Spring Training Tales: American League

Those of you not graced with the gift of StatTracker know the adrenaline rush that comes with checking out box scores. However, the importance of these reports its a lot different during Spring Training than the actual season, since performance doesn't always (or even often) translate to the bigs.

However, what is important are position battles and injuries. Many sites offer a more comprehensive list, but most players competing for a spot are not going to offer relevant fantasy production, at least this year. Here are the things worth keeping up with...

AL East: Bucholz vs. Lester would have been interesting, but Schilling going down gives each a roster spot. The Yankees have a logjam at first base, and Shelley Duncan has started strong this offseason. Between him, Betemit, and Ensberg, you are choosing your vice, but as Pete mentioned in his team report, any Yankee is worth following. The Orioles closing job will likely go to Sherrill, so the only thing worth paying attention to is the performance of star-prospect Adam Jones, who hit his first HR with the O's yesterday. The Rays final rotation spots are interesting, but none of the guys should be big impact players this year and it isn't worth the headache. However, Longoria is worth watching--he's had two impact extra-base hits already and could provide 25 HR if he gets the starting gig.

• AL Central: 2006 Fantasy Ace Jeremy Bonderman is coming off a bad season, but if he starts strong (3 scoreless innings yesterday) he could be a bargain on draft day. Carlos Gomez could be a sleeper pick for steals, as Jose Reyes himself proclaimed the prospect is faster than he is. If the Twins offense turns the corner this year he could be as good as Michael Bourn, Willy Taveras, or Juan Pierre. Joe Crede is most definitely getting traded, though Josh Fields is still worth monitoring if you are waivering on your opinion of him.

AL West: The Angels have some competition at SS, with Brandon Wood and Eric Aybar competing for the job. Wood could come with upside as a sleeper in deeper leagues if he looks good this spring. Guerrero's health is also worth paying attention to, as is Ervin Santana's ability to fill in for Escobar. Seattle's prospect to watch is Wladimir Balentien, if only because his name is so fun to try to pronounce. Oakland position battles are somewhat intriguing, as Daric Barton could provide some value at first if he starts strong. 

MLB.com provides boxscores of all Cactus League and Grapefruit League play, and I will praise whichever blogger can explain why the leagues are called such. Also, Fangraphs provides cumulative statistics over the course of the preseason.