Friday, April 5, 2013

Struggling MLB Players Who Could Get Cut Before Opening Day

With less than two weeks remaining in spring training, players all across the league are doing their best to prove that they're worthy of a spot on their teams' Opening Day rosters.

Spring training stat lines aren't always the tell-all of whether or not a player is poised for a big season, but they certainly give managers confidence that a player should be one of the 25 who makes his way to April.

Some players haven't done much over the past few weeks to make a positive impact, and as a result, they could be on the outside looking in before too long.

The Atlanta Braves have a completely new-look outfield heading into the 2013 season thanks to the signing of B.J. Upton and acquisition of his brother, Justin.

Somewhat lost in the Braves outfield is Reed Johnson, who is currently sitting as the team's third option in left and right (per Braves.com).

His spring performance isn't helping his standing on the team's depth chart, with just seven hits in 15 games and a meager .429 OPS.

The Minnesota Twins' pitching staff has been the biggest contributor to their demise in recent seasons, with the starting rotation and bullpen sharing equal parts of the blame.

Alex Burnett saw his best season as a pro come in 2012 with a 3.52 ERA that was nearly two runs better than his career average.

He's made only five appearances this spring but has already given up 14 hits and seven runs, good enough for a WHIP of nearly 3.000.

The St. Louis Cardinals don't have much liability in the way of contract obligations to Ty Wigginton, who is only owed $5 million over the next two years.

His value comes in the way of his versatility in the infield, and with Matt Carpenter fitting throughout the infield as well, it's possible that Wigginton could finish the season outside of St. Louis.

From an offensive standpoint, Wigginton has struggled this spring, batting barely over .100 in 14 games with just one RBI.

As a career .268 hitter in 10 major league seasons, Wilson Betemit has been a bit of a road warrior, seeing time with seven different teams.

He's gotten off to a rough start this spring with the Baltimore Orioles, batting just .192 and seeing his place in the depth chart come into question.

Moving him off the roster could ensure the team isn't on the hook for his vesting option next season, which becomes guaranteed if he sees 320 plate appearances this year.

Many bold moves have led to the revitalization of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the team looks to be heading in a direction that will have them contending year after year.

In his second season with Los Angeles, however, Juan Uribe failed to do the things that kept him in the league for more than a decade. His .191 batting average and meager .258 on-base percentage were career lows.

He's been better this spring, but with plenty of more formidable options in the lineup, Uribe could have trouble seeing anything in the way of playing time.

More Info: [Soccer Live] FK Senica - MFK Kosice

No comments:

Post a Comment