MLB players tweet about Moneyball, Oscars

To best understand what Matt Wieters means to the Baltimore Orioles, you need to look beyond the numbers that garnered him an All-Star appearance and Gold Glove and into the video room.

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said he wasn't alarmed over the terse and tense interview right fielder Andre Ethier gave Saturday in his first day in camp.

Sunday was the first day that D-backs pitchers faced hitters during batting practice, and with the pitchers having been in camp for a week now, they clearly had the advantage.

There was a larger than usual crowd, highlighted by D-backs manager Kirk Gibson, around the batting cage as top pitching prospects Trevor Bauer and Tyler Skaggs faced hitters Sunday.

D-backs left-hander Craig Breslow played catch with strength and conditioning coach Nate Shaw on Sunday rather than throw to hitters due to a stiff calf.

Willie Horton is not so readily recognized from a distance as he once was. He occupies less cubic area than he did, less than your average bear, but not much less.

Brian Burres would say "Amen" to Willie McCovey's deathless remark, "Once you're a Giant, you're always a Giant."

Giants general manager Brian Sabean said Sunday that he's still pondering whether to add former outfielder Pat Burrell to the team's stable of special assistants and part-time coaches.

Trevor Bauer, Tyler Skaggs, Charles Brewer and Patrick Corbin found medieval costumes in their locker stalls following Saturday's workout and were told they had to spend the afternoon at the Renaissance Festival in Apache Junction, Ariz.

The Nationals had batting practice for the first time on Sunday. The highlight was right-hander Stephen Strasburg facing infielder Mark DeRosa and outfielder Rick Ankiel.

The Blue Jays have several players in camp dealing with ailments but nothing that manager John Farrell expects to cause any long-term problems.

Left-hander Ricky Romero and right-hander Brandon Morrow were among the first pitchers to throw to live hitters.

The Indians revealed on Sunday that Chris Perez is sidelined with a strained left oblique, and the pitcher will likely need at least four to six weeks to recover from the injury. That does not necessarily mean that the closer will be unavailable for the April 5 opener against the Blue Jays.

After a year in which almost nothing came easy, the Rays' Evan Longoria begins his fifth big league season in a good place both physically and mentally.

How much respect does third baseman Ryan Zimmerman have in the Nationals' organization? There were 16 of his teammates — including outfielder Bryce Harper and shortstop Ian Desmond — at the news conference to announce on Sunday that Zimmerman signed a six-year, $100 million extension.

It was a recurring image throughout the Rockies' first week of Spring Training. Troy Tulowitzki would take batting practice with the club's first group — players like Todd Helton, Carlos Gonzalez, Michael Cuddyer and Jason Giambi — but when other position players would retreat into the clubhouse afterward, he'd emerge to take grounders with the young, secondary group.