Cactus League

     Finally, the Spring Cactus League is upon us!  It has been a long winter break, and I know that I, among many others, am ready for the season to begin.  One of the best things about the Cactus League, is that players are eager and ready to play, it has been a long winter break for many of them also!  One great aspect of Cactus League is that some are competing for prime positions on the twenty-five man roster. The competition for a roster spot brings out the best in many players, young and old. In baseball, a signed contract does not always guarantee a starting position, so a player that maybe did not deliver as expected the prior year will come hungry to show that he can still be the best.  And younger players want to get their name out there, they need to leave a good lasting impression, this makes for great baseball!  Players must show up to Spring Training showing that they keep in good shape during the off season, and prove that they came to play.  I will elaborate on the importance of this in a later post.

     This year, competition is fierce.  With Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez possibly starting off the disabled list, we might have our starting second base and catcher.  But the real competition is for the first base spot...

     We are tied into one more year $11 million contract with first baseman Aubrey Huff.  Huff was a fan favorite in the 2010 season, but suffered a bit behind the plate in 2011 helping the Giants to achieve the less than honorable lowest runs scored all year of any Major League team.  But, we have some great prospects that are battling Huff for the coveted starting first base spot.

     First, there is the returning Brandon Belt who has endured the emotional roller-coaster of going up and down from the majors to the minors.  Belt is looking strong this Spring, and I'm sure he intends to play as hard as he can to earn his spot.  Second, there is the young Brett Pill.  New to the majors, but looking ever so promising and ready, Pill is doing his best to try and outshine both Huff, and Belt for the starting position at first base.

    And, with talk of playing Posey some days at first to relieve the strain of catching everyday, who knows who will end up our constant at the number one bag?  It is all making for some great baseball and leading us fans into a promising 2012 season.