Top News:
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Riggleman juggles batting order — LAKELAND, Fla. — More than a month after saying Jayson Werth would hit third and Ryan Zimmerman cleanup, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman has decided to move Werth up to the second spot in the order and Zimmerman back to his normal spot in the three-hole.
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Jason Beck / MLB.com:
Numbers aside, Porcello confident about arsenal — LAKELAND, Fla. — The numbers won't show it, and neither did several of the pitches the Nationals hit Thursday night. But Rick Porcello feels good about where he's at with his pitches. — “I'm pretty close,” he said after five innings in Detroit's 5-2 loss to Washington.
Discussion:
Federal Baseball
Jason Beck / MLB.com:
Avila ready for regular season to start — LAKELAND, Fla. — Alex Avila came to camp two weeks early to get to work with the Tigers' pitching staff. Avila picked up his offseason workout program to put himself in the best shape he could over the long haul of the season.
Discussion:
Bless You Boys
Michael Harrington / Philly.com:
Pedro Martinez is a work of art — If you're like us, you've been wondering what former Phillies pitcher Pedro Martinez has been up to. — Well, the former all-star and Cy Young winner was in Washington on Thursday to conduct a baseball clinic. Oh, and on Friday, he's dropping …
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Associated Press:
Royals Hoping Cabrera Rebounds — SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Melky Cabrera has been a spring training surprise for the Kansas City Royals. — Cabrera, who signed with the Royals in December, is batting .479 this spring with five doubles, two homers and 16 RBIs and 17 runs scored.
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
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Associated Press:
Homer-happy Royals blast past Mariners 9-8 — PEORIA, Ariz.—Melky Cabrera, Alex Gordon and Lance Zawadzki each hit two-run homers and the Kansas City Royals broke a four-game spring training losing streak with a 9-8 win over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday.
Discussion:
Lookout Landing
Michael Baron / MetsBlog.com:
go here — Michael Baron: How much did fan sentiment play into the decision to cut Castillo and/or Perez? — Short answer for Castillo: Yes, for Perez, probably not. We brought both players back to see the players, get to know the players, and make a decision not jus ton history, but current events.
Discussion:
The Mets Police, Faith and Fear in Flushing, metsgrrl.com, MLB Rumors and ESPN
Joe Frisaro / MLB.com:
Buchholz has ‘work to do’ before season — Red Sox righty seeks to improve command in final spring start — JUPITER, Fla. — Building up to 82 pitches on Thursday was a plus for Clay Buchholz, but the Red Sox right-hander recognizes that he has to go back and polish up some things.
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Matt Eddy / Baseball America:
Minor League Transactions: March 16-22 — For the complete record: The asterisks (*) here denote instances of 40-man roster players who have agreed to terms on the minor league portion of their split major league/minor league contracts. These players will have their minimum salary dictated …
Discussion:
HardballTalk
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Mike Axisa / MLB Rumors:
Diamondbacks Sign Kip Wells
Harry Pavlidis / Hardball Times:
Five questions: Cincinnati Reds — Cincinnati jumped into the postseason in 2010 behind an explosive offense and a pitching staff bolstered by a variety of young arms. Joey Votto took home the MVP. The offseason found the Reds shoring up their long-term health, as Bronson Arroyo, Jay Bruce and Votto signed contract extensions.
Discussion:
Baseball Prospectus
Drew Silva / HardballTalk:
Yanks nearing minor league deal with Kevin Millwood — From Jon Heyman of SI.com comes word that the Yankees are close to signing right-hander Kevin Millwood to a minor league contract. — Millwood, 36, had been holding out for a guaranteed big league roster spot, but it never came …
Discussion:
IT IS HIGH!, MLB Rumors, New Jersey Online, Bronx Baseball Daily and It's About The Money
Murray Chass / Murray Chass On Baseball:
MUSIAL NO MAN OF HONOR, MR. PRESIDENT — With the economy and international turmoil, President Obama has enough headaches; he doesn't need any more. But his staff has created one for him with its failure to investigate fully the career and life of Stan Musial before recommending …
Discussion:
HardballTalk, Viva El Birdos, Hardball Times and Lone Star Ball
Brian Costa / Wall Street Journal:
Mets Fans, Meet Brad Emaus — With Plate Discipline, No-Name Rookie Appears to Have Won Second-Base Job — JUPITER, Fla.—For a professional athlete, Brad Emaus is a little bit doughy. He is barely 6 feet tall. He runs at a plodding pace. He doesn't hit for much power.
Discussion:
The Mets Police, Real Dirty Mets, Amazin' Avenue, New York Post, Faith and Fear in Flushing, New Jersey Online and ESPN
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Anthony McCarron / NY Daily News:
Mets likely to name Brad Emaus, not Daniel Murphy or Luis Hernandez, the Opening Day second baseman
Mets likely to name Brad Emaus, not Daniel Murphy or Luis Hernandez, the Opening Day second baseman
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com and New York Times
Richard Durrett / ESPN:
2011 spring training: Texas Rangers set rotation, keep Neftali Feliz in bullpen — GOODYEAR, Ariz. — After plenty of discussion and evaluation over the last six weeks, the Texas Rangers said Thursday that Neftali Feliz will remain the team's closer in 2011.
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports
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T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com:
Headed for 'pen, Ogando would like to close
Headed for 'pen, Ogando would like to close
Discussion:
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Lone Star Ball, ESPN and Rangers Blog
