odds and ends

With 5 spring training games so far I feel as if we can already see a few things for this upcoming year. Keep in mind spring training stats generally mean nothing as conditions are different, I still feel as a few things can be taken away from it though

1. Melkey vs. Brett Gardner as starting center fielder- So far Brett Gardner is 5 for 10, while Melkey is 1 for 8. Ignoring all of that though Melkey looks as lost at the plate as I have ever seen him. Also, Keep in mind spring training is supposed to be easier on the hitters with most pitchers only throwing fastballs as they attempt to build arm speed. Now I am not saying that Melkey has no chance to bounce back, but as of now he looks down right awful. Brett Gardner on the other hand looks decent; even though I still don't see him as anything better than average center fielder.

2. Rejuvenated Cano- Cano definitely looks a little leaner than he did last year. So far this spring he is 5 for 9. More importantly though it looks as if his approach at the plate has improved a little. Now he does still look to have some free swinging tendencies that we all know and hate, but it doesn’t look nearly as bad as it did last year.

3. Arod is still Arod- Even amid all the steroid business, Arod is still putting up good spring training numbers. Hopefully this success can translate over to the actual season.

This upcoming season looks promising even amid all the controversy due to Arod and the steroids. The next few weeks should be fun as we get to see more of our younger players in spring training as well as the World Baseball Classic which is always a good time.