I am in Dunedin and I spent the day at the minor league complex. The teams for the regular season have not yet been selected but I did see two games at the same time. In the morning all four diamonds were busy with workouts and batting practice. In the afternoon the AAA and AA teams played the Phillies.
I watched more of the AA game than the AAA game but I saw some of Marcum pitch his five innings. In general Marcum was in control except for one innings the third where he grooved a pitch to the number nine hitter for a three run home run. Outside of that innings Marcum allowed two or three baserunners in the other four innings. Jesse Carlson pitched the sixth; Marty McLeary the seventh and eighth; and Sean Henn the ninth.
Brett Wallace DH'ed - Brain Dopirak played first base. Wallace does have a wide body he is like a little bigger version of Travis Snider.
Bobby Bell started the AA game and pitched well - I think he is headed for AA.
Bell was followed by BJ LaMura and Trystan Magnuson.
David Purcey will work out of the bullpen in AAA.
Rey Gonzalez has a good shot at the AAA rotation.
Chad Jenkins could start in Dunedin or Lansing - its a symbol of the new "go slow" approach".
Brad Emaus worked out at third base today and played third in the AA game. The path to Toronto is smoother through third base than second base.
Eric Thames played with the AA team made a couple diving catches and had a pair of RBI hits.
John Tolisano was also working out with the AA team and came into the AA game as a substitute.
Adam Loewen worked out with the AA team in the morning.
Regular season teams will be announced on Friday or Saturday.
Kyle Ginley; Kenny Rodriguez and Scott Campbell will start 2010 on the DL.
In other news:
Baseball America's transactions this week:
Released: RHP Leon Boyd, RHP Celson Polanco, RHP Bob Zimmermann, LHP Edgar Estanga, OF Chris Emanuele, OF Joey Gathright
Boyd was a surprise. Polanco; Estanga and Emanuele were organizational guys. With Boyd and Emanuele gone 33% of the releases were Canadian.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20100331215132207