The WBC players are starting to drift back into camp. Venezuela today, Puerto Rico tomorrow and Jose Reyes from the Dominican next week.
Not surprisingly, all endorsed the experience and said they got their work in, but we shall see. Victor Zambrano won seven games last year, is little more than a .500 pitcher and worked in relief for Venezuela. Slated for fourth in the rotation, he might have been better off staying in camp. We’re not talking greatness here, and with Aaron Heilman and Brian Bannister pitching so well, if the criterion is strictly performance, then they should make up the back end of the rotation at Zambrano’s expense. His choice. Jorge Julio has been in a three-year slide, and it might have been a good idea to stay behind and work on his mechanics with pitching coach Rick Peterson. None of this is second guessing, it was brought up weeks ago. The NCAA Tournament began today, and with it being a night game, there were a lot of eyes glued to the TV before the pre-game workout. Several things have become clear: Kaz Matsui will play second and Xavier Nady right field, and it appears that Paul Lo Duca will bat second. This was the conventional thinking at the start of spring training and it hasn’t changed.