Fanshots

New York Post Sports on Twitter: "#Yankees hitting coach raves about Didi Gregorius, talks of plan to fix McCann, Teixeira http://t.co/nK0xyKbonz"

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The "Jeter replacement" narrative has followed DiDi Gregorius since the Yankees acquired him. That's both understandable and unfair. And add to that, beside the point. The question is what can HE do to improve? Can he overcome his offensive issues? Can he be consistently productive at the major league level? These questions aren't new. Gregorius focus can't be on who he needs to try to be or what the New York media makes of the Jeter replacement story (let's assume that'll be written about a lot), but on development. And considering last year's numbers, which wasn't helped by limited playing time, will take some time and patience.

Craig Calcaterra on Twitter: "This is pretty special too. But, of course, we have to be mindful of the Hall of Fame's "jerk" clause. http://t.co/xbjsY9B4gb"

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Ladies and gentlemen of the jury... we have the 'Jerk Clause.' Induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame is about whether a person has a Hall of Fame career. Character plays a part, sure. But not the biggest part. It can't. And if we're talking huge character issues - which don't include being a so-called jerk- we can make a case. But stating that the final vote came down to Bonds being a jerk, proves that writers egos have taken over the process. We deal with jerks in our business all the time. But it can't impact the way you cover the player's accomplishments on the field. Hopefully, this leads to some sort of reform in the process. Writers can't allow all this personal stuff covering players to completely overtake the voting process. To paraphrase a classic, it's business, not personal.

Craig Wieczorkiewicz on Twitter: "The #Dodgers announced the @greatlakesloons coaching staff for 2015 today: http://t.co/qaaMpQPEdK"

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The Great Lakes Loons have missed the Midwest League playoffs the last four years. Now that it's official that the team will remain a Dodgers affiliate, they've assembled a strong coaching staff. Full list is in above link. Team attendance has dropped for the Loons as well. All eyes will likely be on Double-A Chattanooga, where top Dodgers prospects Julio Arias and Kyle Seager, are expected to play. Past players include Clayton Kershaw, but the Loons will need to field a stronger team in 2015 to draw better crowds.

FanGraphs Baseball on Twitter: "ICYMI - FanGraphs: Let's Find Ryan Howard a Happy New Home http://t.co/K2meO5ZXss"

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Seems like only yesterday that Ryan Howard was the prospect in waiting, while Jim Thome played his final Phillies days out. Howard helped guide the team to a World Championship in 2008, and since then, it's been a downward spiral; though they did make it back to the Fall Classic in 2009, losing the CS to the Yankees, that era was over pretty quickly. If you needed firm confirmation that the team was looking to move forward, GM Ruben Amaro Jr.'s comments (quoted in the FG story) should've done it. Howard's best days might be behind him, but another team is still going to value his ability and experience. Most favorable situation? DH. And the suggestions here, particularly the Rays, are interesting.

Pinstripe Alley on Twitter: "Winter ball is over; see how the #Yankees did this year http://t.co/W8k5psLJxn http://t.co/W6du3BhT2e"

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SB Nation, Pinstripe Alley writer Jason Cohen reviews winter league results now that it's concluded. Of note: Pirela's run at it again, and the importance of the coming season. In 169 at-bats, he put up solid numbers in walks (26) and RBI (22), finishing .296/.394/.515. That was a follow-up to his 2014 season in which he played seven games with the Yankees, getting 8 hits in 24 at-bats. He played in 130 games with Triple-A Scranton, getting 163 hits, with 60 RBI and 10 HR's. At 25, he's in a prime position to show what he's able to do on a regular basis in the majors. As Cohen mentions, a strong Spring Training is a good start.

Former Nats prospect whose deception brought down the team’s Dominican operation is still chasing his dream - The Washington Post

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Great work by James Wagner who re-visits the controversy, and tries to uncover the truth about Alvarez's bonus. But one of the things that really stands out, particularly when considering how much players like him are trying to have a better way of life in the U.S., is when he talks about not knowing how else to get ahead. While fans can be less than sympathetic to players that make those statements, it's hard not to feel for Alvarez's situation, and players in similar circumstances. There's no pretending that what he did affected many, and destroyed his own promising career. But Wagner sheds light on what Alvarez experienced and what he's doing to continue to play baseball professionally.

Sporting News MLB on Twitter: "Mario Cuomo, who died today, played a year of minor league baseball in the #Pirates system: http://t.co/tcmd0eygMy"

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Not long after the announcement came that former New York Governor Mario Cuomo had died at the age of 82, tweets began to pop up about his days playing minor league baseball. He played 81 games for the Brunswick Pirates when he was just 20 years old. In 254 at-bats he got 62 hits, 10 of them doubles and hit a home run. While so many were mourning the passing of a giant in politics, it was nice to read something unexpected and fun in the midst of all the tributes.

Indians Tweet Link to Story on @BauerOutage, Baseball Scientist

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There's never a shortage of the science of Trevor Bauer's pitching approach. And while much has been made about that approach, this piece offers more insight into his process. Interesting as always. And fascinating the lengths he goes to in order to achieve excellence, particularly his use of video analysis.

Houston Astros Top Three Catching Prospects

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A good write-up on Astros catching prospects, including Tyler Heineman. Heineman was impressive in his first season of pro ball, consistently contributing to the Tri-City Valley Cats club in 2012 that made it to the New York Penn League Championship series. None of the guys mentioned rank high in the system, other than Stassi who's had injury issues. All have their strengths, in a strong system led by top shortstop Carlos Correa and pitcher Mark Appel.

On Instagram: Photo by @mmccarthy35

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Welcome to Perth, Australia! #homefield #perthheat

A photo posted by Michael McCarthy (@mmccarthy35) on

Are you salivating for summer and baseball? Here's a nice tease. The photo was shared by Red Sox minor leaguer Michael McCarthy, who's following his 2014 season in Double-A with a stint in the Australian Baseball League. He made 12 starts and finished with a 4.82 ERA and 1.23 WHIP, striking out 71, in 97 innings pitched for the Portland Sea Dogs.