NL West

I am a Barry Zito fan.  He is not worth his $126 million contract. He is a competent starter. Replacing him would be expensive and ineffective.

Point Proven.

Just kidding.

San Francisco Chronicle writer Bruce Jenkins has stirred up a bit of controversy over his article claiming inside sources are fed up with Barry Zito to the point of releasing him or attempting to buy out his contract prior to opening day.

The San Francisco Giants opened up their spring training schedule with a 7-6 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks last Friday.

Since then, the Giants have played in four more games, winning and losing two games apiece.

Management has been spreading out playing time between everyone on the roster, as is the norm in the beginning of spring training. Still, some players have already stood out as being in top form in the few games that have been played.

The Rockies have an engine to power them through the 2011 MLB season and that engine is Carlos Gonzalez.  

The Rockies are banking on CarGo and the 80 million dollars they are paying him to take the Rockies back to the postseason. The Rockies are depending on the CarGo engine to the tune of seven years and the aforementioned 80 million dollars.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are not an expansion team. But this franchise certainly has the look of one starting from scratch. That is clearly not a good sign for the present, but there’s no question in my mind that things will soon improve for Diamondbacks' fans. Unfortunately, they’re going to have to suffer through at least one more very rocky campaign before things turn around.

Justin Upton and the Arizona Diamondbacks had a rough go in 2010. Plagued by a historic case of strikeout fever—the batters whiffed 144 times more than any other club in the National League and the pitchers struck out the third-fewest opponents on the senior circuit—and a poor defense, the team lost 97 games.

Manager A.J. Hinch and GM Josh Byrnes got the axe, and have been replaced by Kirk Gibson (in the dugout) and Kevin Towers (in the front office).

Brandon Belt has received a lot of buzz, and rightly so. The 6'5" left-handed slugger has batted for a .352 average in 136 minor league games.

In his debut in spring training yesterday, Belt drove in four RBI on two doubles and one single.

But what about Aubrey Huff and the solid job he did for the team last year? Huff is still the guy, but with each appearance by the young stud, Huff might be counting his reps.

With spring training now at its peak and Cactus League play in full gear, the Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves in the national spotlight of the sports media in regards to a number of popular storylines.

Team ownership is obviously at the forefront, as Frank McCourt was anticipating a $200 million cash advance from Fox until the transaction was blocked by MLB commissioner Bud Selig late last week. It's unclear exactly where the overall finances of the club lie, but the fact that McCourt was involved in plotting such a deal doesn't sound encouraging.

As Barry Zito made his first Spring start on Monday and, true to form, Zito was completely off. You never know what you're going to get from Zito, and it seems to have been his persona since coming to the Giants after signing a 7 year / $128M deal.

The fans are tired of this guy, and in all respect, you can't blame them. When it comes to the extent of keeping a job, everything is serious, and is the case for Zito right now.

What baseball fan doesn't love Brian Wilson of the San Francisco Giants?

I know I do.

He has elite talent on the mound and seems to understand that baseball is first and foremost entertainment before anything else.

Oh and he has the BEST beard in the universe. It rivals Tom Selleck's mustache for the most famous facial hair known to man.

This month, I’ll be providing insights on all 15 games in the Cactus Leagues in Arizona, telling you who looks good and who does not and what to look for this upcoming 2011 campaign.

Colorado 6, Arizona 5

Salt River Fields, Scottsdale

This is actually the home for both teams, with the Diamondbacks the home team this day.