Fan News

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Tony Sanchez has shown glimpses of stellar play at times with his bat over the last two seasons as one of the Pirates' backups.  

At other times, he has looked completely lost.  

Such is not the case this spring, as Sanchez has been undoubtedly the Pirates' best player in camp, and if he makes the Opening Day roster, it would be perhaps the most soothing story for Pirates fans.

For the first time in seven seasons, Justin Verlander won't take the hill for the Detroit Tigers on Opening Day, as that honor has instead been given to David Price.  

MLB's official Twitter account reported the decision by Tigers manager Brad Ausmus:

Over the past several years, Major League Baseball has seen a youth movement in the sport as teams put more emphasis on young prospects. 

When Troy Tulowitzki is on the field, he is the best at what he does.

If he were on it more often, he would arguably be the game’s brightest superstar. On that, there should be no debate.

The few position battles that were happening within the Reds spring training camp are just about over. When last we visited this topic, the only true battles happening were for the back of the rotation and the bullpen, with a potential for a shortstop scrap. Some players have been removed from the mix, while others have come out of nowhere to win the nod. 

As the San Francisco Giants prepare for their regular-season opener, there are still a few roster questions that must be answered. Fortunately, the starting eight position players appear set, even with the injury to Hunter Pence.

With spring training halfway over and the start of Major League Baseball's regular season a little more than two weeks away (yay!), now is the time when teams start making cuts and sending prospects to minor league camp.

Those youngsters still with the big league club actually have something of a legitimate shot to crack the 25-man roster come April.

With that in mind and with a focus on prospects who could contribute in 2015, it's time to grade all 30 farm systems based on prospect performance this spring.

Prior to the start of spring training, I wrote a piece covering everything you need to know about the Cleveland Indians, including the following: prospects to watch, breakout candidates, the projected lineup, bullpen/rotation and position battles.

Nobody needs to be told that guys like Mike Trout, Clayton Kershaw and Andrew McCutchen are facing high expectations heading into 2015. For players like them, high expectations come with the territory.

What's more interesting are the players who are facing expectations that are growing higher by the day. Quite a few of those pop up every year during spring training, and lo and behold, this spring is proving to be no different.

SURPRISE, Ariz. — It is early morning in the desert, and there is every reason to be half-asleep right now. Gray skies. Chilly rain. Dog days of spring training.