Cactus League - Game 3 Open Thread

Before we get too excited about the ninth inning heroics of former top prospect Brandon Wood, keep in mind that his career line in 751 major league plate appearances is .186/.225/.289. The guy has whiffed in 29 percent of those PAs and has walked just 4.3 percent of the time. Baseball is littered with guys like this. For whatever reason he can't solve major league pitching. In some ways, his major league time reminds me of what's happened with Johnny Giavotella. Granted, that may be a stretch - Gio was never as highly regarded a prospect as Wood - but neither could get on track in limited playing time.

Last summer, Wood was in the Rockies organization, hit .259/.313/.409 in 438 plate appearances in Triple-A and couldn't get a snif of the big leagues.

He's organizational filler. And as Dutton points out, it was nice moment, but it came off Jake Brigham, who pitched in Double-A the last two years.

Onto Sunday and our heroes are holding strong at 1-0-1 in the Cactus League. Today's lineup:

Willie Taveras - LF
Alcides Escobar - SS
Eric Hosmer - 1B
Salvador Perez - C
Jeff Francoeur - RF
Miguel Tejada - 3B
Max Ramirez - DH
Johnny Giavotella - 2B
Luis Durango - CF

Luis Mendoza - SP

Mendoza is slated for four or five innings. He's already stretched out from winter ball and is getting in shape for the WBC.

Also on tap for their first look of the spring are Tim Collins, Kelvin Herrera, John Lamb, Louis Coleman and Michael Mariot.

Lamb is the guy to watch. For obvious reasons. Personally, I think it's early to put any stock in a radar gun, but this is clearly a big moment in his recovery. Reports from last season had Lamb's fastball in the 87-91 mph range, off a bit from the low 90s he posted pre-surgery.

If you're looking for something to ready as you mentally prepare for the Battle of Surprise, check out the latest on Jeff Francoeur and his motivation for 2013.