MLB Player News

Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson, who is competing for the starting job in center field, got his spring campaign started off on the right foot Wednesday against the White Sox. The highly touted prospect went 2 for 2 with one double and one run.

One person who was likely happy to see Pederson get off to a quick start was teammate Justin Turner, who spent the offseason working out in Los Angeles with the 22-year-old outfielder.

"He doesn't talk about anything but hitting, ever," Turner said, per the Los Angeles Times. "He loves to talk hitting. He's not afraid to ask questions, which I love. One of my pet peeves is when you're around guys who have a lot of valuable information and you don't ask them anything. When I'm around guys, I ask questions. I want to know what they're doing, what they're thinking, because I want to learn."

Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon was not in Wednesday's spring lineup against the Diamondbacks due to an abdominal injury, per MLB.com. However, Blackmon planned to take batting practice Wednesday.

The Marlins opted to push back outfielder Giancarlo Stanton's spring debut to Thursday. Stanton, who hasn't played since getting hit in the face in September, was originally scheduled to face the University of Miami in an exhibition game Tuesday.

"It just made more sense -- he can get more at-bats on the backfield," manager Mike Redmond said, per The Miami Herald. "We have simulated games going on back there. So, it just made more sense for him instead of going over there for one at-bat, keep him back here and he can get more at-bats and more work done back here and then he'll be ready to roll for Thursday."

Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter hopes to combine the aggressiveness he displayed in 2013 with the patience he showed in 2014, MLB.com reports.

"I've had both extremes of it," Carpenter said. "I've had it where I've led the leagues in walks [2014], and I've had where I've led the league in hits [2013]. I'm trying to search for that perfect balance where you're aggressive, but you're still patient.

"In the postseason, I felt that I was more aggressive than I had been at any point in my career, but at the same time, I wasn't flailing at balls. I didn't lose anything. Now, it's finding the perfect balance to where I'm swinging the bat, I'm being aggressive, I'm trying to do damage, but at the same time, I'm a guy who can walk a lot, get on base and set the tone as a leadoff hitter. I think that's part of growing up as a baseball player. You learn and you adapt and you continue to try to figure out who you are as a hitter."

Carpenter homered four times during last year's postseason after hitting just eight home runs during the regular season, with his first two postseason blasts coming on the first pitch of his at-bats. He's looking to capture that approach more often this season.

"I think he's a smart enough guy to do it because he knows what he does really well," hitting coach John Mabry said. "That's what you take pride in -- those guys who put in all the work to get to where they are and then say, 'I'm not happy.' They want to put in the extra work to get to that next step, the next level."

Carpenter is looking to build off a 2014 season in which he hit .272/.375/.375 with eight home runs and 59 RBI in 595 at-bats.

Phillies outfielder Darin Ruf will be competing with Grady Sizemore, Odubel Herrera and Jordan Danks for playing time -- and potentially the starting job -- in left field this spring. The Phillies hope Ruf will be up to the challenge and make the decision difficult as to who to keep on the roster, per The Philadelphia Daily News.

"It all depends on him," general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said of Ruf, who has played parts of the last three seasons with the Phillies. "He's going to get opportunities to play. Sizemore looks very good. The decisions that we make will be based on performance here in spring, whether we think they can help us on a regular basis during the season. And once we break with the team, it's going to be about [manager Ryne Sandberg] trying to put the best team out there to win baseball games."

Ruf is a natural first baseman, but he has been learning to play in left field since 2012. Still, the Phillies have to see if they can trust him on a regular basis playing the position.

"I don't know," Amaro said. "He could. He could. We'll find out. We'll find out a little more about him. He's not an outfielder per se, but he seems to move fine out there and he doesn't seem to make mistakes. It's still a learning process for him . . . You can't lose sight of the defense. And we have to be aware of that. We have to win games playing all phases of the games. Defense and pitching are important. Guys have to be good enough defensively not to be liabilities out there, so they can help us win games."

With the Nationals losing first baseman Adam LaRoche to free agency, outfielder Bryce Harper knows he needs to increase his production, reports MLB.com.

"I'll help out for sure," Harper said. "After losing LaRoche, I have to step up a little bit. I have to do what I need to do. Our pitching is going to take us to the top, hopefully, but we still have to have offense. We have to do the things we need to do. I'm ready to go. I'll be feeling good."

Harper said the key to his success in 2015 will be sticking to his approach and not trying to overdo it.

"I have to see what [pitchers] are going to do to me, see how they approach me, really just working my pitch and not go out of my comfort zone," Harper said. "If I can do that, stay within myself and have a little bit of fun at the plate, that will go a long way."

Dodgers infielder Justin Turner earned a nonroster invitation to the team's camp last year and ended up leading the team in batting average, and he's been working on his body like a fiend over the winter, MLB.com reports.

"Going into last year, we felt if he played every day, he'd get in trouble, and we found that out, but this year maybe he can handle more," manager Don Mattingly said Friday. "He's really been diligent about his work, been at Dodger Stadium almost daily. He's put a lot of time in and it shows."

Turner credited strength-and-conditioning coach Brandon McDaniel for his workout success.

"Brandon did everything. He's been a one-man wrecking crew," said Turner. "He and his family deserve the credit. I've been able to establish a routine and train consistently. Before I signed a year ago, I was on my own, going to 24 Hour Fitness, had to coordinate everything myself."

Turner added that he lost 18 pounds this winter through a healthier diet. Mattingly said that he intends to use the infielder at the corner-infield positions and also potentially up the middle.

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton faced live pitching Thursday for the first time since being struck in the face by a pitch in September. Although, Stanton didn't take any swings and just tracked the 10 pitches he saw.

"I think it is a day he's been anticipating for a long time," manager Mike Redmond said, per MLB.com. "No doubt, as his season ended last year was tough to watch. For any player, that is a tough way to go. I'm anticipating him just getting in there and tracking some pitches like he's done a million times, and there will be no problems."

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper has reported to camp in better shape, according to The Washington Post. 

Harper lost weight during the offseason, reporting to camp at 204 pounds. He was able to work on his entire body during the winter, which he couldn't do last season due to a knee injury. Manager Matt Williams was impressed, saying Harper is in "fantastic shape."

On top of that, Harper said he's focused on playing smarter in the field in order to avoid an injury. Harper missed a large chunk of the 2013 season after running into the outfield wall, and it seems he'll do a better job of being more careful this year. 

The 22-year-old hit .273/.344/.423 over 352 at-bats last season. 

Pirates owner Bob Nutting said Wednesday outfielder Andrew McCutchen is "a critical part of the team" and hopes the 2013 NL MVP will be in a Pirates uniform "for a long, long time."

McCutchen is currently under contract through the 2017 season on a fairly good deal for the Pirates. He will make $10 million in 2015, $13 million in 2016 and $14 million in 2017. He also has a $14.75 million team option for 2018, which includes a $1 million buyout.

If and when the Pirates choose to extend McCutchen, then it probably will cost them a pretty penny if he continues to play at his current level. There are no active contract talks, but industry sources said that if the Pirates decide to open talks, they are willing to go to great lengths to keep McCutchen, even if they have to offer him $25 million-plus per year, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

“It's a challenge we're looking forward to,” Nutting said. “At this point, it's not appropriate to dig in (and comment) on any particular player other than we really respect and appreciate what Andrew does, on and off the field, every day.”

The 28-year-old McCutchen is a four-time All-Star and finished in the top 3 in voting for the NL MVP in 2012 and 2014. He has also won three Silver Slugger awards.

McCutchen could one day land a contract in the same ballpark as Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton, who signed a $325 million contract this offseason, but for now his focus isn't on a new deal.

“If that happens, that will be something we'll talk about,” McCutchen said. “Right now, I'm not too worried about it. It's nothing that I'm thinking about, really. If it happens, that would be great. I look forward to it if they do that.”