Clawing for Roster Spots

As Spring Training quietly wanes away and the candles begin to dim, a few guys are still brighter than ever and fighting emphatically to win their spot on the roster. It seems many of us have forgotten that this roster is far from set in stone, especially in the outfield, behind the plate and in the bullpen. Here's a quick run down of the production in these positions so far. Based on their performances, Yost shouldn't have too hard of a time.

Back-up Catcher:

Mike Rivera: .182/.231/.182
Eric Munson: .455/.500/.727
Vinny Rottino: .308/.308/.692

Okay, wow. Munson is just going off. Considering how awful he has been the last three years, you can't help but think he's acting quite out of character right now. He's got three doubles and eight walks already in only 19 plate appearances. Mike Rivera is playing himself out of a roster spot altogether. He had one solid year with the Crew two years ago, and though I still like him on this team, he needs to show Ned something. At this point, I'd be okay to toss him based solely on performance. Vinny Rottino has shown exceptional progress behind the plate after winter ball. He really needs to work the count a little more, but his slugging is healthy. A month ago I don't think I would put Munson on this roster, but if he continues to perform... you never know. That's the beauty of Spring Training.

Outfielders:

Tony Gwynn Jr: .333/.462/.667
Gabe Kapler: .333/.375/.476
Gabe Gross: .190/.320/.524
Ryan Braun: .333/.464/.810
Corey Hart: .241/.241/.345
Mike Cameron: .350/.500/.700

I'm very very encouraged by every one this group except for Corey Hart, who has yet to take a walk this Spring. I'm most encouraged by Gwynn, Braun and Cameron. Gwynn is showing that he can take a pitch, he can steal a base, and more importantly, he can slug at a pretty high rate without hitting HRs. ROY Ryan Braun has showed unbelievable patience this Spring, walking nine times in 30 plate appearances, though he has yet to try and steal a base. For a guy who said he wants to work on improving his OBP and pitch selection, it appears the work is paying off. I think the most impressive thing about Braun's numbers is the improved OBP combined with his sustained slugging percentage. You don't see a guys OPS surpass 1.200 very often even with this small sample size. Mike Cameron has been just as selective, which is a joy to see. Additionally, the new team is treating him well as far as his slugging goes. The most important thing for Mike though: 6 BB/ 1 SO. That's what I'm talking about.

The Bullpen?:

Chris Narveson: 1.00 ERA in 9.0 IP 7 K 5 BB
Carlos Villanueva: 1.80 ERA in 5.0 IP 3 K 3 BB
Randy Choate: 0.00 ERA in 4.0 IP 1 K 0 BB
Manny Parra: 1.00 ERA in 9.0 IP 8 K 1 BB
Claudio Vargas: 2.70 ERA in 9.0 IP 5 K 3 BB
Luis Pena: 0.00 ERA in 5.0 IP 4 K 3 BB
Zach Jackson: 0.00 ERA in 5.0 IP 3 K 1 BB
Dave Bush: 10.00 ERA in 9 IP 6 K 5 BB
Chris Capuano: 18.00 ERA in 4.0 IP 2 K 1 BB

Well, one thing is very clear. Manny Parra is out-pitching everyone. Will he get a roster spot? Yost keeps suggesting no, but I don't understand how you can't give the guy a legitimate shot. He's been lights out. He's healthy, and he's got the best stuff of anybody in that group. I wish Villanueva did, but he's more of a cerebral pitcher who uses location and off speed pitches to catch hitters off balance. Chris Narveson and Randy Choate are really putting the pressure on Vargas, Bush and Capuano. Vargas is the only one who hasn't folded yet and Cappy has a chance tomorrow to redeem his four horrendous innings. Narveson is the wild card as he has only one year of major league experience, but is finally healthy after some shoulder problems. Choate has pretty much been a 4A player in my book, with little deviations here and there, so it's hard to push for him. At the same time, Zach Jackson has proved himself to be a 4A player for quite some time, but he's pushing through right now in Spring Training. Maybe one more year in the minors will prepare him for a 5 spot in this rotation next year, or perhaps the long relief and spot start role. The biggest wild card is still Luis Pena who has been impressing scouts all over the place. He has a solid 1.00 WHIP, but a scary .57 GO/AO. But if his stuff is that good, you can't help wonder how far away he is and if guys like Mota are getting nervous they might get traded yet again, though Mota has been absolutely phenomenal this Spring (0.00 ERA in 4 IP 5 K 0 BB). Nevertheless, this kid might be major league ready. Suddenly, i feel like this team has depth in the minor league system, but not in AAA. They've all been hiding in AA-Huntsville like Joe Thatcher was for so long. The bullpen should figure to be quite interesting of trades occur and/or if the remaining guys don't perform.