Cleveland Sports Forum

PHOENIX --

Oakland outfielder Yoenis Cespedes participated in a simulated game on Wednesday afternoon, and had four hits -- including a home run -- in five at-bats, manager Bob Melvin said.

"I know he was pretty happy about it," Melvin said. "It was a real productive day for him, which moves us a little bit farther in the process. We'll look to do that again [on Thursday] if that's going on over there. And we'll see where we are this weekend."

Melvin said it was "reasonable" to expect Cespedes to make his Cactus League debut this weekend, if all goes well up until that point.

Cespedes has been participating in drills since he first took the field in Phoenix on Sunday, and the team is monitoring him offensively and defensively. Part of what Melvin and his staff want to see is how well Cespedes fields his outfield position.

"It's tough to tell, but certainly his foot speed is great and he moves around well," Melvin said. "But I haven't seen him go after enough balls to really get a read on how his defense will be.

<

PEORIA, Ariz. --

Pity poor John Baker, three days removed from a debilitating virus that kept him from the Padres' Spring Training facility and sapped him of his energy, leaving him to sleep 19 hours one night.

Pity poor John Baker, the Padres' starting catcher on Wednesday, because in his first game action of the spring -- merely looking to get his timing down against the Rangers -- he was instead left feeling every bit as overwhelmed as when the virus found him last weekend.

"I saw five different pitches in my at-bat ... that's something you don't usually see," Baker said. "I got a sinker, a cutter, a curveball and a [split-finger fastball]. You don't usually see that right off the bat for your first at-bat of Spring Training.

....."You look for things from guys: velocity, command, movement ... he showed all of those," Baker said. "I was impressed. It's tough to live up to the hype coming into something like this but at the same time, I feel like he is a front-of-the-line Major League starter."

...."He's good, man," said Padres second baseman Orlando Hudson, who doubled to right field in the first inning off Darvish. "That dude is big [6-foot-5], so you knew his fastball would be live. Good stuff, great poise. He knows what he's doing. That's a great thing."

....."It's a good combination of stuff. It looks like he's got a lot of different pitches. He's great for baseball, great for the Rangers," Darnell said.

....San Diego manager Bud Black, a former pitcher himself, said there was a lot to like about Darvish -- that he can throw a multitude of pitches for strikes and that he's able to repeat his delivery. "I have seen a little bit of video and he is as advertised," Black said.

Darvish shows he's coolest man in the room

By Richard Justice

PEORIA, Ariz. --

He carried himself like a veteran preparing for another meaningless opening spring game. Yu Darvish showed up to polish and fine-tune and to remember the bottom line wasn't all that important.

"He has pitched in big games," Rangers teammate Michael Young said. "This is two innings in a Cactus League game. He knows the difference. I don't think this is a big deal to him at all."

If 300 media members happened to show up with cameras and notebooks, and if they wanted to track everything he said and did and if the whole thing had a circus-like feel, that was perfectly fine, too.

"It's not the first time he had the media following him around," Rangers manager Ron Washington said.

Indeed, that's the thing that could make Darvish's adjustment to Major League Baseball easy. During seven seasons in Japan, he achieved rock-star status. He has been in the spotlight so long that he doesn't appear to be the least bit bothered by it.

"Some of the players were teasing me before the game," Darvish said through translator Joe Furukawa, the Rangers' Pacific Rim coordinator. "They said, 'You're probably nervous, aren't you?' I said, 'No, I'm not.' They still said, 'No, you are.'"

Yes, this was another continent and a better league and all of that. Still, he's 25 years old and has rarely failed at anything. Besides, pitching translates worldwide. He moved his fastball in and out, up and down, throwing it for a first-pitch strike to seven out of the eight hitters he faced in his debut for the Rangers.

In pitching exclusively from the stretch, he showed off an assortment of other pitches too, mixing in a curve here and a slider there, throwing them at different speeds, keeping hitters off balance and turning in two workmanlike shutout innings in a 6-2 Rangers victory over the Padres on Wednesday on a cool, windy, sun-splashed afternoon.

Afterward, Darvish said he was glad just to get on the mound and get this new season started. He was most pleased by two very nice defensive plays he made.

Meanwhile, the Rangers were happy that he allowed a leadoff double to Padres outfielder Will Venable in the second inning and still got out of the inning without allowing a run.

"You try to judge a lot of players on what happens when things don't go the way they want them to go," Washington said. "I never saw him lose his cool at all. He just kept coming. I'm happy for him he got it out of his system. Now he realizes it's just baseball. That's all it is."

Darvish took a 94-mph fastball to the mound in the opening inning. It was down to 91-92 mph in the second.

But for a first test, he passed with flying colors.

"Poise," Padres second baseman Orlando Hudson said. "This man is a long way from home. Coming from Japan, pitching in the States, the pressure from the media, that's a lot to live up to. He gives up a home run, it's going to be like, 'What's going on?'

"I can't imagine what that would be like, to have two countries watching everything you do. You root for those guys. Ichiro set a real high bar. He got about 900 hits. Now this guy, he has to win the Cy Young."

Only 2,910 fans were scattered around the Peoria Sports Complex for one of the most eagerly awaited debuts of Spring Training.

Give Darvish credit for something he seems well ahead of the curve on. While he has been erratic in some of his bullpen sessions, he has got the big league lingo down.

When asked about Venable leading off the second inning with a monstrous double high off the wall in center field, Darvish said, "Well, you know, with the dry air in Arizona and the wind blowing out, it kind of carried the ball pretty far today. To me, it didn't seem like it was hit very squarely."

In the other clubhouse, Venable had a slightly different take.

"Wow," he said. "I hit it good. Maybe his perception of reality isn't right on."

Two spring innings was the beginning of what the Rangers hope will be a long, productive relationship. They believe he'll be just fine in replacing C.J. Wilson in their rotation and backed it up with a six-year commitment that includes a $50 million posting fee and a $60 million contract.

"He fits in well," Young said. "He's a funny guy. He's trying to learn some Spanish. He makes an effort to talk to all the guys. He bounces around from guy to guy to try and get to know everybody. We expect that to continue as the season goes on. It's pretty easy to fit into our clubhouse -- just a really good group of guys."

After watching Cespedes for the past couple of seasons and Darvish in the Classic as well as a couple of televised games along the way, I think both have an above average shot at making it in the major leagues. They are both very good at what they do.

Part of what Melvin and his staff want to see is how well Cespedes fields his outfield position.

Shouldn't be any problems! He's a very good centerfielder with a strong arm.
CESPEDES WITH RAMIREZ

Yoenis Cespedes has first A's workout

Updated: March 4, 2012, 5:28 PM ETAssociated Press

PHOENIX --

After watching the YouTube promotional video of the five-tool outfielder with a sculpted body and freakish athleticism, the Oakland Athletics were eager to see Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes up close.

"He's finally here," catcher Kurt Suzuki said. "We hear about the potential and the tools and all that stuff. I'm not just excited to see him hit but excited to see him working out with the team."

Cespedes certainly didn't disappoint.

The 26-year-old Cespedes worked out with the Athletics for the first time Sunday. The slugging outfielder performed some agility drills to measure his vertical leap and took batting practice with Manny Ramirez and Cedric Hunter during a highly anticipated session in which he sprayed pitches to all fields and sent a couple of souvenirs over the walls.

He then shagged flies with Ramirez and signed autographs for fans on a day where there wasn't a spring training game at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, just a spectacle.

"I'm very happy to be here because I feel I'm very close to my dream to play in the big leagues," said Cespedes, who played in Cuba's top league for eight seasons before defecting in 2011 to the Dominican Republic with his mother, an aunt and four cousins.

He'll take batting practice and focus on defensive drills over the next week or so as he tries to get up to speed with his teammates who have been here for two weeks.

"I'll be ready in five or six days," he said.

Cespedes is projected to be ready for the majors right away, although the Athletics' truncated spring schedule may put a crimp in that. They depart Arizona on March 22 so they can open the season in Japan on March 28 against Seattle.

Cespedes' arrival gave manager Bob Melvin 16 outfielders that he has to find at-bats for during camp.

The biggest question facing the Athletics is whether Cespedes will play left field or replace Coco Crisp in center. Crisp has said he wants to stay put, but that's also Cespedes' natural position, and the Athletics will want to do anything they can to help him feel comfortable as he adjusts to a new country and a new level of competition.

"I'm willing to play wherever they ask me," Cespedes said.

Melvin said he'll have Cespedes do his drills from center field until he gets acclimated.

"It's not an issue right now," Athletics general manager Billy Beane said. "But I think ultimately what Bob's going to do is put the best center fielder in center field and the best left fielder in left field, whoever that may be."

Before Sunday, Melvin had only seen images of Cespedes.

"I saw some video," he said. "I saw the YouTube video, too. It was good."

Cespedes' reputation preceded him thanks to a 20-minute promotional video put out by his handlers that showcased his power at the plate and deft defense along with his 45-inch vertical box jump, 6.3-second speed in the 60-yard dash and 1,300-pound leg press.

"I mean, it's hard not to be impressed with some of the stuff," Beane said.

"The vertical I was a little more impressed with," said Melvin, who cringed a bit at the sight of Cespedes pushing stacks of weights with his legs as two young men stood atop the 1,000 pounds of iron plates.

The signing of Cespedes to a $36 million, four-year contract, the highest ever for a Cuban defector, is a real splash for a low-budget franchise that surprisingly outbid some big-spending clubs for the slugging outfielder who starred for Cuba in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, where he hit .458 with two home runs and five RBIs in six games.

"He's a physical specimen, he's got all the tools, and there's some potential," Suzuki said. "So, anytime you can add an athlete like that to any ballclub, it definitely brings some excitement."

"First of all, we thought he was a unique physical talent, strength, speed, we did have a lot of history from an amateur standpoint," Beane said. "And really to find a potentially center of the diamond player in the prime of his career, those players usually aren't available to us.

"Anytime you're putting out that type of money, it's a risk. But he is a pretty unique talent, you don't see guys like this come around too often."

After defecting from Cuba last fall, Cespedes trained with Edgar Mercedes, an agent and owner of the Born to Play baseball academy in the Dominican Republic.

"I've been working out for the last seven months. I feel I'm in very good shape and ready to take on this challenge," Cespedes said. "I feel I can make any adjustment I need to make to play in the big leagues."

He said he feels he can withstand the rigors of a 162-game season because he always felt plenty strong after his 90-game seasons in Cuba were over. "So, that gives me the confidence to face this challenge of playing a longer season."

As for acclimating to a new environment off the field, Beane said the Athletics will pair Cespedes with a mentor who will help him learn English and adjust to his new surroundings.

Already, Ramirez, with a locker next to Cespedes, has taken the newcomer under his wing.

"I already talked to him briefly this morning and he was very friendly with me, inviting me to work together this spring training and to spend some time in the cage talking about hitting," Cespedes said.
He brushed off the notion that his big contract will put pressure on him, saying, "All I know is I have to play regardless. I'm here to play baseball. I'm here to do my best, and to give 100 percent on the field regardless of the money."

He said he'd like to hit at least .280 but as far as power, all he had to say was, "I expect good numbers."

Cespedes and his agent, Adam Katz, declined to go into details of Cespedes' defection from Cuba.

Asked if he thinks he'll miss his homeland, Cespedes said, "I have family members in the Dominican and that gives me a chance to have good communication with them."

Amid all the buzz, one of his teammates wasn't excited to watch him hit Sunday.

"To tell you the truth, I don't really care about his BP," fellow outfielder Jonny Gomes said. "I've played long enough to see some of the best BP not make it out of A-ball, you know? But yeah, I'm just curious to see his talents and how they come over into the game."

Gomes said he knows all about being an outsider trying to fit in after playing winter ball in Mexico earlier in his career, so he said he expects Cespedes' adjustment to be more off the field than on it.

The stadium, he said, will be his sanctuary.

"At the end of the day, it's still baseball," Gomes said. "There's nine innings, six outs to an inning, and the home runs count."

A copy of that video is somewhere in the winter folder. No question about his being athletic. He's a stud. Only question remains is just how good of a major league ball player will he be.

Maybe kenm knows the answer to this:
Manny was caught a 2nd time using illegal substances, and so was suspended 100 games. Then he retired. He has served no games of this suspension. So why does he only have to serve 50 now?

The drug suspension was reduced from 100 games to 50 because he already sat out most of last season.

Ramirez chose not to serve the penalty this year, and his retirement was announced by MLB on April 8 after the commissioner's office said it notified him "of an issue" under the drug program. If he signs with a big league team this offseason, he will in effect have served a 206-game suspension -- the final 156 games of 2011 plus the first 50 of 2012.

PHOENIX --

Yoenis Cespedes seemed completely at ease from the moment he slipped into his new uniform Saturday afternoon.

There are so many things the A's just don't know about him and things they won't know for a long time as he adjusts to a new culture, new teammates and a new level of baseball.

In these first days of Spring Training, they've been blown away by his work ethic and intensity. At one point, Cespedes had to be ordered out of the batting cage as he pushed himself through round after round of batting practice.

Still, the A's just don't know how good he's going to be or how quickly he's going to help them. They believe he was worth a four-year, $36 million commitment because of his package of skills and his work ethic.

Beyond that, the whole thing is a leap of faith.

"We know less about this guy than anybody in camp," A's manager Bob Melvin said Saturday. "It's a huge question."

Melvin knows a bit more about him after watching him walk, single and homer in three plate appearances against the Reds on Saturday afternoon.

Melvin batted him second in the batting order and put him in center field. With Coco Crisp also on the roster, Cespedes may end up playing somewhere other than center, but those things will be figured out in the months ahead.

For one day, it was smiles all around.

When Melvin began to break down Cespedes' first game, he began with a first-inning walk off Reds starter Johnny Cueto.

"This is the day we were waiting for, to watch him in games," Melvin said. "There was a pretty bright spotlight on him today, so for him to be able to go up there and take a walk the first at-bat impressed me as much as the other at-bats. Certainly, they got better and better as it went along."

Yes, they got better. He grounded a single up the middle to drive in a run in his second at-bat, and then with two strikes on him in his third plate appearance, he fouled off three straight Jeff Francis offspeed pitches.

That's when Francis tried to get a fastball in on his hands. When the ball drifted back over the plate, Cespedes hit a booming home run to left field.

"Like good hitters do, they wait for a pitcher to make a mistake and fight off pitcher's pitches," Francis said. "He did a good job fouling them off. I don't think he put great swings on them, but I think he was off balance and did a good job fighting them off."

And?

"I messed up," Francis said. "He took advantage of it, and that's what good hitters do. He's a darn good athlete."

Later, Cespedes sat at a small table surrounded by reporters at one end of the A's clubhouse. With so many new things being thrown at him, this simply was one more, and he seemed curious about the whole thing as translator Ariel Prieto relayed the questions.

"He feels great," Prieto said. "He's happy, because he can see the results he had today. Makes him feel good."

The Reds said they used no scouting reports on Cespedes, but Cueto and Francis threw him a steady diet of changeups and breaking pitches. Cespedes responded by showing both plate discipline and power.

"It looked like he has some idea at home plate," Cueto said.

But it'll be a long time until anyone knows how good Cespedes can be. His outfield defense hasn't been great, but that could improve with work.

He's just 5-foot-10, but has big hands and a large lower body. Of the dozens of scouts who've seen him through the years, virtually all of them thought he was good enough to play in the Major Leagues.

Whether Cespedes will be an impact player or not is another matter.

"He doesn't want the fans to worry about him," Prieto said. "He'll do the best he can to show everybody what he has. He's going to try and be a better player here than he was in Cuba."

In many ways, Cespedes reminds me of Tony Gwynn as far as size is concerned. I think Cespedes is the better athlete between the two. If all goes well, he's going to be fun to watch.

Yu impressive even through adversity

Rangers right-hander rolls with punches after rocky outing

By Richard Justice | MLB.com Columnist | Archive

GOODYEAR, Ariz. --

Yu Darvish had almost zero command of his fastball and got frustrated a time or two. Afterward, he'd still done enough to leave a good impression on his new team.

"He'll be ready come April," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He's got good stuff."

Darvish showed off an array of nice secondary pitches and made a couple of terrific ones in key situations, getting one strikeout on a wicked split-finger and a double-play grounder on a slider.

His problem was that on a day when he couldn't get his 91-mph fastball in the strike zone, he kept throwing it. Some pitchers do this because they're stubborn. Some do it because they're confident they'll eventually find it. Some, though, do it because they have nothing else.

That's not the case with Darvish, and when it ended, his catcher, manager and bullpen coach talked up his offspeed stuff and how it was plenty good enough to carry him through a game.

All in all, though, the Rangers had to be pretty happy. They saw a 6-foot-5 25-year-old with nice velocity, plenty of poise and loads of confidence and stuff.

"His other pitches were as sharp as they can be," Rangers bullpen coach Andy Hawkins said. "His curveball was outstanding. He changes speeds with it. It's a quality curveball. He has a good idea how to command that pitch. His slider was sharp today."

Pitchers reveal so much of themselves on days when they don't have their best stuff, when they have to figure out a way to get by on what they have that game. Darvish got just 29 of his 61 pitches in the strike zone and allowed seven baserunners in three innings.

He retired six of the 13 hitters he faced and was bailed out of trouble in the first inning when catcher Yorvit Torrealba threw out two basestealers. He was about to be pulled in the third inning when he induced a double-play grounder from Shin-Soo Choo.

Overall, though, he finished three innings in his second spring start and allowed two runs. When it was over, the Rangers still believed in the approximately $112 million investment.

"When you're a quality pitcher, you find ways to do things, and he found a way to get his innings in with minimal damage," Washington said. "It's his second time, fellas. It's not like he's in game-ready form."

For his part, Darvish said it was one of those days. He said he didn't feel good from the moment he warmed up in the bullpen and joked that he might have given up 10 runs if someone other than Torrealba had been behind the plate.

"I think it was a positive step toward me getting ready for the season," Darvish said through interpreter Joe Furukawa. "Today, my command was way off. Several pitch situations where it could have been just an awful outing, I was able to battle and get out of there with two runs. I look at it as a positive outing."

Because he comes to Major League Baseball with so much hype and because the Rangers made such a huge investment in him, he makes news every time he takes the mound.

He told reporters that he had no particular goal these first two starts except to get his work in and prepare himself for his first regular-season start. Indeed, afterwards he seemed completely unfazed by it all.

To be thrown into a different league with different teammates and a different culture, he seems at ease with all the things being thrown at him. If it was any other starting pitcher struggling with his fastball, it wouldn't raise an eyebrow.

"I was off with my command today," he said. "I kind of struggled with my four-seam and two-seam fastballs. Not as much with my slider and curveball."

Down the hallway, the Indians offered a positive scouting report, saying Darvish showed off a nice arm and never seemed rattled by allowing seven baserunners.

"He's got good stuff," Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis said. "Good life on the fastball. He definitely looks comfortable out there on the mound. He looks like he's been there and is not bothered by the new situations or the new batters he's facing. The difference in speed between his offspeed and his fastball is a big thing. You're just off balance. You can't stay on a 75-mph curveball with a 96-mph fastball."

He was impressive in his first start because he had very good command of his fastball. He brought all his other tools to work in his second, and in a completely different way, he was still impressive.

Cespedes adjusting to life in Major Leagues

OF hitless in three at-bats against Brewers in Cactus League

By Jane Lee / MLB.com | 03/13/12 9:35 PM ET

PHOENIX --

Yoenis Cespedes stared down a good share of breaking balls without moving his bat an inch on Tuesday, but it's too early to verify the theory he can't hit them.

The Cuban outfielder, adjusting to several facets of his new life as ballplayer in the United States, is simply doing homework for now -- learning pitchers he's never before faced or even scouted, familiarizing himself with their repertoire and mechanics.

"The more he knows, the more confident he will be," manager Bob Melvin said. "He's got a plan every time he goes up there."

Cespedes' 0-for-3 day against the Brewers included two strikeout, and he hasn't picked up a hit since his Saturday debut, when he homered and singled. But after completing his sixth inning in center field on Tuesday, Cespedes confidently told reporters through translator Ariel Prieto that he feels comfortable and is learning to make adjustments.

While the pressure Cespedes to showcase his skills and how they translate to the big leagues, A's general manager Billy Beane says there's no rush to determine his readiness for Opening Day.

"He'll have good days and bad days," Beane said this week. "I don't know if there is any benefit in giving a daily evaluation. He's got a lot of physical talent, and it's fun watching him go up there each at-bat as we learn more about him."

On Tuesday, Cespedes found himself in the three-hole for the second time in as many starts, batting ahead of new mentor and friend Manny Ramirez. He first went down on strikes swinging, then looking, and ended his day at the plate with a sharp groundout to shortstop.

Cespedes noted he feels good physically and is ready to play a full nine innings, though Melvin is easing him into games, just as he does with any player on his club. The A's skipper liked what he saw of his new outfielder in center field and will soon have to determine whether it's best to keep him there and move incumbent Coco Crisp to left.

Melvin has yet to show any hint, though, on when that decision will be made, as the organization hasn't even committed an Opening Day roster spot to Cespedes.

"When it comes to the outfield, Bob will decide who's the best, what the best decision for each guy is and who are the best three at the positions," Beane said. "That's going to come down to putting the best defenders in the right place. It's not going to revolve around one person."

The A's are off Wednesday, and Melvin did not share his lineup for Thursday's meeting on the road with the Rangers. By then, the team will have just one week to go before its charter departs for Japan, where the A's are set to open the regular season with the Mariners on March 28.

Even then, the A's will still have plenty questions about Cespedes, who won't provide all the answers for weeks, months and possibly years.

"How we think he'll handle the Major Leagues and whether or not he'll be able to handle the first game of the year or the 10th game of the year, we just don't know," Beane said. "And I don't want to set any timetables or statistical goals for him to each. We'll just have a feel. If he can handle it up here, we'll make that decision."

Harper expected to play on Wednesday

By Bill Ladson / MLB.com | 03/13/12 10:51 PM ET

VIERA, Fla. --

Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper is expected to hit seventh in the lineup against the Braves on Wednesday evening in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

The way manager Davey Johnson was talking Tuesday, it's not a guarantee that Harper will play. Johnson said Harper must go through a full workout before Johnson makes it official.

Harper took batting practice before the game against the Tigers on Tuesday, and he later tried to convince Johnson to let him enter the game against the Tigers.

"Can't you read, you are not on the board," Johnson said he told Harper.

Harper has not been in the lineup for six consecutive days because of a tight left calf.

Johnson said he is going to give Harper every chance to become the Opening Day right fielder. Harper is 5-for-11 (.455) in four exhibition games.

Indians impressed with what Yu has to offer

GOODYEAR, Ariz. --

Three innings of spring pitching are hardly enough for the Indians to gauge whether Yu Darvish is poised to become baseball's next ace, but it at least provided Cleveland hitters with their first look at the Rangers starter's potential.

The large crowd on hand Tuesday for Darvish's outing at Goodyear Ballpark, where a significant throng of media convened as well to document his every move, also provided a nice break from the monotonous daily Spring Training routine.

"In Spring Training," Indians designated hitter Travis Hafner said with a smirk, "you can use a little excitement from time to time."

Darvish logged 61 pitches against the Indians, who saw a mix of the seven pitches the Japanese right-hander features. It was only a glimpse of his full arsenal, but it was enough for Cleveland to see why Darvish has created such a buzz, and why the Rangers spent -- between the posting bid and his six-year contract -- approximately $112 million over the winter to put him in a Texas uniform.

"He's got a good arm," Hafner said. "He throws a bunch of offspeed pitches -- mixes it up well. He does a good job of keeping you off-balance and locates well. He's a guy that comes with a lot of hype. I think there was definitely some excitement around the game."

Indians third baseman Jack Hannahan noted that Darvish was missing with his two-seam sinker, forcing the pitcher to turn to his four-seam fastball more often. When Hannahan stepped into the batter's box to lead off the third inning, Darvish had already issued two of his four walks on the afternoon.

Under the circumstances, Hannahan wanted to work into a count that would lead to a four-seamer, giving him a good opportunity to get a hit. Hannahan's plan worked, and the third baseman ripped a pitch into center field for a double. The Tribe then went on to scored two runs in the inning.

"I could see how he could be effective," Hannahan said, "if he's controlling that sinker and he's throwing that big, slow curveball. But in this league, it doesn't matter how hard you throw. If your fastball is straight, it's going to get hit. He's got that big, slow curveball that I think is going to keep guys off-balance and keep guys honest."

Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis, who struck out against Darvish in the second inning, said that curveball will likely be key for the pitcher.

"The difference in speed between his offspeed and fastball is a big thing," Kipnis said. "You're not going to get a barrel on a lot of balls ... because you're just off-balance. You can't stay on a 75 mph curveball with a 96 mph fastball."

Indians manager Manny Acta was quick to remind, though. that three innings in the spring is hardly enough to make an accurate assement.

"He's got good stuff," Acta said. "He's got a good fastball and he threw some sharp sliders today. Obviously, he's just getting in shape, so it's unfair to judge him on just one outing in Spring Training."

Worth giving Harper look in center field

Could be prospect's best chance to break camp with Nats

By Anthony Castrovince | MLB.com Columnist | Archive

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. --

The original lineup sheets handed out before Wednesday's game between the Nationals and Braves had Bryce Harper, making his return from a calf injury, listed as a right fielder.

Nothing strange about that. Harper is, after all, considered the Nats' right fielder of the future, what with that bazooka moonlighting as a right arm.

Except the lineup cards in question were incorrect. Washington manager Davey Johnson had actually penciled Harper in for center field.

And suddenly, just when Harper's odds of breaking camp with the Nats seemed in serious doubt, his bid to become a big leaguer just became a bit more complex and, perhaps, a bit more realistic.

"Outfield is still fairly new for Bryce," Johnson said of Harper, who converted from catcher after the Nats made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 Draft. "He's taken to it very well. But just because he's got a strong arm doesn't mean I have to just play him in right field."

No, it doesn't. And if Harper truly believes he's ready for prime time, he might as well stand up in the Nats' clubhouse and sing, "Look at me, I can be center field!"

Yes, right field is the predominant spot for strong-armed kids like Harper, but if your life depended on a prediction as to which guy could more seamlessly make the transition from right to center, who would you pick: the 19-year-old Harper, or the 32-year-old Jayson Werth?

Thought so.

"He's a gifted athlete," Johnson said of Harper. "As far as I'm concerned, anybody that can throw and run like he can should have experience at all the outfield positions."

By now, you know the storyline at play here. Johnson wants Harper on his Opening Day roster. He believes a club should break camp with its 25 best players, regardless of experience, and he firmly believes Harper is ready to contribute in a meaningful way.

The calf injury that held Harper up for a few days didn't help the kid's cause. But the beauty of being 19 is the ability to bounce back from such ailments pretty quickly, and Harper spent his entire time on the pine begging to get back on the field.

Now, when it comes to getting Harper on the field for Opening Day, there are serious financial ramifications in play that can't be ignored. As I've written before, the Nats would be wise to give Harper more Triple-A seasoning, not just for his own development (he's logged just 37 games above the Class A level, all at Double-A) but for their own future. As fans of the game, we may not like to hear about service time and arbitration clocks gumming up the timeline at which the game's premier prospects push their way toward the Major League scene, but such is a fact of life in front offices.

That said, the Nats have every expectation of contending in a loaded National League East this season, and they have a gaping hole in their outfield. Werth and Michael Morse are, if healthy, locked in, and the presumption has been that if Harper doesn't make the roster, Werth will stay in right and either Rick Ankiel or Roger Bernadina will man center. Werth, it has been assumed, will slide to center whenever Harper arrives.

Of course, it's not that simple.

For one, Ankiel, considered by some to be the favorite for the center-field spot, has been out all week because of hamstring tightness.

More to the point, Werth will be 33 this season, and the Nats are on the hook to pay him another $116 million through 2017. We can probably all agree that the Nats are not going to get $116 million worth of value out of Werth in that span, but if they move him to center at this juncture of his career and his body breaks down from the added wear and tear, they'll get less value out of him.

For now, Johnson said Werth "passed the test" (not exactly glowing praise, but praise enough) for his limited play in center field last year.

"But when you're putting a team together," Johnson said, "you like to take into consideration ... are you weakening two spots or just one?"

And if the Nats have both Werth and Harper in the lineup, it might make more sense for them to have Werth in a place where he's comfortable, because Harper's acclimation to the big leagues is going to be a big step no matter which position he plays.

Even with limited experience in center (he played center in 20 of his 108 games last year), Harper wouldn't have much competition for the title of "Greatest Center Fielder In Nationals History." From Brad Wilkerson on, it's been a gruesome group.

Again, the primary point here is that Harper is athletically gifted and 19. He is, therefore, malleable to the Nats' needs -- provided, of course, they're not asking him to make the double-play pivot or start throwing bullpen sessions.

Could Johnson envision Harper playing center field at the Major League level this season?

"I mean, I wrote him in the lineup [Wednesday], and he's in there," Johnson said. "I consider this the Major League level."

Exactly. Consider this Johnson's latest step in seeing if there's any way he can get Harper on his Opening Day lineup. And even if that doesn't work out because of that aforementioned service-time situation, consider this a distinct possibility for Harper's debut, whenever it happens to be.

Harper could well be the Nats' primary center fielder when all is said and done this season.

And when you consider the composition of this Nats roster, that could be the best place for him.

"Who knows what the configuration is going to be tomorrow, much less Opening Day and next season," Johnson said. "I'm just giving [the players] an opportunity to express their talent and see how far along they are."

Harper in center is worth a long look.

Archer's perseverance paying dividends

Strong second half has him phone call away from Majors

By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com | 03/14/12 6:12 PM ET

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. --

The typical reaction to being sent down to Minor League camp is disappointment, sometimes even anger. For Chris Archer, though, it was a welcomed move.

It's not that Archer, the Rays' No. 3 prospect and No. 74 on the overall Top 100, doesn't want to be on the big league pitching staff. That desire actually led to some serious struggles during the first half of the 2011 season. But Archer's a smart young man who realized the math on the Major League side didn't add up.

"We have a lot of guys in camp and you're not going to be able to get your innings in unless you go to Minor League camp," Archer explained after pitching two innings in a Triple-A game on Wednesday afternoon. "I was completely on board with that. I want to get work in. I want to get better, so hopefully at some point I can help out the team.

"They want us to be built up to six innings, around 100 pitches. There's no way nine or 10 starters could do that in big league camp, so I came down here to get some quality work in."

Archer knew heading into Spring Training he had no shot at breaking through one of the youngest and deepest rotations in baseball, so being sent down was a question of when and not if. But even with that depth, Archer knows first-hand that the Rays will call Triple-A Durham, his home to start 2012, when the need arises.

"You just watch and see how [Alex] Cobb, [Matt] Moore and even [Alexander] Torres got an opportunity at the end of last season," Archer said. "It excites you and lets you know that when you're ready, they'll give you an opportunity."

Archer thought he could be one of those guys the Rays called on in 2011. After coming over in the Matt Garza trade in January following a breakout season in the Cubs' system, Archer believed he could put himself in a position to help out in Tampa Bay at some point during the season.

Then he began the year in Double-A and immediately tried to pitch his way up the ladder with every offering. The results, needless to say, were somewhat disastrous. After the first two months of the season, Archer was looking at a 5.85 ERA, a .318 batting average against, a 1.85 WHIP and fairly battered ego. It wasn't living up to the trade that was the culprit, it was trying to earn a promotion that seemed to do him in.

"I think I was just trying to do too much," Archer admitted. "I got out of my character, out of my game plan. I tried to do too much to impress people and prove I was ready to advance. I let that carry on for two, two and a half months.

"I got a little ahead of myself and thought I could help the team last season at some point. I tried to hit every corner, throw nasty sliders and changeups, when in reality, I could hit more of the plate because my stuff plays in the zone pretty well."

Archer's stuff is plenty good enough, and to his credit, he got back to trusting it and turned things around last year. After those first two months, Archer had a 3.63 ERA for the remainder of the season to along with a .235 batting average against and an improved 1.48 WHIP.

"I think that shows Chris' character and the good intangibles that he has in how he handled last year," Rays farm director Mitch Lukevics said. "He comes in, new organization, highly publicized, everything is unfamiliar to him. He didn't get off to the best of starts, but as you saw, he got better as the season went on.

"It's not how you start, it's how you finish. It just tells you about Chris Archer, the person. You can get down in this game. You really have to fight through some of the tough times, because if the mental doesn't equal the physical, this game is even tougher. With Chris, he showed his mental capability to do what he needed to do to end up having a pretty good year."

Archer took that strong finish, which included two electric starts in Triple-A, with him into the offseason. He also took the adversity with him, and the 23-year-old is pretty certain that will only make him better in the future.

"I learned a lot from last season through my struggles," Archer said. "Whenever I get to a point where my delivery is a little off or mentally I'm a little off, I can just snap back and think, 'Where did I finish up last year? Where was my mindset last year? Where was my delivery last year?' I just use last year as a reference point as to when things aren't going how I want them to go."

The ability to more quickly adjust could prove important for Archer in 2012. He'll be part of a pretty deep Durham rotation that will include the aforementioned Cobb and Torres, all of whom will be waiting for the phone to ring. While some have seen Archer as a reliever, either long term because of command issues or short term in terms of being able to help sooner, Lukevics said the Rays are committed to developing him as a starter.

That's a vote of confidence Archer definitely appreciates. He's promised not to get too ahead of himself again in 2012, even as he inches closer to making the big leagues home for longer than his brief stint in camp. Even if others get the call ahead of him, he's grown to understand to trust in the Rays' process.

"I think it's all about big-picture thinking," Archer explained. "If you think short term and think about this season or next season, you can get caught up a little bit. If you look five, six years down the road, they know what they're doing. If it's an extra half-season or season in the Minor Leagues, you know your best interests are in their minds. It's best just to roll with it, because they definitely know what they're doing."