« on: March 23, 2009, 05:07:08 PM »
I found this courtesy of Matt Cerrone's excellent MetsBlog, which is a site I hit very nearly ten times a day--on a slow day in the offseason. I'm on it all the time during the season.
Ten players to watch in 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Players grow weary of spring training in the same way that we all grew tired of high school by spring, with the last days dragging on, the anticipation for the summer games building. By now, most of the players feel like they're ready to start the season, and are increasingly bored by the final exhibition games.
But there are still two weeks to go, still two weeks to think about what might be. After seeing a bunch of teams and talking with a bunch of front-office types and coaches and scouts, here are 10 players I'm really looking forward to watching this year:
1. Jason Motte, Cardinals: He has the aggressive makeup to be a closer, he has the stuff to be a closer, and St. Louis -- which was taken down by its bullpen failures last year -- has the need. He's looked good this spring, and his performance during the regular season could be pivotal.
2. Elvis Andrus, Rangers: I wrote early in the 2007 season that the Rangers would have a difficult time getting a good package of players in return for Mark Teixeira, but in the end, Texas did very well -- and this is the guy who was regarded by most rival evaluators as the most promising part of the deal. He has stepped in to take over at shortstop and said over the phone a few weeks ago that Michael Young -- who was pushed from short to third to facilitate the insertion of Andrus -- has been a big help to him. We'll see how quickly he assimilates to the big leagues, and whether there will be major growing pains.
3. Daniel Murphy, Mets: Everybody who sees his at-bats walks away thinking they've just seen one of the most savvy young hitters in the sport. Jerry Manuel intends to use Murphy as his No. 2 hitter in the Mets' order this year, writes Adam Rubin.
Yes, MetsBlog had the link because of the inclusion of Daniel Murphy. But, there's a Cub, a Royals' pitcher, and others. It's a good read.
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