Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Pirates, Jays, Rockies, Yankees, D-backs

This week in baseball blogs:

• Legends On Deck has a piece from free agent right-hander Jon Velasquez, who reflects on his baseball career to this point.
• Pirates Breakdown interviews Bucs righty prospect Mitch Keller.
• Clutchlings talks with Blue Jays director of player development Gil Kim.
• Chin Music Baseball argues that the Rockies erred in not signing now-Rangers first baseman Mike Napoli.
• Camden Depot regards Orioles righty Kevin Gausman as a breakout candidate.
• Think Blue Planning Committee looks at the Dodgers’ roster in the wake of the Sergio Romo, Franklin Gutierrez and Chase Utley deals.
• Inside the ’Zona previews the battle among Shelby Miller, Patrick Corbin and Archie Bradley for the final two spots in the Diamondbacks’ rotation.
• Pinstriped Prospects ranks the Yankees’ top 50 prospects.
• NYRDCAST projects Cardinals righties Carlos Martinez, Mike Leake and Lance Lynn.
• BP Toronto and Blue Jay Hunter analyze the signed Blue Jays’ signing of reliever Joe Smith.
• Outside Pitch MLB and District On Deck offer thoughts on the possibility of the Nationals acquiring White Sox closer David Robertson.
• Call To The Pen (links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) compares the Phillies to the National League East rival Marlins and Braves; ranks the NL East in a separate piece; focuses on the biggest positional logjams across the majors; and lists six unheralded Yankees pitchers primed to make impacts in 2017.
• A’s Farm projects the Athletics’ Opening Day roster.
• Jays From the Couch interviews Blue Jays right-hander Mike Bolsinger.
• The First Out At Third picks the Brewers’ starting rotation.
• Rotisserie Duck forecasts the best hitters of 2017.
• Two Strike Approach: A Baseball Podcast previews this year’s Yankees.
• World Series Dreaming touches on Major League Baseball’s potential pace-of-play rule changes.
• The Runner Sports (links: 1, 2, 3) lists the Yankees’ top five outfield- and designated hitter-related storylines entering spring training; previews the Yankees’ rotation; and profiles Astros righty Cy Sneed.
• The 3rd Man In talks with UC Irvine outfielder Keston Hiura, one of the highest-ranked prospects going into this year’s draft.
• Real McCoy Minors chats with Athletics pitching prospect Cody Stull.
• Jays Journal names four Toronto prospects set to make their big league debuts in 2017.
• Mets Daddy writes that left-handed reliever Josh Smoker needs to develop his slider.
• The K Zone is pleased with the Dodgers’ decision to re-sign Utley.
• MLB Reports highlights five teams that could either end up as contenders or pretenders this year.
• The Point of Pittsburgh assembles a staff based on the best pitching seasons of individual Pirates since 1989.
• Rascals Of the Ravine (links here) breaks down Dodgers fanfest.

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