If opening weekend is any indication how this season is going to go then we are in store for a great 2012 season.

Last season was the year of the pitcher and this season might be no different. In the last three days, one pitcher took a no-hitter into the eight inning and two others took a no-hitter into the seventh.

In his first start since being traded to the Orioles this offseason, Jason Hammel dominated the Twins on Sunday and brought a no-hitter into the eight inning. The bid was broken up by a Justin Morneau double, and lost the shutout when Josh Willingham followed that up with a double of his own, which scored Morneau. The Orioles salvaged a 3-1 win, which swept the series.

Both Mets’ Jonathan Niese and Indians’ Ubaldo Jimenez took no-hitters into the seventh inning until Niese lost the possible first ever no-hitter in Mets franchise history when Freddie Freeman singled to the right side of the infield, and Blue Jays’ Brett Lawrie hit a two-run single to end Jimenez’s opportunity. Fortunately the Mets bullpen was able to hold onto the 7-5 win after Niese exited in the seventh inning, but two walks, a wild pitch and the single by Lawrie in the seventh, Jimenez headed to the clubhouse with a no-decision and the bullpen lost the game for the Tribe in consecutive games.

We saw some great outing from numerous pitchers, but we also saw sub-par outing from some of your most consistent pitchers in the game. Red Sox’s Josh Beckett had a disappointing first outing, allowing seven runs in four-plus innings. All of his runs came off of home runs, two apiece by Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder and another from Alex Avila. This was the first time he allowed five home runs in an outing since 2009, and did not allow seven runs in any outing last season. This led to a 10-0 defeat and propelled the Tigers to a sweep after Alex Avila followed up Saturday’s solo home run with a walk-off in the 11^th inning on Sunday. Red Sox started the season in a similar fashion as a year ago. This team could continue down this path if Bobby Valentine does not find an answer for the closer role after losing Andrew Bailey for the first half of the season. At least Boston’s arch-rival Yankees are in the same boat, getting swept by the Tampa Bay Rays.

Other crazy news and notes from the last five days: The Mets are atop the NL East after sweeping the Braves. Tigers pitcher Doug Fister pitched only three and two-thirds innings after straining his left rib and was placed on the disabled list. The Cubs starters left the first two games with the lead, but unfortunately Kerry Wood and company lost them both. Reds outfielder Jay Bruce is on a tear, hitting three homers, which two came in Sunday’s come-from-behind defeat of the Marlins.

NL East 
Marlins – With the addition of Jose Reyes, a healthy Josh Johnson, and New skipper Ozzie Guillen, this team is primed to make a break through in the National League.

Phillies – This team will fall into a hole early on in the season with Chase Utley and Ryan Howard on the disabled list, which will be too big to overcome and win the division.

Nationals – Love the starting rotation with Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmerman. Outfield is questionable to start the season with Michael Morse on the disabled list, but the pitching can easily carry this team to the second Wild Card spot.

Braves – Any other division this team finishes in second place but not in this one. This bullpen is the best in division as long as Craig Kimbrel and Jonny Venters can put last season’s collapse behind them.

Mets – a big market team with no money. Where do I begin? Weak starting rotation. Johan Santana returns but can his arm last 30 starts? Jason Bay could not hit water sitting in a boat, and David Wright defines overrated. 

NL Central
Cardinals – No Albert Pujols or Tony La Russa but others will carry team to division title. With Adam Wainwright anchoring the starting rotation, this team has the best rotation in the division. Expect the Cardinals to play more small-ball with a Pujols-ness lineup

Reds – Started spring training as the front runner to win the division, but has since lost three important options in the bullpen. Offense is very strong to keep them in the hunt all season, but good pitching always defeats good hitting.

Brewers – Defending division champs had a setback losing Prince Fielder and replacing him with rookie Matt Gamel. Aramis Ramirez is the new third baseman but is past his prime. Top of rotation is strong with Yovani Gallardo, Zack Greinke and Randy Wolf but then you wonder who the Brewers are sending out there every fourth and fifth day.
Pirates – This team is coming on strong and improving offensively with Andrew McCutchen leading the way. Bullpen is as strong as it has been in 10 years with Joel Hanrahan anchoring the bullpen. This team has the ability to be in the hunt for the division all season, but when A.J. Burnett and Erik Bedard are in the front of your rotation it usually sets off red flags.
Cubs - A very young team that is once again rebuilding. Carlos Marmol is their only bright spot. Don’t expect the World Series drought to end anytime soon.

Astros – This young team will be better than a year ago when they won only 57 games, but still expect a 90-loss season. 

NL West
Giants -  This team is strong with a good lineup and excellent pitching rotation with Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. This team will return to the playoffs and have a good chance at representing the National League in the World Series.
Dodgers – When you have the Cy Young award winner in Clayton Kershaw and MVP Matt Kemp on your roster there is a good chance you will have a good season. Their faith is with Andre Ethier and the rest of the supporting cast. If they produce they win, if not then the Dodgers could see the cellar.
D’backs – Still a very young group with Paul Goldschmidt leading the offense. Questions are with Ian Kennedy and the rest of the starting rotation. Will Kennedy have a repeat of last season or go back to his days with the Yankees? Always like seeing a pitcher do well for two years before I become a believer.
Rockies – Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki will carry this offense, but starting rotation is not very strong. There is always trouble in your rotation when you have a 49-year-old as your number two starter.
Padres – Still a young team learning their ways. Good manager in Bud Black but offense is still weak and rotation will struggle after trading Mat Latos to the Reds.

Playoff Teams: Marlins, Cardinals, Giants   Wild Card: Phillies and Dodgers

Wild Card Game: Phillies defeat Dodgers

Divisional Round: Phillies defeat Marlins, 3-2; Giants defeat Cardinals, 4-1

National League Championship: Giants defeat Phillies, 4-3

Nobody ever likes admitting when they are wrong, but maybe I was too quick to judge Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish.

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article questioning if Darvish can handle Major League quality hitters after having command troubles, allowing four walks in three innings and giving up two runs on three hits. I was quickly ready to write him off as the next Hideki Irabu or post-rookie season Hideo Nomo, but his last spring training start could have proved my prediction wrong.

In Darvish’s last spring training start on March 30 the Rockies had most of their regulars in the lineup and Darvish mowed them down, striking out 11 in five innings pitched. His fastball was clocked in the upper-90s and he had command of the strike zone. The timing was perfect to have his best start with the regular season around the corner.

You can never predict how a player is going to do in a given season based on a few spring training starts, but helps to have confidence in someone trying to adjust to the Major Leagues like Darvish.  Only time will tell if Darvish will carry the momentum into his first regular season start this week.

Deciding who the best player is in right field in the NL Central this season is no easy task. Do you take an aging superstar who after two years of injuries looked viable again last season? Do you take a lower average hitter who has increased his HR total in each of his first four seasons in the majors reaching 32 last season? Or is it the guy that has hit more than 20 home runs four of the past five years despite batting everywhere from leadoff to sixth?

In my mind the safest pick is Jay Bruce the up and coming player who will hit fourth again for the Reds this season. He hit just .256 last season and he struck out 158 times in 157 games but the consistent rise in power and a plum spot between Joey Votto and Scott Rolen in the Reds lineup should elevate Bruce to the top of the division.

Carlos Beltran and Corey Hart will probably have much to say in the debate as both have been solid contributor.

Beltran hit around .300 last season for the Mets and Giants while still socking 22 HR’s. He hit .323 with a .920 OPS in his 44 games with the Giants after being traded and if he can hold up physically is still a feared hitter.

Hart socked 31 and 26 HR’s the past two seasons while hitting over .280. If he can keep his average ahead of Bruce and match his power he obviously could vault ahead. But a knee injury in spring training is casting doubt on him beginning the season in the bigs and he has missed 106 games combined the last three seasons.

The NL Central appears to have a clear “best” at every other position and it may just come down to which of these Right Fielders can exceed expectations in what promises to be a competitive division in 2012.

2012 RF Rankings

2012 NL Central Right Fielders

1.       Jay Bruce

Bruce enters his fifth season with the Reds and it will be the fifth full season that he and Votto are paired together. Bruce hit 21 HR’s his rookie season and has followed that up with 22, 25 and 32 the past three seasons.

He it .281 in 2010 but fell back to .256 last season which leads to the indecisiveness of ranking this position for 2012. The key may be whether or not Scott Rolen stays healthy and productive behind him in the lineup. Rolen played in 133 games in 2010 and provided the protection for Bruce.

Rolen played only 65 games in 2011 and teams were able to be more careful with Bruce and he helped their cause with the high strikeout totals.

 He showed up to camp in great shape and will turn just 25 in April. His potential to hit more than 30 HR’s and the risk of injury to the other two contenders puts him at the top of these RF rankings.

2.       Carlos Beltran

Beltran is the wildcard as he enters his 15^th season and will be looked to replace Albert Pujols in the lineup for the defending champion Cardinals.  He played in only a half season or less in both 2009 and 2010 and then was caught up in the Mets mess before being traded to San Francisco.

He was productive for the Giants and overall he had over 20 HR’s for the ninth time in his career. The .323 average was particularly encouraging and early spring reviews have been glowing.

But can I guy who hasn’t played a full season in three years hold up and continue to deliver?

3.       Corey Hart

Hart is entering his sixth full season as the starting right fielder for the Brewers and is a two-time All Star. Since taking the job full time in 2007 he has averaged over 22 HR’s a season and is a career .277 hitter. Those numbers are actually very similar to Beltran’s through his first five full seasons in Kansas City from 1999 – 2003.

Hart has only played more than 145 games in a season once in his career and had knee surgery this spring. He missed the first month of the season last year after being injured in spring training and has a long list of reasons for being in and out of the lineup. He has indicated he will be ready for opening day but that won’t be known for another week or so.

He turns thirty before the season starts and this could be a huge season for him. The Brewers have never had a consistent leadoff hitter since Hart arrived. His combination of power, speed and ability to hit for average have led the Brewers to use him in that position more than probably would have liked.

Through multiple managers he has bounced all over the lineup and never has been able to just settle in to a role like Bruce or Beltran have. The 2012 Brewers feature several candidates to handle the leadoff duties and Hart may well find himself fixed in the 5^th hole behind Ryan Braun and Aramis Ramirez. That will give Hart the opportunity to hit with men on base quite often and look to be a run producer full time.

He is prone to hitting HR’s in bunches and can carry a team for stretches. If he were to stay healthy and find a comfort zone in the order he could easily overtake the others and be the best right fielder in the NL Central.

4.       Jose Tabata

At just 23 years old the future is very bright for Tabata but until he at least gets a full season under his belt it would be hard for him to surpass the others in the division. He played 102 games in 2010 and hit .299 with 19 stolen bases. Injuries and other circumstances limited him to just 91 games in 2011 and his numbers suffered hitting just .266. He did increase his walks and showed some signs of just how good of a player he could turn into. But for now, the Pirates will be happy to watch him develop and they have him signed to a contract that could keep him around for years to come barring a trade.

5.       David Dejesus

Dejesus enters his 10^th big league season in 2012 with the hope of overcoming a couple of injury filled years and return to the guy that hit around .300 with a high on base percentage and maybe even a little power.

Last season in Oakland he hit just .240 and missed 30 games. His OBP was 25 points lower than any other point in his career and he was coming off a year where he missed 70 games.

The Cubs think a move out of Oakland where he played in 2011 will help improve some of those numbers alone along with the fresh start and security of knowing he is one of Theo Epstein’s guys. Even the best numbers of his career wouldn’t vault him ahead of the others in the division however.

He does play great defense having finished in the top 5 in fielding percentage multiple times in his career.

6.       Brian Bogusevic

Bogusevic was drafted in 2005 as a pitcher and made the move to the outfield in 2008. He struggled initially and hit just .179 in 28 at bats in 2010. He saw action in 87 games last season and showed some signs in the second half of turning into a serviceable outfielder.

He hit .305 with 4 HR’s in 53 games last year after the All Star break but this project is just another in a long list of projects the Astros are embarking on ahead of their move to the American League in 2013.

2B

SS

3B

C

LF

CF

RF

As the Brewers put a disappointing 2010 season behind them, they were looking at what to do with center field. The incumbent was Carlos Gomez who played in 75 games and had shared time with Jim Edmonds before Edmonds was traded in August.

Lorenzo Cain was expected to compete with Gomez in the spring and speculation was that the team would look for a veteran upgrade similar to Mike Cameron who had been an important piece in the 2008 playoff run.

Gomez had come from the Twins in the JJ Hardy trade and despite being unbelievable on defense he still had too little power and too low of an on base percentage to be considered an everyday option.

Then Doug Melvin delivered the early Christmas gift to Brewers fans with the acquisition of Zach Greinke. One of the pieces in the trade however was Cain and the Brewers appeared to be heading towards a 2011 season of Carlos Gomez and no other player in the system ready for prime time.

On March 27^th, Melvin pulled the trigger on a trade with the Washington Nationals to acquire Nyjer Morgan. Little was made of the move and it seemed a desperate move but “Why Not?” given the circumstances.

Love him or hate him Nyjer Morgan altered the 2011 season in ways few could have imagined.

He looks to be back in a platoon situation with Gomez in 2012. Can he repeat the excitement (and production) of 2011 or will he wear out his welcome?

Meanwhile the Pirates Andrew McCutchen enters his fourth year in the majors. If he continues his rapid development he could become one of the game’s best.

On his own, he is probably the best center fielder in the NL Central entering 2012.

2012 CF Rankings

2012 NL Central Center Fielders

1.       Andrew McCutchen

McCutchen signed a six-year, $51.5 million extension in the off season and is the Pirates best player. He hit 23 HRs in 2011 after 12 and 16 in his first two seasons. He has averaged over 25 steals a season and until last season had a .286 average.

That dropped to just .259 last season but his OBP remained consistent as he drew more walks. With no other real power threat in the lineup he can expect to see very few good pitches to hit. That is probably the only thing standing between him and a 30/30 season.

No other centerfielder in the division comes close to that potential and it will be interesting to see if McCutchen actually plays out the full contract in Pittsburgh or if he just another player the team sends off for prospects.

2.       John Jay

Jay may or may not fir here as the Cardinals are prone to wild lineup fluctuations and platoon situations. That was under former skipper Tony Larussa and it is yet to be seen how Mike Matheny, who has no managerial experience at any level plays his resources.

The Cardinals signed aging Carlos Beltran in the off season and he looks to see some time in center as well. They will also need to find some at bats for players like Allen Craig and Skip Schumaker.

Injuries will probably dictate things more than anything else and Jay has proven durable. A former teammate of Ryan Braun in Miami, Jay hit 10 HR’s last year and .298 after hitting .300 in 2010.

His power numbers are expected to improve and he has the speed to become a much bigger threat on the bases. Defensively he is the team’s best option and ultimately should be slightly better than the combination the Brewers will send out.

3.       Gomez/Morgan

A platoon is probably not completely accurate when referencing the combination of Gomez and Morgan. They combined to play in over 180 games despite Gomez missing a large chunk of the second half with a shoulder injury.

Gomez was not very good batting just .225. He did have a career high in HR’s with 8 but his real value comes in the outfield. He may be the best defensive player in the league and is only 26. He came back from the injury and looked like a different player late in the season so I predict he will improve dramatically offensively.

Some were surprised to see the Brewers resign Morgan; but he is back again and will probably play all over the outfield with often injured Corey Hart in right and the occasional day off for Braun who also has missed around 10 games to injury each season.

The Brewers also have another option in former Japanese hitting star and perennial gold glove winner Norichika Aoki whom the Brewers spent quite a bit of money on despite feigning a lack of knowledge about the player. If Morgan fizzles and Gomez remains the same Aoki could be given a chance to acclimate to the American game on the job.

Whatever combination, the position will hit .280 or better with double digit home runs, around thirty stolen bases and play outstanding defense. That last piece can’t be forgotten when you consider the Brewers have liabilities at the corner positions. 

4.       Marlon Byrd

Byrd enters his eleventh season in the big leagues and appears to be on the decline a bit and it won’t help to have Bryan LaHair hitting behind him rather than Aramis Ramirez. He hit .276 last season and saw his OPS drop by over 50 points from 2010.

He hit only nine HR’s last year and his career numbers suggest his 2009 season where he hit 20 HR’s with the Rangers was an anomaly. It is the only season he hit more than 10.

5.       Drew Stubbs

Stubbs is the ultimate all or nothing player. He hit only .243 last season but did hit 15 HR’s. He also struck out 205 times. He struck out 168 times in 2010 in almost 100 fewer at bats but did hit 22 HR’s that season.

The Reds as a team are pretty free swingers and Stubbs will contribute potentially record numbers in that department.

6.       Jordan Schafer

Schafer was the key piece in a trade last season for Michael Bourn the Astros made with Atlanta. The Braves still considered Schafer to be a part of their future plans but the addition of Bourn was one they felt they must make to keep their drive to the playoffs going.

In the end the Braves had a historic collapse and then in October Schafer was arrested on marijuana possession charges. I include Schafer here because the Astros have few options beyond him.

In 132 games he has hit .228 with 4 HR’s and 133 strikeouts.

Despite having one of its greatest seasons in 2011, the NL Central off season was filled with “bad news”. Tony LaRussa retired, Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols moved to the American League, the Cubs blew up the front office and coaching staffs and the leak of a positive drug test by Ryan Braun all conspired to take the focus away from the great on field accomplishments.

•          5 of the top 7 NL MVP vote getters came from the Central
•          Brewers/Cardinals NL League Championship Series
•          Cardinals Win World Series

Those headlines would have been so much more fun to talk about!

In the end, Braun won his appeal and will not miss 50 games as expected. It will be interesting to see how Braun responds to constant heckling on the road and the enormous pressure of not only living up to an MVP award but defending himself against the accusation of being a cheater.

Any drop in production by Braun will give the naysayers ammunition to continue their assault.

In St Louis, some are questioning whether or not Matt Holliday can fill the feature role with Pujols in Anaheim. He has been a consistent and productive player but there is a perception that he was always the second option.

The two lead the rankings for Left Fielders in the NL Central this year and even if they don’t meet unreasonable expectations they will be clearly the class at the position.

2012 NL Central Left Fielders

2012 LF Rankings

1.       Ryan Braun

Since being called up to the majors in 2007, Braun has produced. He hit 34 HR’s in 2007 and won the rookie of the year award. He has hit over 30 in 4 of his first five years. He has driven in over 100 runs in four straight seasons and has a lifetime .312 batting average.

The question now is can he keep doing it under the new pressures and without Prince Fielder protecting him in the lineup.

The guy is just a pure hitter and even if he took something last season to help him through the end, that doesn’t change the fact that he has one of the sweetest and most powerful strokes in the game. He also seems to have the knack for getting the big hits when it counts the most.

That makeup should help him with the rigors he will face this season. I don’t expect anything less than a .310 average 30+ HRs and 100+ RBI. Without Fielder behind him, the possibility of improving on his 33 stolen bases of a year ago is very likely.

Those are studly numbers and will be tough to match for any other player in the division.

2.       Matt Holliday

Holliday and Pujols were a terror for opposing teams the last 2 ½ years together and like Braun there are many that wonder if he can do the same without the best hitter in baseball protecting him. The duo socked 189 HRs and drove in 352 runs together between ’09 and ’11.

It should be noted that Holliday has not hit over 30 HR’s in a season since 2007 in Colorado and hit below .300 for the first time since his rookie season in 2011.

Run the career numbers for Braun and Holliday and they are almost identical. The edge goes to Braun here as he is entering his prime and Holliday enters his 9^th Major League season. The Brewers also appear to have made the better “replacement” with Aramis Ramirez over St. Louis’ Carlos Beltran.

3.       Alfonso Soriano

Soriano was once the most exciting second base prospect in Yankees history before he embarked on a strange and interesting journey that sees him enter season 14 in the major leagues.

He played 2B for five full seasons for the Yankees putting together two monster seasons in 2002 and 2003 when he hit 77 HR’s combined.

He was traded to the Texas Rangers for some guy name Alex Rodriguez and continued his superstar pace and was a 30/30 man his final season in Texas.

Next, a trade to Washington where Soriano was moved to left field and at first refused to even take the field. Ultimately he settled things with manager Frank Robinson and had one of the greatest single seasons ever. He hit 46 HR’s, stole 41 bases and even recorded 20 assists from his outfield position joining the elite 40/40 club.

He would be a free agent at the end of 2006 and the Nationals rolled the dice hoping they could sign him instead of trade him at the deadline. Soriano instead signed an eight-year $136 million contract with the Cubs and heads into 2012 appearing on the decline.

He has only hit over 30 HR’s once as a Cub and his batting average and run production have declined steadily. His first year in Chicago he hit .299 and scored 97 runs with 33 HR’s and 70 RBIs. Last season he hit just .244 and scored only 50 runs. He did hit 26 HR’s and had 88 RBIs. His OBP dropped all the way to .291. He had 16 stolen bases total the last three seasons.

4.       Alex Presley

Presley took advantage of a call to the big leagues last season and performed well enough that he should start in left for the Pirates this season. He hit .298 in over 200 at bats in 2011 and hit 4 HR’s while stealing 9 bags. He can play any of the outfield positions and should see plenty of opportunities to prove himself.

He projects more as a fourth outfielder but the ability to play all the spots and hit around .300 should keep him ahead of the others in this division.

5.       J.D. Martinez

Martinez was a 20^th round draft pick who appeared in 53 games last season for the Astros. He put up huge numbers in college and the minor leagues and has the potential to be a very good major league hitter. He hit .274 with 6 HR’s and 13 doubles.

He has a rather unorthodox swing and it would seem that major league pitchers might find some holes but his strikeout numbers have always been very low and he could emerge along with Presley as solid hitters just below the likes of Braun and Holliday.

6.       Ryan Ludwick

Ludwick returns to the familiar NL Central after spending a little more than a full season in San Diego. He had been about a .280 hitter with St. Louis between 2007 and 2010 but struggled mightily in massive Petco Park.

He isn’t the first or last hitter that will experience that type of drop off. He hit 37 HR’s in 2008 but only 30 total in the past two seasons. He will probably creep closer to his pre-San Diego days but he probably wouldn’t start for any other team in the division. 

The catcher position in major league baseball has been often overlooked, one where guys can have long careers by staying healthy and making pitchers comfortable (their own I mean, although most do it for the other teams’ as well). In the past several years in Milwaukee the likes of Johnny Estrada, Chad Moeller, Damian Miller and Jason Kendall have extended their careers on the cheap for not much in return.

The National League Central has its share of those players this season but they also have a top 3 that enter 2012 on the cusp of joining the elite.  

2012 NL Central Catchers

1.       Yadier Molina

Molina had career highs in both average and home runs in 2011 and continued his run as the best catcher in this division as he has been since 2005. His batting average was at least 30 points higher than any other in the division.

His steady climb and year-to-year improvement have the 29 year-old poised to break out and join Brian McCann as the top in the National League.

Molina also is an incredible defensive catcher. The staff trusts him deeply and other teams pay when they try to run on him. He is a leader and will be looked to even more this season after the departure of Albert Pujols.

Lucroy and Soto may be gaining on him but Molina is still the class of the NL Central.

2.       Jonathon Lucroy

Putting Lucroy ahead of Geovany Soto may be a bit of a homer pick but the 25 year-old has proven he belongs in the discussion . He hit almost 40 points higher than Soto last season and hit 12 HR’s.  His evolution has been huge for the Brewers as recent seasons saw them trotting out a series of weak hitters over the age of 30.

He did take every fifth day off last season as Randy Wolf used George Kottaras as his own personal catcher. The approach worked for both Wolf who had a solid season and Lucroy was fresh down the stretch.

Lucroy has the potential to elevate himself to the top of the NL catchers and his lack of history actuall y helps here over the inconsistent Soto.

3.       Geovany Soto

Soto burst onto the scene in 2008 taking rookie of the year honors by smashing 23 HR’s while driving in 86 runs and batting .285. He played in 141 games that season and looked destined by stardom.

He has not been able to live up to that start. From 2009 – 2011 he has missed 154 games. He still has averaged 17 HR’s since taking over the full time duties.

His .218 and .228 averages in 2009 and 2011 combined with big strikeout numbers (124 in 125 games last season) show his lack of discipline at the plate and make him a bit of a make or break type. If he ever fulfills his potential he could join the elite at the position currently ruled by the American League.

4.       Rod Barajas

Barajas caught his first game in the major leagues in 1999 and has had a pretty decent career socking double digit HR’s in seven of the past eight seasons. Pittsburgh will be his eighth team and he will fit in nicely with the rest of the On-Base challenged Pirates.

A lifetime .238 hitter; his on-base percentage is an awful .287. The power and the consistency give him a slight edge over two other verterans in Cincinnati and Houston.

5.       Ryan Hannigan

 Hannigan figures to be the regular starter for the Reds this season but he is simply holding the spot for prospect Devin Mesoraco. Hannigan hit .267 last season and hit .300 in 200 at bats in 2010 but with just 16 HR’s in 800 AB’s he lacks the power to rank any higher.

The question in Cincinnati is whether to hand the reigns over now or later. They expect to contend and Hannigan may be the safer route as the Reds also have a rookie at shortstop in Zack Cozart.

6.       Chris Snyder

Snyder has played just 630 games in eight big league seasons and not more than 65 in a season since 2008. A lifetime .231 hitter he had decent numbers in 2011 with Pittsburgh and will probably log a number of games behind the plate for the rebuilding Astros.

In his second spring training start, Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish experienced the ups and down of pitching in the major leagues.

The rookie from Japan was wild against the Cleveland Indians in his three innings pitched last Tuesday against the Indians. He allowed two earned runs on three hits and walked four. Darvish admitted not having control of his fastball. The damage could have been worse after Darvish walked the first two batters in the game, but Rangers catcher Yorvit Torrealba threw out both trying to steal second base.

Every pitcher is going to have control issues at some point during the season unless you are named Roy Halladay, but should it be a concern he has allowed five hits in only five innings pitched and allowing a .294 opponent batting average? It is too early in spring training to look into statistics, but what is concerning about these first two outings is that his three-quarter arm slot motion or his set of pitches are not confusing hitters. Darvish came to the major leagues after posting a 1.44 ERA in the Pacific League and baffling hitters with 276/36 K/BB ratio but we have not seen that yet in the major leagues.

After Tuesday’s game Indians’ Jason Kipnis was quoted by saying Darvish has good stuff with life on his fastball and comfortable on the mound, so we are possibly in-store to see dominating performances from the $60 million dollar rookie pitcher and we just have to be patient for the pitcher to get adapted to American-style baseball. We can all hope he is the next Halladay and not Dice-K

 311 different players started at one of the infield positions in the National League last season. The position with the most number of players to start was in the National League Central at third base where 34 different players started a game at the hot corner.

The Cubs and Brewers were the only two teams to have only one player start more than 10 games at third. Neither team has that guy this year.

Instead Aramis Ramirez has moved from the Cubs to the Brewers and Casey McGehee was traded by the Brewers to the Pirates where he appears headed for some sort of two position platoon at first and third.

Scott Rolen returns to third for the Reds this season after starting only 60 games last season before a shoulder injury sidelined him for most of the second half. It will be his 18^th big league season and the Reds are hoping he can show up for more games this season.  He has missed at least 30 games every season since 2004.

Rolen’s health and some situations that seem to be settled should drop the number of starters at the position this year and bring some clarity to the rankings at that position.

NL Central 3rd Basemen

2012 3^rd Base Rankings

1.       Aramis Ramirez

The 2011 Milwaukee Brewers won the division despite getting almost nothing out of starting third baseman Casey MCGehee. They gave him 139 starts and 600 at bats during the regular season with no other option in their system and eventually benched him at the end of the regular season and into the playoffs before sending him off to Pittsburgh in a trade.

Brewer fans can expect much more this season with the off season signing of Ramirez who is coming off another solid season in 2011 where he won the Silver Slugger award. He hit .306 with 26 HR’s and 93 RBI despite playing for a Cubs team that had clearly mailed it in.

It was a big comeback for Ramirez after a disappointing .241 average in 2010 on the heels of seven straight years of .280 or better. He hit 25 or more home runs in 8 of the last 9 seasons. The one season he didn’t was in 2009 when he had 15 in just 82 games.

He is also a better defender than McGehee and should help the team improve on what was a dismal fielding season in 2011.

There will be pressure on Ramirez to replace the departed Prince Fielder at the cleanup position but that will need to be a group effort and the team can expect about a .280 average with 25 HR’s and 100 RBI which makes Ramirez the best at his position in 2012.

2.       David Freese

There were many reasons why the St. Louis Cardinals found their way to the playoffs and ultimately the championship in 2011 but none were as big when it came to making and winning the World Series than World Series MVP David Freese.

• He drove in four runs in round 1 against Philadelphia to force a game 5
• He hit .545 with 3 HR’s, 9 RBI and 7 runs scored in the NLCS and was named the MVP of that series as well
• His two run triple with 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth sent game 6 of the World Series to extra innings where he then hit a walk off to force a game seven

Freese came to the Cardinals in a trade for Jim Edmunds and really had not done much heading into the post season. At 28 and with only 184 games of big league experience there are few who could have predicted the flurry in October.

Freese heads into 2012 as the starter at third and will face the task of carrying that type of play for an entire system as the Cardinals look to replace the consistent production Albert Pujols took with him to Anaheim.

He should hit around .300 and his power numbers probably won’t match Ramirez but with Rolen’s injury history and age, Freese has a chance to carry his late season success into a full season and be the second best player at his position.

3.       Scott Rolen

Originally drafted by Philadelphia in 1993, Rolen has had quite a career with over 300 HR’s, 500 Doubles and he went over 2000 hits before the injury last season. He has collected 8 gold gloves at third base and made 7 All Star appearances.

None of that matters if he doesn’t stay healthy this year for the Reds. He missed over 100 games for the Cardinals in 2005 after injuring his shoulder and things have really not been the same since. He missed 50 more in 2007 and 47 in 2008 with Toronto before playing in 133 games for the Reds in 2010.

18 years is a long time to play any sport and the suspicion here is that there is no way Rolen can make it through another season unscathed. He has only 77 HR’s since the injury in 2005 and hasn’t hit over .300 since 2004. It wouldn’t be the first time an aging veteran rose up (Berkman 2011) and had a great season but there is just as much of a chance that the Reds will get less than 100 games.

4.       Jimmy Paredes

Paredes was acquired by the Astros in the Lance Berkman trade in 2010 after the Dominican had been signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent at 18 years old. He spent his entire career at various minor league stops before being called up in August of 2011 and did well enough that he enters this spring with plans on starting at third all season.

Now 23, Paredes will need to hold off previous starter Chris Johnson and they split some time there. The Astros will most likely approach 100 losses again this year and it is likely that they will give a player like Paredes a long leash as they try to figure out who will emerge to be the future of this struggling franchise.

5.       Ian Stewart

A former first round pick of the Colorado Rockies, Stewart failed to live up to expectations and ultimately the Rockies gave up on him before being traded to the Cubs this past offseason. He brings a very poor .236 lifetime batting average to the table and despite tearing up the minors at times has never evolved into a consistent enough hitter.

In 2011 he hit just .156 with no home runs in 48 games. This was after showing some signs in ’09 and ’10 that he was progressing. He hit 25 home runs in 147 games in 2009 and 18 more in 2010 before the bottom dropped out last season.

A change of scenery can at times help a player become what they couldn’t somewhere else. The Cubs and Stewart are hoping the move to Wrigley Field and a fresh start will do just that.

6.       Pedro Alvarez

Amazingly, Stewart does not have the lowest career batting average of the NLC 3^rd basemen this year. That dubious title goes to Pedro Alvarez with a career .230 average.

Alvarez was the second overall pick in the 2008 draft and had some decent success in the big leagues in 2010 when he hit 16 HR’s in just 95 games. Unfortunately, the steps forward in 2010 did not continue in 2011 as he struggled mightily hitting just 4 HR’s in 74 games and batting just .191 before an injury sent him to the DL.

He returned from the DL and was optioned to AAA where he spent the rest of the season. If Alvarez struggles again early this year he may find himself back at AAA and Casey McGehee in his place. Neither option would change the ranking in this case.