Spring training camps open this week in Arizona and Florida, and of course, there are questions to be answered for American League teams: Kansas City: Can the Royals make a third consecutive World Series and be the first team to do so since the 1998-2001 Yankees? The Athletics were also in three consecutive World Series from 1988-1990. Toronto: Will former National Drew Storen, who lost his closer's role to Rafael Soriano and then Jonathan Papelbon in D.C., unseat 21-year-old Roberto Osuna as...

Spring training has arrived in Florida and Arizona, and I have questions about every one of the 15 National League teams. Here they are: St. Louis: Can the Cardinals, who won 100 games last year despite key injuries, be able to get rebound seasons from pitcher Adam Wainwright, catcher Yadier Molina, first baseman Matt Adams and outfielder Matt Holliday? Los Angeles: How much will the Dodgers miss Zack Greinke, who signed a free agent contract with the Diamondbacks and broke up the best one-two...

The countdown is on, with Nationals pitchers and catchers reporting to Space Coast Stadium in Viera, Fla., on Thursday. So here are a few storylines to watch throughout spring training: * Can Tanner Roark re-establish himself as a permanent member of the Nationals starting rotation? Many pitchers would have thrown a fit or even demanded a trade after being bumped from the rotation to the bullpen following a 15-win campaign with a sub-3.00 ERA. Though Roark handled the demotion with...

Is second baseman Jonathan Schoop an emerging star for the Orioles? Schoop, who turned 24 on Oct. 16, had 455 at-bats in 2014 and just 305 last year. But after the big improvement he made last season, you would have to be encouraged by the numbers Schoop may be able to put up with 600 at-bats over a full season. First, here is a look at how Schoop improved last year: Schoop in 2014: .209 average, .244 OBP, .354 slugging, .598 OPS, 65 OPS+ Schoop in 2015: .279 average, .306 OBP, .482 slugging,...

Three more days until the pitchers and catchers report to spring training at the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota. Three more days until the beat crew slips into a brand new routine. The clubhouse will open to the media from 8-9 a.m. Workouts last until about 12:30 p.m., with the clubhouse reopening for an hour. Manager Buck Showalter will meet with reporters and other media types following the workouts, when he'll be asked about bullpen sessions and pitchers' fielding practice. The...

On Sept. 27, Jonathan Papelbon barked at Bryce Harper from the dugout railing, instigating a fight which left the veteran closer's hands clasped around the young slugger's throat before players and coaches ripped the two apart. A day later - after serving a baffling one-game suspension - Harper brushed off the scrum with Papelbon, saying he hoped they could win a World Series together in 2016. Nobody believed it at the time, as the sure bet had general manager Mike Rizzo dumping Papelbon this...

If the Orioles finally reach agreement with right-hander Yovani Gallardo on a three-year deal, and it's still expected to happen, the press conference might have to take place down in Sarasota. We're running out of Camden Yards time. Gallardo would need to take and pass his physical. Team officials, public relations staff and media will be at the Ed Smith Stadium complex early this week. It would be a swift turnaround, to say the least. It's not like we'd be out of our element. The Orioles...

Right-hander Reynaldo Lopez was slowed by a back injury during the 2015 season. The No. 1 priority for his development to begin next season is to make sure that he is 100 percent healthy. The Nationals really like what they saw from Lopez, 22, when he was healthy. "He has a special, special arm," said Nationals pitching coordinator Paul Menhart. Because Lopez is still a young prospect, there is no reason to rush him. Similar to the organization's philosophy with pitchers recovering from...

It may be Valentine's Day, but Baseball America did not show the Orioles any love on Friday. When it released its latest list of the game's top 100 prospects, not a single Oriole was on the list. Baseball America has released 27 such lists since its debut top 100 ranking in 1990. The only other time the Orioles were shutout on a top 100 was in 2003. I went through all 27 lists since 1990. In that span, there were 17 times the Orioles had at least three players on the list. They've had four...

Speculation regarding Bryce Harper's long-term future in Washington isn't anything new. Heck, it began as soon as the Nationals made a 17-year-old Harper the most-hyped No. 1 overall pick in 2009 since, well, Stephen Strasburg the year before. But as Harper entered the conversation in 2015 as arguably the game's best all-around player, questions started to swell about how long he'll remain in a curly-W cap. "I'm definitely excited about the upcoming years and very excited to further my...