I like to look at teams who are not getting too much pre-season hype to be play-off contenders. This is often a great place to find players who will be under-valued at the draft by either going much later than their track record dictates or not being drafted at all despite the likelihood of receiving full-time ABs.
Here are three Seattle Mariners who, for one reason or another, are worth watching over the rest of the Spring.
| Player | Pos | OBP | SLG | AB | TB | K | W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklyn Gutierrez | CF | .533 | .538 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 2 |
| Chris Shelton | 1B | .563 | 1.250 | 12 | 15 | 1 | 4 |
| Matt Tuiasosopo | 3B | .533 | .933 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 0 |
SP Aaron Harang, Cincinnati Reds: Against a Mauer- and Morneau-less Twins, Harang managed to strike out no hitters for the second consectutive start. Over two Spring starts he has pitched 6.1 innings and given up 12 hits. On the plus side, he has walked just one?
SP Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals: The last time Carpenter was a fantasy asset was 2006. He has begun the 2009 campaign with another two shutout innings. Unlike Harang, Carpenter has allowed just two hits and struck out a batter.
C Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles: After today's 1 for 2, Wieters is 6 for 14 with 3 doubles, a home run, a walk and zero ks. It is early in Spring, so one can't conclude he is everything that he is expected to be, but it is certainly better than nothing, right?