Spring Training, Week 1, 2013 – Got in late Saturday after finally witnessing a win in Tampa, and vegged much of the day, but I wanted to share some positive impressions on players in camp that we saw from February 26 through March 2. Following a 1-4 stretch during which the Yanks continuously threw the ball away, I thought I might have some trouble filling a baker’s dozen, but as it turns out I’m afraid I’m leaving some worthy candidates out, like Jose Ramirez, Tyler Austin, and Mark Montgomery.

Hats off, too, to Chris Stewart, who has struggled to block the plate, and made a bad throw, but his two-run home run and subsequent peg to nail Tigers rookie league shortstop Brandon Loy trying to steal Saturday contributed more than any other factor to get us a win. Our list of 13 covers three vets pretty much guaranteed significant 2013 innings, four vets battling over extra spots, and six kids, some of with a rep coming in, some not.

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Mouse over or touch the images in the slideshow to read my assessment of players we saw in the first week of spring training.

Honorable mention would include a mix of youth and experience as well. Among the vets, both Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira have looked solid at the plate and exceptional in the field, and Ivan Nova and David Robertson have pitched well; youth has served well too, with Adam Warren making two solid starts. Melky Mesa continues to flash a variety of skills, but showed a tendency to strike out in big spots. Overall, I present a glowing look at what we can expect from a team that lost seven straight, and four out of five, with 11 errors, while I was there.