Around the NL Central -Spring Training-

There is a lot of news around Major League Baseball and the 2012 Spring Training; almost too much to keep track of. Sure, we all know the ins-and-outs of our favorite teams, but thats 1/30 of whats happening in the sport.

Spoke Bait is taking you around the horn for each division, giving you the latest updates of spring training, prospects, injuries, and the inside scoop on teams across the league. Just some quick bullets for each team gives you a chance to get some knowledge without spending hours reading endless articles on team specific sites.

Be sure to click the links to move from division to division: NL WEST, NL EAST

CUBS: March 5th 2012

Starting rotation Competition heating up: Contenders to include Travis Wood, Chris Volstad, Jeff Samardizija, and Rodrigo Lopez and just maybe a little Casey Coleman and Jay Jackson action.

Adrian Cardenas, a former Athletic, notched three ribbies on a base clearing triple during Sunday’s game against Oakland.

PIRATES: March 5th 2012

The defense is looking horrible, dropping fly balls, kicking grounders, charged errors, and forgetting to cover bags are all factors that led Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle to call his team’s D-game “sloppy”

Keep a close eye on catcher Rod Barajas as his bat warms up.

McCutchen inks a six-year contract with the club. That is something positive we can focus on.

BREWERS: March 5th 2012

Braun strikes out a bunch and gets booed by some fans, others cheered him on.

Corey Hart is out for a month; his knee is going under the knife.

Pitching is looking strong, not the brew crew we once knew.

CARDINALS: March 5th 2012

Today, Monday March, 5^th was the first spring training game against Miami.

Carlos Beltran DH debut is something to look forward to.

Wainwright is starting later this week.

REDS:March 5th 2012

Chapman looks solid as he competes for a starter slot, not even throwing his fastball.

Drew Stubbs claims three RBIs already and seems to have curbed his strikeout addiction aka Adam Dunn Disorder.

Prospect depth appears deeper than Mariana Trench

ASTROS: March 5th 2012

Fernando Martinez debut is smokin’ hot going 2-2 and three-run homer.

J.A. Happ getting all snuggles on the mound, slowing down, getting confident, and taking control of situations. Agressivness and command keeps him out of trouble.

Delino De Shields and George Springer are worth taking a look at if you don’t know anything about these guys. De shields is MLBs #8 top prospect and Springer is #3.