• Whenever I feel ambitious, I’ll continue to collect Spring Training velocity readings.

• MLBTradeRumors published a list of the players who are out of minor league options and will need to stick with their MLB team or be released. Some players I found interesting are Alec Mills, J.B. Wendelken, Adrian Houser, Jake Bauers, Chris Flexen 플렉센, Joe Ross, Austin Voth, Ronald Guzmán, Mike Foltynewicz, and Mike Tauchman.

American League

Angels

• Jared Walsh and Albert Pujols are likely in a first base platoon. When Walsh does play, he’ll hit high in the lineup.

Angels manager Joe Maddon acknowledged that Walsh’s success came in a small sample size, but he liked the way the left-handed hitter controlled the zone and showcased his raw power. He mostly hit Walsh second in the lineup ahead of Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon, and that could again be the case this season, although Maddon is still tinkering with his lineup construction.

But either way, Walsh figures to be in a critical spot in the order and will get most of the starts against right-handed pitching, while Pujols will serve as his backup and likely see most of his time at first base when there’s a lefty on the mound.

While Walsh showed promise (.971 OPS) in his 108 PA last season, his fantasy value gets crushed if he’s in a part-time role.

Blue Jays

• Robbie Ray is trying to improve his command.

Ray threw 24 of his 26 pitches for strikes, so Monday’s mission was accomplished. Using his four-seam fastball, slider and changeup, Ray was very encouraged by his pitch mix after the outing — the slider in particular. Ray’s slider has typically been an out pitch, and there have been times hitters have been able to lay off of it, knowing it would likely finish out of the zone. This time out, Ray spotted a few in the zone, and he feels like that could really unlock some potential in 2021.

His walk rate (7.8 BB/9) must improve or he’s out of the league.

• Thomas Hatch is developing a curveball.

The next step for Hatch is the development of [Hatch’s] curveball, which he’ll continue to tinker with through camp. This is a pitch that the Cubs pushed him to work on prior to his trade to Toronto, and the Blue Jays have done the same, so he understands the importance of that pitch to his long-term development.

Indians

• Aaron Civale has finished revamping his delivery.

“It almost looks like a stretch,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “He takes that one little step back with his left foot and then he’s raring to go and I agree with him. [Carlos] Carrasco did it completely out of the stretch. Consistency and repeating your delivery is so big and anything that they can do to enhance that is welcome.”

“It’s not only the split-change,” Civale said. “It’s a new slider grip and … more four-seams and working on that. That was another reasoning behind the arm-path change — I was to be able to square up the ball a little bit better and get some better profiles on my pitches. Every outing is going to be a learning curve and seeing where things are at with where my stuff is at right now.”

Civale saw a small uptick in talent (13% K%-BB% to 17% K%-BB%) with the new release point. The 17% value was sandwiched between Kyle Hendricks and Zach Davies among last season’s qualified pitchers. A decent place to be.

Mariners

• Mitch Haniger hit a ball 110 mph.

Haniger crushed a three-run homer off left-hander Phillip Diehl that easily cleared the left-field wall in the third inning, leaving the bat with an exit velocity of 110 mph, according to Trackman data. It was the first home run for Haniger since he took Astros lefty Wade Miley deep on June 4, 2019.

Of all the hitters with at least 50 batted ball events last season, Hanigar would rank ahead of 140 of 351 batter ahead of Freddie Freeman, Anthony Rendon, and DJ LeMahieu.

• Shed Long Jr. has not recovered from a 2020 shin injury.

Shed Long Jr. is still not 100 percent recovered from the season-ending stress fracture to his right shin that he sustained last September, but the Seattle second baseman believes he’s getting close. Long has been held out of Cactus League games, but he has been taking batting practice and working out. However, he has been limited with some of his work at second base.

Long and Dylan Moore were projected for similar production, but with Long’s delay, Moore is the easy favorite to be the Mariners second baseman.

Rangers

• Kyle Gibson has likely added a subpar cutter to his subpar arsenal.

Chris pointed it out in today's zoom, but here's Gibson's pitch arsenal from baseball savant.

Gibson said he's not trying to eliminate any of those pitches, but adapt how he's using them. https://t.co/NToX3SvZHt pic.twitter.com/7hj0VMYTnJ

— kennedi landry (@kennlandry) March 1, 2021

• Ronald Guzman is seeing reps in the outfield.

The Rangers got Lowe with the idea that he would be the starting first baseman. But he and Ronald Guzmán have been formidable competition for each other this spring. Lowe has almost exclusively played first base, while Guzmán has put in work in the outfield to give himself more versatility.

Rangers manager Chris Woodward said that Guzmán playing in the outfield was something that progressed more quickly than expected.

Since Guzman has started trying, he is making waves by hitting .600/.714/1.200 so far this spring. It’ll be a an interesting playing time situation to track.

Rays

• Francisco Mejía will be paired with certain pitchers and opponents.

Cash said the club has been trying to get Mejía acclimated with a new pitching staff by having him catch bullpen sessions and live batting practice sessions. Additionally, Cash said they’ll single out certain pitchers they want Mejía to work with and line him up against specific opponents — like the Red Sox — who the Rays will see more often during the regular season.

With a set grouping, Mejia’s playing time will become obvious possibly in Spring Training but more likely early into the season.

Royals

• Jakob Junis developed a cutter.

It was time to develop a cutter.

The 28-year-old pitcher made it a priority over the winter to work on the pitch that Eldred said he’d be a good candidate for based on his arm path and natural delivery. Junis worked with his brother, Noah, in Arizona over the offseason to develop the new pitch, which didn’t come easy when Junis first threw it. But through tinkering with the grip, he was able to find one that he felt comfortable with. He stuck with that and found consistency across his bullpen sessions, watched the velocity increase and felt his confidence growing.

While Junis has shown great control (2.5 BB/9 for his career), his limited velocity (91 mph) and just two pitches have limited his upside. One concern I have is that the cutter will blend with his slider and he’ll be back to having just two pitches again.

Twins

• Kenta Maeda is working on his curve.

He has changed the grip on the curve a bit since then, he said, and hopes that he can get enough action on the pitch to draw swings and misses even when he throws it in the strike zone.

Yankees

• Aaron Hicks is projected to bat third.

Aaron Hicks is projected to begin the season as the Yankees’ No. 3 hitter, according to Boone, who likes Hicks’ switch-hitting ability, on-base skills and ability to keep the ball off the ground. Hicks has said that he feels fully recovered from the Tommy John surgery that he underwent following the 2019 season, and Boone said that the center fielder appears to be in “great shape.”

While I know the Yankees need some left-handedness in their lineup, it shouldn’t matter where Hicks breaks up the run. With that said, Hicks’s value jumps since the batters before and after are great.

National League

Cubs

• Shelby Miller is adding a slider.

Now with the Cubs, Miller is excited to pick up on a project he started shortly before making that decision last August. The veteran righty began working on a new slider while with the Brewers, and Miller got to test it out in his Cactus League debut on Monday against the Padres.

More surprising than the slider was that teams were willing to give Miller a chance.

• Kris Bryant is getting time in the outfield to play against left-handed pitchers.

The reason Ross is open-minded about using Bryant rests in the fact that all three of Chicago’s starting outfielders lean left. Heyward and Pederson both bat from the left side, while Happ is a switch-hitter. Jake Marisnick was added to the mix as a righty complement, and veteran Cameron Maybin (non-roster invitee) gives the Cubs another bench piece to consider, too.

On days when a left-handed starter is on the mound for the opposition, Ross may look for ways to maximize the offensive production. One avenue used in the past has been playing a righty hitter at third (such as utility man David Bote) and bumping Bryant to an outfield corner.

If only the Cubs had an outfielder who struggles against lefties that Bryant could take the place of?

Dodgers

• Gavin Lux may have gained the inside track to the second base job.

He hit atop of the lineup and jumped on the first fastball he saw from Rockies right-hander Dereck Rodríguez in the first inning, then delivered an RBI single in the fourth. Chris Taylor and Zach McKinstry will all get playing time at second this spring, but Lux appears to have the inside track at the job, especially if he has a strong performance in camp.

This position battle seems very much in flux.

Giants

• Alex Wood is working on a new changeup.

Wood, who joined the Giants on a one-year, $3 million deal this offseason, said he slightly raised his posture to help improve the depth of his slider and has been pleased with the results thus far. He’s also experimenting with a new grip for his changeup, though he doesn’t plan to debut the pitch until he pitches multiple innings in his next Cactus League outing.

Mets

• Marcus Stroman is adding a split change.

Unlike a traditional changeup, Stroman’s split-change relies on pressure from his ring finger, which he places on the outer edge of the seam. Stroman has been working for months to perfect the pitch, but he couldn’t be sure about its effectiveness until he used it in games. Now that he has, Stroman is more confident than ever in his ability to use it this season.

Over the past four years, Stroman has thrown changeups only about 5 percent of the time. Tuesday, he threw his split-change on about one-quarter of his offerings, including one that induced a groundout from Astros outfielder Michael Brantley.

• Brandon Nimmo is trying to improve against left-handed pitching.

Historically, the Mets have removed Nimmo from their lineup versus lefties, or at least slotted him near the bottom of it. The offseason additions of right-handed outfielders Kevin Pillar and Almora would also appear to limit Nimmo’s chances against lefties. But Nimmo, after reading about the practices of his childhood idol Todd Helton, decided to spend significant time this spring taking batting practice off left-handed pitchers. He hopes seeing those sorts of arm angles more regularly will give him the tools necessary to force his way into the lineup versus lefties.

While Nimmo has a career split of about 100 OPS points (.864 vs RHP, .758 vs LHP), a .758 OPS is not worthless doesn’t need to be platooned.

Pirates

• Todd Frazier and Colin Moran will be in a first base platoon.

With Ke’Bryan Hayes set to get everyday reps at third base, it’s likely Frazier will stick at first base and platoon with Colin Moran. But since he’s on a Minor League deal, Frazier said on Saturday that he’s working to make the team and just trying to prove he’s healthy and ready to contribute.

The platoon makes sense. Here are the pair’s career OPS splits.

Name: OPS vs LHP, OPS vs RHP
Frazier: .815, .751
Moran: .636, .779

Reds

• The outfield situation is still a playing time mess.

While it looks like there will be no NL DH rule, how do you see the outfield playing out? Do you think Winker will be an everyday starter or will they run a platoon system with the depth that they have?

I keep asking myself the same thing. David Bell says they’re going to use all the outfielders. You have the two left-handed hitters in Akiyama and Winker, and don’t forget about Aristides Aquino, in addition to Castellanos and Senzel. I think Bell and staff will play a lot of matchups, and that’s not necessarily lefty-lefty, but a lot of matching up based on who hits what type of pitchers better. You could also see the better defenders — Aquino, Akiyama, Senzel — coming in later in games as defensive replacements more often in games where the team has a lead.

If healthy, Senzel seems to be the only full-time outfield lock with Castellanos being replaced late in games for his subpar defense.

First, the words written to cover baseball have exploded but it’s 99% fluff. They’ve been completely useless for setting fantasy baseball evaluations.

Second, I’ve started collecting Spring Training velocity readings and the ones I’ve collected so far are in this spreadsheet.

American League

Astros

• Yordan Alvarez might play some first base.

With Alvarez’s knees healthy, the Astros are hoping to try him out this spring at first base, like they did early in his Minor League career.

“If he’s able to move around like he did two years ago, he would be capable of playing first base,” Astros bench coach Joe Espada said. “It’s just a matter if the legs feel good enough to stop and push and take those tough angles that are required to play first base. If he’s healthy, we’re going to give it a shot and see how he looks. If he shows the movement and range he showed in 2018 when I first got here, I think he could be very capable of doing it.”

Alvarez’s knees must be gone for the Astros to try him at a new position. I’m so far off him at this point

• Here is a lineup projection from The Athletic.

1. Myles Straw CF
2. Jose Altuve 2B
3. Michael Brantley (L) LF
4. Alex Bregman 3B
5. Yordan Alvarez (L) DH
6. Carlos Correa SS
7. Kyle Tucker (L) RF
8. Yuli Gurriel 1B
9. Martín Maldonado C

I know I’ve harped on this subject in the past, but I can’t believe Tucker is getting buried at seventh for Straw to leadoff. This B.S. can’t last longer than a month, right?

Blue Jays

• Randel Grichuck will mainly start in right field.

Grichuk has been told he’ll see the majority of his playing time in right field this season, but how does that work? The Blue Jays have Teoscar Hernández in right, who’s coming off a breakout season with a .919 OPS, good for his first Silver Slugger Award. Grichuk understands the realities here, but he expects this to develop as time goes on.

Since the signing of George Springer and Marcus Semien, it seems like Grichuck doesn’t have a lineup spot. With this comment, I’m a little worried that Hernandez will lose some at-bats to Grichuck. Both are right-handed and don’t have much for career splits, so there is little chance for a platoon. Hernandez’s value could really take a hit if he loses even 100 PA’s.

Orioles

• Cedric Mullins will quit switch-hitting and only bat from the left side.

Other than Mancini, the biggest news of the day was a decision by Mullins to stop switch-hitting. He will focus on hitting left-handed, where he has been a better hitter and starts closer to first to take advantage of his speed. He was 1-for-3 on Sunday.

About time since Mullins has hit .251/.305/.394 from the left side and only .147/.250/.189 from the right.

Rangers

• Ronald Guzman is now focusing on baseball and has reworked his swing.

[Ronald Guzman] wasn’t positive he would be back with the Rangers in 2021, so he wanted to better his game both mentally and physically. Guzmán said he’s now focused 100 percent on baseball. He transformed his entire swing in the offseason, swinging less with his entire body and instead hitting the ball out front.

Maybe he’ll get better at baseball now that he’s trying to get better at baseball.

National League

Brewers

• The shortstop and third base battles are a mess. The following quote is from MLBtraderumors and does a good job summarizing the situation described in this The Athletic article.

Milwaukee has built a lot of flexibility into the left side of its infield, as Urias, Orlando Arcia, and Daniel Robertson can all play either shortstop or third base, while Travis Shaw is also an option at the hot corner. Shaw can play first base as well, and Arcia also said that he is preparing to work out as a center fielder. Arcia made a single appearance in center field (the first of professional career) last season, playing four innings at the position on August 12 in a 12-2 loss to the Twins.

Here are the projections for the four players in question.

The Brewers are just throwing poo against the wall and seeing what sticks.

Cardinals

• There is a chance that Matt Carpenter moves to second base if Tommy Edman has to move to the outfield.

Tommy Edman is set to take over at second base, a place Carpenter — an All-Star there in 2013 — has been preparing for defensively through Spring Training. The pair could platoon, which the Cardinals have been hesitant to do in the past, though Edman seems to be the clear favorite for regular starting time.

The Cardinals could also do this: With questions about their projected outfield’s offensive prowess, Edman — a career rover in the field — could tag back into the grass should Carpenter’s play at the plate force him into starting time. Edman said he has been taking some fly-ball practice in the outfield this spring, but his focus has been primarily on second.

The outfield will really have to fall apart for this scenario to play out.

Padres

• Manny Machado had Lasik surgery this offseason.

But Machado did make one noteworthy change. He had laser eye surgery, because he said his vision has felt slightly off during night games under the lights in recent seasons. Why make that change after a season in which he batted above .300?

“Hopefully it helps me see the ball a little better, and I can hit .320, .330,” he said with a wry smile.

Pirates

• Kevin Newman reworked his swing.

“I worked on being kind of direct and short to the ball. I felt [my swing] was a little long last year,” Newman said.

Reds

• Kyle Farmer reworked his swing.

He revamped his swing this offseason, working with Pirates hitting coach Rick Eckstein near his Atlanta-area home.
…
The two started by watching video, ultimately deciding that Farmer’s swing wasn’t really ideal for his body. Together, they worked on Farmer using more of his legs and trying to stay down on the ball more than hitting in the air.

American League

Astros

• Myles Straw is looking forward to the challenge of leading off.

“I’m going to have to be more aggressive this year,” Straw said. “I know it; the coaches know it. I’m going to go into this season coming out swinging as a whole. I know pitchers are going to attack me, so staying ready to hit and grinding out at-bats and having good at-bats and having deep counts and working pitchers. … I’m looking forward to the opportunity.”

I can’t believe Straw is going to leadoff but Dusty Baker is in charge.
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This Friday night is the Beat Jeff Zimmerman league at the NFBC. Join up if you dare.

The next up in our series is "Beat @jeffwzimmerman" @RotoWire OC on Friday night at 10 pm ET

Click here to sign up and take him onhttps://t.co/EQzSDfRLLG

— The NFC (@TheReal_NFC) February 21, 2021

American League

Blue Jays

• Trent Thornton had loose bodies removed from his arm and plans on focusing just on four pitches.

Shortly thereafter, Thornton underwent surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow. The procedure was performed in Florida by prominent orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews, who removed four bone fragments, two of which were about the size of a molar tooth. Dr. Andrews stored them in a cup for Thornton, who then gifted them to his mom, Patty.
…
Thornton naturally has a high spin rate on his fastball and breaking balls. In the past, he’s deployed a six-pitch repertoire, but he said the focus this year is on his fastball, curveball, cutter and changeup …

Holy cow, he was pitching will a couple of molar-sized bone fragments in his elbow. Craziness.
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American League

Angels

• Andrew Heaney has been reworking his pitches and trying to be less predictable.

Heaney, 29, made another change this offseason, purchasing his own Rapsodo pitching device and a slow-motion camera to better track his throwing sessions. It allowed Heaney to measure things such as his spin rate on certain pitches, while also using the slow-motion camera to analyze his grips and how the ball was coming out of his hand.

…

“I think that there is an element of my game that I am a little bit stubborn,” Heaney said. “I know I have a good fastball. I like to throw my four-seam, I like to move it in and out, like to try and get it in on guys’ hands. Maybe our new front office will bring in some new information to help us. But I’ve been stubborn, and I’ve been in the same league — and let’s face it, there’s not an element of surprise any more. So I think an evolution needs to happen with how I approach hitters and the way I use my stuff.”

Part of what he said is true. His fastball gets hit (vs .845 OPS) and it’s predictable when he’s behind in the count (h/t BrooksBaseball.net).
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A heads up, from now on, I’m not going to reinforce any previous reports if nothing has changed. There is just too much news coming out to reconfirm past reports.

American League

Astros

• Ryan Pressly remains the best closing option.

I’m not so sure the Astros won’t still try to acquire a closer, and they’ve shown strong interest in Trevor Rosenthal, who remains on the market. If they can reel him in, they’d have the makings of an elite bullpen. Without Rosenthal, they have a few options. Ryan Pressly would likely get the first shot at it. He converted 11 of 13 saves last year after Roberto Osuna got injured.

• Also, Myles Straw remains the top center field option.

As much as the return of Marisnick would have made a nice story, the Astros feel it’s time to see if the 26-year-old Straw can be their everyday center fielder and replace the departed George Springer. Marisnick and Straw share many of the same tools, too, so having two right-handed-hitting speedy center fielders probably isn’t the best way to take up two roster spots. It’s a great opportunity for Straw, but if he can’t take advantage of it, Houston will have to try to find a replacement via trade in the regular season. As for now, it’s Straw’s job to lose. And don’t forget Pedro Leon — the Cuban player who signed for $4 million last month — is probably on a fast track to the big leagues as well.

The same Straw who has a .649 career OPS and is coming off a .500 OPS season. But he steals bases. So does Dee Strange-Gordon and Billy Hamilton and they aren’t starting in center field anywhere.
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American League

Athletics

• The second base job is up in the air since the team traded for Elvis Andrus.

This is an area that Forst still believes can be addressed internally — and another area that could see a position player battle over in spring training. Forst mentioned Chad Pinder, Sheldon Neuse — he said Neuse would get a “long look” in spring training — Tony Kemp and Vimael Machín. All of these candidates can play multiple positions, and two of them, Kemp and Machín, are left-handed hitters. Pinder and Kemp are the veterans of the group, while Neuse and Machín have limited big-league experience. Neuse projects to have the higher ceiling of the two young players offensively, has good footwork and a strong arm defensively.

Right now, four below-average players are fighting for one spot. Just stay away until there is some clarity.
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Free Agents

• Mike Foltynewicz threw for teams.

Mike Foltynewicz threw for teams in Atlanta today. Was at 90-92 but looked to be in fine shape.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 29, 2021

Great, 90 to 92, just what he was throwing last season when he was cut. Over his career, he’s sat at over 95.5 mph and only has a 4.33 ERA. Continue to ignore.

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American League

Astros

• Myles Straw is set to be the centerfielder.

The Astros will make Straw win the job in spring training, but good luck identifying a legitimate challenger on the current roster.
…
He’s never hit for power, but there’s a scenario in which he gets on base enough to make it work. And if he does get on base, he’s got the potential to rack up stolen bases.

Neither of the Astros’ corner outfielders, Brantley and Kyle Tucker, are particularly strong defenders, so a good defensive center fielder is particularly important on their roster.

Straw is an “end-of-a-draft” dart throw for stolen bases. In 2018, he stole 72 over three different levels. The stolen base potential is legit but he’s projected for a replacement level ~.650 OPS. Most hitters will head to the bench producing at such a level. While his defense may give him a little more leeway and the roster is set, he’s far from a sure bet.
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Free Agents

• Yadier Molina and …

Molina, 38, has made clear his preference to return to the Cardinals, and the Cards have expressed their interest in re-signing him. He’s seeking a two-year contract, but in a recent interview with Cardinals broadcaster Polo Ascencio for La Vida Baseball, Molina acknowledged that if an appealing offer isn’t there, he’ll consider retirement.

“I’m preparing hard. When God says — if He wants, if it’s His will that I can come back, I’ll come back,” Molina said in Spanish. “And if not, I’ll retire happy and with my head held high.”

… Masahiro Tanaka might not sign with an MLB team.

Per SNY TV’s Andy Martino, “there continues to be informed speculation in the industry” that Tanaka will return to his home country of Japan to continue his professional career.

Tanaka, who has spent all seven seasons of his MLB career with the New York Yankees, appeared on a radio show in Japan last week and said there was a “not zero” chance that he would return to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, where he played before joining MLB in 2013 (h/t Mike Rosenstein of NJ.com).

Fantasy managers just need to understand that one or both might be a big zero in 2021 and plan accordingly in leagues with no waiver wire.
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