MLB Player News

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard's struggles against left-handed pitchers has been well-chronicled. However, during an intrasquad game Tuesday, he proved he had no problems hitting left-handed pitching.

Howard singled off top pitching prospect Jesse Biddle in his first at-bat and then homered off Cesar Jimenez in his second at-bat.

"He's approached me about seeing left-handed pitching," manager Ryne Sandberg said, per the Philadelphia Inquirer. "If he makes the left-handers throw strikes, in my opinion he can hit balls in the strike zone."

Howard fared pretty well against lefties during spring training last year, batting .400 with three doubles and three home runs in 30 at-bats. However, he struggled during the regular season, batting .173 with three doubles and three home runs in 87 plate appearances against lefties.

Braves outfielder/first baseman Joey Terdoslavich has been getting some work at catcher this spring, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Terdoslavich didn't do much in his Braves debut last season, hitting .215/.315/.266 in 79 at-bats, but he enjoyed a banner season at Triple-A Gwinnett, hitting .318/.359/.567 with 18 home runs and 58 RBI in 321 at-bats. He doesn't have any game experience at catcher in either the minor or major leagues.

Mets manager Terry Collins reiterated Sunday he intends to get infielder Wilmer Flores playing time at shortstop this spring.

"First of all, I tip my hat to him. He's got a whole different body right now than he did at the end of the season," Collins said about Flores, per ESPN. "He went to the [fitness and nutrition] camp in Michigan. He looks tremendous. He came in lighter. He came in more athletic. I'm going to let him play some shortstop, but I want to see him at second. I want to see him at third."

While his defense remains a work in progress, Flores has proven he can get the job done at the plate and his offensive skills could help him land a spot on the roster this spring.

"The bat potential is off the charts," Collins said. "Everybody talks about what a big RBI guy he is, what he's going to be. Somebody told me yesterday they've watched him in winter ball for a few years and he reminds them of Fonzie [Edgardo Alfonzo]. That is a big statement. And I don't like to compare guys. But that is a big statement, because Edgardo was an outstanding offensive player. And if that's what Wilmer Flores is going to be, obviously you have to find a position for him to play."

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is looking for more consistency in his third season, according to ESPN.

Rizzo admitted last year was crazy, but he feels more comfortable now. After being traded twice already in his young career, Rizzo said it was nice to know where he was reporting this season. He stressed that he still has things to work on. "The biggest thing in going to the next level is consistency," Rizzo said. "I want to be consistent everyday."

Rizzo plans on making a slight alteration to his swing this spring. The goal is to keep his hands "quieter" at the plate. Rizzo hit .233/.323/.419 in 606 at-bats last year.

Reds manager Bryan Price announced Wednesday his projected batting order for when a right-handed pitcher is on the mound.

Price said Billy Hamilton will lead off, and he will be followed by Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Ryan Ludwick, Todd Frazier, Devin Mesoraco and Zack Cozart.

Price said he would likely switch Bruce and Ludwick in the lineup when a left-handed starter is on the hill. 

Price also reiterated he hasn't given much thought to batting Votto second.

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo has expressed confidence he can improve his batting average from last season. The Cubs are showing the same confidence in the 24-year-old first baseman and feel he hasn't reached his full potential yet, according to CSN Chicago.

"His batting average (.233) was bad and certainly the aesthetics of the end of his year weren’t ideal," Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said. "But when a 23-year-old guy is playing great defense and has some power and patience, I think there’s a lot of potential there. He didn’t have the year he wanted, but I also think there’s some really nice silver linings that you can build on.

"He understands he’s not a finished product. He understands there’s things he can work on and he’s been really good at doing that. Hopefully, he’ll face some adversity from last year and bounce back really strong."

Mets infielder Wilmer Flores will be used in a full-time role, but it's unclear if that will be in the majors, according to the New York Daily News.

Flores is expected to play some shortstop during the spring, and could win that spot if he plays well. But if he isn't able to win that spot, Flores will likely begin the season in the minors. Manager Terry Collins said Flores is at the point in his career where he needs daily at-bats. "I think with what we have on the infield if he's not going to get a lot of playing time, he’s got to go play, at his age," Collins said. "The ceiling on his bat is too high. He’s got to get at-bats."

Collins added that if Flores' bat comes around, he could be a middle of the order hitter. Last season, Flores hit .211 in 95 at-bats. 

Mets infielder Wilmer Flores will see some time at shortstop this offseason, according to the Star-Ledger. 

Flores hasn't played the position since 2011, but the team is interested to see how he'll perform. Flores spent most of the winter working on his conditioning. Flores is confident in his abilities to pick up the position again. "I played for years," Flores said. "It’s not going to be a new position. I’m sure I can play."

Flores hit .211/.248/.295 in 95 at-bats last season.

Some have given up on Ryan Howard. Ryan Howard is certainly not one of them.

In fact, the Phillies first baseman is predicting a renaissance year. He not only stated that he wants to play in all 162 games, but said he could perform well against left-handers and slug 58 home runs, according to the Philadelphia Daily News.

That would be some mean feat for Howard, who lost the second half of last season to knee surgery and peaked at 58 homers in 2006. The 10-year veteran batted .266 with 11 home runs and 43 RBI in 286 at-bats in 2013, but just .173 against southpaws.

Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said he isn't concerned about first baseman Paul Goldschmidt getting complacent following a breakout season in 2013, according to MLB.com.

"He's prepared and he's stayed extremely humble," Gibson said. "I don't think anything is going to go to anybody's head. As good as you think Goldy was, in his mind he thinks he could be so much better and he thinks his teammates could be so much better and we agree."