1. Justin Morneau, 1B, Colorado Rockies
Hometown: New Westminster
Outlook: Morneau, 33, won the National League batting title last season, hitting .319, or 60 points higher than 2013. He’s in a contract year. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound lefty-swinging Morneau starts his 13th big-league season 55 RBIs short of 1,000. Heading into the year, 277 players had accomplished that all-time.
2. Joey Votto, 1B, Cincinnati Reds
Hometown: Toronto
Outlook: The 6-foot-2, 220-pound lefty hitter was limited to 62 games last season because of knee trouble and hit .255, 55 points below his career average. Votto, 31, has a .417 on-base percentage over his eight-year career.
3. James Paxton, LHP, Seattle Mariners
Hometown: Ladner
Outlook: Injuries have plagued the 6-foot-4, 235-pounder through his first two seasons. The
M’s have been careful with Paxton, 26, this spring after a trip-and-fall in the weight room left him with a bruised forearm.
4. Russell Martin, C, Toronto Blue Jays
Hometown: East York, Ont.
Outlook: Martin, 32, signed with the Blue Jays as
a free agent after finishing 13th in National League MVP voting for the Pirates in 2014. The 5-foot-10, 205-pound righty hitter supplied a .290 average, 11 HRs and 67 RBI.
5. Brett Lawrie, 3B, Oakland Athletics
Hometown: Langley
Outlook: Lawrie, a 6-foot, 210-pound righty hitter, was limited to 70 games last season with the Blue Jays because of a broken finger and a strained oblique. The 25-year-old’s .247 average was the
low mark for his four years in the bigs.
6. Dalton Pompey, CF, Toronto Blue Jays
Hometown: Mississauga, Ont.
Outlook: The 6-foot-2, 195-pound switch hitter is slated to start in centre field for the Blue Jays as a rookie following a brief September stint last year. Pompey, 22, has hit .276, with 113 stolen bases, over five minor league seasons.
7. Michael Saunders, OF, Toronto Blue Jays
Hometown: Victoria
Outlook: Saunders, 28, was expected to battle for a starting spot, but the 6-foot-4, 225-pound lefty hitter will start his seventh big-league season on the DL after tearing up his knee Feb. 25. There’s no timetable for a return.
8. Jameson Taillon, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Hometown: Lakeland, Fla.
Outlook: Taillon, 23, grew up in the U.S., but has Canadian parents and pitched for Canada at the 2013 World Baseball Classic. The 6-foot-5, 245-pounder hopes to make MLB debut this season after missing 2014 because of Tommy John surgery.
9. John Axford, RHP, Colorado Rockies
Hometown: Port Dover, Ont.
Outlook: Axford, 31, left camp for a time after his two-year-old son Jameson was bitten by a rattlesnake near the family’s home in Arizona. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Axford, a six-year big leaguer, is expected to earn a spot in the Rockies bullpen.
10. Jim Henderson, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers
Hometown: Calgary
Outlook: The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder is expected to start the season on the disabled list or at
Triple A. Henderson, 32, was the Brewers’ closer in 2013, but underwent shoulder surgery last season, his third in the bigs.
HONOURABLE MENTION: Jesse Crain, (RHP, Triple A-White Sox, Toronto); Jeff Francis (LHP, Triple A-Blue Jays, North Delta); Erik Bedard (LHP, Triple A-Dodgers, Navan, Ont.), Luke Carlin (C, Triple A-Athletics, Aylmer, Que.); George Kottaras (C, Triple A-White Sox, Scarborough, Ont.); Phillippe Aumont (RHP, Triple A-Phillies, Gatineau, Que.), Jamie Romak (1b/OF, Triple A-Diamondbacks, London, Ont.)
