[illeracula]

We currently have 19 position players in camp and looking to cute that back to 14. With the 25-man roster I like to keep 11 pitchers and 14 position players, unless I really feel like I need more pitching.

I like to think we are pretty set on who is going to be where, but things can happen during spring training that can change that.

First, the projected lineup:
Javier Janchez (RF)
Roberto Perez (3B)
Kent Davis (CF)
Jeff Lewis (LF)
King Brock (DH)
Mauro Candelaria (2B)
Ed Duke (C)
Mike Ford (1B)
Augusto Rodriquez (SS)

This is a pretty solid lineup. The big change is moving Kent Davis down to the third hole. He hasn't been happy leading off, plus he only walked about 30 times a year. Janchez has a better eye, will draw more walks and did a great job in the playoffs leading off. Mauro Candelaria comes back and will play second, keeping Mike Ford at first. Ford hit .340 last season, earning the job. Candy has always been up for playing wherever so after a talk with him he agreed on the move. He has only played 80.1 innings at second over his 6 year career, no errors during that time.

Catcher: Ed Duke (L)
Ed had a career year last year and we hope he can put up similar numbers this season (.336-29-103), he is only 25 and has become a solid all-around back-stop. He walked more times than he stuck out last season (64/62), which is something we like to see in our hitters.

First Base: Mike Ford
Mike came up when Mauro Candelaria went down, and we couldn't take him out of the lineup. He put up a .341-6-54 season in 95 games, which impressed us so much that Candy will be shifted over to second giving Mike first. He is slow, not a great defender, but if he continues to hit he will play.

Second Base: Mauro Candelaria
Mauro is the only position player to be with the Cav's since 2013, and has played just about everywhere. He turned himself into a solid 1B and will now shift over to second and take over for the departed Jesus Rivera. Candy hits the ball, plays good defense and is reliable, he has played over 155 games in 4 of his 6 seasons. A career .291 hitter with 12 HR's, he is better suited as a middle infielder.

Third base: Roberto Perez (S)
The two time MVP had a strong quiet season last year, hitting .329-24-120, matching is 2017 MVP campaign. He is in the last year of his contract, so if he is with the Cavaliers at the end of the season might be surprising. An average defender, who hits and runs. Has 50+ SB's over the past 3 years.

Shortstop: Arturo Ramirez
A gold glove defender that is only getting better. Last year his bat slumped, but if he puts up numbers like .266-3-53 again this year and plays gold-glove defense its worth it. He will penciled in as the starting shortstop for most days.

Centerfield: Kent Davis (L)
Kent just hits and hits, a career .353 hitter, who plays close to gold glove outfield. He steals bases and doesn't like to strike out, or walk. He will be moved out of the lead-off spot this year and given a shot hitting third.

Leftfield: Jeff Lewis
Jeff is going to be mainstay in LF for 5 years to come. Last year he drove in more than 100 runs for the first time of his career, and hit over .300 for the 4th time. Jeff hits a lot and strikes out quite a bit 105 last year. He will give you solid outfield, speed and a great bat. He will be the #4 hitter knocking in the speedsters before him.

Rightfield: Javier Janchez (L)
I have been waiting for Javier come of age for the past 2 seasons, and I think he is finally ready, assuming his playoff performance from last year is any indication. Javier hit .210-4-26 in 67 games withe Cavaliers, then turned around and hit .327-2-8 during the playoffs. He can run, he can hit and he can field. At 21 he may be planting himself in RF for a long time to come.

Designated Hitter: King Brock (L)
King burst onto the scene 2 years ago and did better than anyone expected, then he followed that up with an even better 2nd year (.305-27-137). A prue hitter, he will expect to match those numbers again this year, with a nice boost to his power during the off-season 35+ HR's isn't out of the question. At 24 years old, he will be wearing blue and orange for quite a while.

Those 9 are pretty much on the team, unless something drastic happens. The rest of the team will be filled out with these guys.

The Front Runners:
Maik Wassink (1B/2B/SS)
He will get a fair shot at 1B battling Mike Ford for PT and will also fill in for SS and 2B when they need their off days. He hit .311-4-35 for Washington last season and we look forward to him contributing this year.

Cody Johnson (2B/3B/SS/CF)
Cody is out of options and after his 20 game stint with the Cav's last season proved he is ready, hitting .291. The previous 2 years he hit under .200 in 110+ AB's. He will provide us with solid back-up defense and should hit a decent amount. A true utility man, and at age of 29 is ready to play.

John Phillips (C)
John played in only 21 games last season, as the 3rd string catcher, but due to him being a rule-5 draft pick we had to keep him up on the active roster or lose him. He didn't hit well, but he played solid Defense is the best catcher we have to back up Ed Duke. There isn't much on the free-agent market, so even if he doesn't perform we may be stuck with him.

Byung-Hyun Chong (LF/CF/RF) - L
BH might be our best option as a back-up outfielder. He was asked for a lot in trade requests, but we heldon to him. He hit .288 with Norfolk in 19 games last season and should do about the same this year. He makes contact and he is fast. Two things we like in our bench players.

The Guys Fighting:
Francisco Gallegos (1B) - S
Franky will most likely spend the year in AAA, he played in 5 games in AAA last year and hit .409, but we aren't sure he is ready just yet. He is your typical power man, tons of power, not much speed. He does however posses a pretty good glove.

Emilio Gonzalez (SS)
Emilio has spent the past 6 years in AAA and he continues to hit the ball, a career .297-120-525 hitter in AAA. He would probalby of spent some time with us over the years, but his glove at SS is just awful. We may try to tranistion him over to third (not sure why we haven't yet) and see what happens. He has all the tools, but a glove to play in Norfolk.

Glenn Walker (C/LF)
Glenn is a long shot to be the back-up, but if something happens to the John or Ed he will come on in. He has hit in the minors, but there are a lot of questions about if he can handle the big league stuff. He is slow, a below-average catcher with an average bat. He was brought in last year, as a free-agent to give us some depth to our week postion.

Bryan O'Neil (LF/RF)
Bryan has no options left, and he didn't last year clearing waviers 3 times. He will get some time in the bigs this year, its just a matter of when and why. Will he earn it or will be an injury replacement. Last year he it better than expected .227-3-9 in 44 AB's and could probalby hold his own. He is your typical back-up.

Ramon Granados (LF/CF/RF)
Ramon was drafted in 2017 and has been "ready" to play in Norfolk ever since, at least in his head. We think he needs to develop a little and should make a decent 4th outfielder. He is just a little off from being a full-time guy. Last year in AAA he hit .348-6-23 after tearing up AA. He is fast, a solid outfielder, but average bat, currently. He will be with the Cavaliers soon, but it might not be this year.

Sergio Galvez (LF/RF)
Segio is going to be a mainstay one day very soon, but I am not sure if that day is now. Acquired from Milford at the beginning of last season Sergio tore up AAA hitting .359-22-126, and went 0-10 with Milford and Norfolk combined. When you talk about 5-tool prospects, Sergio is at the top of the list. He may be a mainstay in AAA this year to get the at-bats he needs, possibly learning first-base.

Joe Chambers (3B/SS)
Joe was a 2nd round pick 2 years ago and surprised us by developing into a solid prospect. The 21 year old spent all of last year in AA, hitting .260-20-84 and will start the season in AAA. If Roberto Perez gets traded away he could be the replacement for a long time to come.