Spring Round-Up: New Guys Coming Through

Quotes of the Day

• ''I thought he threw the ball good. It was a good step, the next step forward. The next time around he will probably go 75 or 90 (pitches) and we will see how he feels. I don't worry about the results. If he is healthy he will be on the rotation.''
  - Kirk Gibson
• "At the end of the day, it's better if you take the extra time and you're healthy down the stretch as opposed to playing Opening Day and blowing out. The goal is to be ready Opening Day still, without compromising (my health)."
  - Cody Ross
• "I think he just may have favored that a little bit. Kind of drifting on it and not putting a lot of pressure on it. He's very mechanical right now, thinking about his weight and where his hands go and swing path, so he's got a little too much on his mind.I just want him to be healthy and feeling good. I'm not worried about the other at all. I know he'll hit."
  - Kirk Gibson on Kubel's struggles

Positional Power Rankings

Fangraphs has recently put out their excellent positional rankings based on projected WAR for the 2013 season. Basically, we're only looking at this upcoming season and the output from each individual player expected to play in 2013. We'll start with the Catcher position today and continue on from there doing one summary per day.

#6 - Diamondbacks

There's not much not to like about Montero, who doesn't get the attention of a Posey or a Molina. For a catcher, he can hit for above-average power. He hasn't finished with a wOBA under .330 since 2007, his strikeout-to-walk ratios are acceptable, he throws out a lot of runner, and he frames. Montero is solid across the board, allowing him to be a star even though he doesn't have an outstanding skill. It's an open question as to who will actually be his backup, but it's of little significance; neither option is great, and neither option would stand to play that often. Because, by the way, Montero is durable, too.

Delgado's chance at 5th starter spot slipping?

After a shaky start against the Royals where Delgado gave up six runs on nine hits, including three home-runs, the pressure is on for Randall to perform in his final start this spring. Delgado had impressed enough in his previous two starts, allowing only two runs on nine hits in nine innings, that the competition appeared almost dead even. But with Patrick Corbin solidifying his place as the 5th starter with consistent starts, it may be a case of too little too late for the young pitcher.

Snakelets of the Day

• Remember when Daniel Hudson hurt his elbow last year? Well, Hudson must have had some flashbacks from the incident while catching a glimpse of a certain card this afternoon.

Thank @toppscards for using a close up of me right after my elbow blew out! Card will be around forever as a reminder! twitter.com/DHuddy41/statu…

— Daniel Hudson (@DHuddy41) March 24, 2013

• If you thought the Marlins were having trouble selling tickets last year, this year is another story. They've recently had to use Groupon as a way to sell tickets. As of right now over 150 tickets have been purchased, and with only a limited quantity available act fast before this opportunity passes you by!
• The Brewers on the other hand have a cool little ticket plan of their own. Check out the details below.
  For just $99, we'll give you a Bernie's Terrace ticket to 9 select Tuesday games at Miller Park. And, on Tuesday, April 30, you'll sit in Bernie's Terrace for the first game of the plan. When the Brewers win, you advance! Every time the Brewers win, you exchange your Bernie's Terrace ticket for the next game in the plan for just $2 to the next best seating area (see list below). You remain in that seat location until the Brewers win the next game in the plan. If the Brewers don't win, you simply exchange your Bernie's Terrace ticket at no cost for a seat in the same section where you last advanced — no backsliding. If the Brewers win the first 8 games in the plan, the 9th game would enable you the opportunity to sit in the Field Diamond Box!
• With over $88 million in payroll on the DL, the Yankees have accepted a trade to acquire Vernon Wells in order to bolster their weakened line-up. The Angels will cover everything except for $13 million which will be covered by the Yankees over the final 2 years of the deal. After being a non-factor since the trade from the Blue Jays two years ago, the Angels will gladly pay $29 million to get rid of him and allow their younger players more opportunities to play.
• Sunday's attendance for the D-Backs and Mariners was 12,864, which set a new single-game record at Salt River Field. It was the club's eighth straight sellout.