This edition of Minor-ity Report will cover three more potential position battles around the Bigs.  Without further ado, read on:

1. JR Towles vs. Brad Ausmus
   As far as position battles go, in our opinion this one is a no-brainer.  In the right corner, you have Brad Ausmus – inarguably the biggest hole in Houston’s lineup card.  In the left corner, you have Towles, a talented, young backstop who played in the 2007 Futures Game and who dazzled in a cup ‘o coffee in the majors last season.  At age 39 and having batted around .230 the past two seasons with OBP’s in the .300 range, it would be difficult to accept Ausmus as Houston’s everyday starter while Towles rode the pine.  We expect JR Towles to be announced everyday starter and Ausmus to stick around to mentor him, as well as to handle whichever fickle pitchers demand Brad as their personal backstop.  

2. Adam Jones vs. Corey Patterson
   Depending on the format of your league, Corey Patterson has been a solid fantasy player over the last few years.  While his batting average is regularly unremarkable, Patterson offers a rare combination of power, speed, with potential for improvement based on age and tools, alone.  Having said that, the Orioles have yet to re-sign Corey to the multiyear deal he wants, so Patterson remains unsigned.  Having traded Erik Bedard for a collection of prospects, among them centerfielder Adam Jones – Baltimore has little reason to shell out for Patterson.  The trades of Tejada and Bedard have ushered in an era of rebuilding in Baltimore.  We expect Brian Roberts, Melvin Mora, and Jay Payton to follow suit if the Orioles can find a taker.  Based on the facelift Baltimore is undergoing in 2008, we cannot see Adam Jones anywhere but starting in CF to begin the season.  The Orioles do not expect to be competitive in a division where the Yankees and Boston rule, and Toronto and Tampa Bay have more overall talent.  As the centerpiece of the Bedard trade, 22 year old Adam Jones is seen as a huge talent by Baltimore brass.  With prodigious power and solid defense, many think Jones is ready to step in and start tomorrow.  We give this one to Adam Jones.  Sorry Corey. 

3. Kerry Wood vs. Carlos Marmol vs. Bob Howry
    Speculation that Ryan Dempster was being moved back to the starting rotation was abound last season.  Entering 2008, it appears that Piniella has decided once and for all that Dempster will be starting.  Enter the contenders for the job of closer – once-ace Kerry Wood, starter turned set-up man Carlos Marmol, and journeyman former closer Bob Howry.  The case for Kerry Wood is simple – he’s Kerry Wood. It feels like he’s 40 he’s been around so long, but in actuality Wood is 30 and a shadow of his former self.  But, those old enough to remember Wood as a rookie mowing down batter after batter with blazing heat will salivate at the thought of him pitching only the ninth.  The thought of present-day relief-artist Kerry Wood rearing back like there’s no tomorrow and delivering a high 90’s fastball might well send chills down the spine of NL Central batters.  The case for Carlos Marmol is also an easy one to make.  Marmol held opposing batters to a .169 average, and struck out 96 in just 69 innings while surrendering only 3 long-balls and 35 base-on-balls.  Looking at his numbers, it is hard to imagine Marmol not getting an honest audition at closing up shop.  The last contendor for the job might be the guy with the most experience – Bob Howry.  Although Howry does not inspire like Wood or have numbers that scream “pick me” like Marmol, he does have 65 career saves and 65 more than his two competitors for the job. Hard to pick a winner of this battle at this point in spring training.  Different favorites have been chosen by different sources.  We favor Bob Howry early on but would expect either Marmol or Wood to step in and take over.  Howry has done it before and Piniella has already played favorites by tabbing Howry to close last season with the same cast of characters.  Keep an eye on this battle during the spring but early on we’d advise caution with guessing a winner.  If you snatch up Howry in your draft or auction – it might be wise to get Marmol or Wood also to hedge your bets.

The theme of these position battles may just be “out with the old and in with the new.”  We favor Towles, Jones, and Wood/Marmol as winners of these contests as the season progresses, but keep attuned to spring training performance, because these proverbial position battle-scales can tip in no time flat.