Opinion

New York Mets manager Terry Collins has said that he would like to get each of his potential second base candidates some more at-bats over the next few days, as he starts to whittle down the playing field.

Today we learned that Daniel Murphy is likely out of the competition, and will be used more as a super-utility player. If that's the case, at least Murphy will have a spot on the team.

Baseball may not be considered by many to be a contact sport, but Minnesota Twins star first baseman Justin Morneau will tell you that is far from the truth.

Morneau played his first baseball last week in over eight months after suffering a concussion from taking a knee to the head.

Playing a few innings in a meaningless game is still far from where Morneau wants to be, but he and the Twins will take the progress.

When the San Francisco Giants took Ryan Scoma in the 36th round of the 2009 amateur draft, the perpetual underdog from the Bay Area faced yet another uphill climb.

Baseball isn't quite the National Football League or the National Basketball Association where you can start looking for that job in sales or coaching if you don't get snapped up early.

But even the pearl doesn't make an extensive habit of rewarding those kids drafted in the waning rounds of its seemingly interminable entry event.

Some say that the Braves' great ride last year will end this season. They say that they will get close to making the playoffs, but ultimately will finish just short. I say, nay.

This is a Braves team that returns their entire core from a year ago, including four out of their five starting pitchers. They also kept their lineup intact, with Martin Prado, Jason Heyward, Brian McCann, and Chipper Jones.

Diamondbacks’ manager Kirk Gibson was interviewed today on the Gambo and Ash show on KTAR 620 AM.  Gibson gave a few updates on how spring is going and the progress he’s seeing in some of the players.  Below are some notable remarks that he made.

Ian Kennedy is the opening day starter.

Remember WAMCO?

For many of you, the term means nothing.

For hardcore Toronto Blue Jays fans and baseball historians, it is a reminder of greatness in Toronto.

WAMCO stood for the combination of White, Alomar, Molitor, Carter and Olerud. These players were also the one through five hitters in the Toronto batting order.

During an interesting discussion today about the greatest Toronto Blue Jays team of all time, the 1993 squad was overwhelmingly the best choice.

With 172 career starts before the age of 25, Felix Hernandez is the best pitcher in the American League.

Who's No. 2?

CC Sabathia? Justin Verlander? Jered Weaver? David Price? 

These guys are certainly all contenders, Price in particular. The 25-year-old, now the clear ace of the Rays, finished second to Hernandez in Cy Young voting last year and all signs point to him building off of his monster 2010 in 2011.

None of these guys, however, are the second-best pitcher in the American League.

Wow. Tampa Bay's window for winning AL East pennants and World Series championships lasted about as long as it takes a David Price fastball to reach home plate.

The longest-ever tenured Ray, Carl Crawford, bolted for the New Evil Empire in Boston. Other clubhouse stalwarts like Carlos Pena, Matt Garza, and Rafael Soriano left for more money, a better team, or a combination of both.

Going into spring training this year, the one team that fans picked to make the World Series (at least out of the National League) was the Philadelphia Phillies. 

In what can only be called a Cinderella story, the team landed prize pitcher Cliff Lee as they beat out the two favorites in the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees. Combined with their strong lineup, the Phillies were expected to be the top team in the National League and easily make it to the Fall Classic.

I was listening to a radio interview with New York Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez yesterday and, if you believe his words, then there is a scenario that Mets followers have to consider.

Most of us know that Rodriguez will be owed $17.5 million for 2012 if he finishes 55 games for the Mets this season. Now, the consensus is that he will be dealt, long before that happens, courtesy of ownership.