3/7 Cactus League Recap

The Kansas City Royals had been red hot this spring.  Kansas City had won 11 games in a row since tying their spring opener against Texas.  While most fans do not pay attention to spring baseball, those of us who do were wondering who would be responsible for handing the Royals their first loss, if anyone.

But I am not sure that any of us had Seattle in mind when we were making guesses, and I can assure you that no one would have imagined Mariners minor league prospect Stefen Romero going 4-5 at the plate with seven RBI to lead Seattle to the win.

Romero launched two bombs, a three run home run and then a grand slam to collect his seven RBI on Thursday.  Even more impressive is that Romero is a second baseman, a position not known to produce seven RBI games.

Romero is a 24-year old who went to college at Oregon State.  He had 10 at-bats for the Mariners in Spring Training during the 2012 season, collecting five hits.  Romero played 116 games in the minor leagues in 2012, launching 23 home runs and driving in 101 runs.  And if you think Romero is just a power hitter, you would be wrong, as Romero hit .352 last season and stole 12 bases in 17 attempts.

In just his third professional season, Romero could be found in the Mariners lineup later this season, but with Seattle having hopes of contending for a division title, do not expect to see him unless things go south for the team.  Romero should be competing for a starting job in 2014.


Scores from Thursday:

L.A. Angels 12, San Diego 3
Milwaukee 4, Arizona 3
Chicago White Sox 8, Chicago Cubs 3
Seattle (SS) 12, Kansas City 2
Oakland 7, Seattle (SS) 3
Cleveland 6, San Francisco 4


Notes from Thursday:
The Angels got three run home runs from Taylor Lindsey and Travis Witherspoon to go along with a two run shot from Chris Iannetta to rout the Padres, 12-3.  C.J. Wilson started for the Angels, pitching three innings and allowing one run on six hits.  San Diego got a 2-3 performance from Chase Headley and three innings from starting pitcher Freddy Garcia.  Garcia allowed three runs on three hits, including two home runs.  Garcia is now 0-2 on the spring with a 13.50 ERA.  Alex Gonzalez hit a two run home run, his first of the spring, and Khristopher Davis hit another, his third of the spring, as the Brewers squeaked by Arizona, 4-3.  Eric Chavez gave the Diamondbacks a two run home run of his own.  Wade Miley started for Arizona, throwing two scoreless innings and striking out two.  The White Sox got a two run home run from Adam Dunn and a pair of solo shots from Paul Konerko to get by their crosstown rival Cubs, 8-3.  Christian Villanueva had a two run shot for the Cubs in the loss.  Seattle, as mentioned above, got two home runs and seven RBI from Stefen Romero to go along with four RBI from Casper Wells in their 12-2 win over the Royals.  Wells went 2-5 at the plate, launching a three run shot and a double in the win.  Felix Hernandez pitching two innings for Seattle, allowing one run on two hits.  Guillermo Moscoso pitched the third inning for the Royals, giving up five runs on four hits and two walks.  Oakland got a two run home run from new infield candidate Jed Lowrie in their 7-3 win over a split squad Seattle team.  Robert Andino hit a solo home run for the Mariners in the loss.  And finally, Cleveland got big contributions from their new veterans, as Nick Swisher went 2-3 with a three run homer, his third of the spring, and Jason Giambi hit a solo home run, his first.  Ryan Raburn also contributed, going 2-2 at the plate with two RBI.  Ubaldo Jimenez pitched four innings allowing a run on three hits in the win over the Giants.  Hunter Pence and Brandon Belt each drove in two runs for the Giants in the loss.

3/7 Grapefruit League Recap

The Minnesota Twins turned heads this off-season, not because they were aggressive in pursuing the top free agents, which they weren't.  They did not turn heads by firing their manager or trading for a big name player.

Instead, the Twins were turning heads because they traded not just one, but two high quality center fielders in Denard Span (Washington) and Ben Revere (Philadelphia).  The Twins traded away Span first, which led Twins fans, as well as baseball analysts to believe that Minnesota felt as if it were time to give Ben Revere the full-time job in the middle of their outfield.  But then Minnesota traded Revere to Philadelphia in exchange for starting pitcher Vance Worley.  The head scratching began almost immediately on talk radio, and wondering who in Minneapolis had lost their mind.

But apparently the Twins brass knew exactly who their man was in center field, and they deserve credit for pulling the trigger on two moves before their leverage was gone.  Aaron Hicks has exploded on to the scene this spring, including a monster day on Thursday in which Hicks went 4-5 at the plate with three home runs and six total RBI.

Hicks began his professional career in rookie ball back in 2008, and this is his third spring training with the Twins major league camp.  Hicks saw five plate appearances during the 2011 and 2012 Grapefruit League, but has become the leading candidate for Minnesota's center field job and possibly their lead-off spot in the lineup.  Hicks has 11 hits in just 27 at-bats this spring, good for a .407 average.

During the 2012 season, Hicks played in 129 games at the Double-A level, hitting a career high 13 home runs and 11 triples, while batting .286 for the season, his highest average since he hit .318 in rookie ball in 2008.  Hicks was also 32 of 43 on stolen base attempts.  With a team full of aging stars, Twins fans can get excited about another young prospect on the horizon that could end up as the face of the franchise.


Scores from Thursday:

Boston 12, Minnesota (SS) 5
Minnesota (SS) 10, Philadelphia 6
St. Louis 7, N.Y. Yankees 6
Tampa Bay 4, Pittsburgh 2
Baltimore 11, Toronto 10
Houston 4, Washington 2
N.Y. Mets 4, Miami 1
Detroit 9, Atlanta 2


Notes from Thursday:
Boston got a big day from the right side of their infield, as second baseman Dustin Pedroia went 2-4 with two RBI and Mike Napoli went 2-3 at the plate with a three run home run.  The Red Sox got three scoreless innings from Clay Buchholz, as he recorded four strikeouts.  The new closer for Boston, Joel Hanrahan, struggled again on Thursday, allowing four hits and four runs in just 1/3 of an inning.  Ray Olmedo went 1-3 with two RBI in the loss for a split squad Minnesota team in the 12-5 loss to Boston.  The rest of the Twins were taking on the Phillies, and they got to see quite the show from Aaron Hicks.  Hicks launched three long balls and had six RBI in a 4-5 performance at the plate.  Michael Young was 2-3 for the Phillies in the loss.  The Cardinals got a solo home run from Pete Kozma and two run homers from Daniel Descalso and Kolten Wong as the Cardinals edged out the Yankees, 7-6.  Jason Motte pitched one inning for the Cardinals, allowing one run on one hit and a walk.  Motte has a spring ERA of 11.25.  Ivan Nova, who is competing for a spot in the Yankees rotation, gave up three hits and one run while striking out two hitters in three innings of work.  Tim Beckham had an RBI double for the Rays in their 4-2 win over Pittsburgh, and Alex Cobb pitched four shutout innings while striking out five Pirates hitters.  Pittsburgh got an RBI double from Russell Martin in the loss.  Ryan Flaherty gave the Orioles a three run home run to go along with a solo shot from Nolan Reimold to help Baltimore to an 11-10 win over Toronto.  Toronto got a pair of RBI from Melky Cabrera and Jim Negrych in the loss.  Mark Buehrle went two innings for the Blue Jays, giving up one run on two hits and walking three Orioles hitters.  Houston got a pair of RBI from backup catcher Jason Castro and an RBI from Rick Ankiel, who is looking to break camp with the team in their 4-2 win over the Nationals.  Philip Humber started for the Astros, pitching four shutout innings.  Michael Taylor knocked in the only two runs for Washington in the loss, and the Nationals got three shutout innings from Gio Gonzalez.  Matthew den Dekker, one of a multitude of options in the Mets outfield, launched a solo home run as part of a 2-3 performance in the Mets 4-1 win over Miami.  Matt Harvey started for New York, going 4 1/3 innings without allowing a hit and striking out five.  J.T. Realmuto hit a solo home run as the only score for the Marlins in the loss.  And finally, Detroit got a two-RBI double from their top prospect Nick Castellanos in their 9-2 win against Atlanta.  The Tigers also got a pair of RBI from Danny Worth, who was 3-3, and Bryan Holaday, who was 2-2.  Drew Smyly pitched four scoreless innings for the Tigers, as he continues to force himself into the Tigers Opening Day rotation.  Juan Francisco hit a solo home run for Atlanta in the loss.

Spring Training Game 14: Rangers (4-7-2) vs. Brewers (6-6)

Jeff Beliveau (0-0, 0.00)

vs.

Tyler Thornburg (0-1, 9.00)

Spring Training Game 14: Rangers (4-7-2) at Brewers (6-6) - 2:05 pm CT

Texas will travel to Maryvale Baseball Park on Friday to take on the Milwaukee Brewers for the first time this spring.  Milwaukee has been hit hard due to players participating in the World Baseball Classic, as a dozen different Brewers are gone from camp playing for their country.

The Rangers will start Jeff Beliveau on the hill against the Brewers.  Beliveau is competing for a spot in the Rangers bullpen to open the 2013 season.  Beliveau has not started this spring, but has pitched an inning in three different games, allowing no runs and recording three strikeouts.

Milwaukee will counter with prospect Tyler Thornburg, who has an 0-1 record this spring and has a 9.00 spring ERA.  Thornburg has pitched in two games and logged four innings of work.  He has recorded two strikeouts in his two appearances during Cactus League play.

Other Spring Training Action Today:

Grapefruit League

Atlanta (SS) at Houston (6-5), 12:05 pm CT

N.Y. Yankees (3-9) at Miami (4-5), 12:05 pm CT

N.Y. Mets (3-5) at Detroit (7-6), 12:05 pm CT
Philadelphia (6-6) at Tampa Bay (9-4), 12:05 pm CT

St. Louis (6-5) at Washington (5-5), 12:05 pm CT
Toronto (5-7) at Atlanta (SS), 12:05 pm CT

Baltimore (8-2) at Pittsburgh (4-8), 6:05 pm CT
Minnesota (7-6) at Boston (7-6), 6:05 pm CT

Cactus League

Arizona (5-7) at L.A. Angels (3-8), 2:05 pm CT
Cleveland (10-5) at Kansas City (SS), 2:05 pm CT

L.A. Dodgers (SS) at San Francisco (4-6), 2:05 pm CT
Oakland (6-6) at Seattle (11-3), 2:05 pm CT

San Diego (7-7) at Chicago White Sox (6-3), 2:05 pm CT

Chicago Cubs (5-9) at Cincinnati (SS), 8:05 pm CT

Cincinnati (SS) at L.A. Dodgers (SS), 8:05 pm CT

Kansas City (SS) at Colorado (6-5), 8:10 pm CT

3/7 Rangers Recap: Texas 11, L.A. Dodgers 11

If you are like many Rangers fans, including this one, you have a genuine concern about the Rangers bullpen and who is going to be able to get people out when the starters leave the game each night.  And while I have openly criticized more than a couple of guys who are competing for bullpen spots this spring, there is one guy who continues to get people out and keep runs off of the opponents side of the scoreboard.

Joe Ortiz is a 22-year old left handed pitcher from Venezuela who is entering his seventh season of professional baseball in the United States.  Ortiz pitched in one Spring Training game for the Rangers back in 2011, but until this season had not seen extensive time in big league camp.  Ortiz split the 2012 season between the Rangers Double-A team in Frisco and their Triple-A affiliate in Round Rock.  He appeared in a total of 51 games, earning a 2-3 record out of the bullpen with an astonishing 2.15 ERA for the second consecutive season.  In 62 2/3 innings of work in 2012, Ortiz had 52 strikeouts and only walked nine hitters.

Considering the issues that the Rangers are having in their bullpen this spring, do not be surprised if Joe Ortiz is one of the left-handed guys out in the Texas bullpen to start the season.  If Robbie Ross were to somehow win the final spot in the Rangers rotation, it would almost guarantee a spot in the bullpen for Ortiz.  Regardless of what Ross does, Ortiz has shown that he at least deserves a chance to help the Rangers bridge from the rotation to Joe Nathan in the ninth inning.

Ortiz pitched another scoreless inning on Thursday, his fifth of the spring.  Ortiz has only allowed two hits in those five innings, one each against the White Sox and Diamondbacks.  He has registered five strikeouts and no walks in his five appearances this spring, and has thrown 27 strikes out of 32 total pitches.

Game Recap:

The Rangers fell behind the Dodgers early on Thursday, as Randy Wells gave up a run-scoring double to Jeremy Moore in the first inning to give Los Angeles in the bottom of the first inning.  The Dodgers extended that lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the third inning when Ramon Castro launched a solo shot off of Wells before Yasiel Puig singled to score Dee Gordon in the same inning to give the Dodgers a three run lead.

Texas answered back in the top of the fourth inning when A.J. Pierzynski reached base on an error by Alfredo Amezaga, which allowed David Murphy to score for the Rangers first run.  Leonys Martin hit a sacrifice fly later in the inning to score Jeff Baker, which cut the Dodgers lead down to 3-2.

Wells pitched a scoreless fourth inning, his final of the afternoon.  Wells finished with four innings of work, giving up three runs on six hits.  He struck out three Dodgers and walked one.

The Rangers took a big lead in the top of the fifth inning, thanks to a David Murphy double to score Craig Gentry and then a two run home run by Adrian Beltre, his first of the spring, to give Texas a 5-3 lead.  Texas was not done, as Leonys Martin hit a two run single to score Jeff Baker and A.J. Pierzynski, giving Texas a 7-3 lead after the top of the fifth inning.

The Dodgers answered back quickly, as Elian Herrera doubled to center field to score Yasiel Puig and then Tim Federowicz singled to left field to score Herrera, cutting the Texas lead down to 7-5.  Those two runs came against Joe Nathan of the Rangers, who pitched just the one inning, but allowed two runs on three hits. Nathan has a spring ERA of 9.00 entering play on Friday.

Texas added to their lead in the seventh inning, as Konrad Schmidt launched a two run bomb to left field to score himself and Jeff Baker.  The Rangers had a 9-5 lead, but they would not have that comfortable margin for long.

Los Angeles got a run scoring double from Brian Barden against Evan Meek to cut the lead to 9-6 before Wilkin Castillo and Matt Angle had RBI singles of their own.  Evan Meek gave up a total of three runs in just 2/3 innings of work, allowing three runs on four hits, and leaving the Rangers lead at 9-8.  Ross Wolf came in for Meek to record the last out of the inning.

Nate Robertson worked a scoreless eighth inning on the mound for Texas before the Rangers added two runs in the top of the ninth when Jim Adduci recorded his second triple of the spring, which scored Brett Nicholas and Konrad Schmidt, and gave Texas an 11-8 lead.

Texas turned to Josh Lindblom to close out the game in the bottom of the night, but he was unable to hold on to the lead.  Lindblom gave up a three run home run to Matt Angle, which tied the game at 11-11.  As is the usual in the spring, the teams decided not to play extra innings, and the final score remained tied.

Offensively for Texas, David Murphy and Jeff Baker each recorded two hits on the afternoon.  Murphy finished 2-4 with a double and an RBI, while Baker went 2-3 on the day with a walk and three runs scored. Adrian Beltre finished 1-4 on the afternoon, with his one hit being the two run homer in the fifth inning.  A.J. Pierzynski, Mitch Moreland and Leonys Martin each had a hit in their starts for Texas, with Martin recording three RBI.  Jurickson Profar, Ian Kinsler and Craig Gentry each went without a hit after getting starts on Thursday.

Yangervis Solarte finished the game with a hit in two at-bats after replacing Kinsler, while Brett Nicholas earned a hit in his first spring at-bat for Texas after he replaced Jeff Baker as the designated hitter.  Konrad Schmidt finished 1-2 with a two run bomb and Jim Adduci finished 1-1 at the dish with his two RBI triple.

Randy Wells had a rocky performance in his start, allowing three runs on six hits in four innings of work.  Joe  Nathan and Evan Meek each struggled in their relief appearances as well.  Joe Ortiz and Nate Robertson were the bright spots on the mound, each pitching a scoreless inning for the Rangers without allowing a hit or a walk.

Next Up: Texas will travel to Maryvale Baseball Park to take on the Milwaukee Brewers.  Texas will start bullpen candidate Jeff Beliveau on the mound.  Beliveau has pitched three innings this spring and has not allowed a run and has two strikeouts.  Milwaukee will start Tyler Thornburg against the Rangers, who is 0-1 this spring with a 9.00 ERA in four innings of work.

3/6 Cactus League Recap

With all the talk I have done about the Kansas City Royals this spring, including features on Wade Davis and Eric Hosmer, perhaps the guy getting overlooked is Alex Gordon.

Gordon hit .294 with 12 home runs and 74 RBI during the 2012 season and won his second consecutive Gold Glove award.  So far this spring, Gordon has continued his hot streak, hitting .524 during Cactus League play.

On Wednesday, Gordon launched a grand slam for his second bomb of the spring, and also doubled as part of a 3-4 day at the dish.

Gordon broke into the majors back in 2007, and has played only for the Royals in his six major league seasons.  Gordon hit a career high 23 home runs and 87 RBI during the 2011 season.

I feel like I have said this before (because I have, about other guys), but if Gordon can duplicate his power numbers and hit for a higher average, he could help Kansas City compete for a Wild Card spot in the American League, or possibly even the American League Central.

Scores from Wednesday:

Cleveland 4, L.A. Dodgers 0
Milwaukee 7, Seattle 6
Kansas City 8, Arizona 1

Notes from Wednesday:
Jason Giambi went 1-2 at the plate for the Indians and drove in two runs as Cleveland knocked off the Dodgers, 4-0.  Justin Masterson started for the Indians, pitching four innings of scoreless baseball, allowing three hits and recording three strikeouts.  Hyun-Jin Ryu got the start for the Dodgers, pitching three innings, striking out five and allowing two runs on three hits.  Milwaukee got a pair of RBI from Donnie Murphy and a two run home run from Khristopher Davis in a 2-3 performance to knock off Seattle, 7-6.  Rickie Weeks went 3-3 for the Brewers as well.  Seattle got a solo home run from Michael Morse and a two run homer from Kendry Morales in the loss.  Kansas City won yet again, still undefeated for the spring, 8-1 over the Diamondbacks.  James Shields pitched three innings for the Royals, allowing just three hits and no runs and recording two strikeouts.  Kila Ka'aihue, a former Royal, went 2-2 with the lone RBI for Arizona.

3/6 Grapefruit League Recap

The Cardinals have quietly, or not so quietly, depending on how you see it, become one of the best teams in the major leagues.  After winning the World Series in 2011, they reached the National League Championship Series in 2012 before falling to San Francisco.

One of the keys to their success has been their star left fielder, Matt Holliday.  Holliday, who is 33, has been a member of the Cardinals since the 2010 season when he signed with the club after spending his entire career with Colorado until being traded to Oakland during the 2009 season.  Holliday has driven in over 100 runs in two of the three seasons with St. Louis, with the only exception being in 2011 when Holliday only played in 124 games and drove in 75 runs.

Holliday has gotten off to a slow start this spring, only hitting .214, but hit his second homer of the Grapefruit League, a two run shot, in the Cardinals 7-2 win over Miami on Wednesday.  If Holliday can stay healthy, the Cardinals will feature a power-packed lineup that will also include Carlos Beltran, Allen Craig and Yadier Molina, as well as David Freese.



Scores from Wednesday:

St. Louis 7, Miami 2
Detroit 4, Toronto 1
Philadelphia 6, Washington 3
Pittsburgh 9, Boston 3

Notes from Wednesday:
St. Louis got a two run home run from Matt Holliday to go along with a two run homer and a double from Oscar Taveras, who finished the game 2-3 with a pair of RBI.  Jake Westbrook pitched three innings in the game, allowing one run on four hits and striking out two Marlins.  Donovan Solano went 2-3 with an RBI for the Marlins in the loss.  Detroit got a solo home run from Torii Hunter, his only hit of the game, and two RBI from Bryan Holaday to beat Toronto, 4-1.  Justin Verlander went four innings for Detroit, allowing just one hit and no runs while recording three strikeouts.  Jim Negrych went 1-1 with a solo shot for the Blue Jays.  Michael Young and Ryan Howard each went 1-3 with an RBI, while Laynce Nix went 1-3 with two RBI for the Phillies in their 6-3 win over the Nationals.  Roy Halladay started for the Phillies, going four innings and giving up just two hits and no runs with two strikeouts.  Stephen Strasburg was the starter for Washington, striking out six Phillies in 3 2/3 innings of work in which he gave up five hits and two runs.  Finally, Andrew McCutchen went 1-3 with two RBI and Starling Marte added his second triple of the spring as Pittsburgh beat Boston, 9-3.  Jon Lester started for Boston, giving up one run on two hits and three walks in his four innings of work.  Lester also recorded three strikeouts.

World Baseball Classic: Pool D Preview

The 2013 World Baseball Classic wraps up the first round of play this weekend, with Pools C and D kicking off their action.  Pool D features a United States team that is hungry to win its first World Baseball Classic after reaching the semi-finals in 2009, and Mexico, who is anxious to get back to the second round after being swept by Korea and Cuba in 2009.

The schedule for Pool D is as follows:

Thursday, March 7, 2:00 pm CT - Italy at Mexico (Salt River Fields at Talking Stick)
Friday, March 8, 1:30 pm CT - Canada at Italy (Salt River Fields at Talking Stick)
Friday, March 8, 8:00 pm CT - Mexico at United States
Saturday, March 9, 1:30 pm CT - Canada at Mexico
Saturday, March 9, 8:00 pm CT - United States at Italy
Sunday, March 10, 3:00 pm CT - United States at Canada

All games will be shown on television in the United States on the MLB Network.

All games in Pool D will be played at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, except for the first two games, which will be played at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Phoenix, Arizona.  The format is simple, each team will play the other three teams in Pool D.  The two teams with the best records will advance to the second round to take on the top two teams from Pool C.

Here is a brief look at each team in Pool D:


CANADA

1B Joey Votto

The biggest star on the Canadian team is without a doubt Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto.  Votto, who won the 2011 National League MVP Award, hit .556 for Canada in the 2009 WBC.

Votto is joined on the Canadian infield by Toronto third baseman Brett Lawrie and Justin Morneau of the Twins, who will more than likely see most of the action as the designated hitter.  Pete Orr and Taylor Green have major league experience as well in the infield.

The outfield features Michael Saunders of the Seattle Mariners, and also includes Adam Loewen.  The pitching staff will include current Milwaukee reliever John Axford.  Jameson Taillon is another recognizable name from the pitching staff.  Canada enters the tournament as #6 team in the IBAF World Rankings.

Perhaps the biggest name to Canadian baseball fans is not that of a player, but of Stubby Clapp, a Canadian legend, who is on the coaching staff for Canada, as is former National League MVP Larry Walker.


ITALY

OF Mario Chiarini

The Italian team enters the World Baseball Classic as the #13 team in the IBAF World Rankings, but as the biggest underdog in Pool D.

Without proven starting pitching on the roster, Italy will struggle to get outs against the other three teams in Pool D who feature significant Major League talent offensively.

Italy will be led on their infield by Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs and Nick Punto of the Dodgers.  Their outfield will consist of Chris Denorfia of the Padres and Mario Chiarini.

The pitching staff is relatively thin, but Jason Grilli of the Pirates will be a nice piece to use out of the Italian bullpen.  Matt Torra of the Rays will also see time out the bullpen for Italy.

MEXICO

1B Adrian Gonzalez

Mexico, ranked as the #11 team in the IBAF World Rankings, advanced to the second round of the 2009 WBC after finishing second in Pool B behind Cuba.  Mexico now enters a tougher pool, featuring the United States and Canada.

Mexico will be led by Adrian Gonzalez, but will have other major league caliber players in the lineup, including Jorge Cantu and Luis Cruz. Karim Garcia, who is now 37 yeras old will be in the outfield for Mexico.

The pitching staff as major league experience as well, including Alfredo Aceves of Boston, Luis Mendoza of Kansas City, Fernando Salas of the Cardinals and Rodrigo Lopez of the Phillies.  Perhaps the best arms are that of Sergio Romo of the Giants and Yovani Gallardo of the Milwaukee Brewers.

UNITED STATES

3B David Wright

The United States enters the World Baseball Classic as the second ranked team in the world according to the IBAF World Rankings, but there are many who feel the ranking is not deserved.  The 2013 United States team is hoping they can change that perception.

In the inaugural WBC in 2006, the United States was knocked out of the tournament in the second round, and in 2009 the United States was eliminated in the semi-finals by eventual champion Japan.

The United States will be managed by Joe Torre, who when piecing together the roster used the approach of using role players instead of an All-Star type lineup, where guys may just play a few innings at a time.  The United States has put together a very nice pitching staff, including starters R.A. Dickey of Toronto, Gio Gonzalez of Washington and Ryan Vogelsong of San Francisco.  When the bullpen gets their turn, they can turn to Craig Kimbrel of Atlanta or Steve Cishek of Miami.

The infield will feature David Wright of the Mets, Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies and Brandon Phillips of the Reds.  Eric Hosmer of Kansas City is a late replacement for Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira, who was injured in batting practice earlier this week.

The outfield features Miami's Giancarlo Stanton, Baltimore Orioles star Adam Jones and former MVP Ryan Braun of Milwaukee as well as Shane Victorino of Boston.  Joe Mauer of Minnesota and J.P. Arencibia of Toronto will handle the catching duties along with Jonathan Lucroy of Milwaukee.

PREDICTIONS

Pool D may not appear to be as strong as Pool C on paper, but it could definitely be just as competitive at the top.  The United States is the favorite, but Mexico or Canada either one are capable of pulling the upset. The battle for second is going to be one of the best to watch in this entire tournament.

Here is how I see Pool D playing out:

United States (3-0)

Canada (2-1)

Mexico (1-2)

Italy (0-3)