Spring Training camps officially open this week with teams beginning the process of getting ready for the long road which is your typical major league season. Even before the official opening, some players have been spotted around the various spring facilities they call home, some as early arrivals, others as permanent residents of the neighborhood.

Some guys, like Kevin Millar with the Royals, are non-roster invitees trying to hang on for another year, others, like Cleveland’s Grady Sizemore, reported early as they continue to rehab from late season injuries or off-season surgeries.

While there are few exceptions, some teams, whether it be possible playoff contenders or teams just looking to improve over last season, not only have openings on the 25 man roster, but in the everyday lineup.

Some of the more notable, or obvious.

Blue Jays: The only catcher on the 40 man roster is former Royal John Buck. No fewer than five non-roster candidates, led by top prospect JP Arencibia, are in camp looking not only to secure the back-up job, but potentially take the job from Buck.

Red Sox: For the first time in a couple of years, the Red Sox enter the spring pretty well set. The only true opening on the roster is an up the middle backup for Dustin Pedroia and Marco Scutaro. Jed Lowrie is available in a pinch to fill in for Scutaro at short, but has no experience at second. With Mike Lowell now the primary backup at third and first, there really is no need for Lowrie’s lack of versatility. Former Brewer Billy Hall is in camp with the hopes he wins the super sub role, he’s played everywhere except first base and catcher during his career. If Hall doesn’t hit during the spring and can’t make the squad, the only true middle infielder available is non-roster invitee Gil Velasquez, a 30 year old journeyman with nine career ML games.

Yankees: Most of the off-season gossip regarding the Bronx Bombers surrounds the battle for the fifth starter role…a battle which doesn’t exist. If Phil Hughes can’t hold onto the job during the spring, there are a number of candidates in camp capable of filling the role. The acquisition of Randy Winn solves the left field situation, leaving the only realistic competition the backup catching role to Jorge Posada. With Posada starting to see more DH time, the Yanks feel Francisco Cervelli to be lacking the necessary experience to deal with a veteran staff, the experience so adequately shown the past couple of years by the now departed Jose Molina. To that end, former Brewers catcher Mike Rivera is in camp as a non-roster player and is expected to make the team as Posada’s right hand man.

Twins: The Twins have a total of three outfielders on their 40 man roster, and recently released backup candidate Jason Pridie.  In camp with a chance at the backup spot is 35 year old Jacque Jones and prospect Ben Revere.

Rangers: Counting non roster players, the Texas Rangers have twenty eight position players in camp, with just two being first baseman. One is incumbent Chris Davis, the other, 2008 first round draft pick and non-roster invitee Justin Smoak. Considering Davis won the regular job coming out of last year’s spring training and still found himself being sent down, the question isn’t if Smoak wins the job, but when. The answer to that question could come as soon as Opening Day.

Phillies: As is the case with their World Series opponents, the Phillies have an All-Star caliber player at each infield position, and like the Yankees, a long-term injury to any of them would be a disaster. On the corners, the Phils have a couple of lefty hitting, one dimensional players in Greg Dobbs and Ross Gload, up the middle they are even thinner, with only former Dodger scrubeenie Juan Castro in camp as the potential backup for Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley.

Cardinals: Being the backup to Albert Pujols is akin to being the understudy to Michael Crawford in the Broadway show Phantom of the Opera…you get a regular paycheck but you don’t get to perform very often. Minor league slugger Allen Craig is the only other player in camp with first base experience, considering he’s a corner outfielder by trade and the Cards’ are lacking in backup candidates for both Ryan Ludwick and Matt Holliday, Craig is almost assured at worst a long look in camp. The Cardinals also have a fifth starter battle going on, a battle with more of a cloudy outlook. Other than former Cub Rich Hill, the remaining candidates are mostly minor leaguers, leaving the potential for a gaping hole the Cards must fill if they hope to defend their Central title.

Reds: Some prognosticators believe the Reds to be the National League’s sleeper team in 2010. Despite missing thirty games due to a non-baseball related illness in 2009, first baseman Joey Votto posted a split of .322/25/84 which garnered him some MVP votes. The problem is the Reds have no viable backup in camp capable of filling in if he can’t stay healthy. Super sub candidate Todd Frazier can play the right corner but has yet to make his ML debut. The Reds have 2008 first rounder Yonder Alonso in camp and have talked about moving Votto to left field, but recent rumors have the Reds considering moving Alonso behind the plate.

Diamondbacks: In his NL West preview airing on MLB Network, analyst Mitch Williams said of the DBacks, “they could win 95 games or lose 95, with everything hanging on Brandon Webb.” The NL Cy Young winner in 2007 and the runner-up in both ’06 and ’08, made just one start in 2009 before going out with a shoulder injury which eventually required surgery. While Webb remains optimistic he’ll be ready by opening day, his out pitch is the sinker, a pitch solely dependent on the shoulder. It’s unlikely this to be the case, and with top prospect Jarrod Parker out for the year after his own surgery (Tommy John), the Dbacks are in trouble pitching wise, despite the off-season acquisitions of Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy. Triple A prospect Bryan Augenstein was hammered in a brief major league trial and also in the Arizona Fall League, leaving the Dbacks hoping for the best from Webb.

Dodgers: As with their division counterparts, the Dodgers have an opening for the fifth starter role. Unlike their division counterparts, however, the candidates the Dodgers have in camp are major league caliber pitchers; Jeff Weaver, Russ and Ramon Ortiz. The memories of Russ Ortiz in a Diamondbacks uniform are unpleasant to say the least, but he’s still a better option than Bryan Augenstein.

Spring Training is six weeks long only because it’s a money maker for the organizations; no player salaries are paid, operating costs are underwritten by the host cities and expenses are limited because the minor and major leaguers train in the same locale. In this day and age of high salaries, most players don’t work during the off-season, they spend their time, assumedly, staying in somewhat reasonable shape.

That doesn’t mean, however, all jobs are guaranteed, nor that all jobs are locked at the beginning. Guys get hurt, others get passed by younger (and cheaper) talent, or the team might have to keep someone they don’t want to because of option or waiver rules.

For the elite, the next six weeks are a rehearsal for what lies ahead, no reason to go all out, no reason to risk injury for what amounts as a meaningless instance in a meaningless game.

For everyone else, the next six weeks are all about meaning.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 at 11:13 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.