Baseball

How much stock should we take into performances from the off-season winter leagues?

I think it becomes a question of merit when you have someone that is downright dominating. For instance, take someone like Mike Maroth, who is currently in camp with the Minnesota Twins.

Going into this season, there is a list of top caliber baseball studs who are leadoff hitters or should be leadoff hitters.

Some have more power than others, some hit for a higher average, some are faster than others, and some have higher on-base percentages than others.

Let's take a look at the best leadoff hitters or some who are not leadoff hitters who should be hitting leadoff.

Unlike the young-gun non-roster invitees who have been reassigned to minor league camps and may still have the whole baseball world before them, these more veteran pitchers need to shine now if they’re to make the 2010 show.

With the starting rotation and bullpen largely predetermined, there aren’t many spots for these aging devotees of the diamond gods.

While they await the sign to take the field and pray for injuries or trades to free up roster space, let’s take a look at who they are and where they’ve been.

The Reds beat up the Diamondbacks today, 13-7, while collecting 14 hits. Drew Stubbs, Jay Bruce, and Miguel Cairo had two hits each, while Bruce and Paul Janish each contributed his second homer of the spring.

The Good

The neon baseball-themed clock at Miller Park reads 2:30 on a warm July day in Milwaukee. At this time, most of the players are either reporting to the stadium or in the clubhouse or batting cages, taking a few swings.

But the oldest of them all is out on the field, shirt off, and iPod on full blast, undergoing intense abdominal and strength workouts that most of us could not do at the age of 26.

In the spectrum of not-so-breaking news, Tampa Bay Rays ownership is not a huge fan of their team playing at Tropicana Field, America’s favorite giant warehouse. Owner Stuart Sternberg said they’ve done all that they can to make the facility adequate, but it just does not invoke an ideal baseball atmosphere.

The Madison Bumgarner that made his major league debut last September wasn't the same Madison Bumgarner we had heard so much about the past two years.

Instead of the low-to-mid-90s heat he used to blow away South Atlantic League hitters in 2008, Bumgarner was barely hitting 90 in his first career start. There was no specific reason as to why the readings on the radar gun was showing 88 or that it was showing 92 and 94.

The New York Mets' farm system has been lacking ever since they acquired Johan Santana from the Twins.  Their farm system began to get ranked near the bottom of the best farm systems. 

It was hard for the Mets to rebuild their farm system but it seems like they have been doing a pretty good job.  Fernando Martinez, Ike Davis, and Jenrry Mejia are looking like the Mets' top prospects.

With Spring Training beginning it's third week of play, a lot of interesting questions have sprung up around Giants' camp in Scottsdale.

1.) Is Madison Bumgarner going to start the year in San Francisco or Fresno?
2.) Is Fred Lewis going to be traded or released considering he has no minor league options left on his contract?
3.) When will Buster Posey supplant Bengie Molina in the starting lineup next season?

This article was originally published at TheDailyCub.com , my blog that covers all things Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs' outfield has been extremely expensive over the past couple of years, and the team has failed to get its money’s worth as they sign free agent after free agent to big contracts without much, if any, improvement.