Bartolo's in Beantown

American League East

Baltimore Orioles

Adam Jones is all but guaranteed to be the starting center fielder in Baltimore this season. Having spent the past two seasons at Triple-A, he should be ready to play every day at the big league level this year. He projects as a middle-of-the-order hitter with speed and power to the gaps, and he has the potential to be a 25 home run player every year. He hit 25 home runs and drove in 84 runs in 420 at-bats last season at Triple-A Tacoma. The former shortstop has also progressed into an excellent fielder as well.

Boston Red Sox

The recent shoulder setback to Curt Schilling has prompted the ball club to agree to sign veteran starting pitcher Bartolo Colon to a one-year minor league deal. The 2005 American League Cy Young Award Winner has suffered from some shoulder injuries of his own the past two seasons. Colon will not be projected to make the rotation at this point; consider him an insurance policy should anyone in the starting rotation sustain an injury.

New York Yankees

With all the publicity going to pitcher Joba Chamberlain, it is easy to forget about two of the other team's young pitchers, both of whom could land spots in the rotation: Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy. Hughes suffered a hamstring injury after his call-up last season, but he came back to finish strong, posting a 3-0 record with a 2.73 earned run average in September. Kennedy was strong in his short time in the big leagues as well. He pitched at four different levels of the organization last year, and had a 1.89 earned run average in 19 innings.

Tampa Bay Rays

The new closer for the Rays this season is Troy Percival. He was out of baseball for the better part of two years until the St. Louis Cardinals rescued him last season. Percival, 38, threw 40 innings, struck out 36 batters, and posted a 1.80 earned run average last year, so he is a welcomed addition to a bullpen that had an outrageous 6.16 earned run average in 2007.

Toronto Blue Jays

First baseman Lyle Overbay broke his right hand last June and is just now facing live pitching. He is pain-free and looking to rebound from a sub-par season. The team would like him to return to his 2006 form when he hit .312 with 22 home runs and 92 runs batted in. The Jays will be counting heavily on his bat for production, as he will likely be the only left-handed swinger in the 2008 lineup.

American League Central

Chicago White Sox

On Monday, the team agreed with closer Bobby Jenks to a one-year deal. The two sides have been talking of locking up Jenks to a long-term deal, but this short one will have to do for the time being. There is still time this spring to get a longer contract worked out, but the club has said it likely will not let negotiations go into the regular season. Jenks was dominant at times last season, one in which he tallied 40 saves and retired 41 consecutive batters during one stretch.

Cleveland Indians

The Indians essentially did nothing to improve the club this winter. They return the same lineup the Indians used throughout the American League Playoffs. Manager Eric Wedge will fill out his batting order that has very little speed without center fielder Grady Sizemore. If they are to return to the top of the division standings they will need a bounce back season from first baseman/designated hitter Travis Hafner; he hit only .266 last season and at one point lost his No. 3 spot in the order.

Detroit Tigers

Injured pitcher Joel Zumaya will begin throwing in a couple weeks. He hurt his shoulder when he was hurting moving boxes in an attic, and he will likely be out until at least July. The Tigers expect Zumaya will be able to regain full strength in his golden arm, one that once allowed him to throw fastballs as hard as 104 miles per hour. Whether he ever reaches that speed remains to be seen; the club just wants him back healthy as soon as possible.

Kansas City Royals

New Manager Trey Hillman is getting back to the basics this spring. The team is focusing a lot of time and energy on the finer points of the game, such as bunting, holding runners, the hit-and-run, and stolen bases. He would like to see his team manufacture runs rather than rely on the long ball. Hillman believes his form of small ball will play to the strengths of many players on his team, including Esteban German, Tony Pena, David DeJesus, and Joey Gathright, all of who are threats on the base paths.

Minnesota Twins

The club signed veteran free agent pitcher Livan Hernandez to a one-year, $5 million deal. He will bring stability to a rotation that was young and inexperienced. He brings the team leadership in the clubhouse and championship experience, not to mention a rubber arm that has thrown 666.2 innings over the past three seasons. He may try to paint the corners of the plate a little too much and walk a batter or two, but his ability to get out of jams is uncanny. He has the moxie this team needed.

American League West

Los Angeles Angels

The left side of the infield is a bit unclear, but the team will go with some combination of Chone Figgins, Maicer Izturis, and Erick Aybar. If the season opened today, they would likely go with Figgins and third base and Aybar at shortstop. Manager Mike Scioscia likes to bring Izturis off the bench because of his ability to play multiple positions and hit from both sides of the plate. Aybar may not be the offensive player Izturis is, but his defensive range and arm strength should put him over the top. Whoever wins the job will likely bat ninth in the lineup. Brandon Wood, he of the 43 home runs at High-A Rancho Cucamonga in 2005, will be in the mix for some playing time. Once a “can't-miss” prospect, the Angels consider Wood to be their third baseman of the future.

Oakland Athletics

In trading some of their big-name players this offseason, General Manager Billy Beane once again netted himself a couple of top shelf prospects. Outfielder Carlos Gonzalez will likely start in Triple-A Sacramento, but he will likely make it to the big league club at some point this season. The left-handed swinger projects as a power hitter who could hit 25 home runs and bat .300 in the near future, if he works on his plate discipline. Left-handed pitcher Gio Gonzalez will also make a splash in the majors very soon, with the possibility of making the opening day rotation. Last season the lanky Gonzalez led the entire minor leagues with 185 strikeouts.

Seattle Mariners

With the loss of Jose Guillen through free agency, the Mariners will need first baseman Richie Sexson to rebound from a sub par 2007 season and provide a more consistent source of power. He only hit 21 home runs and drove in a lousy 63 runs last season. Piling on, he batted just .205 and struck out 100 times while drawing only 51 walks. The team would like to see something in the neighborhood of a .260 batting average with at least 30 home runs, which is not out of the question.

Texas Rangers

When the Rangers traded for Josh Hamilton this offseason, they penciled him in as their everyday center fielder. The problem is that he may not be able to be counted upon to play an entire season. He certainly has the skill to be in the lineup for 162 games, but many people both inside and outside the organization wonder if his years of substance abuse will not allow him to stay healthy. Those four years may have taken a toll on his body to the point where it simply will not be able to sustain the wear and tear of a major league center fielder who plays with his type of aggressiveness.