There are rumours that the Detroit Tigers offered up Rick Porcello to the San Diego Padres for Houston Street. Porcello has a good spring and is considered to be in contention for the 5th rotation spot on the Tigers, but the Tigers could use the increasing interest in Porcello to obtain a closer given some of the struggles of Bruce Rondon. Porcello is just 24 and has shown improvement over the last two seasons. Porcello could be a real sleeper this season and given his age and experince, there is real potential for upside this season.
Hand injuries seem to be a trend these days. Chase Headley and Hanley Ramirez will both start the season on the disabled list due to thumb injuries, and now Carlos Ruiz is on a similar path after being hit by a pitch in the hand the other day. Not that it really matters for Ruiz, who still has to serve a 25-game suspension (amphetamine related).
Jake Arrieta is considered to be the front-runner for Baltimore Orioles’ fifth rotation spot.
The Texas Rangers have announced that Matt Harrison will get the ball on opening night over Yu Darvish. Darvish has been dealing with a stiff neck, but I don’t think that should have affected the decisions. I would have given the ball to Darvish who looks set to cement himself as the ace of the Rangers rotation this season.
The Atlanta Braves are looking to platoon Juan Francisco and Chris Johnson at third base this season (or at least to start the season). Neither took the opportunity in spring training to grab Chipper Jones’ previous job, so Braves Manager Fredi Gonzalez will go with a platoon likely until one emerges to be the better player. Neither have real fantasy value given the platoon situation, but for those looking to replace Hanley and/or Headley might want to take a look at them.
With just over a week before the start of the MLB season, here are some things I’m looking forward to in 2013:
– Josh Hamilton’s return to Texas: MLB.com has an article about this, but to me it’ll be interesting to see how Hamilton deals with the return to Arlington. Hamilton’s career in Texas had many highlights (and lowlights) and to me the guy should appreciate everything the organization and the fans did for him but hearing the comments he has made about Texas fans during spring training makes me wonder why Hamilton seems so bitter at an organization that was so good to him and his career.
– John Farrell’s return to Toronto: When the Toronto Blue Jays take on the Boston Red Sox in their second series of the young MLB season, their former manager John Farrell will return to the Rogers’ Center and likely to a chorus of boos given his exit strategy. Farrell may just look across the diamond and wish he was managing the revamped Jays, instead of the Boston lineup he inherited. I really hope the Jays sweep this series and laugh Farrell out of the Rogers’ Center.
– Alex Rodriguez is 99 hits shy of 3,000…I wonder if the Yankee’s injured third baseman can make a comeback in 2013 to join the 3,000 hit club. Teammate Derek Jeter is 196 hits from joining the 3,500 hit club. I think both will be able to achieve these milestones this season.
– Albert Pujols needs just 25 home runs to join the 500 home run club.
– Houston Astros in the AL: This is just going to be a train wreck, but you gotta think it’s gonna be fun watching those AL West teams beat up on the Houston Astros this season. I don’t think the Astros will lose over 90 games, but they may come close.
– Mariano Rivera returns for his MLB farewell tour (again) that was cut short in 2012 due to injury. Rivera is a sure thing for the Baseball Hall of Fame, but he will also be remembered as the most dominant closer in baseball history.
– The Upton Reunion: I think playing on the same team is going to be huge for both B.J. and Justin. Both brothers will motivate each other to excel in the game, and this in turn could propel Jason Heyward to become the player he could be.
Last week I made a comment about my favorite sports podcast “Tim and Sid” from Sportsnet590. Wouldn’t you know it that the two managed to hog a bit of the media spotlight by conducting a brilliant and interesting interview with UFC fighter Nick Diaz. For those of you who missed it, find the podcast and listen to the interview. For those not listening to this podcast, I am now informing you that you are missing the best in “edutainment”.
I’ll leave today’s notes with a shoutout to my buddy, Matt B. in British Columbia, Canada. This guy has won three league titles in a keeper league I participate in, but unfortunately (for him) he might be relegated to having his team drafted via “auto draft” this coming season. I don’t think a league title is in the cards if you’re going to be autodrafting. Here is my early sympathy for the pain you will endure from having your team autodrafted.
Feel free to comment below. You can follow me on twitter @Tiltman1975 and don’t forget to follow the site – @LastWordOnSport while you are at it.
Interested in writing for LastWordOnSports? If so, check out our “Join Our Team” page to find out how.
