Underdogs in the West this year, Bengie Molina and the San Francisco Giants try to relax at Spring Training in Arizona.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- As catchers practiced chasing popups during a drill Thursday, it wasn't enough for Bengie Molina to spring from his crouch, track the ball and snare it. During one of his turns, he reached down to scoop up a wayward ball and still proceeded to catch the one he was pursuing.

That's typical Molina, always doing something extra. This season, he might have to extend himself even more than usual.

Molina won't occupy any ordinary spot in the batting order. The Giants project him as their cleanup hitter, their best choice in a lineup bereft of power. Defensively, Molina must shepherd a mostly youthful group of pitchers who are expected to carry the Giants' hopes.

One might expect that all this responsibility would tax Molina's psyche by the end of the season. Molina didn't just endure the Giants' 91 defeats last year. He mourned them. Often he'd sit hunched over in front of his locker, head buried in his hands, disconsolate even if he personally excelled. Molina's teammates appreciated how much he cared, before, during and after games.

"There's nothing better than seeing that intensity from someone," right-hander Matt Cain said. "We know that Bengie is always in the game, no matter what."

Comfortable in his second year with the Giants and aware of the challenges he faces, Molina said he'll try to be a little easier on himself this season -- though he'll probably continue to swallow each defeat as if it were a tennis ball.

"I'll be the same intense guy I was last year," Molina said before the Giants' initial workout for pitchers and catchers. Yet he also responded affirmatively when asked if he'd lighten his approach somewhat.

"It's not that I'm not relaxed out there," he said. "I don't take losing as easily as many guys. That's the only problem. I'm going to try this year [to relax]. Hopefully we won't lose as many games."

Pundits expect another rough season for the Giants, citing primarily their punchless offense. With Barry Bonds (28 home runs) not re-signed and Pedro Feliz (20 homers) gone to Philadelphia, Molina's the leading returning Giants slugger with 19 homers (Aaron Rowand hit 27 with the Phillies last year). Molina's hardly a prototypical No. 4 hitter. But he refuses to let the role affect him, as it does some hitters.

"I think they have the right guy in me because I don't think about it," Molina said. "I don't think about 'I'm the fourth guy' or 'I have to hit home runs' or anything like that. I'm straight-up going to be myself. If I get a pitch hanging and I have a chance to hit it out, if it goes out, it goes. But I'm not trying to hit home runs. I'm just trying to hit a hard line drive somewhere."

In one sense, Molina's the ideal hitter for any spot in the order. He batted .338 with runners in scoring position and two outs a year ago, establishing himself as the Giants' top clutch performer.

Rebutting the skeptics, Molina recalled that the 2002 Angels with whom he won a World Series weren't known for slugging. They ranked 10th in the American League with 152 homers.

"We killed people by getting a lot of base hits and stealing bases with all those speed guys," he said, describing part of the strategy the Giants hope to employ.

Stingy pitching, another cornerstone of the Giants' plan, should be easier to maintain now that Molina has had a year to work with the staff. He acknowledged calling the wrong pitch on more than one occasion, though his heart and head were always in the right place.

"I went with the pitcher's best [pitch]," Molina explained. "If he's going to get beat, let him get beat with his best, not because I called the right or wrong pitch."

Molina's faith was reciprocated by the Giants' pitchers, who recorded a 4.11 ERA with him behind the plate, fifth-best among NL catchers.

"All our pitchers are very fortunate to throw to him," right-hander Tim Lincecum said. "He has such a passion for it and cares about it so much. Every pitch has some meaning; every pitch has a point to it."

"Bengie was real quick to learn my style of play," right-hander Brian Wilson said. "It's so difficult to find a catcher who's on the same page. What I want to throw is what he wants to throw, too. Sometimes it's comical out there, because we won't even throw signs down. He can just read me and we'll go right to it."

That's a man who's focused on his job -- not just stray baseballs.

Chris Haft is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

The NL West has been dormant for a good 5 months since the world series. It's time we start up again as baseball season approaches us. The competition will be tight this year within the division. It will be fun talking about it with our members. Good luck to all teams.

Pitchers and Catchers Reported on February 14th which means baseball is upon us. Here's a little preview from the Dodgers camp in Florida.

VERO BEACH, Fla. -- Dodgers pitchers and catchers checked into Dodgertown on Thursday, presumably for the 61st and final time.

But the initial focus this spring will be on their new manager, the third in four seasons, this one with a resume like no Dodgers manager ever.

"I'm feeling more a part of it," said Torre, who will oversee the first workout on Friday. "Seeing the players means a lot to me. I'm dealing with probably more young players than I have in the past. They all want to play the game, and they seem pretty respectful, and that's a pretty good head start."

In the wake of Grady Little's odd departure following a sour fourth-place finish, Torre takes over after his equally curious uncoupling from the Yankees. Job 1 will be to acclimate to a new roster while repairing any remnants from last year's clubhouse rift.

General manager Ned Colletti is confident that much of what went wrong last year will be improved through maturity.

"I think and hope our young players learned a lot last year about cohesiveness, or the lack of cohesiveness, and what it means," he said. "I think they had their eyes opened as to how tough this game can be mentally and how important maturity and teamwork are.

"I think our young players were better at the end than they were at the beginning. The [James] Loneys and [Matt] Kemps and [Russell] Martins and [Jonathan] Broxtons and [Chad] Billingsleys. We're in a better spot with our young players than a year ago. [Hiroki] Kuroda and [Andruw] Jones will help pitching and offense. With that said, we'll have our hands full in this division."

Torre will say that his managerial success (four World Series titles) has been intertwined with the quality of his pitching staffs, and he will quickly see that he has some talent with which to work.

For example, the only opening in the starting rotation is for the last spot and the two primary candidates are former All-Stars Jason Schmidt and Esteban Loaiza, although both must re-establish their credentials after serious operations last year. Torre on Thursday indicated that Schmidt is not likely to be ready by Opening Day.

The top four starters are back-to-back All-Star Brad Penny, Derek Lowe (entering the final year of his contract), Billingsley (opening a season in the rotation for the first time) and Japanese import Kuroda (signed Dec. 16 to a three-year, $35.3 million contract).

The core of the bullpen returns virtually intact from last year -- closer Takashi Saito, setup man Broxton, lefty Joe Beimel and workhorse middlemen Scott Proctor and Rudy Seanez. The Dodgers are bringing 35 pitchers into camp -- 10 of the 13 non-roster invitees have Major League experience, among them familiar names like Chan Ho Park, Jason Johnson, Mike Myers and Tom Martin -- but if everybody's healthy, there will be very few big league jobs available.

Torre had an All-Star catcher with the Yankees in Jorge Posada and he shouldn't notice any drop off with the Dodgers catcher he's inherited. Martin, with fewer than two full Major League seasons, already is an All-Star, Gold Glover, Silver Slugger and quite likely en route to becoming the most popular Dodger since fellow Canadian Eric Gagne and most popular position player since another catcher, Mike Piazza.

Most Spring Trainings, it's the players under the gun, but Torre has some heavy lifting to do. Having been in the American League for more than a decade, he's largely unfamiliar with the young players that have already arrived or are on the cusp. He's still healing from December knee replacement surgery and his evaluation time will be compressed by a trip to China wedged right in the middle of the exhibition schedule.

"It won't be boring," Torre said of his first Dodgers' camp. The Dodgers will split their squad March 11, when Torre takes one group to China for a two-game goodwill series against the Padres and leaves the other to play games in Florida. The two squads reunite in Arizona on March 18 at the training facility of the A's, who will have left for their season-opening series in Japan.

It will be a Cactus League trial run for the Dodgers, who are planning to relocate their spring headquarters in 2009 to a new facility in Glendale, Ariz., that they will share with the White Sox. Spring Training concludes with a three-game series against Boston in Los Angeles, including one game in front of an estimated crowd of 90,000 at Memorial Coliseum to raise funds for the Dodgers' ThinkCure charity.

Torre has downplayed the handicap of his first Dodgers training camp held in three states and two continents, not that he has any choice but to make the best of it.

In addition to the physical condition of Schmidt and Loaiza, the Dodgers will be trying to get a read on the health of Hong-Chih Kuo (fourth elbow operation), Jason Repko (hamstring surgery and ankle stress fracture), Tony Abreu (sports hernia surgery) and Yhency Brazoban (shoulder surgery). There is less concern about Rafael Furcal (ankle, back, shoulder), who has been playing winter ball without limitations.

On the Minor League side, left-hander Scott Elbert is returning from shoulder surgery and the club is expected to go very conservatively with him to avoid any setbacks.

Torre also has two significant lineup decisions to make as camp unfolds: who plays third base (between veteran Nomar Garciaparra and Andy LaRoche) and which outfielder (Juan Pierre, Matt Kemp or Andre Ethier) won't be flanking new center fielder Jones.

Ken Gurnick is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Pitchers and Catchers Reported on February 14th which means baseball is back. Here's an article from mlb.com

PEORIA, Ariz. -- In order to get his offseason work done, Josh Bard retreated from the bitter cold of another Colorado winter to the confines of Coors Field, where the feeling was every bit as chilly to the Padres catcher.

After all, Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies, is where Bard and the rest of his teammates played their last game of the season, that wild 13-inning affair in the play-in game that determined the National League Wild Card.

It seemed everywhere Bard looked, there were substantial reminders of that fateful game.

"If I have to look at one more celebration photo," Bard said, "... I'm going to throw up."

Welcome to the start of Spring Training, where the Padres are moving ahead toward the start of the 2008 season and no longer dwelling on what occurred in the final days of the 2007 season.

In that sense, Thursday was the perfect way to do so, as pitchers and catchers -- as well as a handful of position players -- trickled into the team's Spring Training facility in Peoria, though many more have been here for several days.

Manager Bud Black said he was encouraged by the number of early arrivals in camp and that other than the two pitchers on the team coming back from surgery -- Mark Prior and Clay Hensley -- nearly everyone is expected to participate in Saturday's first workout.

Even the manager is ready to move on from 2007.

Black admitted Thursday to feeling more comfortable in his surroundings this spring than a year ago when everything -- including the drive to the Peoria facility -- was still so new to him.

"Last year, everything was new, the ballpark, the players, the staff," said Black, who led the Padres to an 89-victory season. "Now, I'm coming in more in-tuned to Peoria and the organization."

Black said there would only be a few small tweaks in the team's spring regimen, though he certainly can't say the same for the roster itself.

There's a new second baseman (Tadahito Iguchi), center fielder (Jim Edmonds), a starter in the rotation, possibly two (Randy Wolf and Prior) as well as several new players to contend for spots on the bench as well as the bullpen.

And, as there are every spring for every team, there are questions that need to be answered.

Can Edmonds, the eight-time Gold Glove winner, stay healthy, play good defense in an unforgiving ballpark and make Padres fans forget about Mike Cameron, who is now in Milwaukee?

Can Iguchi recapture his old form, both offensively and defensively and provide stability at the second-base position that was anything but steady in 2007? He'll likely hit No. 2 in the order and can provide some pop there.

How will Wolf and Prior fare with the Padres? They've both signed deals for one year to rebuild their credentials as starting pitchers in the National League and both are coming off injuries. Wolf is cleared for workouts and Prior is already throwing off a mound after having his shoulder surgery 10 months ago.

And what to make of left field, where Scott Hairston, Chase Headley and a cast of many others will try to win that position during Spring Training? The team would like Headley, the MVP of the Texas League, to have a big spring.

"He's going out to the outfield on the first day," Black said. "We think there's some merit to it [moving from third base]. We're hopeful things work out."

Black on Thursday also cited the competition for bench spots as an area to watch during the spring. The Padres have agreed to terms with veteran Tony Clark on a one-year deal but still have several spots to fill.

Black cited Oscar Robles, Luis Rodriguez, Craig Stansberry, Callix Crabbe and Edgar Gonzalez as all being in the mix for one or two bench spots, though Crabbe might be as close as a lock as there is given he can play center field and has speed.

Black is excited about the addition of Clark, who figures to back up Adrian Gonzalez at first base, be a pinch-hitter off the bench and serve as the designated hitter in Interleague road games.

"He's a good player and he's proven in his role," Black said.

Another player who could factor in the equation for the Padres bench is outfielder Paul McAnulty, who is out of options. But McAnulty, a left-handed hitter, insisted that he didn't come to Peoria to win a bench job.

"I'm not trying to make the team as a pinch-hitter," he said. "My goal is to become a starter."

Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

1. Randy Moss

2. Terrell Owens

3. Plaxico Burress

4. Ocho Cinco

5. Larry Fitzgerald

I'll introduce you guys to my 2008 St. Louis Cardinals! Lineup should be as follows:

1. Cesar Izturis SS :cry:
2. Adam Kennedy 2B :(
3. Albert Pujols 1B :D
4. Troy Glaus 3B :roll:
5. Chris Duncan LF
6. Rick Ankiel CF/RF :question:
7. Colby Rasmus CF/RF :question: (good prospect 21 yrs old, 29 homers in AA)
8. Yadier Molina
9. Pitcher's spot

The Rotation should look something like this

1. Adam Wainwright (good pitcher but not an ace)
2. Joel Piniero (not a good number two)
3. Mark Mulder :( (past his days of glory)
4. Matt Clement :question:
5. Anthony Reyes :evil: (automatic loss every five days)

Pen

1. Isringhausen: closer
2. Flores, Johnson, Wellemeyer (possibly in rotation)

Why the Cardinal's will not win: Despite playing in possibly the weakest division in all of baseball, the Cardinals just simply don't have enough. Outside of Pujols, I think the lineup is sub-par at nearly all positions. Also, not having a formidable hitter to bat behind Pujols may dampen his numbers a bit (sort of happened last year). Additionally, the Cardinals are also in need of defensive help. Pujols, Izturis, and Molina are great defenders (and Ankiel has a monster arm) but all other positions are lacking. Duncan is a 1B turned outfielder and is terrible defensively. Also in terms of defense, Glaus is a considerable downgrade over Rolen.

However, the main reason the Cards won't win is because of their rotation. Adam Wainwright would be a great number two or three starter, but he is simply not an ace. The hope is for Carpenter to return at mid season in Cy Young form. Simply put, don't count on it. He is recovering from tommy john surgery and there is no way he will be dominant enough to lead to Cards to a division title. Thank god Kip Wells is gone (Kip Wells + Anthony Reyes = 2 losses every 5 games). However, the rest of the rotation is still a question mark. Clement has the potential to be a steal, but I wouldn't expect much if anything from Mulder or Reyes, though they have nowhere to go but up from last season.

guitarman89

The offense looks pretty good. Some guys like Reyes are going to really have to step it up this year to have a chance at the playoffs. Also, when are the Cards projecting Carpenter be back?

[QUOTE="Padrepride"]Minor note- the Phillies signed 3b Pedro FelizB05T0N

In contrast to the recent dealings with johann, it's kind of minor.And btw, the Mets and Santana get some more time to figure out their outrageous deal. I heard on the radio this morning that he was looking for a 6 year 128 million dollar contract or something like that. That is crazy!