Pitcher | Marlins Rising

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Hector Olivera, a nearly 30-year-old infield prospect from Cuba, was granted free agent status by Major League Baseball last Friday and expects to complete a deal with a team soon.

Teams such as the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, New Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants love Olivera because of his ability to play second or third base. The biggest reason for their optimism is his bat, however. Scouts have projected Olivera’s ceiling for this season at 15-20 long balls and around 75 runs batted in. Olivera wants to play for a team on which he could be a middle-of-the-order guy in 2015.

Two things that might prevent him from getting the maximum contract are his age and past health concerns. While in Cuba, he had issues with a blood disorder. Jeff Passan of Yahoo…

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OutsidePitchMLB LLC

By Jim McCormick

Spring Training is an important time for managers and GM’s alike, as it is the perfect time to see how a player can perform. While stats don’t always translate to the regular season, evaluators will use the time to judge the player’s work ethic and how they impact the clubhouse. Heading into the spring, each team has positions that may have too much talent or players at the position that have not played good enough to lock up the position. Today, I will look at some of the important position battles for teams in the National League East.

Atlanta Braves:

knoxnews.com

Positon: Second Base
Players Involved: Alberto Callaspo, Jace Peterson, Philip Gosselin

Entering the 2014 season, the Braves started off the season with Dan Uggla as their starting second baseman. Uggla was released by the Braves in July of 2014 after he struggled in his…

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