MLB Player News

Granted, he did most of his damage early in the spring, when pitchers were still working with less than their full arsenals, but the fact prospect Nolan Arenado was even in the runnning for the Rockies' third-base job shows he made an impression. Coming into spring training, Chris Nelson seemed a slam dunk for the job after hitting .344 with an .881 OPS in the second half last year.

Nelson probably won't sustain that pace for a full season and lacks the power potential to emerge as the Rockies' long-term solution at third base. Arenado remains their future at the position, so as long as he keeps hitting for power at Triple-A Colorado Springs, like he did this spring, I have a feeling we'll see him before the All-Star break. I'm not stashing him in mixed leagues or anything, but I'm keeping him on my radar.

The Rockies have sent third baseman Nolan Arenado to the minor leagues, MLB.com reports.

Arenado is the Rockies' top prospect and is expected to reach the majors this season. He hit .288/.288/.596 in 52 plate appearances this spring. He will start the season at Triple-A Colorado Springs, and if he hits well, he'll have a shot at displacing Chris Nelson and Jordan Pacheco as the third baseman in Denver.

Pedro Alvarez has had an encouraging enough turnaround over the past few days, including a 4-for-5 performance Wednesday, that he's probably worthy of a little more reflection at this stage of the game. I've been targeting as sort of my "Ryan Howard fallback" -- a corner infielder who I can trust to deliver 30-plus homers, but not much else. Still, at age 26, he might have some untapped potential.

The Pirates couldn't stop singing his praises when he showed up for the start of spring training, with manager Clint Hurdle telling MLB.com he "continues to have a better understanding of things he needs to do in the offseason to get himself in a good place for spring training, where he isn't trying to play catch up."

That's a decidedly different tone from last year, when Alvarez's conditioning was called into question.

Of course, a player who strikes out as often as Alvarez does is predisposed to a .250ish batting average no matter what shape he's in, I think, so for me, a Ryan Howard fallback is what he'll remain.

Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez nearly lifted his batting average 60 points during Wednesday's spring game against the Twins. Alvarez provided most of his team's offense during a 7-4 loss, going 4 for 5 with one run and three RBI. He hit his second home run of the spring -- a solo shot off Vance Worley in the third inning. Alvarez came into the game batting .191 and left it hitting .250 (13 for 52) through 18 games. He also has five doubles and 10 RBI.

Rockies infielder Chris Nelson is considered the favorite to win the starting third-base job, with prospect Nolan Arenado likely headed to Triple-A Colorado Springs to open the season, according to The Denver Post. The paper suggests, however, Arenado could be one Nelson cold streak away from being recalled. Entering play Wednesday, Arenado was batting .288 (15 for 52) with four doubles, four homers and 12 RBI in 18 spring games.

The Rockies optioned infielder DJ LeMahieu to Triple-A Colorado Springs Wednesday, which leaves Reid Brignac and Jonathan Hererra fighting for the spot on the bench as a utility infielder. LeMahieu hit .231 (9 for 39) with one triple, two doubles and four RBI in 19 spring games.

Colorado top prospect Nolan Arenado was very hot early in the spring but had since scuffled pretty badly, reports MLB.com. On Tuesday, he warmed up again. The Rockies' top position prospect at third base, Arenado had four early spring home runs only to struggle thereafter. He went 3 for 4 on Tuesday and is now batting .314 on the spring. 

With incumbent third baseman Chris Nelson struggling this spring with a .238 average, the 22-year-old Arenado is trying to win a starting job.

"Nolan needs to keep a good pace, slow the game down," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "He's done a nice job this spring. It's good to see him get a few more hits."

Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez will likely start the season in the four-hole, MLB.com reports. Alvarez is batting .161 with three RBI in 31 at-bats this spring. Manager Clint Hurdle expects him to pick it up once the season starts.

"We'll be best served when he puts his foot down and takes ownership of that spot," Hurdle said. "You'd like to find a guy you can put in there and leave alone, and Pedro is definitely one we're considering."

Alvarez played just 19 games last season, hitting .170 with two homers and three RBI. 

The Nationals made their second round of cuts Thursday, starting with optioning outfielder Eury Perez to Triple-A Syracuse. They also sent Nathan Karns, Sandy Leon and Anthony Rendon to Double-A Harrisburg, while reassigningPatrick McCoy, Will Rhymes and Matt Skole to minor-league camp.

The Nationals reassigned infield prospect Anthony Rendon to minor-league camp Thursday. Rendon hit .375 (12 for 32) with four doubles, four homers, seven runs and 11 RBI in 13 spring games. Rendon is considered a top-100 prospect by MLB.com (28th) and Baseball America (30th).