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Here's my predictions for opening day.
Starters (in batting order)
SS - Omar Vizquel
3B - Person not yet signed
LF - Shane Spencer
RF - Karim Garcia
CF - Milton Bradley
DH - Travis Hafner
1B - Ben Broussard
2B - Johnny McDonald
C - Josh Bard
P - C.C. Sabathia
DL
Matt Lawton
Ricky Gutierrez
Ellis Burks
AAA Crew
Brandon Phillips
Victor Martinez
Alex Escobar
Covelli Crisp
Of the three people on the DL I'd say that Ellis is the most likely not to be on it. I think that if Matt isn't on it, then Spencer is at 1B. If Gutierrez isn't on it he's at 3B. Another possibility if Gutierrez is on the DL and Phillips shows promise at ST is Johnny Mac at 3B and Phillips at 2B.
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Actually I think Casey Blake will be at 3B opening day. I don't see them signing anyone this late in the game.
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I'd put Bradley in the three spot. We need his speed earlier in the line-up. Bradley's a big boy now and hopefully doesn't need to be "protected" by being farther down the line-up.
I hear Johnny Mac bulked up this off-season. I hope he hasn't lost his flexibility.
Crisp-CF
Omar-SS
Bradley-LF
Garcia-RF
Spencer-1B
Haffner-DH
Martinez-3B
Bard-catcher
Johnny-Mac 2B
Bench is
Burks, Lawton, Hinch, Gutierrez
Of course, Burks gets DH, but I'd like to see the nine guys listed also play.
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Blake could be somewhat of a sleeper.
Blake was top ten in runs scored (a surprising stat for a third baseman) for Triple A Edmonton (the Twins organization), and top ten in hits!
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Good call on moving Bradley earlier in the lineup. You know he he stole 23 bases and 26 attempts (88.5%) at AAA in 2001? They may even have him bat leadoff with plans for Lawton in the eventual 3 spot. So here's a revised batting order prediction:
CF - Bradley
SS - Vizquel
LF - Spencer (Lawton)
RF - Garcia
DH - Hafner (Burks)
1B - Broussard (Spencer)
3B - Blake
2B - McDonald
C - Bard
Guys in parenthesis playing unless they're on the DL.
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Johnny Mac has just enough speed to warrant batting ninth. That way when he gets on base the table is already set for our "speedier" part of the front of the line-up.
I read today that Brandon Phillips is not that fast. It was in Baseball America's top 100 minor league prospects, (or was it Sporting News, I forget now)
That was kind of disappointing to read. They did not say he was a truck, but they were downplaying his speed, although he still was top ten out of the top 100.
In a way, if Wedge can figure out how to platoon correctly, there will be little to no drop-off between the starters and their replacements.
Now that last statement is open to interpretation...!!!
