Every Team's Biggest Position Battle Left to Watch

Here we sit, just about a week away from the start of the regular season and players are finding fewer and fewer coworkers at spring training complexes with each passing day. Some are being sent to their minor league destinations while others are simply released.

For those who remain, their performance over the next few days will determine their fate to start the 2012 regular season.

Will they break camp with their team as a starter? As a reserve?

Will they make the team at all, or find themselves a free agent just in time for the season to start?

Inquiring minds want to know, so lets take a look at the most heated position battle remaining on every team.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Starting Shortstop

In what should come as a surprise to nobody, Diamondbacks shortstop Stephen Drew is expected to start the season on the disabled list as he continues to recover from ankle surgery. Drew has not played a single inning during spring training and even after he is medically cleared to return to action, there's no telling how long it will take him to get into game shape.

So it comes down to a choice between two veterans.

On one hand you have Willie Bloomquist, a .260 hitter with speed and at best an average glove at shortstop.

And on the other there's John McDonald, a .240 hitter who offers little with the bat but plays above average defense at short.

Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson is likely to go with Bloomquist, using McDonald as a defensive replacement late in games.

While I'm a big proponent of defense, I can't argue with what I believe Gibson's choice to be.

Atlanta Braves: Starting Shortstop

We looked at this battle yesterday, and I'm still sticking with my prediction that Tyler Pastornicky opens the season as the Braves shortstop.

But should he?

Stats that are accumulated in spring training can be unreliable, but Andrelton Simmons has been the superior defensive player for the Braves this spring, making no errors in 47 total chances. Pastornicky has made three in 60 chances.

Neither one has done much with the bat, with Simmons posting a batting line of .222/.317/.278 over 36 at bats, and Pastornicky with a .228/.237/.246 line in 57 at bats.

For what it's worth, Pastornicky has never made Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects list, where Simmons checks in at No. 92 entering this season.

With all things equal, I'd give the nod to Simmons, though that is likely not the direction that the Braves are going to lean.

Baltimore Orioles: Starting Rotation

As it stands now, the Baltimore Orioles have used nine different pitchers as starters in spring training, and that doesn't include incumbent Zach Britton, who is expected to start the season on the 15-day disabled list.

Who should Buck Showalter choose? Lets see if we can't help Buck out.

Jake Arrieta (4.66 ERA, 1.14 WHIP), Wei-Yin Chen (3.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP) and Jason Hammel (3.09 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) are virtual locks to be in the rotation based on their performances this spring.

Brian Matusz should be a lock as well, and don't forget that I told you earlier this month that Matusz was back with a vengeance. He's proven me right this spring with a 3.20 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 18 strikeouts in 19.2 innings pitched with only two walks. As a matter of fact, I'll go out on a limb here—Brian Matusz will be the Orioles best starting pitcher by the end of the season.

So who fills the fifth spot?

It likely comes down to Tommy Hunter or Chris Tillman. Both are young, but Hunter has had success at the major league level before, while Tillman has pretty much struggled through each of his three seasons in Baltimore.

I give the nod to Tommy Hunter, with the Orioles having to make a decision on Tillman—do they move him to the bullpen and convert him into a reliever, or do they send him down to Triple-A Norfolk so he can get back on track?

Either way it may not matter, because in the end, Zach Britton will reclaim a spot in the rotation once he is activated from the 15-day disabled list.

Boston Red Sox: Starting Shortstop

Bobby Valentine wants Jose Iglesias to be the starting shortstop for the Boston Red Sox in 2012.

Ben Cherington wants Jose Iglesias to be the starting shortstop for the Boston Red Sox at some point in the future—and Mike Aviles to be the starting shortstop in 2012.

Valentine isn't necessarily wrong here—Iglesias does things on defense that most other shortstops cannot, and you can't understate the impact that his presence in the field could make for the Red Sox.

But Iglesias has not proven that he can hit major league pitching, or for that matter, Triple-A pitching. His .235 average, .285 on-base percentage and ,269 slugging percentage in over 350 at-bats last season leaves much to be desired.

While he has shown an improved approach at the plate, Iglesias is only 21 years old. He needs more time to take what he's learned about hitting this spring and put it to use at the Triple-A level.

Interestingly enough, when I interviewed Adrian Gonzalez last month and asked him who he thought could have a breakout year this season (meaning players from any organization, whether they were in the majors or minors), he did not mention Iglesias as a candidate for the job:  "For us, either Mike Aviles or Nick Punto, whoever wins that job. They will have a chance to just be themselves."

Take it for what it's worth, but I found the omission of Iglesias to be interesting.

At the end of the day, I think the front office wins out over Bobby Valentine. Iglesias was optioned back to Triple-A Pawtucket today, while Aviles looks to hold down the fort until Iglesias is ready to take over...in 2013.

Chicago Cubs: Backup Catcher

We looked at this battle yesterday and I concluded then that Wellington Castillo would stick with the Cubs while Steve Clevenger headed to Triple-A Peoria.

After some thought, I'm flipping the script—which sounds a lot like the way Cubs manager Dale Sveum told Gordon Wittenmeyer of the Chicago Sun Times he may ultimately decide who stays and who goes—with a coin flip.

Castillo figures to be the Cubs catcher of the future, so it would make more sense for Castillo to get the bulk of the playing time in Triple-A rather than sit for days at a time backing up Geovany Soto.

Clevenger doesn't have the throwing arm that Castillo does but he's solid enough behind the plate that he will not be a liability.

They've both performed very well this spring, and it's not a case of Castillo having not earned the job. It's simply thinking about today and the future at the same time—and a full season in Triple-A might be the best thing for the futures of both Castillo and the Cubs.

Clevenger stays, Castillo goes, and the Cubs pitching staff is left in good hands.

Chicago White Sox: Closer

Yesterday we looked at the three-headed monster that was battling for the closer's job in Chicago.

Between then and now, the monster grew two more heads.

Addison Reed, Matt Thornton and Jesse Crain were the topics of discussion yesterday, but they are are not the only people in the mix, as White Sox pitching Coach Don Cooper told Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times:

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“Addison, (Hector) Santiago, Thornton, Crain, those are the guys we’re talking about, right?’ And, hey, you know what? Will Ohman got a [two-inning] save [Saturday], so don’t be surprised. Right now, they’re all still going. Ohman just made it a five-horse race.’’

"

So how will this play out?

I still think that Reed is the closer of the future, but there's no sense in throwing him into the position to start the season, seeing as the White Sox are in a semi-rebuilding mode and aren't likely to contend for the AL Central or Wild Card spots this year.

From a front office perspective, it makes sense to use Thornton as the closer to start the season and when the non-waiver trade deadline comes around in August, flip him to a contender who is looking for either an upgrade in the ninth inning or a left-handed reliever in the bullpen—then slide Reed into the spot.

Cincinnati Reds: Last Two Rotation Spots

Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos and Mike Leake are locks to comprise three-fifths of the Cincinnati Reds starting rotation.

Bronson Arroyo's contract forces him into the fourth spot: he can't be sent to the minors without agreeing to it, and the $22.5 million that he is owed over the next two seasons makes trading him virtually impossible.

So that leaves one open spot and three candidates for the job: Homer Bailey, Aroldis Chapman and Jeff Francis.

Francis has only made one start for the Reds this spring, so chances are he'll be in the bullpen as long relief as he waits for a spot in the rotation to open up. Which leaves us with Bailey and Chapman.

On talent alone, Chapman wins out. When you take their respective performances this spring into account, it's not even close:

Bailey: 7.98 ERA, 1.84 WHIP, 14.2 IP, 20 H, 7 BB, 6 K

Chapman: 1.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 12 IP, 10 H, 2 BB, 12 K

So what's the problem?

Bailey does not have any minor league options remaining, so to send him to the minors would require placing him on waivers and hoping that he passed through, which he wouldn't. Bailey was once a highly touted prospect and since he doesn't turn 26 years old until May, he would be claimed.

Chapman does have minor league options remaining—and that's why the Reds will send Chapman to Triple-A Louisville to start the season, ensuring that he gets to throw every fifth day and biding his time until the mediocre performances of Arroyo and/or Bailey force the Reds to finally give him a shot in the rotation.

Aroldis Chapman has earned that shot.

Cleveland Indians: Left Field

The battle for left field in Cleveland is really a two-man tug-of-war between Shelley Duncan and Russ Canzler, and each brings a different skill set with them to the job.

Duncan is the more experienced player while Canzler has the higher upside.

If the season were to start tomorrow, I'd wager that Shelley Duncan would be the Tribe's choice.

But the season doesn't start tomorrow, and the Indians are on the hunt for a right-handed hitting outfielder, either in left field or in center, according to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports. Were they to acquire a center fielder, Michael Brantley would slide over to left.

So Duncan will likely win the battle, but chances are that the Tribe's third, everyday outfielder is not yet a part of the organization.

Colorado Rockies: Fifth Starter

Jhoulys Chacin, Jeremy Guthrie, and Juan Nicasio have the first three spots in the Rockies rotation locked up.

Drew Pomeranz has pitched very well in his four starts and, with one more solid outing, should make it as the fourth starter.

That leaves Alex White, Tyler Chatwood, Guillermo Moscoso and Jamie Moyer to fill the last opening.

White and Chatwood both need more seasoning at Triple-A, and they will start the season in the minors, so the real choice is between Moscoso and Moyer.

Moscoso, who went 8-10 with a 3.38 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 21 starts for the Oakland A's in 2011, has been dreadful this spring, pitching to a 7.36 ERA and 2.09 WHIP. Moscoso is probably headed to the Rockies bullpen in long relief.

Which leaves us with 49-year-old Jamie Moyer, who has pitched well in limited duty this spring, with a 1.00 ERA and a 0.44 WHIP over 9.1 innings pitched.

That's not exactly a large sample size, and Moyer is not going to replicate numbers like that during the regular season. But if anyone knows how to pitch it's Jamie Moyer, and at this point he's the Rockies best option, keeping the development of White and Chatwood in mind.

Detroit Tigers: Final Roster Spot

My B/R colleague J Cook came out with a fantastic breakdown of the contenders for the Tigers final roster spot yesterday, and since then, the field has thinned a bit.

Out of the equation are infielder Audy Ciriaco and outfielder Quintin Berry, leaving the Tigers to choose from among outfielder Andy Dirks, infielder Danny Worth and utility player Brandon Inge.

Or do I have the candidates wrong?

During an interview with Jason Beck and Paul Hagen of MLB.com conducted with Tigers manager Jim Leyland, it seems as if one of our candidates already has a spot locked up:

"

"I know I can go a lot of different ways with my 25th player and be very comfortable. That's not something that's really going to eat at me...I've got four catchers -- two emergency, and two catchers." The two emergency catchers, Leyland said, are Don Kelly and Inge.

"

Unless Leyland had some hidden meaning in his words, it sure sounds like Brandon Inge already has a roster spot locked up.

With that being the case, the Tigers really have no need to keep Worth around, and he'll start the season at Triple-A Toledo.

Andy Dirks will make the team as the fourth outfielder, and should Delmon Young's sore left knee still be an issue come opening day, Dirks could make the start in left field.

Houston Astros: Third Base

We took a quick look at the battle for third base between Brett Wallace and Chris Johnson yesterday, and after yesterday's 7-4 loss to the Washington Nationals, the picture may have become a bit clearer.

Wallace went 0-for-4 while Johnson went 1-for-3 with his fourth home run of the season and two runs scored.

Both have played well this spring: Wallace has a batting line of .282/326/.436 with one home run and seven RBI, while Johnson has posted a .325/.325/.750 line with four home runs and seven RBI. In the field, Wallace has no errors in eight chances while Johnson has one error in 18 chances.

With everything being equal, Johnson wins out because of his major league experience at the position already.

Kansas City Royals: Final Two Rotation Spots

After Luke Hochevar, Bruce Chen and Jonathan Sanchez, the Royals starting rotation is a wide-open competition between left-hander Danny Duffy and right-handers Luis Mendoza and Felipe Paulino.

Of the three, Mendoza has had the best spring with an ERA of 0.54 over 16.2 innings pitched with three walks, 16 strikeouts and a WHIP of 0.84, and he should be a lock as the fourth starter in the rotation.

Not so fast, says Royals manager Ned Yost: “When I’m ready to announce it, I’ll announce it. Until that point, they’re all still competing.”

That leaves Paulino and Duffy to battle it out for the fifth and final spot in the rotation, and Paulino will get the nod.

While Duffy has the higher upside, he's a lefty and the Royals already have two in the rotation with Chen and Sanchez. Only 23 years old, Duffy has had a rough spring and would benefit from some time at Triple-A Omaha to work out his issues and get back on track.

Los Angeles Angels: Fifth Starter

Just when you thought that Garrett Richards had the fifth spot in the Angels rotation secured, Jerome Williams returns.

In a minor league game against the Oakland A's, Williams allowed one hit over three scoreless innings, striking out four and showing no issues with the injured leg that had kept him out of action for the past three weeks.

At the same time, Richards was getting hit hard by the Colorado Rockies, allowing six runs to cross the plate, two of them unearned thanks to Bobby Abreu's error in the fourth inning and seven hits in just over five innings of work.

Williams should see at least one more start before camp breaks, and if he continues to pitch well and has no issues with his leg, he will claim the final spot in the Angels rotation while the 23-year-old Richards will begrudgingly head to Triple-A Salt Lake for his first season at the highest minor league level.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Last Bat on the Bench

All Jerry Sands had to do was play decent baseball this spring and he had a spot on the Dodgers.

Instead, he's come out and stunk the place up, with a slash line of .158/.256/.184 with two RBI and 12 strikeouts. He has been toying with his hand placement on the bat all spring, leaving Dodgers manager Don Mattingly unimpressed:

"

"It's been pretty brutal. I don't know, people thought there needed to be changes, little things, but something small can throw big things off. It was mostly picking up pitches and making contact once you pick it up. But it's pretty tough to do, make changes and be successful at the plate when they're throwing 95 [mph]."

"

With Sands seemingly out of the picture, that leaves Mattingly to choose from a field that includes infielders Josh Fields and Justin Sellers and outfielder Cory Sullivan.

Mattingly continued, offering some insight into what he wants out of his 25th man:

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"What I really want for that spot is somebody that can thump left-handed pitching. Give us a power threat to drive the baseball against a left-handed pitcher, that's what that spot is. He plays left, right and first. And I talked about our guys against left-handed pitching [namely Andre Ethier and James Loney, who struggled last year]. It would be a nice option to load that lineup with a bunch of guys."

"

Josh Fields only hits left-handed pitchers, as evidenced by his career splits:

Against RHP: .209/.280/.343, 15 HR, 64 RBI

Against LHP: .293/.357/.600, 19 HR, 43 RBI

The choice is clear—Josh Fields makes the Dodgers as a backup at the corner infield spots and as a pinch-hitter against lefties.

"

 

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Miami Marlins: Backup Outfielders

With Logan Morrison and Giancarlo Stanton both battling sore knees, it is likely that the Marlins will break camp with five outfielders on the roster. Stanton, Morrison and Emilio Bonifacio are the starters, so that leaves two spots open.

For those two spots there are have four candidates: Chris Coghlan, Aaron Rowand, Austin Kearns and Bryan Petersen.

Rowand has been simply awful this spring, posting a line of .143/.200/.167 and likely hitting his way off of the team.

Kearns has had an excellent camp for the Marlins, hitting .345/.412/.690 with three home runs and 12 RBI, and he has one spot locked up.

That leaves us with Coghlan and Petersen. Coghlan, the 2009 NL Rookie of the Year is hitting .235/.257/.234 with three RBI while Petersen is hitting .225/.326/.300 with one home run and four RBI.

Coghlan needs to play every day and work out the issues with his swing, and the Marlins will keep Petersen with the big club, sending Coghlan down to Triple-A New Orleans.

Milwaukee Brewers: Last Spot in the Bullpen

The Brewers bullpen is essentially complete, with John Axford, Francisco Rodriguez, Kameron Loe, Manny Parra, Jose Veras and Marco Estrada already locks to be included.

That leaves one spot open and two candidates for it—Tim Dillard and Mike McClendon, who both have spent time in the big leagues before and who have both performed well this spring, though McClendon has the better numbers.

While he has the better numbers—and more upside—than Dillard, McClendon has another thing that Dillard does not: minor league options remaining.

For that reason alone, the Brewers will send McClendon to Triple-A Nashville where he'll have to patiently wait for his call back to Milwaukee.

Minnesota Twins: Bullpen

Entering spring training, only Matt Capps, Brian Duensing and Glen Perkins were assured of having a spot in the Minnesota Twins bullpen, leaving four spots open.

Left-hander Matt Maloney has closed one of those openings with a stellar spring, throwing 11.1 scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts and a 0.62 WHIP. That gives manager Ron Gardenhire two lefties with Maloney and Perkins.

Kyle Waldrop has pitched to a 1.50 ERA and 0.63 WHIP over six innings of relief and likely has the fifth spot in the pen.

That leaves two spots and five players to consider: Anthony Swarzak, Casey Fien, Jared Burton, Jeff Manship and Jeff Gray.

Swarzak has been a starter and reliever for the Twins over the past three seasons and is out of minor league options, so he will make the cut.

Burton, Fien, Gray and Manship are left as choices for the final spot.

Of the four, Fien has had the best numbers this spring (1.23 ERA, 0.82 WHIP), but Burton is not far behind with a 1.29 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. Burton is out of minor league options while Fien is not, so Burton will be the final addition to the Twins bullpen.

New York Mets: Left-Handed Reliever

With left-hander Tim Byrdak just about ready to start throwing off of a mound (per ESPN New York's Adam Rubin) following knee surgery earlier this month, he is still likely a month or more away from being ready to re-join the Mets bullpen.

In the interim, two candidates have emerged as the front runners to claim the role to start the season: Josh Edgin and Garrett Olson.

Edgin, 25, has been stellar this spring, throwing 6.2 scoreless innings of relief while allowing two hits, issuing two walks and striking out eight. He's never pitched above High-A for the Mets, but boasts a career minor league ERA of 1.88 while averaging 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings.

Olson, 28, has been solid as well, allowing one run and three hits over 3.2 innings of work, walking one and striking out three. He has experience as both a starter and reliever in the majors, having appeared in 103 games for three different teams over the past five seasons.

Josh Edgin will be the lefty specialist out of the Mets bullpen, and he will remain with the club after Byrdak returns.

New York Yankees: Second Left-Handed Reliever

This wasn't much of a competition—Clay Rapada has far and away been the second best relief pitcher for the Yankees this spring—behind some guy named Mo or Mariano or something like that.

Rapada, who has been with six different teams over the past five years, has been outstanding this spring, throwing 7.1 innings of scoreless relief and allowing three hits, issuing three walks and striking out 10.

He will join Boone Logan as the left-handed relievers in the Yankees bullpen.

Oakland A's: Last Man on the Roster

The A's, who play two regular season games in Japan starting tomorrow against the Seattle Mariners, have some decisions to make upon their return home to finish out the exhibition season.

Their roster is pretty much set, with the last spot to be decided upon between a 32-year-old career minor league utility infielder, a 26-year-old right-handed reliever or a 27-year-old right-handed reliever.

With infielders Eric Sogard and Adam Rosales already on the roster, there really is no room for Wes Timmons, so we can remove him from the equation.

That leaves the A's to decide between 26-year-old Evan Scribner and 27-year-old Travis Schlichting.

Of the two, Scribner has had the far more impressive spring, posting a 1.64 ERA and 1.00 WHIP over 11 innings of relief, striking out nine. Schlichting has a 6.52 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and no chance to stick.

Scribner will be the 25th man on the A's to start the season.

Philadelphia Phillies: Fifth Outfielder

Neither Juan Pierre or Scott Podsednik will ever be confused for a power-hitting outfielder. Both are wiry, wily veterans who, while not as fast as they once were, still have above average speed.

They find themselves going head-to-head for the fifth outfield spot on the Phillies' roster this spring, and it's a close battle.

Pierre has hit .295/.367/.318 with two RBI and is 2-for-5 on stolen base attempts.

Podsednik has hit .333/.400/.444 with one RBI and is 5-for-5 on stolen base attempts.

Pierre has not made an error in 16 chances in the outfield, while Podsednik has made one error in 33 chances.

It's a very close battle, but one that Podsednik will win in the end.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Third Base

We looked at the battle for third base in Pittsburgh yesterday, and I said that Casey McGehee would be the starter while first round bust Pedro Alvarez tried to salvage his professional career in the minors.

I was sure that's how it was going to play out.

I still think that's how it should play out.

But I'm not Neal Huntington, GM of the team, and, much to my surprise, he seems to have a different line of thought on the topic, as the Washington Post reports via the associated press:

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“The rumors of him starting at Triple-A have never come from the Pirates. It’s been outside speculation. It’s not what we’ve thought (of doing). We asked him to do some things coming into spring training and he’s done those. He’s going through a tough stretch right now. Are we going to be able to get him out of it? We believe we will.”

"

I still think this is a mistake, but this seems to be how the biggest position battle in Pittsburgh is going to play out—Alvarez and his .121 spring average will be starting at third base for the Bucs in 2012.

San Diego Padres: Fifth Starter

This is another battle that we looked at yesterday, and Dustin Moseley still stands as my choice for the fifth starter in San Diego.

Moseley has pitched well this spring, with a 2.40 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and nine strikeouts over 15 innings while not issuing a walk.

His stiffest competition has come from Anthony Bass, who has pitched equally as well with a 2.08 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and eight strikeouts over 13 innings.

But Moseley has 100 major league games over six seasons under his belt, and Bass still has minor league options remaining.

Moseley sticks as the fifth starter and Bass heads to Triple-A.

San Francisco Giants: First Base

Brandon Belt has outplayed both Aubrey Huff and Brandon Pill this spring, yet it seems as if Belt will be the odd man out in San Francisco.

Lets take a look at the trio's spring numbers:

Belt:  .380/.429/.660, 3 HR, 9 RBI

Huff: .262/.311/.429, 2 HR, 3 RBI

Pill: .283/.304/.585, 3 HR, 10 RBI

On the surface, it would seem as if Aubrey Huff should be the odd man out in San Francisco, but we know that he already has a roster spot locked up and is the likely starter at first base.

So that leaves Pill and Belt to battle it out for a reserve role, and it is probably in Belt's best interests if he is playing on a daily basis, rather than as a part-time player in the major leagues.

He has nothing left to prove in the minors, but that's where he's headed to start 2012.

Seattle Mariners: Final Bullpen Spot

Like the Oakland A's, the Seattle Mariners have essentially set their roster for the season, taking a few extra bodies with them to Japan as they play the A's in two regular season games in Japan before returning to Seattle to finish out the exhibition season.

When we checked yesterday, I said that Rule 5 draft pick Lucas Luetge would beat out Erasmo Ramirez for the final spot in the Mariners bullpen.

I now stand corrected, as both Ramirez and Luetge have made the trip to Japan.

Upon their return, I expect that Luetge will be offered back to the Milwaukee Brewers, the team that Seattle selected him from, before they can send him to the minor leagues. They'll have to make such a move to create space for both Hector Noesi and Kevin Millwood on the 25-man roster.

St. Louis Cardinals: Backup Catcher

Both Tony Cruz and Bryan Anderson have performed well this spring as they battle for the right to backup Cardinals All-Star Yadier Molina behind the plate.

Cruz has hit .333/.357/.407 with a RBI and was thrown out on three of 13 stolen base attempts.

Anderson has hit .476/.577/.714 with two RBI and was thrown out on one of four stolen base attempts.

They both have limited experience in the major leagues, and both have minor league options remaining.

But where Anderson is strictly a catcher, Cruz has the ability to play multiple positions, including corner spots in both the infield and outfield.

Because of his versatility, he wins out over Anderson, and will be Molina's primary backup.

Tampa Bay Rays: Fifth Starter

Jeff Niemann and Wade Davis have spent the spring battling for the right to bring up the rear of the Rays starting rotation, and with time running out before the season starts, Rays manager Joe Maddon will have to make a decision sooner rather than later.

Davis has pitched to a 4.91 ERA and 1.58 WHIP over 18.1 innings pitched, walking seven and striking out 13.

Niemann has a 4.05 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, three walks and 11 strikeouts over 13.1 innings pitched.

While Niemann has spent some time in the Rays bullpen in previous seasons, but it is Davis, who has started 64 games over the past three seasons for Tampa Bay, who is headed to the pen as long relief while Niemann will continue to fight to keep his spot in the rotation.

Texas Rangers: Center Field

With Leonys Martin no longer in the picture, the battle for supremacy in center field for the Texas Rangers comes down to Julio Borbon and Craig Gentry.

Neither one has been tearing the cover off of the ball this spring, but Borbon has shown a vastly improved approach at the plate, hitting .256/.370/.359 with a home run, four RBI, three stolen bases and more walks than strikeouts.

Gentry, on the other hand, is hitting .125/.222/.125 with one RBI.

Borbon will be roaming center for manager Ron Washington and the Rangers in 2012.

Toronto Blue Jays: Fifth Starter

We took a look at the battle between Dustin McGowan and Kyle Drabek yesterday and I called Drabek the winner, both by default due to McGowan's injury and by performance due to Drabek's solid spring.

Since then, the Blue Jays have given McGowan a two-year, $3 million extension, according to John Lott of The Vancouver Sun, so the Jays obviously still have confidence that McGowan can contribute.

Regardless of the extension, there is a decent chance that McGowan will start the season on the disabled list as he battles the plantar fasciitis in his right foot.

Here's how it plays out.

Drabek will start the season as the fifth starter while McGowan gets himself healthy.

Upon McGowan's return, unless Drabek is pitching lights out, he will be sent back to Triple-A...until McGowan goes back on the disabled list.

Kyle Drabek will be riding the shuttle between Syracuse and Toronto all season long.

Washington Nationals: Center Field

It comes down to Rick Ankiel, who has finally returned to action after missing nearly three weeks with a strained hamstring and is on a minor league contract, and Roger Bernadina, who is out of minor league options.

Ankiel has hit .308/.438/.692 with a home run and RBI in 13 at bats this spring.

In 43 spring at bats, Bernadina has a .279/.392/.442 average with two home runs and seven RBI.

As long as Ankiel remains healthy and continues to play well, I expect he will get the nod over Bernadina in center field to start the season.

Of course, this is all a moot point, because at some point this season, Bryce Harper will join the team and cement himself in the position for the next decade.