but his rival Mike Aviles is doing just as well (.320/.375/.600) in almost double the at bats. Outfielders Vernon Wells (4-24, .541 OPS) and Grady Sizemore (.157, .542 OPS) have struggled, as has most of the team - at least hitting the ball. The pitching staff has been great so far - Tim Hudson is 3-0 with a 2.35 ERA, Carlos Zambrano has a 1.77 ERA in 3 starts and Dice-K is 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA. Most of the pen has ERAs under 2.50. The only one struggling thus far is ace Roy Halladay (0-1, 5.00 in 3 starts), but word is he's been trying out a couple of new pitches he saw on YouTube. Roster outlook: The Cats only have one cut to make (wow so far nothing too exciting to write about as far as cuts go for the first three teams!). There are currently 5 ineligible players on the roster and one of them could be a cut (Carolina already cut one in the middle of the draft!) or else Carolina could opt to cut one of their 7 relievers.
 Sitting at 2-10, the second year Bombers are still trying to put together a competitive team in the DMBL. The Bombers aren't making any pretenses about competing this year, but hope to put together a good core and show some improvement in 2010. Positional battles: One of the questions in camp is where will Mark DeRosa play? DeRosa, acquired from the Sugar Bears in the offseason can play at multiple positions - second base, third base, and outfield. DeRosa can certainly slot in as the club's third outfielder - Carl Crawford and Nate McClouth seem to have the other positions locked up - or he could wrest the second base job away from Rickie Weeks. Then there's always the DH job. There is no clear cut choice here and it will most likely be a timeshare, possibly including DeRosa. Most of the rotation looks pretty obvious, but the fifth starter spot is still up for grabs. If spring numbers are any indication, Joe Blanton may be the leader at this point, but there are still plenty of games left to play. There's also no guarantee that whoever wins this battle keeps the job for the remainder of the season. Spring training surprises/disappointments: The pitching has been dreadful for the most part so far, with only a handful of relievers pitching well so far. Edwin Jackson, one of the contenders for the fifth rotation spot, has been particularly brutal (21.00 ERA, 3.33 WHIP in 2 starts). Edwin Encarnacion has been the top batter for the club, hitting .362 with a 1.019 OPS in 12 games). Hunter Pence (.818 OPS) and Jeremy Hermida (.775) have been pretty solid as well. The aforementioned DeRosa could be playing himself into a utility role if he keeps up his pitiful hitting (.160/.208/.360 in 50 at bats). Roster outlook: The Bombers are another team, like the Ant Slayers that already have close to their final roster - they only need to cut two players, so we don't expect a lot of changes before Opening Day. With 9 starting pitchers on the roster, expect one or both cuts to come from there.
 We're going to take a little look into each team's camp as we run up to the start of the season. First stop on the road is Amityville. After the Tampa Bay Plunkers could not continue, Nick Pucci took over the franchise at rock bottom prices. Pre-season battles: All of Amityville's infield and catcher slots are locked up, barring a trade or pickup. There are 6 outfielders battling for the 3 outfield slots, plus Ryan Garko is in the DH mix as well. Veterans Johnny Damon and Pat Burrell should have the upper hand here, while Jacoby Ellsbury and Torii Hunter should factor in heavily as well. The starting rotation also looks like it should be pretty set, but the team could choose to go with Jered Weaver instead of Mark Buehrle or one of the youngsters. Weaver's been pretty impresive in his two starts so far in spring training, but so has the entire rotation. Buehrle is the only one that has not pitched yet. Manny Parra, who also hasn't pitched, seems to be a long shot at this point. Pre-season surprises/disappointments: As noted, the starters have been a pleasant surprise so far. But the team's two closing candidates, Troy Percival (11.25 ERA in 5 games) and Salamon Torres (13.50 ERa, 2 saves, in 3 games) have been disastrous so far. On the hitting side, Torii Hunter has exploded out of the gates, hitting .385 with 8 RBIs and a .769 slugging in 6 games. James Loney has been very disappointing with a .143 average and .389 OPS in 35 at bats. His platoon mate, Garko, hasn't been much better though (.222, .586 OPS in 9 AB). The catchers have been abysmal - starter Dioner Navarro is 2-22 with a .223 OPS and backup Brad Ausmus is 1-15 with a .243 OPS. At only 10 games into the season a lot can change, but the Ant Slayers seem pretty set. They are only one player over the limit and there are several fringe candidates that could go before the season starts.
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The final Training Camp post brings us to the defending champions. Can they repeat? The road will be very difficult for the Fist.
