Detroit - Joel Zumaya and Rick Porcelloimpressed in their first sessions of the spring against live hitters on Friday. Zumaya is a very intriguing rebound candidate given his age and the fact that Brandon Lyon's name isn't penned into the closer's role with anything stronger than Dry-Erase marker.
"He was locating his fastball, and still getting a feel for his curve, But his curve was sharp," said catcher Alex Avila, who caught for Zumaya on Friday. "It had a real good break to it. He also threw a split-fingered change-up kind of thing that was nasty."
That nasty split-fingered change is the new pitch Zumaya was previously rumored to be working on. If he's locating his fastball, getting strikes with his curveball and mixing that new weapon into his arsenal, look out. It's definitely worth keeping an eye on his health as the spring progresses.
Porcello's greatest praise may have come from Miguel Cabrera: "He has great stuff. He knows what he's doing out there." That was the cleaned-up version of Cabrera's feedback after he was muttering under his breath and talking to the mound while he was at the plate against the top pitching prospect.
Even if he's still got some time to spend in the minors -- Porcello will likely start at Double-A Erie -- after turning all of 20 years old in December, but he's the perfect example of why age is more than just a number.
Los Angeles - Orlando Hudson is now a Dodger, likely bumping Blake DeWitt back into a reserve role depending on how the Dodgers plan to deploy Juan Pierre. Hudson will likely bat second for the Dodgers this season.
Regardless of where he gets most of his playing time in 2009, DeWitt played 35 games at second base in 2008, giving him eligibility there in nearly all formats. He's still a sneaky option in NL-only and deeper mixed leagues as a middle infielder after proving he could at least hold his own as a 22-year-old rushed to the bigs last season (.264/.344/.383), but there's an increased risk of him spending some time at Triple-A if a trade or injuries don't clear up the playing time logjam between now and Opening Day.
Minnesota/San Francisco - Joe Crede is expected to choose his new team soon, and it's probably going to be the Twins. The move out of U.S. Cellular Field will cost Crede a few homers and the usual injury concerns are still in play if you're thinking about trying to squeeze some value out of him, but the more interesting thing about Crede is the fallout in San Francisco of him not signing there.
Pablo Sandoval (who may have catcher-eligibility) is probably eligible at first base only in your league, but he'll get a look at the hot corner. John Bowker and Travis Ishikawa will compete for time at first base as it stands now, although the Giants will likely be looking at potential trade options and recently DFA'd third baseman Andy Marte could be on their radar as well.
Sandoval won't see any time behind the plate this spring, but he's going to be the Giants' third catcher this season. NL-only leaguers should consider him as a good low-cost option for the corner-infield spot in draft this spring.
As for Bowker and Ishikawa, neither is a good option as left-handed pitching, so there's a good chance that only one will stick, while the other winds up sharing time Josh Phelps or Rich Aurilia in a platoon-situation. Of this lot, Phelps may actually have the most upside if you're panning deep for a $1 endgame option or reserve pick in a very deep league.