5. Monitoring the Outfield Situation
The Tribe’s outfield situation going into Opening Day is far from clear. Rajai Davis and Tyler Naquin started in left and center field in the Cactus League Opener on Tuesday. Collin Cowgill made the start in right field and Robbie Grossman started in center for the Tribe on Wednesday.
Cowgill went 0-for-3 while Grossman went 1-for-2 with a triple.
Cowgill is considered one of the better candidates to make the team, due to his five years in the league, but Grossman has MLB experience as well, playing in parts of three seasons with the Houston Astros.
Grossman might be one of the long shots to make the club. He hit .143 in 24 games in 2015, but he hit .268 in 2013. In 2014, Grossman hit .233 over the course of 103 games.
Although he isn’t a favorite by any means, hitting a triple in his first Spring Training game is a good way to get noticed, and having some MLB experience makes Grossman a candidate to watch in March for a team with a couple of question marks in the outfield.
Joey Butler made a brief appearance towards the end of the game, drawing a walk in his only plate appearance and finishing the game in right field. Butler hit .276 with Tampa Bay in 2015 and is another candidate to make the team.
The Tribe will face the Reds for a third-straight day Thursday afternoon. First pitch is set for 3:05 PM ET.
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