With Spring Training games beginning this week, position battles will heat up as players of the NL West will look to make the Opening Day roster. Here’s a look at some of the top battles in the NL West.
As the Giants look to have a rebound season, Bruce Bochy will keep his eye on Gregor Blanco and Michael Morse. The position battle for the Giants this spring will be for right field and these two will try to earn the starting job. As it stands now, Bochy plans to give Morse the majority of the starts with Blanco being a bench option. Luckily for Bochy, both players have value to the team and could create a great platoon option for Bochy.
Last season, Morse hit .215 with 13 homeruns and 27 RBI in 88 games. On the other hand, Blanco hit .265 with three homeruns and 41 RBI in 141 games. Morse was brought in to add some pop to the Giants lineup, which he has the capability of doing, but injury is a concern. There are also advantages to Blanco getting playing time such as his speedy play and defense.
The San Diego Padres have an abundance of outfielders who will battle for playing time. Cameron Maybin and Will Venable will battle for centerfield, while Chris Denorfia and Seth Smith will battle for playing time in right.
Due to Maybin’s injuries last year, he was only able to play in 14 games which allowed Venable to play center where he did very well. Last season, Venable hit .268 with 22 homeruns and 53 RBI.
Granted this is assuming Carlos Quentin will remain the starter in left field this year, but he too will have to prove his worth and earn a roster spot. In 82 games last year, Quentin hit .275 with 13 homeruns and 44 RBI. When healthy he’s a valuable asset to the club.
Smith and Denorfia are both valuable off the bench, and will create a nice platoon in right field. Last season Denorfia batted .279 with 10 homeruns and 47 RBI while Smith hit .253 with eight homeruns and 40 RBI. Denorfia played in 144 games while Smith only got playing time in 117 games.
The Los Angeles Dodgers also have some decisions to make when it comes to the outfield. They have four legitimate big name outfielders with only three spots to fill. Yasiel Puig is a no-brainer, and not someone they will be willing to deal. So, that leaves Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and Carl Crawford.
Crawford hit .283 with eight homeruns last year in 116 games and also had a nice postseason batting .310 with four homeruns and six RBI. Kemp has had some injury woes, but there’s no doubting he’s one of the best in the game when healthy. In 73 games, Kemp hit .270 with six homeruns and 33 RBI, but missed the postseason due to injury. The veteran Ethier played in the most games last year with 142. In those games, he batted .272 with 12 homeruns and 52 RBI.
The Dodgers have a star studded lineup and roster, making the outfield situation very difficult. All four of these players have a starters mentality and won’t necessarily take kindly to being benched, but there has to be an odd man out. Their spring training performance will be a factor in Don Mattingly’s final decision.