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.

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe snapped his nine-game hitting streak on Tuesday by recording an out in his only at-bat before going hitless in three at-bats as the Twins' DH Wednesday against the Pirates. Plouffe had managed hits in 11 of his first 12 games before his 0-for-4 performance over the last two days. Even after cooling off, he's still hitting .366/.386/.439 this spring but has yet to hit a home run.

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.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado collected his first RBI of the spring in Tuesday's Grapefruit League contest against the Twins. He singled in his first at-bat before driving in a run on an error in the fourth inning. Machado finished 1 for 3 in the 9-5 loss.

The 20-year-old is batting .261 (12 for 46) through 18 spring games with a .326 slugging percentage.

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels told MLB.com on Tuesday that prospect Mike Olt will concentrate on playing third base at Triple-A Round Rock.

Olt batted just .194 with two homers and five RBI in 19 Cactus League games before being optioned last week. The 24-year-old played a couple of different positions while in camp with Texas.

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria hasn't hit a home run this spring, but that would be more concerning if Longoria's other numbers were lacking, which they are not. The 27-year-old third baseman is batting .395 (15 for 38) with four runs, eight doubles and 10 RBI in 14 spring games. He also owns a .605 slugging percentage and 1.034 OPS.

Longoria has dealt with his injury issues the last two seasons, but when he's been in the lineup, he's continued to post solid numbers. Longoria has a .507 slugging percentage and .867 OPS since 2011, despite being limited to 207 games. 

He continues to justify his status as the second-highest drafted third baseman in Head-to-Head and Rotisserie formats behind Miguel Cabrera.