The sports world is abuzz with Linsanity, named for New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin, who out of virtually nowhere has taken the NBA by storm the last two weeks.
Who could be that way in baseball this spring? It's easy to pick Yu Darvish of the Rangers, Jesus Montero of the Mariners or Bryce Harper of the Nationals (whom some people think needs to grow up a bit).
A few worthy candidates who are a little more under the radar:
Ryan Lavarnway: He'll be in a big market (Boston), but he hasn't beaten out Jared Saltalamacchia yet as the Red Sox catcher. The 24-year-old got a brief call-up last season after lighting up Portland and Pawtucket with 32 home runs. So he should be able to hit, but will he be able to be a steadying force behind the plate on a contender?
Drew Pomeranz: The left-hander, dealt to the Rockies in the Ubaldo Jimenez deal last summer from the Indians, was the No. 5 overall pick in 2010 out of North Carolina and has moved up quickly to compete for a rotation spot for Colorado this spring. He had a 1.78 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 101 innings in the minors last season, giving up 68 hits. He went 2-1 in four September starts for Colorado.
Yoenis Cespedes: The Oakland A's were the surprise winner in the bidding for Cespedes, a Cuban defector who will likely be the team's center fielder after being signed to a four-year, $36 million contract. It's not a "Moneyball" type of deal, but Cespedes has the talent to be a difference-maker. Not enough to contend, but enough to make the A's interesting.
Julio Teheran: The 21-year-old righty from Colombia had a couple of spot starts last season for the Braves, and should have a great shot to make the Atlanta rotation this spring. He was 15-3 with Triple-A Gwinnett and averaged almost a strikeout an inning in the minors.
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