MLB Player News

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura has gone 4 for 7 (.571) through the first two games with two of those hits going to the opposite field. The 23-year-old showed his power hitting the other way during spring training as he slugged a healthy .550 in 60 at-bats.

"It's natural," Segura told MLB.com. "I always seem to hit the ball the other way. Sometimes, I don't try to go over there, and it happens."

Manager Ron Roenicke said he's pleased with Segura's start to the season.

"The guys in the league that hit well for an average, that's where they hit," Roenicke said, referring to the opposite-field approach. "That keeps you on the offspeed stuff. I think if he's going to hit in this league and hit for a high average, he has to do that."

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura has started the 2013 season with multi-hit outings in each of Milwaukee's first two games. Segura is batting .571 (4 for 7) with one walk through two games.

Segura is coming off a productive spring. He hit .367 (22 for 60) with three triple, five doubles, four RBI and five stolen bases in 21 spring games. He also accounted for 10 runs.

When Jean Segura suits up for the season opener Monday against Colorado, he will be the fifth different shortstop to start for the Brewers on opening day over the past five years. Segura, who was immediately added to the starting lineup after arriving in a trade from the Angels last August, will join a list that includes J.J. Hardy, Alcides Escobar, Yuniesky Betancourt and Alex Gonzalez.

The 23-year-old Segura shined during the spring, registering a glossy .367 batting average with eight extra-base hits, including three triples to rank tied for second-most in the Cactus League.

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura -- the pride of the Zack Greinke deal -- is hitting .365 with three steals (fifth among shortstops) and five doubles (third among SS) this spring. 

In the minors, Segura hit for power (.313) and showed some nice speed (career high of 50 steals), while flexing a little bit of power (career high of 10 home runs). His hot spring is encouraging because it's an improvement over his .258 average and four doubles in 45 games last year. Segura still comes with a lot of risk -- he's young, untested and the Milwaukee lineup isn't the most imposing -- but a decent average and 30 steals is well within reach this year. 

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.