If you read the early press, you might have gotten the impression that Daisuke Matsuzaka has the ability to get batters to swing three times and strike out in a single pitch. (Don't be silly. We all know that Bugs Bunny is the only pitcher to manage that trick.) He may well turn out to be the best Japanese import since the Playstation 3, but his first spring outing against American Leaguers showed that he's not ready for Cooperstown just yet. Dice-K allowed four runs to the Baltimore Orioles -- three on homers by noted sluggers Jon Knott and Jason DuBois.
The lesson? There's a very good reason that Spring Training stats don't get printed on the back of the baseball card. Take all March statistics with a sizable grain of salt.
Don't Believe the Hype... it's a sequel
More big names of the spring that may fade out come summer... Cincinnati's Josh Hamilton, has "my life story is about to be optioned by Disney" written all over him. The first overall pick in the 1999 draft, Hamilton got caught up in drug addiction and was out of baseball from 2003 to 2006. Now he's in camp with Cincinnati as a rule 5 draftee from the D-Rays system, and he's tearing the cover off the ball.
Great story. No doubt.
Hamilton will have every opportunity to make the team. As a rule 5 draftee, he's guaranteed a spot on the roster; the Reds can't send him to the minors without offering him back to Tampa. But even if he does make the team, what opportunity will he have to contribute? Cincinnati's outfield spots are more or less set with Adam Dunn in left, Ken Griffey in right and Ryan Freel in center. So where will Hamilton play?
ESPN.com's fantasy guru Eric Karabell breaks down Hamilton's chances to make a big contribution in his blog. (ESPN Insider subscription required)
Originally published at About Baseball
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