MLB

Gaudy spring training statistics are like finding the car of your dreams at an absurdly low price. Everything looks great until you pop the hood and find an empty void where the engine should be.

Yet that doesn't stop us from dreaming big and hoping against hope that maybe, just maybe, our favorite team has struck oil and stumbled upon a game-changing talent who flew under the radar, or that a perennial underachiever has finally figured things out.

Los Angeles Angels star Albert Pujols has never had an at-bat against Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Wily Peralta in a regular-season game, but the veteran hitter apparently has him all figured out.

Pujols led off the bottom of the third inning of Saturday's spring training game with a solo shot to left field. That blast turned out to be a rally-starter, as the Angels would wind up batting around and then some.

The 2016 season will be the last in the legendary career of Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz.

Fans will remember him for bringing three World Series championships to Boston, but some forget that Big Papi started his career with the Minnesota Twins. And in some ways, Ortiz doesn't want to remember his time in Minnesota, either.

One alarming concern for the Chicago Cubs is a bone chip in Jon Lester's throwing elbow.

On Friday, Lester said it's been a "non-issue," according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times:

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher C.J. Wilson is preparing for the 2016 season with some new mechanics after running into injury issues last year.

On Saturday, Wilson spoke with Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register about the changes in his motion on the mound.

The St. Louis Cardinals announced Saturday that they reached an agreement with infielder Ruben Tejada on a one-year contract.

Chicago White Sox Executive Vice President Kenny Williams reportedly received complaints from staff members and other players before asking Adam LaRoche to scale back the amount of time his 14-year-old son spent in the clubhouse.  

Established veterans shaking off the rust and heralded prospects trying to make an impression alongside big league talent—that's generally the storyline during spring training.

But what about the guys who fall somewhere in between?

Each team has a handful of players fighting for a spot on the 25-man roster, and mixed in with those bubble guys there are always at least a few former top prospects who are still trying to break through.

Not all highly touted prospects pan out, but the flops don't simply disappear either.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — What began as a quirky story about a boy and baseball has exploded into an ugly rift in the Chicago White Sox organization punctuated by ace Chris Sale saying the players were “bold-faced lied to” by club vice president Kenny Williams and demanded a meeting with owner Jerry Reinsdorf.

Former Chicago White Sox first baseman Adam LaRoche confirmed Friday a disagreement with the team's executive vice president, Kenny Williams, concerning the amount of time his 14-year-old son spent in the clubhouse led to his retirement decision.