With the season practically around the corner players are reporting to camp in better shape than last year for those who slumped while many others are trying to prove their worth and build upon a good 2009 season for themselves.

• Barry Zito is all over the news thus far this Spring.  Just the other day he hit Prince Fielder and a week before that he said that he wants to be the ace of the Giants staff… and he wasn’t joking!  Sorry Barry, but maybe you forgot this guy Tim Lincecum, who just won back-to-back Cy Young awards, will be the ace for a long time coming.  Also the fact that you are washed up doesn’t help your case.

“I want to earn my stature back. I don’t expect anybody to give it to me,” Zito said. “I want to be a top-of-the-rotation guy again. I want to be out there on Opening Day, getting the win. It’s important to me.”

             Zito still has 4 years remaining on his 7-year/$126 millon deal.

• Last year Geovany Soto hit the sophomore slump harder than a brick wall.  In 2008 Soto was the NL ROY and last year he barely hit .200 (.218).  It was a terrible season for Soto who looked fat and overweight and tired the entire year.  This year he came into Spring Training weighing 40 pounds less than he did in 2009.  If he regains his form from 2008, which was 23 HRs and 86 RBI, then the Cubs will have an even more dangerous lineup.
• Russell Martin was bothered by hampering injures last year and this year he is likely to start the year on the DL.  Martin pulled his right groin muscle (as a catcher I’d say that will be hard to bend down in the crouching position) and will likely miss 4-6 weeks which will defnitely cut into the beginning of the season.  Martin is on the decline and I don’t really see him as an offensive threat anymore in the NL.
• Mets Japanese RP, Hisanori Takahashi, is waiting for his work visa to come through.  He was scheduled to pitch in a Mets intrasquad game last week but isn’t allowed to pitch in regular Spring Training games.  As part of a law dealing with his work visa, Takashi can’t pitch in games where people pay to get in.  This is going to hurt his chances of pitching in significant games for the Mets if they can’t see how he does in Spring Training.
• Indians OF Shin-Soo Choo may have part of his season cut off due to a military committment in his home country of South Korea.  In South Korea men are required to have 2-years of military but Choo will be excused from duty if the South Korean team wins the gold medal in the Asian Games in which the Indians would have to grant him permission to do.
• Johnny Damon is set to grow that crazy long beard back in Detroit this season.  Just when I thought I would be able to appreciate that beard because he wasn’t going to be a Yankee, he then goes and signs with the Tigers and I know how to see him play the Twins 18 times a year, great.

-Jason