The Good
- Nick Castellanos, 3B, Tigers: 2-4, 2 2B. Castellanos is now hitting .400 on the spring and has the Tigers about as comfortable as could be going into a contending season with a rookie penciled into their starting lineup.
- Delino DeShields, Jr., OF, Astros: 2-3, R. DeShields is hitting just .150 this spring while also learning the nuances of his new position. He’s not going to make the Astros roster this spring anyway and should be among the team’s next round of cuts.
- George Springer, OF, Astros: 2-3, R, K. Unlike DeShields, Springer actually does have a chance to make the Astros this spring, but he will likely begin the season back in Triple-A, as much for financial reasons as anything else.
- Carlos Martinez, RHP, Cardinals: 4 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K. It’s awesome to see Martinez still working as a starter, and even better to see him having success after a few rough outings earlier in the spring.
- Yordano Ventura, RHP, Royals: 4 1/3 IP, 2 H, ER, 0 BB, 6 K. If Ventura doesn’t win a spot in the Royals rotation to start the season, it won’t be because of anything he did or didn’t do this spring, as he’s been perhaps the team’s most impressive starter.
- Rymer Liriano, OF, Padres: 1-1, R, HR. Liriano, who missed all of 2013 with Tommy John surgery, is making up for lost time with his at-bats this spring. He needs to head back to the minors and get more at-bats, which could start in Double-A, where he finished the 2012 season. He has struggled with each new level in his first attempt but has made the adjustments at each stop.
- Javier Baez, SS, Cubs: 1-3, R, K, HR. Baez hit a home run in this game that may not yet have landed, almost hitting the scoreboard at Peoria Stadium. #rig
The Bad
- Eduardo Rodriguez, LHP, Orioles: 2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, K. Rodriguez ended a rough spring with perhaps his roughest outing yet. He was included in the Orioles’ latest round of cuts immediately after the outing, though his struggles likely had nothing to do with the decision, as he wasn’t going to make the Opening Day roster anyway.
- Marcus Stroman, RHP, Blue Jays: 4 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, BB, 3 K. Stroman was thought to have an outside shot at a rotation spot entering this spring, but things haven’t gone his way at all. That’s not the end of the world, as some time in Triple-A won’t kill his development, and this spring should reinforce the need for him to keep the ball down in the strike zone.
- Zach Lee, RHP, Dodgers: 2 2/3 IP, 3 H, 4 R (3 ER), 2 BB, 4 K. Lee hasn’t fared well this spring, but the Dodgers aren’t relying on him just yet anyway. He could serve as depth this season, should the Dodgers need to dip into their farm system for pitching help.
Notable Innings of Work
- Jose Campos, RHP, Yankees: 1 IP, H, K.
- Shae Simmons, RHP, Braves: 1 IP, 2 H, ER, K.
*During spring training, there are a lot of pitchers getting work in short stints that don’t really tell us a whole lot. I’ll include them here each night without commentary, because there’s not much you can tell from one inning unless it’s exemplary or disastrous, but it’s still nice to keep tabs on who’s getting work.
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