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With just over three weeks until Opening Day, the Seattle Mariners are beginning to get a clear idea of who will come out victorious in their most intense position battles.

It happens every year.

From minor league journeymen to discarded prospects, there are always pitchers who emerge out of relative anonymity to become surprise rotation weapons. Last year, the likes of Matt Shoemaker and Collin McHugh fit that description, and in 2015 there promises to be a few low-profile arms who step up in a big way.

Injuries have plagued the Toronto Blue Jays for the past two seasons and are starting to happen again, with second baseman Ramon Santiago out for the time being with a fractured collarbone.     

Continue for updates. 

The Diamondbacks have started well this spring despite tempered expectations in 2015. Entering Saturday, Arizona sported a 6-4 record and is one of only seven National League teams with a positive run differential (+4).

The Washington Nationals' mostly solidified and entirely stacked roster is very low on drama this spring when it comes to position battles. 

Entering camp, the Nats had eight position players locked into everyday roles and five veteran starting pitchers plugged into the rotation.

Spring training results hardly forebode success or failure during the 162-game MLB season, especially two weeks through the exhibition schedule.

The Atlanta Braves weren't very good at scoring runs in 2014. They averaged only 3.54 runs per game, which was the second-fewest in MLB and the organization's worst offensive showing since 1988.

You know the adage about old dogs and new tricks? The Washington Nationals, Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox (among others) are hoping it doesn't apply to baseball players.

Each of those clubs is asking an important acquisition or incumbent star to switch positions this spring. That's always a gamble; sometimes it pays dividends, sometimes it comes up snake eyes.

The Texas Rangers had more trouble with injuries than any other team in Major League Baseball last season, but at least they got to enjoy ace right-hander Yu Darvish for most of the year. 

Alas, the odds of that happening again have since been downgraded to zero percent. As Rangers Executive VP of Communications John Blake announced Friday, Darvish will undergo Tommy John surgery next week:

The Chicago Cubs don't have a ton of position competitions during this year's spring training, but a few key battles are currently going on.

Most aren't at key spots, but the outcomes of the battles could end up being very important nonetheless.

At these four spots, the competition is starting to heat up. Here's a look at which players have the upper hands in those battles based on their overall skill sets and what they've shown so far this spring.