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Day 24 of the Bus Tour took us to Rangers camp, where the first person we saw was Josh Hamilton. Hamilton was the picture of serenity, reading a book alone by the batting cages at noon before a 7 p.m. game. Asked how he felt, he said, “Physically, mentally and spiritually, I feel great.” Hamilton is scheduled to play mostly center field this year, which would allow David Murphy to play left, giving the Rangers another hitter for the bottom third of the order.

“Outfield is outfield, to me, it’s all the same,” Hamilton said. “I’d like to get five-six more games in center field this spring to get my legs under me. I played back-to-back games in center field this spring, and my legs were sore.” There is a chance that Hamilton could play some left field against certain left-handed pitchers, allowing right-handed-hitting Craig Gentry to play center.

• Yu Darvish has struggled at times this spring, especially with his windup. There were games in Japan where he pitched all nine innings from the stretch; in his first two starts this spring, he pitched solely out of the stretch. But there is no doubting his stuff. He throws 95 mph with a slider, a hard curveball and a 60 mph curveball that Rangers DH Michael Young says, “comes out of his hand with the same action as his fastball. It is something.”
  
  Darvish likely will start the season as the No. 3 starter so as not to put extra pressure on him by making him the No. 1 starter. But the Rangers are hoping -- if not expecting -- he will be the No. 1 as the season goes along.
• Shortstop Elvis Andrus said he gained 10 pounds -- getting up to 210 -- in the offseason, but “I still have my speed. I like to put on a little before spring training because I know I’m going to lose five to seven pounds in the heat in Texas.”
• The Rangers do not have an out in their lineup, one through nine. First baseman Mitch Moreland is scheduled to hit ninth most games. “We played in Scottsdale this spring, and one of the Giants said to me, ‘What are you doing? Mitch Moreland is hitting fifth,'” said right fielder Nelson Cruz. “He could hit fifth for a lot of teams.”
• Neftali Feliz has struggled in his conversion from closer to the rotation, he has had some shoulder issues, but that apparently has passed, and he was scheduled to pitch in a B game Tuesday night. But there appears to be little concern with Feliz’s chances of being a successful starter. “He is a stud,” Michael Young said.
  
  Feliz’s replacement at closer, Joe Nathan, doesn’t have pretty numbers this spring, but he said, “It’s been a few years since I felt this good in spring training.” He said it was a “night and day” difference between last spring and this spring; last spring, he was coming back from Tommy John surgery. “This spring,” he said, “I never think about my elbow.”
• The Rangers suffered one of the worst losses in World Series history, but from all indications there has been no carryover this spring. “You know how this team rolls,” said second baseman Ian Kinsler. “We’ve moved on.” Manager Ron Washington told his team the first day of spring training that “if anyone has anything to say about 2011, say it now because once that door opens, it’s all about 2012.”
  
  Young said, “I look at things another way: I was damn proud to have played in that World Series. That’s one of the greatest World Series ever played. The Cardinals just out-executed us.”
• First baseman/outfielder Conor Jackson is the son of an actor, and while he was a student at Cal, Jackson majored in drama. “Everyone on our team knew I was a drama major, but I never told anyone on the team when I would be performing in a play,” he said. “If I did, and the team showed up, it would be a disaster. We did a bunch of little plays, if 30 guys showed up, that would be about half the audience. That wouldn’t work. I would look around the curtain before the show, wonder, ‘Do I know anyone out there?’ But it was great. I loved it.”

Day 23 of the Bus Tour took us to Diamondbacks camp, home of “the best team I’ve seen in the Cactus League this spring,’’ one National League manager said. Fewer than 10 teams in baseball history have made the jump the Diamondbacks made last year -- 65 victories to 94 -- then made another jump the next season, or even just maintained that success. The Diamondbacks have a chance to join that group. They improved over the winter.

a href="http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/30054/trevor-cahill">Trevor Cahill, 24, was added to the rotation; he has won 30 games the last two years and, despite an uneven spring, is throwing that hard sinker again. The Diamondbacks were fourth in the league in runs scored last year but upgraded their offense with left fielder Jason Kubel, who should hit 25 home runs, leaving pitcher-friendly Target Field for hitter-friendly Chase Field. Kubel’s signing makes a fourth outfielder out of Gerardo Parra, who hit .292 last year and won a Gold Glove in left field. How many players lose a job after a Gold Glove season? But Parra is expected to be a hugely valuable fourth outfielder.

The acquisition of Cahill, and the re-signing of Joe Saunders, allows the Diamondbacks not to rush their best pitching prospects, Trevor Bauer, Tyler Skaggs, Patrick Corbin, Charles Brewer and Archie Bradley. When asked how many good young arms are in camp, closer J.J. Putz just said, “Wow.’’

• Shortstop Stephen Drew is recovering from a fractured ankle; he hasn’t played in a game this spring and he has no chance of being ready for Opening Day. That makes Willie Bloomquist the primary shortstop; the Diamondbacks were 37-21 when he started at shortstop last season. And the D-backs have John McDonald, who will be a defensive replacement most nights.

• Arizona manager Kirk Gibson was interviewed by ESPN on Saturday, then told the interviewers, “If any of my guys come out here with a T-shirt on, don’t interview them. Make them put on a Diamondbacks jersey before you talk to them. We want everyone to know who we play for. That’s a Sparkism.’’ He was referring to lessons learned from the late Sparky Anderson, Gibson’s manager during his playing days with the Tigers.

• Last year, the Diamondbacks allowed the fewest stolen bases, and fewest stolen base attempts, in the NL. That speaks in part to the job that Miguel Montero did, and because the Diamondbacks’ coaches did such a good job controlling the running game. But this spring, Gibson said, “we have let our catchers do it [make the calls] themselves in spring training, that’s how much trust we have in them.’’

• The turnaround by the Diamondbacks’ bullpen was among the biggest by a bullpen from one year to the next, going from a 5.74 bullpen ERA in 2010 to 3.71 in 2011. But it was more than just Putz and David Hernandez. As the season progressed, left-hander Joe Paterson and right-hander Bryan Shaw established themselves. “They both have electric stuff,” Putz said.

What helped that bullpen last year was that the Arizona starters threw over 1,000 innings last year, only the Phillies rotation threw more.

Day 22 of the Bus Tour took us to the Cleveland Indians camp, where that sound you hear in the background is Chooooo, not boo. Right fielder Shin-Soo Choo has had a tremendous spring. He came to camp in great shape (he’s lost 20 pounds) in part because he served six weeks in the military as an obligation to his home country of South Korea. Choo spent those six weeks doing rigorous work, including carrying 50 pounds of gear on his back.

“This spring,” Indians manager Manny Acta said with a smile, “he told everyone in camp to never complain again about their situation [because of how hard he worked in Korea].”

Choo was a very good player in 2010, but tailed off last year, hitting .259 with eight home runs in 313 at-bats. Club sources said all last year that Choo was not completely invested mentally because of his DUI arrest in spring training. Club sources said that he felt he had let his country down, that he had embarrassed his name and his family members. Teammates repeatedly told him not to be so hard on himself, but Choo could not get past it.

But this year, “his mind is clear this spring,” Acta said.

One aspect of his investment: Choo shows up at camp every day at 4:50 a.m. to make sure his work gets done.

• Roberto Hernandez, the pitcher who was previously known as Fausto Carmona, is in the Dominican Republic, keeping in shape, throwing simulated games, in case he is able to leave the country, come to the United States and be allowed to pitch in the major leagues. There is a chance that all of that could happen this year, but an Indians source said the club cannot count on Hernandez pitching in the major leagues this year. That would not be crippling for the Indians, whose rotation certainly is adequate: Ubaldo Jimenez, Justin Masterson, Josh Tomlin, Derek Lowe and a fifth starter to be determined, perhaps Jeanmar Gomez.
  
  Jimenez, of course, is a key to the Indians finishing in second place this year; no one is going to beat the Tigers in the Central. He struggled with the Indians -- 4-4, 5.10 ERA -- after being acquired from the Rockies, and he has not been impressive this spring. He was throwing 95-96 mph in his first spring start, but in his third spring start he topped out at 90 mph. He told Acta that he has always been a slow starter in spring training, but the Indians are waiting for Jimenez to show the stuff that makes him a No. 1 starter, the guy for whom they gave up two top pitching prospects, Alex White and Drew Pomeranz. There is a concern that Jimenez’s motion is too complicated to easily repeat, and that he won’t be able to throw enough strikes -- almost four walks per nine innings in his career.
• Injured center fielder Grady Sizemore is out until at least June, and, one Indian said, maybe until the All-Star break. Sizemore works out and rehabs his knee most days at Indians camp, but he does so after the regulars have worked out so as not to get in anyone’s way. Without Sizemore, Michael Brantley will be the primary center fielder and leadoff man. He is a good young player, and he has a knack, Acta said, for being his best in the clutch, but when Brantley needs a day off against a difficult left-hander, the Indians need a backup center fielder. Ryan Spilborghs and Aaron Cunningham are the candidates, and they will be in the left-field mix with Shelley Duncan.
• The Indians have upgraded their defense at first base with Casey Kotchman, who has made fewer errors in his eight-year career -- 11 -- than all Indians first basemen made last year (12).
• Rick Sutcliffe Story of the Day: Jae-Hoon Ha is big-time outfield prospect in the Cubs’ minor league system. He is from South Korea, and he grew up idolizing Choo. Sutcliffe, who works as an instructor for the Cubs in spring training, has become good friends with Ha. Sutcliffe had Choo sign a baseball to Ha. Choo wrote in Korean: "I look forward to seeing you in the big leagues." When Sutcliffe presented the signed ball to Ha, Ha got tears in his eyes.

Day 21 of the Bus Tour took us to White Sox camp, which is a much calmer and quieter place with Robin Ventura as the manager instead of Ozzie Guillen. “Camp has been very relaxed this spring,’’ reliever Will Ohman said. “The first day, we had a team meeting. Robin said, 'Look, I don’t really like meetings, so let’s go.' And that was about it. He has a real confidence about himself -- but not an arrogance -- that he can do this job.’’

A source said that when Ventura was offered the job to manage the White Sox, he thought it was to manage in Class A ball, not the big leagues. But from all indications, he has done very well, and he's been well accepted in camp. Ventura is very smart and very funny, and was a very good player, all of which bodes well for his being able to handle this job despite having never managed on any level. He also has solicited advice from several people about managing for the first time, including a recent dinner with Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, who went through last season what Ventura will be experiencing this season.

“I have to be careful with some of the places I go around the team,’’ Ventura said with a smile. “If I walk in a room, people look at me like, 'Oh, no, he’s in here, are there cuts today?' I’m just walking through. But then I catch myself and say, 'Oh, yeah, I’m the manager.'"

• Second baseman Gordon Beckham has started eating breakfast more often in hopes of keeping on weight this year. Last year, he said, he lost 20 pounds -- from 205 to 185 -- by June. “I felt kind of weak at times,’’ he said.

• The move of left-hander Chris Sale from the bullpen to the rotation has gone well so far. “It’s not a big deal; it [starting] is what I’ve done all my life,’’ he said. “I like the routine better as a starter.’’ Right-hander Jake Peavy said Sale “has as good an arm as anyone I’ve played with.’’ Peavy on Peavy: “This is as healthy as I’ve been since 2009.’’

• Adam Dunn’s batting average was lower than his strikeout total last year (.159 to 177). “He took ownership for it, and he’s moving on,’’ new hitting coach Jeff Manto said. “He’s in a good place now.’’ Said Dunn: “I can’t wait for the season to start so I can talk about this year rather than last year, the year that didn’t happen.’’

• The White Sox are unclear about their bullpen situation. When Ventura was asked, if he had a one-run lead in the ninth inning today, who would be his closer, he said, “I don’t know, I really don’t. We’re working on it.’’ The camp began with left-hander Matt Thornton or righty Jesse Crain in line to be the closer, but Crain has been slowed somewhat by a mild rib cage strain. Hector Santiago, a 24-year-old left-hander, also has almost emerged as a potential closer.

• Rick Sutcliffe Story of the Day: He and Jake Peavy, then with the Padres, drove from Phoenix to Tucson for a concert five days before the start of the World Baseball Classic. In the back seat, Peavy talked constantly about his martial arts training. “So after the concert, I’m so sick of hearing about Peavy’s martial arts, I tackled him in the parking lot and pinned him down. His manager at the time, Bruce Bochy, was the referee and got down on the ground to count Peavy out. Before I knew it, Peavy has pulled my Adam’s apple out of my throat, and he’s got me in a position where he could kill me if he wanted to. But he didn’t. Then five of us went to Taco Bell and ordered $86 worth of food. And we ate it all.’’

Day 20 of the Bus Tour took us to Dodgers camp, where, at 8:30 in the morning, shortstop Dee Gordon was on a side field taking ground balls from his knees. “It helps me with my hands,’’ he said. It is that kind of work ethic, not to mention great athleticism and skills, which moves Dodgers manager Don Mattingly to say, “Dee is going to be a star. He talks to our veteran players all the time about how he can get better. He asks questions. Not all young guys do that. He has told me many times, ‘I want to be great.’”

The Dodgers were 17 games over .500 the last two months of last season in part because Gordon was the leadoff man they were looking for. “I think he’s the fastest player in the game,’’ said Jerry Hairston Jr., one of those veteran Dodgers infielders who helps mentor Gordon. “Going down the line, he reminds me of Ichiro in his first few years. The other day, Dee hit a routine grounder to [White Sox shortstop] Alexei Ramirez. He didn’t take his time, but he didn’t rush, and Dee beat it out. Ramirez looked at first like, ‘What happened?’”

But Gordon isn’t just some slap hitter who can fly. “He has a good swing, he can hit,’’ Mattingly said. Dodgers hitting coach Dave Hansen said the same thing, adding, “He has hit some balls that make us say, ‘How can a guy built like you [150 pounds] hit the ball that hard?’’

Adam Kennedy is another veteran infielder who is counseling Gordon. One discussion Wednesday was about the degree of difficulty of the game. “But it’s all easy for Dee,’’ Kennedy said with a smile. Gordon looked at Kennedy and said, “Nothing is easy in this game.’’ Kennedy said, “You almost hit for the cycle yesterday.’’ Gordon replied, “Hey, it’s March.’’

• Javy Guerra will be the Dodgers’ closer. Six Dodgers saved at least one game last year, and Guerra led the team with 21 saves. He throws 94-95 mph and “has five pitches that he can throw for strikes,’’ Mattingly said. “He has a good changeup. He has starter’s stuff in the ninth inning.’’ Mattingly then smiled and said with a laugh, “And he’s a little crazy. That’s good.’’

Kenley Jansen will pitch the eighth inning, and at times, will be summoned for the last out of the seventh inning if necessary. Jansen struck out 96 in only 53 2/3 innings last season.

• The Dodgers need to protect No. 3 hitter Matt Kemp better this season: Last year, he drove in 61 more runs than anyone on the Dodgers. Their hope is that first baseman James Loney retains whatever he found the second half of last season, when he hit .320. But the Dodgers first baseman hit only 11 home runs (lowest in the National League among first basemen) and drove in 75 runs (second lowest) last year. Loney likely will hit sixth most of the time.

Dodgers left fielders had a slugging percentage of only .362, the lowest in the NL at the position. Juan Rivera added some production to that mix after being acquired for the stretch run; they are counting on him to bring more, and hit fifth behind Kemp and right fielder Andre Ethier.

• Mattingly is fast becoming as impressive as a manager as he was as a player. “I love him,’’ Ethier said. “We all do." Mattingly has a simple approach: “We just tell them what is expected: That is, to play the game the right way. If you don’t do that, you don’t play.’’

• Rick Sutcliffe story of the day: “My debut with the Dodgers, I was 20. Walter Alston was the manager, but he let Tommy Lasorda manage the last four games of that season. Walter’s only request was, ‘I want the kid to pitch.’ So, I’ve got a shutout going in the eighth inning and I walk to home plate to hit, and Lasorda takes me out for a pinch-hitter. I walk back to the bench and said to him, ‘Are you kidding me?’ And he started screaming at me, and stuff was flying all over the dugout. That was my first experience with Tommy the manager.’’

Day 19 of the Bus Tour took us to Reds camp, where it’s clear that the Reds were deeply disappointed in last season’s victory total -- 79 -- and they’re trying to do something about it.

It starts with star first baseman Joey Votto, who said, “I was irked that I didn’t do some things as well last year. I wanted to shore up some things." Votto changed his workout program in the offseason, he worked several days a week on Sarasota beach -- running in the sand to improve his leg strength -- and started doing plyometrics. And, as always, he started hitting and working on his defense in November. “It was a very relaxing winter," he said, then smiled and said, “because I wasn’t chasing awards [ceremonies] around the country."

Right fielder Jay Bruce said he lost 18 pounds in the offseason in order to improve his speed, and to make him an even better right fielder. “But when it comes to lifting weights, I’m stronger," he said. “I’ve done some commendable things in baseball. I made the All-Star team, but I want to do more. I want to be better. Being good isn’t good enough."

Pitcher Bronson Arroyo said he did far less traveling and far less of his music in the offseason in order to atone for his 9-12 record and 5.07 ERA. But his subpar season can be traced mostly to his health. In March of last year, he was diagnosed with mononucleosis, and he had traces of Valley Fever in his blood as well as whooping cough. “I coughed up a lung every start for about three months," he said. The illnesses essentially wiped out his preparation in spring training. “I spent the last month of spring training lying on the couch," he said. “I had to have someone prepare meals for me. I watched more TV than I ever have in my life." Now he’s healthy. “He’s throwing 89 to 91 [mph]," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “This time last year, he was around 85. He’ll be much better this year."

• Third baseman Scott Rolen’s shoulder might never be 100 percent, but Baker said Rolen has been as healthy this spring as he has been since midway through the 2010 season. He has swung the bat very well this spring, which is crucial given that he is the right-handed bat in between the left-handed hitting Votto and Bruce in the middle of the Reds' order.

• Aroldis Chapman will start the season in the bullpen, giving the Reds three lefties along with Sean Marshall and Bill Bray. Chapman has a long way to go before he’s a polished pitcher -- he issued 41 walks in 50 innings last year -- but pitching coach Bryan Price said Chapman is “developing as a pitcher" this spring. He is throwing three pitches for strikes, he has a much better feel for his curveball, he has greatly improved his pickoff move and he has become a better fielder. Chapman is a contingency plan for the rotation, but only when he proves he can consistently throw more strikes. He has been better this spring.

• The Reds might have the tallest and biggest pitching staff in the league. Chapman, Arroyo and Nick Masset are 6-foot-4. Mat Latos, who is new to the top of the rotation, is 6-6, as is new closer Ryan Madson. Marshall is 6-7. Logan Ondrusek is 6-8. “And Andrew Brackman is 6-foot-15," Latos said with a laugh -- Brackman is actually 6-10. “We have a basketball team."

• Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said “one way or another," the contract negotiations with second baseman Brandon Phillips are expected to be done by Opening Day. A club source said that they really want to keep Phillips, and he wants to stay. It’s not going to be an easy negotiation, but from most indications, the Reds are going to sign Phillips to a long-term deal.

• Madson didn’t a throw a lot in the offseason, and then he pushed it a little too hard at the beginning of spring training. On Tuesday, he really threw for the first time this spring. “This is my first day of spring training," he said with a smile. But count on him being ready for Opening Day.

Day 18 of the Bus Tour took us to Rockies camp, where we received a visitor on the bus at 7 a.m: Rockies pitcher Jeremy Guthrie. He had ridden his bike to the ballpark, as he does every day of every spring training. “It was only five miles,’’ he said, shrugging his shoulders. This bike is, he calls it, his “baseball bike.’’ It was in Sarasota, Fla. -- spring training home of his former team, the Orioles -- but it was shipped to Arizona where the Rockies train.

“He pitched in a game in Scottsdale this spring, then got on his bike -- still in full uniform, with his glove on the handlebars -- and rode back to our facility,’’ said Rockies right fielder Michael Cuddyer, laughing. “It was like a scene from the movie, 'The Sandlot.'"

“I was in full high school baseball mode,’’ Guthrie said.

• The Rockies had the second highest starters’ ERA (4.73) in the National League last season; whether Colorado wins the division, or finishes fourth, will likely depend on how it pieces together its rotation. Guthrie and Jhoulys Chacin are the top two starters, and Juan Nicasio has emerged as the No. 3 guy. He is coming back from a broken neck, which he suffered last season after being hit in the head by a line drive. But Nicasio has had a very good spring, and didn’t flinch when a line drive came close to hitting him in the head in a recent game.

There are six options for the final two spots in the rotation: Guillermo Moscoso, Drew Pomeranz, Josh Outman, Alex White, Tyler Chatwood and Jamie Moyer. Chatwood, who throws 97 mph, has been the most impressive, according to several Rockies. “We [the Twins] saw him twice the first half of last year, and he had some of the best stuff we saw all year,’’ Cuddyer said. Moyer was scheduled to throw in a minor league game Monday, then is scheduled to pitch in a major league game in his next start.

• Rafael Betancourt is the Rockies' new closer. He was brilliant as a setup man last year: 62 1/3 innings, 46 hits allowed, eight walks and 73 strikeouts. Betancourt certainly has the stuff to close, but if he struggles, there are other options in the bullpen. Matt Belisle has very good stuff, as does left-hander Rex Brothers. In 40 2/3 innings last year, Brothers had 59 strikeouts. First baseman Todd Helton said Brothers’ stuff reminds him of the Braves’ Jonny Venters.

• Center fielder Dexter Fowler had a breakout second half of last year, and appears poised to continue his rise this season. He is smart, and he's very athletic. After being sent to the minor leagues last season, Fowler tried using a big leg kick in batting practice, took it into the game that night, and got three hits. He’s using this spring to refine the leg kick to where it was last year.

• Cuddyer is an amateur magician, but his tricks are amazing. “[Third baseman] Chris Nelson had the best reaction. He looked at me, like, 'how did you do that?'’’ Cuddyer said with a smile. “That’s what I look for, the reaction. Then you keep going back to that guy.’’

• One Rockie said, “The higher the expectations, the worse we play.’’ Last year, the expectations were very high, and the Rockies lost 89 games. So the Rockies added four veteran players -- third baseman Casey Blake, second baseman Marco Scutaro, catcher Ramon Hernandez and Cuddyer -- to help not just on the field, but in the clubhouse. Scutaro has played shortstop the past few years, but has played a lot of second base in his pro career.
“I just have to get used to the ball coming off the bat at a different angle,’’ he said.

• Helton played quarterback at the University of Tennessee, as Peyton Manning did. “I’ve worked out with him before, and it’s amazing how intense he is,’’ Helton said. “Everything he does has to be perfect.’’

• Rick Sutcliffe Story of the Day: “I am the first pitcher, I believe, to have his name on a Louisville Slugger bat. Until then, the bat just said 'Pitcher' on it. Well, I was hitting .300, and I asked the Louisville Slugger rep that I wanted my name on the bat. He said, 'Who is pitching today?' I said, 'Tom Seaver.' He said, 'If you hit a home run on the first pitch you see from Seaver, I’ll put your name on the bat.' First pitch, I hit a home run. Years later, Seaver found out about that bet. He told me, 'If I’d have known that, I’d have knocked you down.'’’

Day 17 of the Bus Tour took us to Giants camp, where one big question remains: How healthy is catcher Buster Posey? He said his ankle “feels good," but said when he has to make a quick turn while running the bases, sometimes it kind of “catches." Manager Bruce Bochy said he hasn’t seen any restrictions of Posey this spring, but he is going to have to catch nine innings in back-to-back games before he’s going to be ready for Opening Day.

In a perfect world, Posey would catch 110-120 games, and play first base for another 20 games: The Giants finished last in the National League in runs scored last season. Obviously, they will need Posey in the lineup as often as possible. But his durability is a question, making the Giants' decision on who will be their backup catcher even more important. The Giants have Eli Whiteside, who really threw well behind the plate last year, but batted .197. They also have Chris Stewart, another good defensive catcher, who hit only .204 last season. Hector Sanchez is not a particularly good defensive catcher, but he has shown that he can hit in the minor leagues -- and he’s really strong. Chances are, the Giants are going to keep only two catchers, and both Whiteside and Stewart are out of options.

• Aubrey Huff is the first baseman for now because he came to camp in good shape, he seems ready to play and he’s set to receive $11 million this year. But Brandon Belt is having an excellent spring, and there’s some thought that he could be the first baseman should Huff struggle at any point. Or if the Giants are having trouble scoring runs, and Huff is hitting, he could move to left field. In such a scenario, Angel Pagan would move from left field to center field, Melky Cabrera would move from center field to right field and right fielder Nate Schierholtz would become a defensive replacement for the last three innings of every game.

For now, Schierholtz is the Giants' everyday right fielder. He is a terrific defensive player, and playing right field at AT&T Park in San Francisco is extremely difficult in part because there is so much ground to cover in right-center field. “The wind blows straight across," Schierholtz said. “In right field, you have to be careful: A ball that you think is going to end up in the stands can get blown back into fair territory. The Giants did a study about the right-field wall. There is something like 19 different surfaces that are on the wall, from brick to plastic to a [chain-link] fence. The ball ricochets in a different direction depending on what surfaces it hits."

• Second baseman Freddy Sanchez’s right shoulder still isn’t 100 percent, which means he might have to start the season on the disabled list. Sanchez said the shoulder doesn’t bother him at the plate, and it doesn’t bother him on throws in which he can use his legs. But, he said, on the double play, when he has to throw across his body without the complete use of his legs, it tends to bother his shoulder. The Giants have other options at second with Mike Fontenot, Ryan Theriot and Emmanuel Burriss. But even if Sanchez is healthy, he likely will hit down in the order so Cabrera can hit second. Cabrera is so much bigger and stronger than he was three years ago. He had 67 extra-base hits while playing for the Royals last year.

• Closer Brian Wilson has had injury issues in the past year, but in his last appearance this spring he was clocked at 94-95 mph. With a healthy Wilson, the Giants' bullpen should be very good again.

• Bochy doesn’t come across as a funny guy, but he is really funny. Over the winter, he tried skiing for the first time. “I thought I could do it, I’m still somewhat athletic, as it turns out, I’m not," he said with a smile. “I got on the ski lift, then I kind of slipped off, and the lift hit me in the back of the head. My gloves and skis and hat went flying, it looked like a yard sale. I didn’t even try to ski after that. I went to the lodge and had a beer."

Day 15 of the Bus Tour took us to Royals camp, where all is well other than the news about catcher Salvador Perez, who tore the meniscus in his left knee while catching in the bullpen. Perez is one of the premier young catchers in baseball, “the best young catcher I’ve ever seen,’’ said Royals manager Ned Yost. Perez batted .331 in 148 at-bats last season; he is terrific defensively and his enthusiasm for the game is what keeps this team going forward. The leaders of the Royals are right fielder Jeff Francoeur and left fielder Alex Gordon, but general manager Dayton Moore said, “Salvi is the heartbeat of our team.’’

Perez will be out until the middle of June. Brayan Pena becomes the No. 1 catcher, and the search is on for catching help given that the third catcher on the 40-man roster, Manny Pina, injured his knee in the same way that Perez did: His spike caught in the dirt while he was shifting his feet while catching in the bullpen. The Royals inquired about Pudge Rodriguez, but a Royals source said it appears that Rodriguez needs to clear up some personal business before he is ready to sign with any team.

• With three weeks to go before Opening Day, there is still plenty of competition for the final two spots in the Royals' rotation after Bruce Chen, Luke Hochevar and Jonathan Sanchez. Danny Duffy, who has had an excellent spring, and Luis Mendoza are the leaders, with Felipe Paulino not far behind. The rotation is the weak link for the Royals. Last year, their starters’ ERA was 4.82; only the Orioles were worse in the AL. And the 621 strikeouts from the K.C. rotation were the 12th most in the AL. Sanchez was acquired from San Francisco to strengthen that rotation. He needs to throw more strikes (66 walks in 101 1/3 innings), but at age 29, this might be who he is.

• The Royals are trying to sign Gordon to a contract extension, and from all indications, they eventually will. Gordon is signed through 2013, he had a breakthrough season in 2011 and appears primed to build on his numbers: .303 average, 23 home runs and 87 RBIs. Gordon won a Gold Glove last year. Scouts will tell you that no left fielder in the American League charges the ball in left field and throws to the plate better than Gordon. All those years at third base prepared him to make that play.

The Royals have to sign Gordon long-term. With him, first baseman Eric Hosmer and third baseman Mike Moustakas, the Royals have three young left-handed hitters -- in a division dominated by right-handed starters -- for the middle of the order for the next five or six years. But with a $70-$75 million payroll, with TV money that can’t match that of most teams and with attendance that has never reached 2.5 million in club history, the Royals could have budget issues by 2015, but there is a plan in place to make sure Gordon stays put.

As for Hosmer, Gordon calls him “a freak. When he came up last year, it’s like he belonged as soon as he got here. That just doesn’t happen.’’ Hosmer is a really good hitter, with great power. “The most impressive thing I saw about him was his first two at-bats of his major league career,’’ said Francoeur. “He faced Gio Gonzalez, and walked his first two times up. Most guys would be swinging out of their shoes in that first at-bat.’’

Hosmer is as good defensively as he is at the plate. A first baseman who can throw these days is rare; the only first baseman in the game who throws better than Hosmer is Boston’s Adrian Gonzalez. The Royals changed their relay plays on balls hit to right field so Hosmer, not the second baseman, can make the throw.

• DH Billy Butler weighs about the same as last year, but he moved to Arizona over the winter, and worked with a personal trainer. Butler’s body fat has dropped from 21 percent to 17 percent, and he’s stronger, especially in the upper body. “I really worked on my agility in the offseason,’’ he said.

• The second base situation is far from settled. Johnny Giavotella finished last year as the everyday guy, but it’s a three-man competition this spring with him, Yuniesky Betancourt and Chris Getz. Betancourt was a second baseman until he got to pro ball, then he was turned into a shortstop. He might be the best of the three defensively. Getz gained 15 pounds in the offseason, and is much stronger.

• How rare it is to have two guys from Worcester, Mass., in camp at the same time? Such was the case Saturday when ESPN producer Charlie Moynihan produced the Bus Tour, and Royals reliever Tim Collins was one of our guests. It was Moynihan’s idea to have me interview Collins about being the shortest pitcher in the major leagues: he is 5-foot-6¾. I am 5-foot-5. Among the many big differences between us is that he throws a baseball 93 mph.
We did a height-off.

“I’ve never won one of these,’’ I said.

“Neither have I,’’ Collins said. “Until today.’’

Then we did our entire TV interview in height-off position, back-to-back.

Day 15 of the Bus Tour took us to Cubs camp, where the influence, command and smarts of new manager Dale Sveum are obvious. The Cubs, who have little speed, run the bases daily because Sveum has walked it off and determined that if you run the bases properly, you can cut 12 feet off the trip around the bases. He also isn’t afraid to scold anyone -- from the third catcher to a star player -- if he’s not doing the work properly.

As for being prepared, Sveum is well aware that Cubs pitchers walked the most hitters in the National League last year, and Cubs hitters drew the second-fewest walks while also striking out 777 more times than they walked.

“Last year in the major leagues,” Sveum said, “a breaking ball was thrown 50 percent of the time on a 3-2 count. There are no more fastball counts anymore. When I played, when it was 1-0, you got a fastball. Not anymore.”

• It’s early, but here’s the best guess on what the Cubs' rotation will look like on Opening Day: Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza, Paul Maholm, Jeff Samardzija and Chris Volstad. Volstad’s first two starts have been very good, and he observed that, “I’m attacking. That’s what Bosi [pitching coach Chris Bosio] preaches.”
• It’s set that Bryan LaHair is going to be the first baseman on Opening Day, but it wasn’t really even a competition this spring. LaHair hit 38 home runs last year, tore it up in winter ball and, according to hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, is making the adjustment to the ball on the inside part of the plate. LaHair is decent defensively, but he’s no Carlos Pena, who, one Cub said, “must have saved us another 50 errors last year with the balls he picked at first.”
  
  LaHair is 29 years old. He is the first baseman for now but could eventually go to the outfield. Clearly, Anthony Rizzo, 22, is the organization’s first baseman of the future. He struggled badly last year when recalled by the Padres, but the combination of being rushed and being hurt (wrist) and having steep expectations led to his .141 average. The Cubs won’t rush him.
• The Cubs made 18 more errors last year than any other NL team -- and 60 more than the Phillies. Sveum has been preaching defense all spring: 27 outs, no more. “It’s like a kid in grade school: If you have to write it on the board 1,000 times, then you do it,” he said.
• Carlos Marmol is the closer despite a 4.01 ERA and 48 walks in 74 innings last year. Sveum said Marmol threw too many cutters last year, and his cutter too often looked like a bad slider. This spring, Marmol is back to throwing more fastballs and sliders, and he has learned to sink the ball on occasion. The Cubs will be looking for bullpen help toward the end of spring training and realize that it’s a lot easier to find a reliever than a starter.
• Everyone is raving about young center field Brett Jackson, who isn’t going to make the team but is a future five-tool guy in the big leagues. He is tremendously athletic and reminds some of a young George Brett at the plate. Marlon Byrd is the Cubs’ center fielder, but chances are he will be moved before the July 31 deadline, if not much sooner. Garza might also be moved because there will be great interest in him by contenders down the stretch. The Cubs need to rebuild their farm system. Jackson and Rizzo are future stars, but the Cubs simply don’t have as many good power arms in the minor leagues as other teams.
• The Cubs will need some production from third baseman Ian Stewart, who did not hit a home run in 122 at-bats last year with Colorado. Jaramillo worked with Stewart at a mini camp in January and got him to lower his hands in hopes of shortening his swing and finding his power.
• Rick Sutcliffe Story of the Day: “I used to love to light guys’ shoelaces on fire. I would get to the park early, take the laces out of their shoes, soak the laces in lighter fluid, then put them back in their shoes. That way, I could just walk by them, drop a light on them and they’re on fire up to their knees. What are they going to do about it? I’m 6-foot-7 and they’re not. So once, Chris Speier and Terry Francona decide they’re going to get me back. Speier is sitting next to me on end of the bench, and Francona is crawling on his stomach under the bench to try to light my laces on fire. But Chris is nervous, I can tell, he panics and says, ‘Tito is trying to get you!’ because he’s afraid I might kill him. I see Tito on his stomach, I picked up the Gatorade jug and threw red Gatorade all over him. He had to change his uniform and take a shower during the game.”

Day 14 of the Bus Tour took us to Seattle camp, where -- after two historically bad seasons offensively (100 fewer runs scored than any American League team in 2010, 63 fewer runs than any AL team last year) -- the Mariners spent the offseason trying to get better at the plate. Jesus Montero was the biggest addition; he’s 22 years old and he’s not ready to catch every day, but he hits cannon shots all over the field, especially to right center field. “He hits it so hard that way,’’ said Mariners ace Felix Hernandez, “it’s like he is a left-handed hitter.’’

Montero likely will catch around 40 games this year, and will spend the season being tutored by Miguel Olivo. “He’s my baby,’’ Olivo said with a smile. Montero has a lot to learn about catching, and a lot to learn about the work ethic needed to be a catcher, but the Mariners are prepared for a couple of years of apprenticeship before turning the job over to him. “The great fallacy is that the quickest way to get to the big leagues is as a catcher,’’ one scout said. “The slowest way to the big leagues is as a catcher because of the responsibility needed to run a staff. Most young guys can’t do that. But once you make it to the big leagues as a catcher, you stay forever.’’

• The Mariners are going to hit Ichiro Suzuki third in the order. It is not a one-month experiment, and they’re not going to move him back to leadoff if he struggles for a month. The move is designed to create more offense, and to help re-invent leadoff man Chone Figgins, who hit .188 last season. Mariners manager Eric Wedge said that Ichiro “is on board’’ with the move in part because Wedge essentially told him late last season that he’d hit third in 2012.

The selling point to Ichiro is that it will be better for the team, and that by hitting behind Dustin Ackley and in front of Justin Smoak (who lost 15 pounds in the offseason but got stronger and more flexible), Ichiro will be in a better hitting position. Figgins has been at his best when hitting leadoff. He spent the winter working on some things, including building a stronger base at the plate. “He has a little different look in his eye this spring,’’ Wedge said.

• Ackley is a star in the making, a really good hitter, and will be with the Mariners all season. “He plays this video game on his phone, I play the same game, my score is like 2 million, his score is 14 million,’’ said Mariners pitcher Charlie Furbush. “With Dustin, he has to win everything.’’

Ackley smiled about that. “I’ve been playing that game for a couple of years; I saw the high score and said, ‘I have to beat that,’’’ he said. Then he did.

• One of the stories of camp has been center fielder Michael Saunders. “He’s a different guy this spring,’’ Wedge said. Saunders is a plus defender, can run the bases, etc., but he hasn’t hit in the big leagues. This spring, he looks like a different hitter after working the whole offseason on becoming a better hitter. If he can hit until Franklin Gutierrez returns from injury around May 1, it would allow the Mariners to play Figgins at third base. If Saunders doesn’t hit, Figgins likely would play center, and Kyle Seager would play third. He, too, gained some weight and got stronger in the offseason.

• The story in Mariners camp might be the young starting pitching on the way. Danny Hultzen, their No. 1 pick in the June draft, will make his pro debut this year, but he’s not too far away from the big leagues. Another left-hander, James Paxton, throws 97 mph. So does their best pitching prospect, 19-year-old Taijuan Walker. “It’s an easy 97,’’ said closer Brandon League. Said reliever Shawn Camp, “It’s like a bullet coming out of his hand.’’

• GM Jack Zduriencik said he won’t trade Hernandez. “Great,’’ Hernandez said, “I don’t want to go anywhere. I want to stay in Seattle. I want to win in Seattle.’’

• Aaron Boone Story of the Week: When asked about the famous home run he hit off Tim Wakefield in the 2003 ALCS, Boone said, “When I hit it, as I was running to first base, I remember saying to myself, ‘Take this in, soak this in.’ But then I went into a fog. I can’t remember anything else.’’ When did he come out of the fog? “I’m still in it,’’ he said, smiling.

Day 14 of the Bus Tour took us to Brewers camp, which was a noticeably different place without first baseman Prince Fielder. Yet there was an unmistakable confidence in the clubhouse, especially from reigning National League MVP Ryan Braun, who acknowledged that his head is clear after an offseason of emotional turmoil. Said Braun: “This team is good.’’

That, of course, starts with all five starters back from a rotation that last year went 73-43; only the Phillies had more wins from their starting pitchers than the Brewers. “And this spring,’’ No. 4 starter Randy Wolf said, jokingly, “Zack [Greinke] didn’t play basketball with Dikembe Mutombo and come in with a cracked rib. He’ll be here from the start.’’ No. 3 starter Shaun Marcum suffered a mildly strained shoulder during spring training but threw without an issue off flat ground Sunday, giving the Brewers hope that he will be ready for Opening Day.

Marcum had similar shoulder stiffness last spring, recovered and was the Brewers’ best pitcher during the first three months of the season. But he might have been their worst pitcher the last two weeks of the regular season and in the postseason. Marcum lost some weight and reported to camp in better shape in hopes of making sure that doesn’t happen again.

• Not much has changed with center fielder Nyjer Morgan. He was hit in the back of the head by a pitch Saturday but was back in camp the next day with a smile on his face and ready to play. “That pitch hit Tony Plush,’’ Morgan said, referring to his alter ego. “Nyjer is fine.’’

• The Brewers have given Fielder’s first-base job to Mat Gamel, who has played two games in his major league career at first (but played a lot at the position in the minor leagues) and has five career home runs in 171 at-bats. Gamel hits left-handed, which will help break up the three right-handed hitters in the middle of the order: Braun, Corey Hart and Aramis Ramirez. Gamel was not a particularly good defensive third baseman, but two Brewers said he would be a slight upgrade over Fielder defensively. But Fielder provided protection for Braun, who had two intentional walks last year. This year, Braun's number of intentional walks will be closer to 22.

• Ramirez, one teammate said, “looks really happy.’’ And he looks to have slimmed down. Ramirez was not happy, it seemed, in Chicago, or it certainly looked that way with the disinterested way he played at times for the Cubs. Ramirez is a very good hitter -- you can’t throw a fastball by him -- but he’s not a carrier. Rather, he’s a support guy and he will not be able to replace Fielder’s protection. But Ramirez will give the Brewers much more than they had at third base last year: Brewers third basemen hit. 215, slugged .324 and scored 51 runs, all NL lows for third basemen.

• The Brewers aren’t very deep, especially in the outfield. Hart (knee injury) is expected to be back around mid-April, and they don’t have a suitable replacement for him. Norichika Aoki, who was signed out of Japan, might get some playing time as a replacement for Hart, but he doesn’t have power or speed. Aoki hit four home runs and had eight steals in 583 at-bats last year in Japan.

• Aaron Boone Story of the Day: He can imitate almost any hitter over the last 30 years. We were walking to the Brewers' clubhouse when I mentioned the name of Larry Parrish, and Boone stopped walking and did Parrish’s batting stance, which was perfect. On the Bus, a colleague asked him for a Jack Buck impersonation, and he did the great Jack Buck on football perfectly. When Boone was asked if he’d ever seen the Cubs’ Ryan Dempster’s impersonation of Chris Farley as motivational speaker Matt Foley in the "Saturday Night Live" skit, Boone sheepishly said, “I can do that. I did it in college. At least once a week, my teammates would be like, 'Give us Matt Foley.' So I would.’’

Day 11 of the Bus Tour took us to Angels camp. It is impossible to not like the Angels, especially if two critical questions are answered. The biggest is the health of DH Kendrys Morales. He hasn’t played in a year and a half, and he hasn’t played in a game this spring, but he has started running the bases, as opposed to just in a straight line. It doesn’t look like he will be ready for Opening Day, but one Angel said without hesitation, “He will be ready.”

If so, then Mark Trumbo will be the Angels' third baseman, which is the second big question. One scout says that Trumbo is, “a great athlete, he has great feet.” There is so much more than that to playing third base, but Trumbo is clearly a willing student. “I’ve picked the brain of almost everyone in the clubhouse,” Trumbo said. “Jorge [Cantu] told me the position requires a step and a dive to each hand.”

Trumbo has played only 13 innings at third base in spring training, and said he needs to make as many plays as possible at game speed. He recently made a diving catch to his left, but said his biggest challenges are the bunt play, the slower roller and the throw across his body. He was drafted as a pitcher, so he has a great arm: The 120-foot throw across the diamond is not going to be a problem for Trumbo.

If Morales isn’t ready, Trumbo will be the team’s DH, and Maicer Izturis and Alberto Callaspo will play third.

• The Angels’ starting pitching is so good: Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, C.J. Wilson and Ervin Santana, with Jerome Williams or Brad Mills as the likely fifth starter. “Managers go to sleep at night thinking about their rotation, and they wake up in the morning thinking about their rotation,” Mike Scioscia said. “We have four guys who could be a No. 1 starter.”
• When asked if he had gotten to know Wilson yet, Scioscia smiled and said, “There are a lot of C.J. Wilsons to know. There’s C.J. the pitcher, C.J. the race car magnet, C.J. the Eastern philosopher. But I like all the C.J.’s. He has been a great influence on our team.” So, too, has Albert Pujols. “When the young guys see Albert working on taking a secondary lead,” Scioscia said, “it makes them want to do the same.”
• The Angels' outfield defense is terrific. “No right fielder in our league,” Scioscia said, “keeps the runner from going first to third better than Torii Hunter.” Hunter on what he has learned about Pujols that he didn’t know before: “He is amazing. Every swing is the same. Inside pitch. Outside pitch. Same swing. He’s about quality, not quantity.”
• Closer Jordan Walden lost 18 pounds, down to 235, in the offseason. “I wanted to get lighter so I could throw harder,” Walden said with a smile. This spring, he was clocked at 100 mph. The Angels are a little light in the bullpen, but LaTroy Hawkins, with his ninth team, should help get the ball to Walden.
• Aaron Boone Story of the Day: A former teammate from USC found Boone at the ballpark Monday. “Freshman year, 18 years old, he and I drive to Vegas for one night in the winter,” Boone said. “We’re playing Video Poker. My guy has a straight dealt to him. He holds, holds, holds. I push him out of the chair, and take over the hand, I throw away two cards, and, thanks to me, he gets a royal flush. He wins $1,000. On the way home, he’s too cheap to spend $34 on a hotel. So we sleep in the back of my Bronco, and it’s so cold, we’re cuddling. And he won a thousand dollars!”

The Bus Tour began in Jupiter as we visited the world champion Cardinals, and ended its Florida swing with John Kruk’s car nearly running over manager Bobby Valentine as he was riding his bike at the Red Sox complex in Fort Myers. Here are highlights and observations from Florida.



• The Rays are great fun to be around, beginning with manager Joe Maddon, who is so loose, and consequently, so are his players. When first baseman Carlos Pena was thrown out going from first base to third in a drill recently, he quoted Dr. Martin Luther King’s "Freedom Speech" as a justification. Dr. King, Pena said, stated that sometimes when you do something wrong, it’s not wrong if you do it for the right reasons. So, Pena reasoned, getting thrown out at third was wrong, but was done for the right reasons, and therefore it wasn’t wrong. “My first baseman is quoting Dr. King,’’ Maddon said. “It works for me.’’

• Orioles manager Buck Showalter has helped rebuild the clubhouse in spring training in Sarasota, complete to the point where clubhouse manager Jimmy Tyler was given three new washers (they can wash 75 pounds of clothing each) and three new dryers (they can dry 100 pounds of clothing each). “Buck fought hard to get us these,’’ Tyler said.

• How much does Showalter get it? When former Orioles manager Earl Weaver, the third best manager of all time by my unofficial calculations, came to an Orioles squad game in Sarastoa, Showalter ran one of Weaver’s pick-off plays as a tribute to Earl. And when the play was run, Weaver recognized it right away. He’s 81, and still sees everything on the field.



• Outfielder Bryce Harper has a chance to make the Nationals' Opening Day roster at the age of 19. One scout said, “Al Kaline won a batting title when he was 20, why can’t this kid make the team? The special ones always figure it out. And this kid is extra special.’’

• Marlins right fielder Mike Stanton, now Giancarlo Stanton, is the greatest batting practice show in the major leagues. Asked about Stanton’s power, Marlins outfielder Logan Morrison said, “It is a joke.’’

• Everyone is rooting for Jim Thome and his return to the Phillies, but the over/under on games he starts at first base shouldn’t be any higher than five. Thome is 41, he has a back injury and hasn’t consistently taken grounders at first base for several years. Thome was with the Twins last year. One Twin said, “I don’t think I ever saw him with a glove on.’’ Another Twin said, “He shagged with a fungo [bat].’’



• The Red Sox are a work in progress. Some of their players are perplexed by the amount of teaching being done by manager Bobby Valentine, who had them working for 30 minutes one day on how to get a secondary lead. Valentine is, first and foremost, a teacher, and a great one at that. He can’t help himself: When it comes to baseball, if someone says or does something wrong, he has to correct it. Red Sox players had better get used to that, and the fact that Valentine will be one of the team's hitting coaches and pitching coaches. And his teaching will not end in spring training. It will happen every day of the season.

• The Rays don’t have a backup catcher, or in their case, a second catcher who is going to be needed far more than the average backup. Their primary catcher, Jose Molina, can play only 80-90 games. And he has trouble throwing people out these days. Look for the Rays to look outside the organization for another catcher.



• Last spring training, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was handed three pieces of paper every day. One listed which players on the roster were healthy and available that day, another listed the health and availability of first baseman Justin Morneau and the third listed the health and availability of catcher Joe Mauer. It made for a difficult spring because those two guys were coming back from injuries, and had all sorts of restrictions on what they could do. This spring, there are no restrictions, no separate pieces of paper. That’s great news for the Twins.

• I saw the Orioles’ best pitching prospect, Dylan Bundy, 19, throw one inning of a squad game in Sarasota. He threw 97 mph, and struck out Mark Reynolds looking on an overhand curveball that was unhittable. Bundy obviously won’t make the club out of spring training, but he is clearly on the fast track to the big leagues.

• The Pirates did well locking up center fielder Andrew McCutchen for six years. He has great ability. By the way, he won his high school county batting title as an eighth-grader.



• The Blue Jays are going to be a very good team in a year or two; look for another jump this year. Third baseman Brett Lawrie is going to be a star, he is so strong, and so committed to being great. He is a linebacker playing third base.

• The Yankees' rotation is pretty deep, so much so that Michael Pineda, acquired from Seattle in the offseason, is by no means guaranteed the No. 2 spot. That’s good news for the Yankees. That means Phil Hughes, Ivan Nova, Hiroki Kuroda and Freddy Garcia are making that rotation much more of a competition than was anticipated. Meanwhile, Jesus Montero, the young player the Yankees sent to Seattle in exchange for Pineda, is expected to be the Mariners' No. 1 catcher. One Yankee said Montero will hit, but wondered about his work ethic behind the plate.



• The Braves might have found their shortstop in Tyler Pastornicky. He is the son of a coach, very smart and isn’t afraid to step in and play a key position for a contending team.

• Super utility guys -- they can play the infield and outfield -- are so valuable these days. The Nationals have a new one in Mark DeRosa. He said he is using only three gloves these days: One for the outfield (which he jokingly said he “stole’’ from former teammate Mark Teixeira in Texas), one for the infield and one for first base (which he jokingly said he “stole’’ from former Giants teammate Pablo Sandoval).



• We’re still not convinced that Johan Santana can give the Mets more than 125 innings this year, but so far, all signs are good that he will be ready for Opening Day.

• Everyone is pulling for Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts being able to contribute this year as he attempts to come back from a concussion. But my feeling is that Roberts' chances of playing this year are around 50/50.



• Phillies outfielder Domonic Brown is going to be a good player, but he needs more time in the minor leagues to work on defense, baserunning, etc., according to one member of the Phillies.

• If a team is looking for a starting pitcher at the end of spring training, check the Nationals. Left-hander Ross Detwiler is out of options, and he’s going to make that team. Lefty John Lannan likely will make the rotation, but if he doesn’t, there will be great interest in him. “John Lannan is a really good pitcher,’’ one Brave said. “I’d love to have him.’’

• And finally, we thought it was impossible to enjoy anyone as much we have enjoyed having Kruk on the bus. But new ESPN analyst Terry Francona is among the funniest people we have ever met. In one week on the bus, he told at least 100 stories that made me laugh out loud, including one from a few years ago, when he convinced ESPN football analyst John Clayton to pretend to be Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, because Francona jokingly says that Clayton looks like Pedroia. So Clayton, being the good sport that he is, went on camera and mimicked Pedroia. And everyone in the Red Sox clubhouse howled. Speaking of howling, the Bus Tour will welcome ESPN analyst Aaron Boone starting Monday in Arizona. He, too, is hilarious. I will press him to do his Chris Farley/Matt Foley Motivational Speaker impersonation on the bus, or on air.

PHOENIX -- Not to say Yoenis Cespedes experienced a little more pressure than players normally do in a spring training game but the Cuban émigré’s Cactus League debut drew a standing room crowd Saturday afternoon. And that was just in the Athletics dugout.

“It was pretty electric,’’ Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. “We had people who didn’t have to be here watching. If guys weren’t playing they didn’t have to be here. But everybody was here. I don’t know if you noticed but it was hard to get in our dugout because there were so many guys to see him play.’’

They and the announced crowd of 6,664 fans were rewarded. Playing in his first game since signing a four-year $36 million contract with the Athletics, Cespedes homered, singled and walked in three plate appearances against the Reds.

“It was the first game today and I felt a little pressure at home plate, ‘’ Cespedes said through interpreter Ariel Prieto. Asked for his thoughts circling the bases following his home run, he said, “I was happy because it was after I made some bad swings and I made some adjustments and hit the ball well.’’

Batting second in the lineup, Cespedes showed patience by not swinging at a single pitch and walking against Reds starter Johnny Cueto in his first trip to the plate, then singled up the middle against Cueto his next time. Getting out a little in front of the ball, he fouled off four pitches his third at-bat before drilling a Jeff Francis fastball over the left field fence.

“Those were impressive at-bats. I think the first one was as impressive in that someone who really wanted to go up there and hit and show what he can do, took a walk,’’ Melvin said. “All the way around his at-bats looked impressive. And he looked comfortable in center field. All in all, a nice little start for him.’’

Cespedes hasn’t been in the United States long but said he’s already determined that major league pitchers are better than Cuban pitchers. “You can find some good pitchers in Cuba but here it’s everybody,’’ he said.

Another change? Media attention. At least a dozen reporters waited to talk to him after he left the game. “In Cuba, I do interviews right after games but I’ve never seen this many guys asking questions.’’

Cespedes said nothing is easy, but he will try to be better in the majors than he was in Cuba.

“It was pretty impressive for a kid where the spotlight on him was about as bright as it could be for a kid,’’ Melvin said. “And to respond the way he did probably showed you a little bit about his makeup.’’