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Arizona

AN ALL RIGHT LEFTY: The talk of camp so far, at least among the surprises, has been lefthanded reliever Brian Shouse. With lefthanded relievers Greg Swindell and Brian Anderson already on the roster it would seem that fitting another lefty into the mix would be difficult, but Shouse has been so impressive so far that manager Buck Showalter is searching for a way to squeeze Shouse onto the roster if for no other reason than to make him a situational lefthander--to come in and get a tough lefthanded batter out in a key situation sometime in the fifth or sixth inning of a game. Shouse would fit into the type of role Baltimore's Jesse Orosco has or Graeme Lloyd had with the Yankees.

ALL THE TOOLS: Andy Fox is trying to make a move into the upper echelon of utility players. Fox, who played every position except pitcher and catcher in '98, is up for the challenge of perhaps the most demanding roles in the game. He has brought to spring training gloves for a first baseman, middle infielder, third baseman and outfielder. He also knows he can borrow one of Kelly Stinnett's or Damian Miller's catcher's mitts at a moment's notice. Says Showalter, "I look at him as a regular irregular." --Pedro Gomez

Atlanta

NO RELIEF: The news just keeps getting worse. Kerry Ligtenberg, whose 30 saves were the most by an N.L. rookie since Todd Worrell in 1986, was diagnosed with a partial tear of ligament in his right elbow and might be lost for the season. Ligtenberg will be re-examined next month and if the tear isn't serious, he could begin throwing again in four to six weeks. However, if the tear requires Tommy John surgery, he will miss the season.... The Braves figured within a year or two John Rocker would inherit the closer's job. But the future has been moved up because of Ligtenberg's injury. G.M. John Schuerholz says Rocker will be given an opportunity to earn the job, especially because the youngster has shown better control than he did at the end of last season.

THEY'RE COMING: The infield appears set for the next two years, but after that, the minor leagues need to start producing. There are two prospects who are close to being ready--1B Randall Simon and 3B Wes Helms. 2B Marcus Giles is near the head of the class among lower-level prospects. He was the MVP of the South Atlantic League last year after hitting .329, with 37 homers and 108 RBIs for Class A Macon. --Bill Zack

Chicago

KNOCK ON WOOD: In his first spring outing after suffering a sore elbow at the end of last season, RHP Kerry Wood had trouble finding the strike zone with his fastball but still said he felt good. Apparently, the wildness was more a sign of the elbow acting up again--he was scheduled to have an MRI examination on Monday. Wood threw with good velocity, but G.M. Ed Lynch says Wood later "felt significant discomfort." The Cubs hope there will be no significant ligament damage.... RHP Rod Beck, the bullpen ace, is battling leg and foot pains caused by a protruding disc in his back.

CATCHING ON: Manager Jim Riggleman says it's very possible the Cubs will carry three catchers, with Tyler Houston and Sandy Martinez backing up newcomer Benito Santiago. Last year, the Cubs were only able to throw out 43 of 163 runners trying to steal. Santiago should help increase that number-he's flashing signs of his old self, firing the ball behind runners at first base.... The pitching staff also should help thwart runners. RHP Jon Lieber has a quick delivery from the stretch, and RHP Steve Trachsel wants to take a more up-tempo approach to the plate. LHP Terry Mulholland still has one of the game's top pickoff moves. --Bruce Miles

Cincinnati

IT'LL START WITH THEM: No matter who leads off, the Reds know they'll need at least adequate offense from 2B Pokey Reese and CF Mike Cameron to thrive this season. Neither of the leadoff candidates has to be a .300 hitter. The team gladly will settle for .250-.260, because both players can use their speed once they get on base. The light hitting of Reese (.228 lifetime) and Cameron (.210 last year) is a concern. Though Reese is manager Jack McKeon's first choice to lead off, he's being pushed by Cameron, who has displayed some gap power.... In some ways, Jason Bere could be the key to the pitching staff. Depth is a quality the rotation appears to possess, and that assumption will become reality if Bere thrives as the No. 4 starter behind Pete Harnisch, Denny Neagle and Brett Tomko.

MORE POWER: Nobody doubts 1B Hal Morris' ability to hit--.306 lifetime batting average, including last year's .309 with Kansas City. However, his single-season high for homers is 16, and he hit only one in each of the past two seasons, spanning 805 at-bats. Instead of shuffling into the ball--moving his back foot as well as his front--Morris is more stationary, hoping this will help him hit for more power. --Chris Haft

Colorado

NOT FAST FORWARD: Chuck McElroy set a club record with 78 appearances last year, while going 6-4 with a 2.90 ERA. His ERA was 1.89 as late as September 12, but he gave up 11 hits and eight runs in 1 2/3 innings in his final five games. As he fired, his fastball became less effective. He says he didn't have the leg strength to push, resulting in his fastball being up. McElroy got by most of the season by locating his fastball and didn't have to use his forkball and slider that much. When he needed them, those pitches weren't there. He is throwing those breaking pitches more this spring and is trying to establish them because he knows his reputation among hitters is that of a fastball pitcher.