MLB Player News

Mets infielder Wilmer Flores will be used in a full-time role, but it's unclear if that will be in the majors, according to the New York Daily News.

Flores is expected to play some shortstop during the spring, and could win that spot if he plays well. But if he isn't able to win that spot, Flores will likely begin the season in the minors. Manager Terry Collins said Flores is at the point in his career where he needs daily at-bats. "I think with what we have on the infield if he's not going to get a lot of playing time, he’s got to go play, at his age," Collins said. "The ceiling on his bat is too high. He’s got to get at-bats."

Collins added that if Flores' bat comes around, he could be a middle of the order hitter. Last season, Flores hit .211 in 95 at-bats. 

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu has garnered plenty of attention since signing a $68 million contract in October. Abreu knows there will be plenty of expectations for him to perform immediately.

"Expectations for me are clear, but I have to prepare," he said through an interpreter, per ESPN. "That’s all I control for now is preparation. That’s why I’m doing right now.

"Right now I’m thinking of preparing for the 28th when the games start. I’m working on little things, being able to hit the ball the other way, the way I pulls my hands through. I’m not concerned with hitting home runs at all. I’m working my swing. It’s a process. It takes a little while but as I keep getting there I know I’ll be ready."

Abreu continues to leave a lasting impression on his new team, even though he hasn't even played in a game yet.

"He has a great work ethic," outfielder Adam Eaton said. "He really works his tail off. He’s very quiet but he’s passionate about the game. (Taking) ground balls anything he can do, you can see it in his body language. If he doesn’t do something right, he goes after it again and learns from it. He works his butt off in the cage. I’m excited to work with him."

Mets infielder Wilmer Flores will see some time at shortstop this offseason, according to the Star-Ledger. 

Flores hasn't played the position since 2011, but the team is interested to see how he'll perform. Flores spent most of the winter working on his conditioning. Flores is confident in his abilities to pick up the position again. "I played for years," Flores said. "It’s not going to be a new position. I’m sure I can play."

Flores hit .211/.248/.295 in 95 at-bats last season.

Indians catcher Carlos Santana will make the transition to third base Monday, according to MLB.com.

Santana has taken early reps with the catchers, but will join the infielders Monday. He's expected to have a chance to win the third base job over Lonnie Chisenhall. Santana played third base during winter ball. Yan Gomes is expected to be the team's primary starter behind the plate. 

Santana hit .268/.377/.455 in 541 at-bats last season.

Some have given up on Ryan Howard. Ryan Howard is certainly not one of them.

In fact, the Phillies first baseman is predicting a renaissance year. He not only stated that he wants to play in all 162 games, but said he could perform well against left-handers and slug 58 home runs, according to the Philadelphia Daily News.

That would be some mean feat for Howard, who lost the second half of last season to knee surgery and peaked at 58 homers in 2006. The 10-year veteran batted .266 with 11 home runs and 43 RBI in 286 at-bats in 2013, but just .173 against southpaws.

Angels outfielder Kole Calhoun is the most likely candidate to bat leadoff in front of No. 2 hitter Mike Trout due to his on-base skills, the Orange County Register reports.

"I think Kole’s definitely a candidate," Scioscia said, "but whoever’s hitting in front of Mike needs to be a player who first of all can take advantage of being challenged, and secondly bring some on-base to be able to set the table and run at a decent speed where you’re not clogging the bases up. Kole’s definitely a candidate for that. That guy’s going to have to hit his way on base."

Calhoun hit .282/.347/.462 in 195 at-bats last season while spending time in every lineup spot for the Angels. He shined when asked to lead off, going 11 of 27 with four home runs when hitting in the No. 1 spot. Calhoun also hit .286/.348/.643 with four home runs and 42 at-bats when leading off an inning.

With the news that Kole Calhoun is the leading candidate to bat leadoff for the Angels, Fantasy players should start taking a closer look at the 26-year-old, who hit .282 with eight home runs, seven doubles, and two steals in 58 games last season. 

Calhoun had 29 plate appearances as the leadoff hitter in 2013, hitting .407 (with a .448 OBP) with four home runs and seven runs scored. And this was in a lineup that featured a struggling Josh Hamilton and was without three-time MVP Albert Pujols while Calhoun was playing. If Calhoun hits leadoff this season, it will be ahead of Mike Trout, Hamilton, and Pujols. There's a very good chance Calhoun scores over 100 runs this season, while putting together a solid batting average (a career .317 average in the minors) and flirting with 20 home runs. Calhoun also had three straight seasons of double-digit steals in the minors (he had 10 in 59 games before his 2013 call-up), so penciling him in for 10 stolen bases wouldn't be out of the question. 

Even if he doesn't hit leadoff, Calhoun is a late-round bargain as he gets everyday at-bats in this lineup. But having three players with 16 All-Star appearances between them hitting behind him would be a huge boost to his value and could vault Calhoun into star territory this season, much like Matt Carpenter was thrust up several tiers with his 2013. 

Angels outfielder Kole Calhoun is the leading candidate to hit leadoff, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Calhoun broke out in limited time last year, hitting .282/.347/.462 in 195 at-bats. If Calhoun were to hit in the top spot, he would be followed by Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton. Though Pujols and Hamilton are coming off down years, that's not a bad place to be for Calhoun. 

It seems everyone under the sun can't stop raving about White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu, who has yet to even appear in a spring training game. Not only can Abreu hit for power, but he has the ability to hit to all fields.

Though, it was very intriguing to hear Cuban baseball expert and author Peter Bjarkman tell USA Today that "Abreu is a better hitter than either Yasiel Puig or Yoenis Cespedes." That's a pretty bold statement. 

While time will only tell if Abreu lives up to the hype, Fantasy owners shouldn't be hesitant to use a mid-round flier on the 6-3, 255-pound slugger. It's probably a little bold to go into Draft Day thinking Abreu will be your starting first baseman. However, if you miss on the elite options and end up with an Anthony Rizzo, Mark Trumbo or Allen Craig-tier first baseman, then Abreu could be a nice complement to your first-base rotation.

Carlos Santana will have a chance to sharpen his skills behind the plate in camp before showing his talents at third base, per MLB.com. Terry Francona met with Santana on Wednesday and let him know that he will be working only at catcher for a while. 

Santana worked in the offseason at third base, but is most likely to platoon there with the Indians with left-handed hitter Lonnie Chisenhall, still a top prospect who improved at the plate toward the end of 2013. Santana will be needed to fill a hole at designated hitter.