A.J. Hinch News

S'funny how things change. How is Hinch perceived now? At the end of last season, after Gibson had overseen the 2011 turnaround, Hinch was perhaps seen as the worst manager in team history, with his 89-123 record.

On the day the Chicago White Sox hired Robin Ventura to replace Ozzie Guillen last fall, general manager Ken Williams volunteered that he didn't expect his rookie manager "to be Tony La Russa on day one." Several months later, the comment brought a chuckle and a somewhat pained expression to Ventura, as if to say, I wish he hadn't done that.

Stanford once again have an influx of former talent in Major League Baseball when the full season gets under way this week.

Once upon a time, a time not that long ago, the Arizona Diamondbacks couldn't catch a break.