at his primary position, and he still managed to get into 83% of the innings available.

To put it in perspective, only four other corner starters in the NL Central played as many of his team's innings at one position as even Milwaukee's least reliable starter: Albert Pujols played first base in 95% of the Cardinals' innings; Matt Holliday, 92%; Joey Votto, 88%; and Hunter Pence, 95%. Jay Bruce played in 82.5% of the Reds' innings in right field, so we can probably squeeze him on here, too.

Granted, these playing time numbers are bound to change in 2011, with Derrek Lee no longer on the Cubs, Joey Votto presumably staying healthier, Pedro Alvarez seeing a full season, and Lance Berkman a St. Louis right fielder. Still, for someone likeGamel who is trying to prove himself at the big-league level, a lack of consistent playing time makes the task ahead harder. (In an hour-long talk General Manager Doug Melvin gave to a SABR meeting in January, he mentioned that it was difficult for the Brewers to find suitable bats for the bench because he couldn't promise playing time behind Prince and company. Hank Blalock, for example, was a player they talked to but who wouldn't sign without knowing if he could get a regular chance to play.)

Spring training, then, is when Gamel has his best chance to get noticed. As the cliché goes, spring is the time when everyone can hope. Now if only he could stay healthy in Arizona long enough to make it happen...

***

In Cardinals