The Weekend That Was

While most of the country focused its attention on NCAA basketball this past weekend, a few of us -- including those of you reading this blog -- remain locked in on MLB spring training.

So instead of filling out brackets and talking about Cinderella, people like us prepare draft lists and talk about guys like Mirabelli.

(OK...that's an awful line -- but you get what you pay for with this blog.)

Here are some observations from the weekend...

* Orioles starter Jaret Wright looked strong against the Washington Nationals on Friday, pitching two scoreless innings and striking out three while allowing just one hit. It's still too early to say for sure whether or not Wright will regain his 2004 form under pitching coach Leo Mazzone, but I think it's possible. Before jumping on the Wright bandwagon with both feet, though, I'd like to see how Wright looks when he gets stretched out to four or five innings in spring training.

* I turned on the Cubs-Padres game on Friday afternoon for just a little while, but in the short time I was watching I saw Alfonso Soriano misplay yet another ball in center field. Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a fly ball just over Soriano's head that went for a double in the second inning, but it was a ball that should have been caught. Kouzmanoff, by the way, later homered in the game and is hitting .353 (6-for-17) so far this spring with a .765 slugging percentage.

* So were you wondering how Adam Wainright's transition from World Series closer into 2007 starting pitcher was going? Here's an update: Wainright pitched 4 2/3 innings of shutout ball against the Orioles on Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, scattering five hits and a walk. Those five hits, by the way, were the first allowed by Wainright all spring. So far he has pitched 11 2/3 scoreless innings.

* The Daisuke Matsuzaka hype continues. (And, yes, I realize I have both contributed to and bought into this hype so far this spring.) But I found it interesting that the Orioles sent six regulars across Alligator Alley on Sunday to face Matsuzaka in Fort Myers. Matsuzaka was hit around a bit -- he allowed a pair of homers -- but the players who did the damage aren't exactly regulars: Jon Knott and Jason Dubois.

* What cracks me up about the Matsuzaka story is the latest tact taken by the media: suggesting that Matsuzaka is overhyped and that there is too much attention being paid to him this spring. Well, who exactly do you think created this hype? And who's paying so much attention? The media, perhaps?

* Has there ever been a player who has dropped off the face of the earth as quickly -- and completely -- as Javy Lopez? Think about it: just four years ago, a then-32-year-old Lopez hit .328 with 43 home runs and 109 RBI in his free agent season for the Atlanta Braves. Lopez signed on with Baltimore, where he his numbers declined in each of the next two seasons (.316-23-86 in 2004 and .278-15-49 in 2005.) The 2006 season was a disaster -- he was replaced by Ramon Hernandez in the Baltimore lineup...he failed miserably in an attempt to play first base in spring training...and he was sent to Boston after hitting .265 with 8 home runs and 31 RBI in just 76 games. With the Red Sox -- who were desperate for catching help at the time -- Lopez hit just .190 in 18 games before being shown the door. And now -- with three weeks to go in spring training -- Lopez has been released by the Colorado Rockies. What's amazing is that Lopez is still only 36 years old...but it seems as though his skills have declined to the point where he's truly 46.

* Here's a potential sleeper for late in NL-only drafts: Washington outfielder Chris Snelling. Snelling, the former Mariners' prospect, has battled injuries and has never quite developed into the player many expected. But he's hitting so far this spring: a .294 average (5-for-17) with a game-winning, three-run 8th-inning home run against the Mets earlier today. Snelling will clearly get a long look in Washington, as the team is not hiding the fact that 2007 is a year for evaluating talent.

More tomorrow...