Pitchers and catchers start reporting to camps  —  Despite losing Pablo Sandoval, the Giants have their core players returning, which should help them contend in a much improved the NL West  —  #BaseballBegins now.  —  Exactly 112 days after throwing the last real pitch in Major League Baseball …

The Education of Alex Rodriguez … PHOTOGRAPH BY PETER HAPAK … Ron Antonelli/NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images … Henny Ray Abrams/AP Images

DAN O'DOWD, FORMER ROCKIES GM, JOINS MLB NETWORK AS ANALYST  —  The Denver Post  —  Dan O'Dowd has moved from creator to commentator.  —  The former Rockies general manager has joined MLB Network as a studio analyst.  He'll begin his job as part of MLB Network's “30 Clubs in 30 Days” spring training series beginning March 3.

Facing stretch of 30 games in 31 days, club could ease workload with fresh arms  —  MLB.com Yankees reporter Bryan Hoch discusses the importance of a healthy CC Sabathia and Masahiro Tanaka for the Yankees in 2015  —  TAMPA, Fla. — The Yankees are considering using a sixth starter at times …

Rockies Defeat Wilin Rosario In Arbitration  —  The Rockies have defeated catcher Wilin Rosario in the sides' recent arbitration hearing, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports on Twitter.  Rosario will, accordingly, take home $2.8MM rather than his filing figure of $3.3MM.

College players taking over Draft  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Tim Beckham grabbed the top spot in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft on Thursday, garnered all the headlines as a result and gave all high school players in the country hope that they too could someday be selected with the first pick.

Roster battles on deck in Dunedin as reporting dates approach  —  A Blue Jays' lineup led by Jose Bautista should be helped by the additions of Josh Donaldson and Russell Martin as the bid for the playoffs  —  TORONTO — The Blue Jays' first official workout for pitchers and catchers is less …

Orioles closing in on one-year deal with former All-Star infielder Everth Cabrera  —  The Orioles are finalizing a one-year deal with free-agent infielder and former All-Star Everth Cabrera, according to an industry source.  —  Cabrera has taken a physical and the results are pending, according to the source.

Return to form could benefit slugger, club; health status of Lee also a big factor  —  Ryan Howard hit over 20 home runs in 2014 but led the Majors in strikeouts while hitting .223 and may see his playing time reduced this year  —  PHILADELPHIA — There will be no “State of the Jimmy” this spring at Bright House Field.

Central Notes: Youkilis, Liriano, Murphy, Tigers  —  Recently-retired veteran Kevin Youkilis will be joining the Cubs as a special assistant, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports on Twitter.  The connection will be obvious for many: Youkilis rose to prominence and made most of his impact …

Bernie Williams has a legacy worth remembering  —  In his 16-year career, Bernie Williams crafted the legacy of an all-time great — not just as a Yankee, but within the sport of baseball as a whole.  (Getty Images)

Early reports are positive on bulked-up Verlander  —  LAKELAND, Fla. - James McCann's first look at Justin Verlander?  —  “Very good,” he said.  “Very good.”  —  The Tigers' rookie catcher was on the receiving end of Verlander's latest bullpen outing, this time Tuesday in TigerTown, and was impressed.