Category: MLB

Phillies righthander Joe Blanton will begin the regular season on the disabled list, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

He suffered a mild oblique strain during a bullpen session Wednesday and will need 3-6 weeks to heal. This will be Blanton’s first trip to the D.L. in his six-season major league career.

The newspaper speculated that righthander Kyle Kendrick, who was set to pitch in relief after losing the fifth-starter competition to Jamie Moyer, will replace Blanton in the rotation.

Last season, Blanton went 12-8 with a 4.05 ERA in 31 starts for Phialdelphia.

Joe Mauer is the reigning AL MVP.

The Twins won the division title in a one-game playoff against the Tigers last season, a year after losing a one-game playoff to the White Sox. Minnesota’s title defense will come without closer Joe Nathan (elbow), and the Tigers and White Sox should make this a three-team race all season. The Royals have the reigning AL Cy Young award winner in Zack Greinke, while the Indians remain in rebuilding mode.

SN’s predicted order of finish in the AL Central:
1. Minnesota Twins
2. Chicago White Sox
3. Detroit Tigers
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Cleveland Indians

BUT LOOK OUT FOR …
Sporting News contributor Todd Jones, a former major league closer, picks one team that could prove SN wrong:
White Sox. The rotation is very good, and the bullpen has gas from both sides with Matt Thornton and Bobby Jenks. The lineup is what really excites me. Juan Pierre is now in a place he can shine.

THE ALL-DIVISION TEAM
By ESPN analyst Chris Singleton
Former White Sox center fielder

Zack Greinke is the division’s top pitcher.

LINEUP
C: Joe Mauer, Twins
1B: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
2B: Orlando Hudson, Twins
3B: Brandon Inge, Tigers
SS: Alexei Ramirez, White Sox
OF: David DeJesus, Royals
OF: Grady Sizemore, Indians
OF: Carlos Quentin, White Sox
DH: Jason Kubel, Twins

ROTATION
RHP: Zack Greinke, Royals
RHP: Justin Verlander, Tigers
RHP: Jake Peavy, White Sox
RHP: Rick Porcello, Tigers
LHP: Mark Buehrle, White Sox

CLOSER
RHP: Bobby Jenks, White Sox

MANAGER
Ron Gardenhire, Twins
— As told to Jeff D’Alessio

THREE THINGS I THINK ABOUT THE AL CENTRAL
By TBS analyst Buck Martinez
Former Royals catcher

1. The White Sox will have the best rotation. They have experience at the top with Jake Peavy and Mark Buehrle, and Gavin Floyd and John Danks are budding stars. I like the Tigers’ staff; I just don’t think they have the depth.
2. The Royals’ Billy Butler will be the division’s breakout player. He’s a very smart hitter. He’s learning to turn on the ball and hit with power. Shin-Soo Choo, for the Indians, is going to have a huge year, too.
3. Twins lefthander Francisco Liriano will be better—but not at his 2006 level. He looked good in winter ball, but I don’t think we’ve seen that same electricity.
— As told to Ryan Fagan

SN SAYS
Sporting News’ Ryan Fagan makes three predictions for each team in the AL Central:

TWINS
1. With J.J. Hardy and Orlando Hudson added to the lineup, Denard Span will score at least 110 runs.
2. Minnesota will have two starters with at least 14 wins for the first time since 2004.
3. Either Michael Cuddyer or Jason Kubel—they hit 60 homers combined in 2009—will make his All-Star debut.

WHITE SOX
1. Gordon Beckham’s rise will mirror that of the Rays’ Evan Longoria in terms of how quickly the league respects and fears him.
2. Juan Pierre will finish in the AL’s top five in stolen bases and outs made.
3. Signing reliever J.J. Putz will prove to be the division’s most underrated offseason move.

TIGERS
1. Johnny Damon will make an impact, but he won’t match the numbers he put up with the Yankees in 2009 (24 homers, 82 RBIs).
2. Austin Jackson will steal the highlight reel, but Scott Sizemore will be the more consistent rookie.
3. Miguel Cabrera will earn his fourth career top five finish in league MVP voting.

ROYALS
1. Billy Butler will reach the 30-homer, 100-RBI plateaus for the first of many times.
2. Alex Gordon’s broken thumb—he could be out until mid-April—will be the latest setback in his All-Star timetable.
3. Aaron Crow, a 2009 first-round pick, will join the rotation by September—if not sooner.

INDIANS
1. Shin-Soo Choo, who had 20 homers and 21 steals last season, will be an All-Star for the first time.
2. Justin Masterson, who has been a starter and reliever in his two-season career, finally will stick in a major league rotation.
3. Trade rumors will swirl, but Grady Sizemore will finish the season with Cleveland.

BESTS OF THE AL CENTRAL
Rookie hitter: Austin Jackson, Tigers
Rookie pitcher: Daniel Schlereth, Tigers
Trade bait: Glen Perkins, Twins
Offseason pickup: Johnny Damon, Tigers
Hitter: Joe Mauer, Twins
Bet to win 20 games: Justin Verlander, Tigers
Unit: White Sox rotation
Bounce-back candidate: Francisco Liriano, Twins
Fifth starter: Freddy Garcia, White Sox
Outfield arm: Rick Ankiel, Royals
1-2 rotation punch: Mark Buehrle and Jake Peavy, White Sox
Basestealer: Juan Pierre, White Sox
Executive: Dave Dombrowski, Tigers
Bullpen: White Sox
— Ryan Fagan

GUEST BEST
Double-play combination
White Sox 2B Gordon Beckham picks: Asdrubal Cabrera and Luis Valbuena, Indians. "They’re both really athletic and smooth infielders. I think they’ll do well there for a while."

This content first appeared in Sporting News magazine. If you are not receiving the magazine, subscribe today, or pick up a copy, available at most Barnes & Noble, Borders and Hudson Retail outlets.

Ichiro Suzuki is the West’s best hitter.

The Angels have won three consecutive AL West titles and five of the past six. However, the improved Mariners figure to tighten up the race, and the Rangers should build upon their 87-win season in 2009. With Ben Sheets anchoring a young and impressive rotation, the A’s also could pick up some momentum.

SN’s predicted order of finish in the AL West:
1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Seattle Mariners
3. Texas Rangers
4. Oakland Athletics

BUT LOOK OUT FOR …
Sporting News contributor Todd Jones, a former major league closer, picks one team that could prove SN wrong:
Mariners. Defensively, this team is loaded with guys who can pick it. The rotation, led by King Felix and Cliff Lee, will keep Seattle in games all season, and David Aardsma can slam the door.

THE ALL-DIVISION TEAM
By MLB Network analyst Harold Reynolds
Former Mariners second baseman

Ian Kinsler hit 31 homers in 2009.

LINEUP
C: Kurt Suzuki, A’s
1B: Kendry Morales, Angels
2B: Ian Kinsler, Rangers
3B: Chone Figgins, Mariners
SS: Erick Aybar, Angels
OF: Milton Bradley, Mariners
OF: Torii Hunter, Angels
OF: Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
DH: Hideki Matsui, Angels

ROTATION
RHP: Felix Hernandez, Mariners
LHP: Cliff Lee, Mariners
RHP: Scott Feldman, Rangers
RHP: Jered Weaver, Angels
LHP: Joe Saunders, Angels

CLOSER
RHP: Frank Francisco, Rangers

MANAGER
Mike Scioscia, Angels
— As told to Jeff D’Alessio

THREE THINGS I THINK ABOUT THE AL WEST
By TBS analyst Dennis Eckersley
Former A’s pitcher

1. The Angels will win the division. They’ve got a nice lineup—they’re going to score some runs. But that pitching, it’s legit, especially in that division.
2. Rangers righthander Neftali Feliz will be a bullpen anchor. What’s more important: a guy who can win 12 games or a guy who can pitch the seventh and eighth innings three times a week?
3. Cliff Lee will be the Mariners’ best offseason acquisition. You’ve got one of the best lefthanders in the game, and he’s coming into a pitchers park.
— As told to Ryan Fagan

SN SAYS
Sporting News’ Ryan Fagan makes three predictions for each team in the AL West:

ANGELS
1. Hitting in the No. 2 spot all season, Bobby Abreu’s streak of consecutive 100-RBI seasons will end at seven.
2. Scott Kazmir won’t be as good as he was with the Angels (1.73 ERA) or as bad as he was with the Rays (5.92 ERA) in 2009.
3. Howie Kendrick, a career .302 hitter entering his fifth season, will finish in the AL’s top 10 in batting average.

MARINERS
1. Ichiro Suzuki will lead the AL in hits, but Chone Figgins will lead the Mariners in on-base percentage.
2. Milton Bradley won’t be a troublemaker, but he won’t repeat his 2008 performance with the Rangers (career-best 22 homers, AL-best .436 on-base percentage).
3. Franklin Gutierrez, the best defensive center fielder in the AL, will win his first Gold Glove.

RANGERS
1. Oft-injured Rich Harden will fail to reach 27 starts and 150 innings for the sixth consecutive season.
2. C.J. Wilson, whose six starts as a major leaguer came in 2005, will make a successful transition from the bullpen to the rotation.
3. At 21, Elvis Andrus will produce an All-Star-caliber first half in his second season in the majors.

ATHLETICS
1. Rookie first baseman Chris Carter will be in the A’s cleanup spot by August—at the latest.
2. Brett Anderson will be Oakland’s lone representative at the All-Star Game.
3. Rajai Davis, who had 41 stolen bases in 2009, will finish in the top five in the AL in steals for the second consecutive season.

BESTS OF THE AL WEST
Rookie hitter: Michael Taylor, A’s
Rookie pitcher: Neftali Feliz, Rangers
Trade bait: Ben Sheets, A’s
Double-play combination: Elvis Andrus and Ian Kinsler, Rangers
Offseason pickup: Cliff Lee, Mariners
Hitter: Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
Bet to win 20 games: Felix Hernandez, Mariners
Unit: Angels rotation
Bounce-back candidate: Josh Hamilton, Rangers
Fifth starter: Joel Pineiro, Angels
Outfield arm: Ichiro
1-2 rotation punch: Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee, Mariners
Executive: Jack Zduriencik, Mariners
Bullpen: Angels
— Ryan Fagan

GUEST BEST
Basestealer
Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler picks: Chone Figgins, Mariners. "If he has a full green light in Seattle, there is no telling how many bases he will steal."

This content first appeared in Sporting News magazine. If you are not receiving the magazine, subscribe today, or pick up a copy, available at most Barnes & Noble, Borders and Hudson Retail outlets.

New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes will start the season on the disabled list, according to ESPN.com.

Reyes is recovering from a thyroid problem that was diagnosed at the beginning of spring training. The training staff is exercising caution with the former All-Star as he tries to regain his strength. Reyes’s trip to the DL would be dated retroactively to March 26 and he would be eligible to come off the DL on April 10 for the Mets’ fifth game, against the Washington Nationals. He has been taking part in exhibition games with Mets minor league teams.

Reyes played in just 36 games last year because of hamstring injuries. He didn’t play in a game after May 20. He had surgery in October to clean up scar tissue in his right hamstring and also tore the muscle while rehabbing the initial injury.

The Mets also officially placed pitcher Kelvim Escobar and outfielder Carlos Beltran on the disabled list, and first baseman Daniel Murphy is expected to miss two to six weeks after spraining his knee.

When Sporting News compiled its offseason baseball power poll, it really was the offseason. Like before Christmas. After three more months of moves and six weeks of spring training, you’d think our offseason rankings would need overhauling. Well, we don’t. But we would tweak them a little.

The offseason power poll, with some late March analysis:

1. Yankees. Not a thing has happened to make us think they shouldn’t be in the top spot. Actually, their chances improved after putting Joba Chamberlain in the correct role.

Brad Lidge is one of the Phillies’ few concerns.

2. Phillies. With Brad Lidge still a concern, the gap between the No. 2 and 3 teams has tightened, but we’ll still stick with the Phillies here. Their lineup has the majors’ best balance of power, speed and defense.

3. Red Sox. A sure sign you’ve had a smooth spring: Manager Terry Francona spends part of a morning press briefing dissecting the battle for the organization’s No. 8 and 9 starters. Dissecting this power poll, we can say the difference between No. 1 and No. 3 is smaller than the gap between No. 3 and No. 4.

4. Cardinals. They didn’t have Matt Holliday when we did the poll in December, but we figured they would re-sign him. No need to jump off the Cardinals’ bandwagon.

5. Rockies. The fact that no structural damage has been found in Huston Street’s right shoulder is a good sign. We suppose. If we hadn’t ignored the alarms set off when Street didn’t pitch for three weeks last September, we would have slotted Colorado a bit lower. Still, there are worse backup plans than Franklin Morales.

6. Angels. We would rank few clubs this high after losing their All-Star leadoff hitter, No. 1 starter, future Hall of Fame DH and key lefthanded reliever. But we believe in Mike Scioscia.

7. Mariners. If we’d known Casey Kotchman and Milton Bradley would be manning the 3 hole and cleanup spot, we’d have bumped Seattle out of the top 10.

8. Rays. It didn’t seem right to rank three teams from one division in the top four overall. But after watching these guys in spring training, we should have.

9. Twins. No one knew about Joe Nathan’s elbow in December. But knowing wouldn’t have changed the Twins’ ranking. Minnesota still has Joe Mauer, Ron Gardenhire and one of the game’s best front offices.

10. Cubs. One reason to believe the Cubs are more likely to move up than down when the games begin: Despite all their troubles in 2009, they finished over .500.

11. Braves. Perhaps we should have known 20-year-old Jason Heyward would emerge as the best player in Florida this spring, as at least one scout has called him. Still, we feel pretty good about the Braves’ spot.

12. Dodgers. We didn’t put the Dodgers below the Rockies because of L.A.’s ownership disarray. We just like the Rockies’ rotation better.

13. Giants. We must have thought they would surprise everyone and sign Matt Holliday. But with its lack of offense and plodding defense, we should have put San Francisco in the bottom half.

Ozzie Guillen’s spring included an unexpected Twitter controversy.

14. White Sox. If you knew in December that Ozzie Guillen’s latest controversy would be triggered by Twitter, let us know. We’ll rank the White Sox wherever you want.

15. Rangers. If you could have told us Ron Washington tested positive for cocaine last July, it wouldn’t have mattered. The Rangers are ranked right where they belong.

16. Tigers. Their two rookies, Austin Jackson and Scott Sizemore, have exceeded early expectations. Still, we’ll wait for them to produce when the games count before we reassess Detroit’s spot.

17. Mets. How could we rank these guys ahead of the Marlins? Well, we didn’t know Carlos Beltran would have knee surgery and Jose Reyes would have a thyroid problem. That’s our excuse, anyway, and we’re sticking with it.

18. Marlins. Our opinion of the Marlins wasn’t helped when they traded for Tigers discard Nate Robertson and promptly put him in their rotation. Still, they belong in front of the Mets.

19. Brewers. Until its starters show us something, this is the spot for Milwaukee.

20. Diamondbacks. We figured Brandon Webb would be ready by now. Otherwise, we’d have dropped the D-backs a couple of notches.

21. Athletics. That they spent $10 million on Ben Sheets proves general manager Billy Beane believes they have a chance. That is good enough for us to think we have them three spots too low.

22. Reds. They surprised — no, stunned — the baseball world by signing Aroldis Chapman. But we still don’t know how much difference he’ll make.

Lance Berkman’s health is a concern for the Astros.

23. Astros. If we’d known their two best players, first baseman Lance Berkman and ace Roy Oswalt, already would be dealing with injuries, we’d at least considered dropping them a spot.

24. Orioles. We didn’t think much of the Kevin Millwood trade at the time, and he hasn’t made us change our minds in spring training.

25. Blue Jays. They didn’t re-acquire Roy Halladay, so there’s no reason to move them up.

26. Royals. Zack Greinke makes them better than the teams below, just as he did in December.

27. Nationals. They didn’t have Chien-Ming Wang or Adam Kennedy when we ranked them. It wouldn’t have changed anything.

28. Padres. We weren’t sure Adrian Gonzalez still would be with them on opening day. Now we are. They’re still ranked correctly.

29. Pirates. Since we did the poll, they signed Octavio Dotel to close. No, he isn’t a difference-maker.

30. Indians. Jake Westbrook and Fausto Carmona are pitching well, and Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner are healthy. If we’d known that, we wouldn’t have stuck the Indians in last. Now, though, they will have the chance to prove we were wrong.

Stan McNeal is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at smcneal@sportingnews.com.

The attorney for Roger Clemens tells the New York Daily News an indictment remains a possibility in Clemens’ federal perjury case.

The Daily News also reports that part of the feds’ probe focused on the sexual nature of Clemens’ extramarital relationship with singer Mindy McCready. During their questioning of McCready, they wanted to know whether Clemens suffered from erectile dysfunction, which is a possible sign of steroids use.

Fox News reports a sex tape featuring McCready includes her saying she and Clemens had an affair and that Clemens had ED. McCready is trying to prevent the tape from being released by an adult film company that obtained the video.

Clemens’ legal issues also include an ongoing defamation suit against Brian McNamee, his former trainer. McNamee told federal investigators he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone from 1998 to 2001.

Negotiations on a long-term contract for Indians right fielder Shin-Soo Choo have stalled, MLB.com reports.

The site reports the Indians would like to sign Choo to a five-year contract with an option for a sixth year, but Choo and his agent, Scott Boras, have not expressed much interest in such a deal.

"It’s up to Boras and the Indians to figure that out," Choo told MLB.com on Tuesday. "That’s not my job. My job is to worry about the team."

Boras declined to comment to MLB.com about the negotiations.

Cleveland renewed Choo’s contract this spring, at slightly more than the major league minimum of $400,000. Choo will be eligible for arbitration next year.

Choo, 27, batted .300 with 20 home runs, 86 RBIs and 21 stolen bases last year in his first full big-league season.

If you don’t agree that the best races will be in the American League, consider the numbers. Ten of 14 teams enter the season with a legitimate chance of reaching the postseason. In the NL, the Phillies and Cardinals are such clear favorites that the West could end up being the only close call.

Ranking the division races:

By leaving the Angels for the M’s, Chone Figgins may help change the dynamic in the AL West.

1. AL West
What’s to like: All four teams should contend in what shapes up as the majors’ deepest division. The three-time defending champion Angels lost four key players, including No. 1 starter John Lackey, while the Mariners, Rangers and Athletics all added potential aces in Cliff Lee, Rich Harden and Ben Sheets. Adding intrigue: The Angels’ blueprint is being copied as their three rivals put greater focus on defense and pitching. Seattle, in fact, snatched Angels catalyst Chone Figgins to pump up its offense.

"Everyone’s talking about three teams and discrediting Oakland, but they’re going to be a good defensive club with a very good pitching staff," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said. "You can make a legitimate case for any of the four teams."

Don’t be surprised if: Every team finishes .500. The A’s won 75 games last season — and that was after finishing on a seven-game losing streak.

Be surprised if: The Angels win fewer than 92 games. They have won at least that many in five of the past six seasons, the exception being an 89-win season in 2006.

2. AL East
What’s to like: The bullies have reloaded for another edition of the greatest rivalry in American sports. Game 1 of 18 will be Sunday night at Fenway Park. Whether the Yankees and Red Sox actually have improved remains to be determined. Boston sacrificed Jason Bay’s power for Mike Cameron’s defense, but that doesn’t mean it is better. New York is counting on the younger and more athletic Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner to replace postseason heroes Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui. And don’t forget about the Rays. They could be the fourth-best team in the majors but only third-best in their own division.

Don’t be surprised if: The Yankees, Red Sox and Rays finish with 90 wins. Tampa Bay is too talented to finish 19 games behind the Yankees like it did last season.

Be surprised if: The Orioles aren’t the most improved team in the division. With a solid lineup and improved rotation, Baltimore should improve its win total into the 70s after finishing 64-98 in 2009.

With a healthy Grady Sizemore, the Indians may surprise.

3. AL Central
What’s to like: Picking a winner among the Twins, Tigers and White Sox is as tricky as figuring out who will close for Minnesota in place of the injured Joe Nathan.

Don’t be surprised if: The Indians are better than expected. Veterans Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner, Fausto Carmona and Jake Westbrook all are healthy and showing their old forms.

Be surprised if: A playoff isn’t needed to determine the division champ. There has been one the past two seasons.

4. NL West
What’s to like: This is the only division in which Sporting News is predicting a new champion from 2009. Thank you, Rockies. But if Colorado doesn’t have Huston Street healthy for most of the season, the Dodgers have the talent to make it three consecutive titles under Joe Torre.

Don’t be surprised if: The Giants remain stuck in third place because of a lack of offense. They needed Matt Holliday but settled for Mark DeRosa, Aubrey Huff and the return of Bengie Molina.

Be surprised if: The Diamondbacks finish last. Their rotation isn’t as thin as the Padres’ offense is lacking.

Dust Baker is on the hot seat in Cincinnati.

5. NL Central
What’s to like: If you don’t enjoy watching the game’s best player (Albert Pujols) or the game’s best 1-2 rotation punch (Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright), there always are the Cubs. Watching them come up short is as much a part of Chicago summers as the August air show.

Don’t be surprised if: This is Dusty Baker’s last season managing in Cincinnati. The Reds have become a trendy pick to contend. If they don’t, general manager Walt Jocketty might not extend Baker’s contract.

Be surprised if: The Pirates finish with a winning record. They are trying to avoid their 18th consecutive losing season.

6. NL East
What’s to like: The Phillies are making a run at history. A division crown would be their fourth in a row, a feat they never have accomplished. They also are gunning to become the first NL team to win three consecutive pennants since the Cardinals in the early-1940s. If Brad Lidge returns to his 2008 form, this shouldn’t be much of a race.

Don’t be surprised if: The Braves win the wild card, a reachable goal in Bobby Cox’s final season.

Be surprised if: The Nationals lose 100 games for a third straight season. Stephen Strasburg and Chien-Ming Wang will join the rotation at some point.

Stan McNeal is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at smcneal@sportingnews.com.

Contract negotiations between the Red Sox and ace Josh Beckett have progressed enough that a deal could be reached in the next week or two, according to ESPN.

According to the report, the Red Sox have offered the righthander a guaranteed four-year deal comparable to the contract they gave free agent righthander John Lackey this past offseason. However, ESPN reported the Red Sox won’t guarantee a fifth season in talks with Beckett.

Beckett, the team’s opening night starter Sunday against the Yankees, is in the final season of the contract he signed in 2007.

Beckett, 30, went 17-6 with a 3.86 ERA in 32 starts last season and is 65-34 with a 4.05 ERA in four seasons with Boston. In eight postseason starts with the Red Sox, Beckett is 5-1 with a 3.88 ERA.

The only free agents the Marlins signed during the offseason received minor league contracts. Most of them, including Mike Lamb and Hector Luna, didn’t even play in the majors last season. Oh well, business as usual in South Florida.

But you should have learned by now, you don’t count out the Marlins. Besides their knack for finding bargains, they have one of the game’s best young rosters, which includes NL batting champion Hanley Ramirez, ace Josh Johnson and N.L. rookie of the year Chris Coghlan.

"Our goal is to always make the playoffs," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "I never look at the money thing. I always look at the player. Our people do a terrific job of getting good players."

Three questions

1. Who will man the corners?
Gonzalez said recently that if the season opened now, the Marlins would start Jorge Cantu at third base and Gaby Sanchez or Logan Morrison at first. But there is a month of exhibition games to be played, and they will determine who plays where on April 5 when the Marlins open at the Mets.

In addition to the competition at first, rookie third baseman Jorge Jimenez will get a look. Acquired via the Astros in the Rule 5 draft, Jimenez has the advantage of being a lefthanded hitter on a team lacking lefthanded hitters. If Sanchez and Morrison falter and Jimenez hits, he could end up at third with Cantu returning to first. There also is a chance the club could add a veteran, though pickings are becoming slim. (UPDATE: The Marlins sent Jimenez back to the Red Sox.)

The Marlins expect young Cameron Maybin to win the job in center field.

2. Has Cameron Maybin’s time arrived?
One of the game’s top prospects since being drafted 10th overall by Detroit in 2005, the 22-year-old enters spring training with the center field his job to lose. He got an opportunity at the start of 2009 but struck out 31 times in his first 84 at-bats and was sent to Class AAA.

Maybin made good use of his time in the minors and displayed improved discipline and pitch recognition in a September call-up. "When we sent him to Triple-A last year, he worked on his swing," Gonzalez said. "First thing you noticed (when he returned), he wasn’t swinging at the pitches at the dirt. He showed us that he had made some improvements."

3. Will the rotation be a strength?
This is certain: The Marlins’ rotation will be young (27-year-old Ricky Nolasco is the senior member) and tall (only 6-foot Anibal Sanchez measures in at less than 6-2 among the main candidates) and will include the same cast as last season. But there is no guarantee it will meet expectations. Excluding Johnson, six Marlins made at least 10 starts last season and, among them, only Sanchez (3.87) posted a sub-4.30 ERA.

Gonzalez said Johnson, Sanchez and Nolasco have secured places in the rotation, but at least five others have a shot at the fourth and fifth spots. Gonzalez added that a season of pitching in a playoff race should pay off in 2010. "Every game was a meaningful game for our starters," Gonzalez says. "I said last year, at worst case, staying in the race like we did would be great experience for the guys. There’s no other way to experience that than doing it."

Related Links

• Fantasy Source Marlins preview
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• Sporting News baseball yearbook

Projected lineup

1. LF Chris Coghlan. Led MLB in runs (54) and batting average (.372) after break.
2. CF Cameron Maybin. .319 average at AAA, .293 after call-up.
3. SS Hanley Ramirez. Leads NL in runs, hits since ’07.
4. 2B Dan Uggla. Averaged 31 HRs, 90 RBIs since ’07.
5. 3B Jorge Cantu. Only MLB player with 100 RBIs but fewer than 20 HRs.
6. RF Cody Ross. Just 34 BBs in 604 PAs in ’09.
7. C John Baker. Fourth-best OPS (.776) among N.L. catchers.
8. 1B Gaby Sanchez. .302/.392/.485 in 5 minor league seasons.

Projected rotation

Josh Johnson anchors the Florida rotation, but he needs more help.

1. RHP Josh Johnson. 209 IP in ’09; 103 IP from 2007-08.
2. RHP Ricky Nolasco. ERA shot from 3.52 to 5.06.
3. RHP Anibal Sanchez. Shoulder always a concern.
4. LHP Sean West. 4.79 ERA as rookie. (UPDATE: The Marlins optioned West to the minors.)
5. RHP Chris Volstad. Not a lock after posting 5.21 ERA.

Projected closer

RHP Leo Nunez. First-time closer was 26-of-33 in save chances.

Grades

Offense: A. Led by Ramirez, the Marlins ranked among the NL’s top five in runs, batting average and on-base percentage in 2009. Their lineup featured three players with 20-plus homers and returns virtually intact. Maybin’s development and the situation at first base are keys to further improvement.

Pitching C. The rotation is young and deep and features plenty of good arms, but it still ranked 10th in the NL with a 4.57 ERA. It is time for someone other than Johnson to emerge. The signing of Mike MacDougal, who was 20-for-21 in save chances after being traded to Washington last season, boosts an already solid bullpen. (UPDATE: The Marlins released MacDougal, who later re-signed with the Nationals.)

Bench: B. Emilio Bonifacio is as fast as anyone in the NL. and can play six positions. Wes Helms provides veteran stability and is a dangerous pinch hitter (17-for-49, .347). Jimenez could stick as a lefthanded bat off the bench. (UPDATE: The Marlins returned Jimenez to the Red Sox.)

Manager: B. The Marlins are known for overachieving, in no small part because Gonzalez knows how to put his players in position to succeed. He has had two winning seasons in his first three years with Florida, despite a payroll that annually ranks near the bottom.

Sporting News prediction: Questions about the Marlins’ rotation — coupled with improvement/better health from the Mets and a tough Braves staff — should knock Florida down a couple notches.

Coming Wednesday: Braves preview.

Stan McNeal is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at smcneal@sportingnews.com.