Jose Pirela

San Diego Padres OF Jose Pirela might be in for a huge year for his fantasy owners. While one should never put a lot of stock into spring numbers, Pirela is simply picking up where he left off last summer. The Padres gave him a chance to play regularly around the middle of the season and he took the ball and ran with it. Or hit it. And threw it. Well, you get the picture.

After toiling in relative obscurity for a few years, and failing to break into the bigs on a regular basis, he finally staked his claim in his 27-year-old campaign, hitting .288 with 25 doubles, four triples, 10 homers and 40 RBI while posting a solid .837 OPS in just 312 at-bats across 83 games. He has kicked it up a notch, tearing the ball off the cover in Cactus League play, leading all of baseball with a .436 average with six extra-base hits, including two homers, and eight RBI over 16 games while sizzling with a .718 slugging percentage and gaudy 1.229 OPS.

Pirela sits atop the depth chart in left field, and the Padres surprisingly have a logjam in the outfield. Manuel Margot will be in center field, with Wil Myers in right field. While Hunter Renfroe is breathing down Pirela's neck with five homers, Pirela is not showing any signs of letting up. It's a nice problem to have for manager Andy Green. Pirela might not necessarily be locked into left field every day, but he will be in the lineup somewhere. You can count on that.

Cobb Finds A Job

The Baltimore Orioles is probably best known for taking a line drive in the head off the bat of then Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer just under five years ago. It was an awful scene, and he was forced to miss two months after suffering a concussion and a cut to the ear. But it wasn't as bad as it could have been, thankfully. Now, he will begin a new chapter in his career after spending parts of six seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The O's decided if you can't beat him, then have him join you. Plus, they're in dire need of experience rotation depth. While Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman are proven commodities, and Andrew Cashner and Chris Tillman are serviceable middle of the rotation guys, the O's were apparently not comfortable with the prospect of Miguel Castro, Nestor Cortes or Mike Wright serving as their No. 5 starter. So Cobb is likely in for a rotation spot once he is stretched out. He'll go to the minor-league camp to get stretched out.

Cobb rolled up a career-best 179 1/3 innings last season while logging 12 victories with a 3.66 ERA. It was his first full season back in the majors after working his way back from reconstructive elbow surgery. He looked better than ever, and he reportedly fetched a four-year deal between $56 and $60 million, so he'll certainly be a big part of things in Charm City. The O's probably like what they saw from Cobb against the Red Sox over the past few years, going 3-1 with a 3.38 ERA across five starts since the start of the 2015 season. He held them in check with a .241 batting average, too. He wasn't as hard on the Yankees during the span, going 1-2 with a 6.64 ERA and .318 opponent batting average, and that's before adding Giancarlo Stanton.

Dan The Man

Daniel Vogelbach is making life awfully difficult for manager Scott Servais. He has rolled up huge numbers this spring, posting a .400 average with six doubles, five home runs and 11 RBI while posting a ridiculous 1.385 OPS. The 6-foot, 250-pound brickhouse first baseman from Orlando was a former second-round pick of the Chicago Cubs during the 2011 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. He made his debut in 2016 for eight games, and he saw 16 more games of action in 2017 for the M's. However, he has managed to hit just .175 across 24 games (40 at-bats) with one double, no homers and two RBI in regular-season action.

So is Vogelbach ready to be the next stud to come out of nowhere and emerge as a fantasy stud? Or will he be the next Brennan Boesch, John Bowker, Matt Hague, Dann Howitt, etc. You know, guys who tore up spring pitchers with huge homer totals only to flame out early and often when the games started to come for real. Well, Vogelbach has a major obstacle in his way, as the team has Ryon Healy, who is now healthy and expected to be ready for Opening Day after recovering from a hand injury. Servais is on record saying that first base is Healy's, and only Healy's, so there will be no platoon.

Vogelbach might have done enough to force his way onto the Opening Day roster, but then what? The team is likely to have an extra spot on the bench with no need for a fifth starter at least two weeks into the season. So he could see a few at-bats early in April, perhaps even an occasional start. But those people drafting Vogelbach with a valuable pick outside of the final round or two are likely wasting the spot. There are no guarantees he will be in Seattle, and not Tacoma, by the end of the first month.

American League Quick Hits: Lucas Giolito looked awfully impressive in his Cactus League spring start against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday. He twirled 6 1/3 scoreless innings while yielding just two hits with four punchouts. He was considered a huge prospect when he was in the Washington Nationals organization, and might be the most talented starter for the Pale Hose. The 6-foot-6 hurler finished up strong last September, and posting a 3-3 record with a 2.38 ERA across his final seven starts. Remember, he is just 23. He is a nice addition when doing some last-minute shopping. … Speaking of the ChiSox, Jose Abreu suffered a strained hamstring on Tuesday. For now, he's considered day to day, but a hamstring issue makes him a question mark for the opener now. … Kendall Graveman will take the baseball on Opening Day for the A's. That's not terribly favorable for his fantasy appeal, as he'll be matched up against some pretty strong opposing pitchers, at least early on. … Whit Merrifield had a pair of clouts on Tuesday, driving in three. For those scoring at home, he's hitting .465 with four bombs in Cactus League play. He'll be an outstanding CI option if he can maintain a decent power pace. ... Khris Davis (illness) is set to return to action on Wednesday after being under the weather a bit.

National League Quick Hits: Michael Conforto (shoulder) was able to play in a minor-league game, working four innings in center field. He is working his way back from shoulder surgery last September and he appears to be well ahead of schedule. Conforto is expected to start on the 10-day disabled list still, but instead of a May return, he might only miss a couple of weeks of the regular season. … Eric Hosmer roped a pair of doubles with an RBI in Tuesday's spring tie with Cincinnati. He is started to look a lot more comfortable in his new surroundings after a bit of a slow start. ... Sam Dyson was socked around in a relief appearance, coughing up three runs while retiring just one better. Remember how bad he was last April for Texas? Yeah, it's looking that bad again, and then some. He isn't a lock to work in a setup role at this rate. ... The Dodgers farmed out Alex Verdugo to Triple-A Las Vegas. He has plenty of upside, but the Dodgers likely need an injury or two in their stacked outfield before he sees time with the parent club. ... There are apparently no guarantees Billy Hamilton will be the leadoff hitter for Cincinnati, as manager Bryan Price has not yet committed to the idea. He said that the team is still trying to figure out the best spot for the speedster. Hmm.