Spring Training Sunday

It's amazing how drastically player evaluations can change in the span of 12 months. One year ago, the Reds regarded Homer Bailey as their best pitching prospect--and one of the top five in the entire game. Meanwhile, scouts regarded Johnny Cueto as an undersized right-hander, often the kiss of death for a pitching prospect.
This spring, Bailey's stock has fallen so much that he's no longer a mortal lock to join Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo in the Reds' revamped rotation. Once mentioned in the same breath with the Phil Hughes and Clay Buchholzes of the world, Bailey has fallen out of the ranks of even the top ten pitching prospects in the game. In the meantime, Cueto has made scouts revise their reports on him with his brilliant pitching this spring. They're no longer focused on his 5'10" frame and chunky build, but on his climbing strikeout rates and shrinking walk numbers. Barring a collapse over the final two weeks of the spring, Cueto will be a part of Cincinnati's season-opening starting rotation...

The Cardinals are undergoing some serious internal debates over who should be their starting right fielder: Rule Five draftee Brian Barton or ancient veteran Juan Gonzalez, who is now battling an abdominal strain. Who are the Cardinals kidding here? They don't figure to contend in the improving NL Central, so why not go with Barton, a young player with tools who was the top prospect taken in Rule Five? (Hey, maybe they don't like Barton's long dreadlocks, which have made him a candidate for worst hair in the major leagues.) Within a year, Barton has a chance of becoming a productive starting outfielder on a team that needs outfield help like most teams need pitching. Within a year, Gonzalez has a chance of being retired--yet again...

Two non-roster players have moved closer to making the Yankees' Opening Day roster. Left-hander Billy Traber, who has been just about unhittable against left-handed bats, has now been added to the 40-man roster, filling the spot vacated by disabled right-hander Andrew Brackman. Traber's ability to handle left-handed bats, like that of the Red Sox' David Ortiz and the Rays' Carlos Pena, would be a welcome addition to the Yankees, who watched Mike Myers and Ron Villone flounder in that capacity last summer. And then there's Morgan Ensberg, who has been pounding out doubles on a daily basis and hitting over .300 while learning the subtleties of first base. Ensberg appears to be the favorite to win a spot as a platoon first baseman with either Jason Giambi or Wilson Betemit. If he does make the team (and it will take a monumental two-week collapse for him not to), Ensberg will wear No. 21, last worn by Yankee favorite and near-legend Paul O'Neill.