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A.L. West

Sporting News, The, April 15, 2005

LOS ANGELES ANGELS

Newly acquired RHP Bret Prinz will help round out the bullpen. RHPs Matt Hensley and Scott Dunn were frontrunners for a final relief spot, but both struggled; Hensley hurt his shoulder, and Dunn was sent to the minors. RHP Chris Bootcheck had emerged as another relief candidate but also was sent to the minors. Prinz can hit the mid-90s with his fastball and will be used in middle and long relief. ... Despite never having thrown in the majors, LHP Jake Woods, 23, also claimed a spot in the bullpen. He has a moving fastball but needs to learn how to change speeds with it. Woods also throws a big-breaking curve and a changeup, which needs improvement. SCOUTING REPORT: Robb Quinlan's best position is first base, but he'll replace Dallas McPherson at third until McPherson returns from a back injury. Quinlan lacks range at third but has good instincts and an adequate arm. At the plate, he doesn't have great power, but he is disciplined and knows how to make contact; he hit .344 last season. He has displayed a talent for situational hitting.--Mike Scarr

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OAKLAND ATHLETICS

OFs Charles Thomas and Bobby Kielty didn't exactly play lights-out this spring, but they might have shown enough for G.M. Billy Beane to pull the trigger on trading LF Eric Byrnes. The A's are carrying five outfielders and only one backup infielder (plus DH Erublel Durazo), and Beane and manager Ken Macha have said they wouldn't mind having someone who can play in the infield and outfield. Jermaine Clark could be a call-up option. ... Macha says he wants to use RHPs Keiichl Yabu and Huston Street only in "soft" situations early on. That could tax the other members of the bullpen. SCOUTING REPORT: CF Mark Kotsay isn't a prototypical leadoff hitter because he often hacks at the first pitch he sees, but since aborting his attempts early in 2004 to follow the A's philosophy of patience at the plate, he has been tremendous. He isn't extremely fast, but he's a smart baserunner who likes to challenge outfielders. And when someone challenges Kotsay's arm, the runner usually loses the battle.--Mychael Urban

SEATTLE MARINERS

You have to wonder how dependable LHP Eddie Guardado, the closer, will be. He missed most of the spring because of a hamstring injury and has had shoulder and knee problems in the past year. RHP JJ. Putz, who had a good camp, will have to be prepared to close. He's strictly a power pitcher; he has shelved his curveball and added a splitter. ... CF Jeremy Reed did a superb job of hitting behind RF Ichiro Suzuki in the spring, and Reed will bat second against fighthanded starters for now. That means he'll get more fastballs, which will benefit him. SCOUTING REPORT: DH Raul Ibanez set a franchise record for RBIs in spring training, a feat he credits to his complete focus at the plate. Given the productivity of the batters in front of him, Ibanez seldom had an at-bat without someone being in scoring position. He concentrated on the ball coming out of the pitcher's hand and hit the ball where it was pitched. Alter batting cleanup most of last season, Ibanez seems to fit better in the sixth spot.--Jim Street

TEXAS RANGERS

RHP Chris Young, who won a rotation spot in spring training, helped himself by working on a slider. Young had thrown a fastball, curveball and changeup but added the slider when a finger problem relating to a blister surfaced when he threw too many curves. ... RF Richard Hidalgo is concentrating on not striding forward too quickly with his left leg as he attacks pitches. Hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo noticed the flaw while watching videotapes of Hidalgo's 2004 season with the Astros and Mets. SCOUTING REPORT: SS Michael Young is shooting for a third consecutive season with 200plus hits, largely because of his ability to make adjustments from one at-bat to the next. If a pitcher gets Young out on a certain pitch, it's almost certain he'll process the information quickly and have a remedy the next time up. The quick adjustments have helped Young avoid prolonged slumps. In the field, Young positions himself smartly and is dependable. His sound fundamental base enabled him to make a smooth transition from second base to shortstop last season.--Robert Falkoff

A.L. West

Sporting News, The, April 15, 2005

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