Baseball Spring Training Overview
Bernie Williams, Alfonso Soriano, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds
Who will win the American Legaue Central Division title? Which heavy hitters will play? Who will move to a new team? ...and other interesting questions.
THE QUESTIONS OF SPRING TRAINING 2007
Spring Training hits full swing in March, and with it comes the questions that fans wonder every season. This year there are several ranging from personal feuds, position battles, to intense division races.
Who will win the A.L. Central?
The A.L. Central has quickly gone from the weakest division in Baseball to the strongest. Last year three teams were in a Dog fight until the very last game of the season when the Minnesota Twins beat out the Detroit Tigers for first place. If anything should be learned from last year it’s that the Central is not only good, but unpredictable. The Twins were expected to finish fourth by many last year, and nobody thought Detroit was ready to be a contender for the top. The Chicago White Sox and the Cleveland Indians were expected to duke it out and they finished third and fourth respectively. This year will be similar to last year in that the teams retained their core that led to their success, and added a few who could be the difference makers between finishing third, and finishing first in a close race.
So who will win? It could be any of them, even the Royals, who were a surprise success only a few years ago, can’t be taken lightly. It is smarter to hold out on this prediction until the final rosters have been chosen at the end of Spring Training.
Will Bernie Williams play?
Long time Yankees Center Fielder Bernie Williams has rejected the most recent offer from the team. The offer, a minor league deal, gave Williams a chance to come to Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. He hasn’t shown up yet and the Yankees front office has taken that as a rejection. William’s agent Scott Boras told the Associated Press that Williams is continuing to work out and see if the team changes their position.
Williams has spent his entire 16 year career with Yankees and was apart of the last four World Series Championship teams. Last year Williams was used mostly as a reserve outfielder. This year the Yankees are making plans to keep seven relief pitchers on their staff and a possible platoon at first base making roster room scarce. The Yankees are also looking to Young Melky Cabrera to make the team as either a starter or bench player.
Can Alfonso Soriano play Centerfield in the Windy City
The Chicago Cubs went on an appeasement spending spree this off-season after the front office fired their General Manager and Manager after several disappointing seasons and fan unrest. Throughout it all, they did not sign a true Center Fielder which is making the Cubs choose between Jacque Jones and Soriano to be the leader in the Wrigley Field outfield. Soriano appears to be the favorite after expressing interest in playing center during the Cubs fan convention in January.
The Cubs bought themselves a great hitter, but Soriano has never been known for being an outstanding defensive player. He began his career as a second baseman with the Yankees and was asked to move to Left Field when he played for the Washington Nationals. His speed is his biggest asset and served him well in left field.
However, Centerfield in the windy city is a different story. Wrigley field sits amidst a city known for its harsh winds. Asking Soriano to start playing Centerfield in this atmosphere could raise more than one eye-brow. Hopefully he learns quickly because Cub fans have become more hostile in recent years.
Will Sammy Sosa be back in the Majors?
Sammy Sosa signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers after spending last year out of the Majors. Sosa has a chance to make the team, and get a better pay, out of Spring Training. The Rangers decided to sign former big stars, such as Sosa and Eric Gagne, to low-risk contracts hoping they can help the Rangers compete in the A.L. West. Sosa has said his chances of NOT making the team are “impossible.”
Sosa went from one of the Major Leagues most likable players, to one of the most disliked players very quickly. The Steroids ordeal has not helped Sosa either as all power hitters fell under scrutiny. If Sosa makes the team fans shouldn’t expect him to play at the level he did during his prime with the Chicago Cubs. Expect him to play more like he has in his last few years, mostly ineffective with bad PR. If Sosa doesn’t dramatically turn heads in Spring Training, don’t expect to see him in a Rangers uniform.
What will be the reaction if Barry Bonds breaks the Homerun record?
Barry Bonds has shown up to Spring Training with a lot of issues to deal with, and a lot less fanfare accompanying him. Issues from teammate relations, contract issues, personal appearance provisions, and a grand jury investigation will surround Barry Bonds once again. But what most people are waiting to see is if Bonds breaks Hank Aaron’s homerun record, which he is just 22 away from. Most fans are assuming he will break it this year, so the question is how will everyone respond? Will fans boo Bonds? Will Bonds celebrate? Will fans applaud Bonds?
Here’s the bottom line though; Bonds used steroids during his career. He has testified that he never knowingly used steroids, but that doesn’t matter in the eyes of history. Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Roger Maris never used performance enhancing substances, Bonds has. Therefore Bonds cannot be placed on the same level as these great players, and does not deserve the same recognition either.
Will A-Rod be under fire all season long?
He plays for New York; did he know what he was getting into? Alex Rodriguez found himself under fire for much of last season when he suffered defensive and offensive woes. The highest paid player in the Majors found out how short lived love affairs in New York. Adding to the drama has been the apparent feud between Yankees Captain Derek Jeter and Rodriguez. The media has treated this feud as if it were Lindsay Lohan and Hillary Duff, but unlike Hollywood starlets, these two are professionals and know how to work together.
But after a disappointing season when A-Rod didn’t live up to expectations, there have been talks of the Yankees either trading or exercising his opt-out clause. Since he plays for the Yankees, A-rod doesn’t have the time or luxury of getting off to a slow start as George Steinbrenner, or Yankee fans, don’t have the patience to wait.
