Last week we updated you on all the position battles from the American League. This week, we’ll hit the ones in the National League. Keeping tabs on all the position battles going on is imperative to your pre-draft research. It’s the difference between find a hidden gem like Jace Peterson and getting stuck with a guy like Charlie Culberson.

Arizona Diamondbacks Catcher

Well so much for everyone’s senselessly overhyped sleeper pick of Peter O’Brien, huh? After 13 spring games and 28 at-bats the Diamondbacks realized that O’Brien just wasn’t ready to shoulder any sort of a major league load right now. His defense was average for spring and he hit just .250 with just two RBI and half a dozen whiffs. Unfortunately though, the team doesn’t have much in the way of alternatives either. Tuffy Gosewisch gets the starting nod with veteran backstop Gerald Laird acting as the back-up. Maybe if you’re in a two-catcher NL-only league with 12 or more teams Gosewisch has some final-round appeal, but that’s about it.

Arizona Diamondbacks Third Base/Left Field

If it seems like an odd pairing – third and left – but the Diamondbacks put themselves in this awkward position with their expectations of Yasmany Tomas coming in and being able to play third base. An unrealistic expectation? Maybe. They had to see something to make that move, didn’t they? Well regardless, the move does not seems to be working and the team is scrambling to figure things out. Tomas has been getting some work in left field at the expense of David Peralta and Ender Inciarte while Jake Lamb, who is batting .256 (11-for-43) with two home runs, four RBI and 11 strikeouts, is getting the work at the hot corner. Now while Tomas has all this raw power and has a pair of homers and seven RBI to his credit this spring, Inciarte is not only hitting well, but he’s also a much more reliable defender in left field. Bottom line is that this situation is a mess and the Diamondbacks haven’t given any indication as to which way they are going to go. If the season were to start tomorrow, you would probably have a platoon at both positions with Tomas working at each spot. That leaves Lamb with limited at-bats, Inciarte with limited at-bats and Peralta as a possible odd-man out. At least we can assume closer to a full season’s worth of at-bats for Tomas. The rest of the guys seem undraftable outside of really deep NL-only leagues.

Arizona Diamondbacks Shortstop

This situation is a bit surprising because, technically, there wasn’t a position battle to begin with. And actually, there still isn’t one, but the names have seemingly changed. Apparently Nick Ahmed has beaten out incumbent Chris Owings, and relatively handily too as manager Chip Hale, who may not have announced it officially, has continued to start Ahmed with the rest of his starters. Owings is likely to stay on as a back-up infielder, but if you’re looking for a middle infield with some speed upside, then Ahmed could be worth a look.

Atlanta Braves Second Base

“Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son.” Maybe someone should have sat Alberto Callaspo down and made him understand that it’s not just a movie quote but a reality. Callaspo showed up for camp completely out of shape and opened the door nice and wide for Jace Peterson, who came over to Atlanta in the Justin Upton deal. But Peterson didn’t just see the open door, he jumped right through it, batting .341 (14-for-41) with a pair of doubles, eight runs scored, two stolen bases and eight walks. Sure, he’s also struck out 11 times, but he’s been a fantastic addition to a team that fantasy owners have considered a barren wasteland save for Freddie Freeman. He’s not exactly going to light it up for you, but he’s a decent late-round/bench option in NL-only play.

 

Atlanta Braves Right Field

Not so much of a position battle here but more a warning that those of you who have been sleeping on Nick Markakis might want to wake up a little. After spending his entire offseason recovering from neck surgery, Markakis finally made his spring debut Tuesday and the Braves have renewed hope that he will be ready for Opening Day. Even if he doesn’t start the season on-time, Markakis would not miss too much of April and will assume a starting role immediately. With Eric Young, Jr. manning center field until Melvin Upton, Jr. comes back, right field will stay a platoon with Jonny Gomes and Zoilo Almonte. When Upton does return, someone is going to be a very odd-man out. Probably Almonte.

Chicago Cubs Second Base

According to Carrie Muskat of MLB.com, Cubs manager Joe Maddon and second baseman Javier Baez are completely in the dark with regard to the youngster’s Opening Day roster status. Maddon has continually praised Baez for his defensive play but the fact that he’s hitting just .128 (5-for-39) with 14 strikeouts is causing headaches for Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer. Both Tommy LaStella and Arismendy Alcantara are out-performing Baez at the plate and both are solid defensively, so the Cubs could actually send him down to work on his plate discipline without looking like a bunch of misers looking to hold onto him for an extra year. There’s not much time left in the spring so expect a decision soon.

Chicago Cubs Third Base

His name is Kris Bryant and he hits the ball a ton. A ton. While we’ve been instructed to take all spring stats with a grain of salt, you simply can’t ignore a .464 average (13-for-28) with nine home runs and 15 RBI. You just can’t. And not only isn’t Joe Maddon ignoring it, he’s working on getting Bryant time in the outfield to increase his versatility and make it even more difficult for the team to send him down. Mike Olt’s two homers and .267 average are eclipsed by Bryant’s prowess and it’s getting to the point where the hype is matched by the final results.

Colorado Rockies Catcher

That deflating sound you are hearing right now is the fizzling hope of all the Wilin Rosario owners out there. With the amount of work Rosario has seen behind the plate this spring, compared to that of both Nick Hundley and Mike McKenry, it looks like he just might be the odd-man out here. According to manager Walt Weiss, he will carry all three catchers on the 25-man roster with Rosario being that part-time backstop and platoon partner at first base. Will that make a full season’s worth at-bats? Probably not as the Rockies are committing to a defense-first plan behind the plate. Hundley looks like he’ll see the larger share of at-bats between him and McKenry while Rosario becomes one of the biggest disappointments this spring.

Philadelphia Phillies Third Base

When spring training opened, Maikel Franco was being given every opportunity to win the third base job outright. He was even afforded a chance to pull some at-bats at first base as a way to increase his early-season appeal. Unfortunately, he did himself no favors by batting .200 (6-for-30) with just one RBI and three runs scored. He didn’t show poor plate discipline as he struck out just four times, but he just wasn’t able to make any sort of clean contact; at least not consistently. Cody Asche didn’t even have to do that much, although it didn’t hurt that he had three home runs and seven RBI to make his .200 average worth overlooking. Franco has since been reassigned to Triple-A camp and he will have to prove himself again in the minors before earning a call-up.

Philadelphia Phillies Left Field

In what seems to have been the worst position battle of the spring, neither Grady Sizemore nor Darin Ruf has done anything this spring to differentiate himself from the other. Both look atrocious at the plate (Ruf - .233; Sizemore - .143) and there’s not much separating them in the field. Expect this to remain a straight lefty/righty platoon throughout the season or until one of them gets hurt. Neither is worth using outside of a super-deep NL-only league.

Pittsburgh Pirates Shortstop

While some were scratching their heads when manager Clint Hurdle first opined that Jung-Ho Kang would be a utility infielder to open the season, he was dead-on accurate with his early assessment. Kang has struggled against major league pitching and is hitting just .111 (3-for-27) with 11 strikeouts. Incumbent shortstop, Jordy Mercer, is sporting a .297 average (11-for-37) with two home runs and three RBI and looks to have a bit of a stranglehold on the job right now. Kang could use a stint in the minors to improve his MLB batter’s eye, but he’s probably going to break camp with the big club and work from the bench.

San Diego Padres Shortstop

It really didn’t take Alexi Amarista long to prove himself the better option over Clint Barmes as this battle lasted no more than two weeks. Manager Bud Black may have seemed to pull the trigger a little quickly, but considering Amarista is currently batting .353 (12-for-34) and Barmes a dismal .200 (4-for-20), it was obviously the right call. Amarista should prove to be a nice help in the steals department and his versatility in the field is going to keep him relevant throughout the season. Barmes, on the other hand, should probably pack it in. He’s done like dinner.

 

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