spring has sprung

So much of the attention in Oakland’s spring camp has centered on free agent outfielders Manny Ramirez and Yoenis Cespedes that Seth Smith has been able to very quietly get off to a good start with his new club. The former Ole Miss standout is batting .294 in 17 at-bats and is a good bet to be in left field when the A’s open the season. Smith was acquired from Colorado in the off-season. He should play more regularly with the A’s than he would have with the Rockies, but he’s got to hit lefties better. Two weeks into spring training games, the stats are starting to mean something. That’s good for some Mississippians, not so good for others. Delta State product Eli Whiteside, hoping to stick in the big leagues as San Francisco’s backup catcher, is batting .364 with four RBIs in 11 at-bats. Ex-Ole Miss star Zack Cozart, coming back from shoulder surgery, appears to be settling in as Cincinnati’s regular shortstop and is 4-for-12. Ole Miss alumnus Alex Presley, battling for an outfield job with Pittsburgh, is off to a .400 start in 15 ABs. Former Rebels pitchers Lance Lynn (St. Louis) and Matt Maloney (Minnesota) have been strong. Lynn, a postseason hero for the champion Cardinals, has a 3.00 ERA in three innings, and Maloney, a newcomer to the Twins, has not allowed an earned run in four IPs. DSU’s Dusty Hughes has put up a 0.00 ERA in three innings for Atlanta; he’s trying to stick as a lefty in the loaded Braves bullpen. (Can’t help but notice that the Braves are 1-8 this spring.) Things are not going so well for Mitch Moreland, the ex-Mississippi State star. He homered in his second at-bat of the spring but that’s his only hit in 16 ABs (.063). He had wrist surgery in the off-season. Former Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College standout Fred Lewis, in Cleveland’s camp on a minor league deal, has only six at-bats and just one hit. Nettleton’s Bill Hall, trying to make the New York Yankees as a non-roster player, is 1-for-11. Southern Miss alumnus Jarrett Hoffpauir, in a similar situation with Washington, is 1-for-10. There’s a crowd at catcher in Arizona’s camp, and MSU product Craig Tatum has gotten into only three games (0-for-3).