• OK, so this might qualify as the least surprising news of the spring: Philadelphia closer Brad Lidge(notes) (knee, elbow) has told reporters, "It doesn’t look like I’m going to be ready for the opener." However, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Lidge claims that he’ll "definitely" be ready for the Phils’ home opener against Washington on April 12. Lucky home fans. Ryan Madson(notes) should get any save opportunities in Lidge’s absence.
• Tommy Hanson(notes) is absolutely cruising through spring training (9.1 IP, 10 K, 1 BB, 2 ER), thanks in part to a few offseason improvements. This from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s David O’Brien:
After excelling with three high-quality pitches as a rookie, Tommy Hanson has improved his fourth, the changeup, to the point where he’s confident throwing it in almost any situation.
This is bad news for hitters.
“It’s a lot better pitch now, and I’m a lot more confident with it,” Hanson said after allowing one run and six hits in five innings of a 4-2 win against the Florida Marlins on Wednesday at Roger Dean Stadium.
That seems just a little unfair. The 23-year-old Hanson went 11-4 in 21 starts for Atlanta in ’09, delivering an ERA of 2.89, a WHIP of 1.18 and a K/9 of 8.18. He closed the season in completely dominant fashion, striking out 43 batters over his final 39.0 innings while posting a September/October WHIP of 1.03. And now he’s better.
Here’s the manager’s assessment of Hanson’s last spring outing:
“He was really good today,” manager Bobby Cox said after Hanson trimmed his spring training ERA to 1.93 in three starts. “He had the great changeup. He threw it a lot.
“It’s a great weapon. Any time you develop a changeup….”
• Ted Lilly(notes) (shoulder) might be able to join the Cubs’ starting rotation a bit earlier than anticipated. He threw to live, bat-wielding hitters on Thursday, and he’s scheduled to throw again on Saturday. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Lilly is "on pace for something close to a mid-April return to the rotation." Lilly is 34 and coming off a season in which he posted the most useful fantasy ratios of his career (3.10 ERA, 1.06 WHIP). He’s a terrific pick at his current Mock Draft Central ADP (182.2).
• Carlos Beltran(notes) (knee) is hoping to return to "full baseball activities" in mid-April, according to the New York Daily News. "Every day I’m improving," he said. "I don’t feel the same way I
did last year." You might recall that he torpedoed many fantasy teams last year, so it’s nice to hear he’s feeling better. The spring propaganda has been encouraging, but with this specific player and this particular team, you should generally remain skeptical. Read this quote from the Daily News and check out the list of things Beltran isn’t yet doing:
"The big test will be when I start doing baseball activities every day,
when I start running, catching fly balls and standing out there on my
feet for a full day."
He’s telling you that "standing out there" and occasionally running will be a big test, one that he hasn’t yet passed. We all understand Beltran’s upside, and most sources seem to be forecasting an early-May return. But to me, that seems awfully optimistic. If I owned him, I’d hope to get 3.5 to four months of production, and my speed expectations would be modest.
• In other Mets news, 20-year-old prospect Jenrry Mejia(notes) might be pitching his way into a bullpen role. After retiring three Red Sox hitters (Cameron, Reddick, Scutaro) on six pitches on Wednesday, Mejia’s spring ERA dipped to 1.08. He has eight Ks in 8.1 innings, and he’s allowed just five hits and no walks. Baseball America ranks Mejia as the Mets’ No. 1 prospect and No. 56 overall. He had a 3.14 ERA and 91 Ks in 94.2 innings in the minors last year. Watch closely; prepare to add.
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