PORT ST. LUCIE http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-giancarlo-stanton-jersey , Fla. (AP) —ive after reporting to spring training.“I feel like I’m 25,” the 36-year-old All-Star second baseman said Sunday, a day ahead of the team’s first full-squad workout.Cano took a physical and held a news conference. He took over the spot in the clubhouse that used to belong to Mets captain David Wright, who retired because of neck and back injuries.“First of all, nobody’s going to replace David Wright,” Cano said. “David Wright is the organization. We all know what he did through the years. I feel special that I get to have his locker. This is a game that you play as a team. I’m going to go out and do my best and give it everything I’ve got, yes I will. But I don’t like to pressure myself and go out and be that guy.”Cano was acquired Dec. 3 from Seattle along with All-Star closer Edwin Diaz, the first big move made by new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen — Cano’s former agent.“He said he was going to go out and build a team that could go out and compete. He has a lot of good pieces, and this team looks really good,” Cano said.Cano hit .303 with 10 home runs and an .845 OPS last season, though he was banned for 80 games for violating baseball’s drug agreement. Cano tested positive for Furosemide, a diuretic that can be used to mask performance-enhancing drugs.The eight-time All-Star is expected to be the regular second baseman, causing the Mets to shift 26-year-old Jeff McNeil to a utility role that could include time in left field. McNeil hit.329 in 63 games for the Mets last season.Cano has played 14 games at first base during his 14-year big league career.“I haven’t thought about that yet,” Cano said of possible time at first.Having spent nine years in New York with the Yankees, Cano had some advice for the 24-year-old Diaz about playing in the Big Apple and tuning out media and talk-radio.“He’s a young kid. It’s different, especially when you come through the system with Seattle — you don’t deal with a lot of media,” Cano said. “I told him just to go out and don’t let the big city get into your head. Go out, compete, and have fun . knowing you’re human and not perfect. It’s the same game in a different city. Don’t focus on the city.”Cano left the Yankees after the 2013 to sign a $240 million, 10-year contract with the Mariners that pays $24 million annually. As part of the trade, Seattle sent the Mets $5 million on Dec. 21 and will send New York $3.75 million on Dec. 1 in each of the next four years.Cano wondered about the current free-agent market.“It’s hard when you, as a player, go out and put out the effort in the offseason and put up numbers, and you’re just waiting to be able to get a deal. You deserve a deal, you put up the numbers, you’re young and you have the talent and not able to get a deal. Baseball is going to a different direction right now because there are a lot of guys out there who don’t have a job.”Top players such as Bryce Harper and Manny Machado have not reached agreements.“I’m surprised. I would say every baseball player is in shock http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-giancarlo-stanton-jersey ,” Cano said. “Machado and Harper are young guys who’ve been in this league and put up numbers. Machado played in the World Series last year, Harper won an MVP before. I thought by this time they would already be signed.” The Cubs spring home hosted college baseball over the weekend."In 2014, the Cubs had the fourth overall selection in the June draft. Setting up a wide search of the country's available talent, they noted that the Indiana Hoosiers were playing a series in the Phoenix area in February. The Cubs brass set up an interview with Hoosiers catcher Kyle Schwarber, who crushed the interview. The Cubs selected Schwarber with that fourth pick that June. With that in mind, the Cubs should organize an annual four-team tournament in mid-February at Sloan Park.As teams set up their pre-conference schedule in college baseball, protocol is having four weekends of games in February and March. Teams from Texas, southern California, Florida, and much of the deep south often use three of these weekends to invite northern teams south. By late March conference schedules, which are determined by the league, kick in. That opening weekend, though, serves as a glaring example of a scouting opportunity. Many reasonably good college sides are housed in climates where mid-February is too early to schedule a home game. Pro venues in Arizona or Florida are available, and hitters haven't even officially reported.The upshot of a college tourney in February isn't to "draw an extra gate." Far from it. The reason to invite two or four teams to the spring site is to scout talent in a familiar climate. This past weekend, Northwestern and Brigham Young played three games at the Cubs’ Mesa home. In the process, the executive branch had an extended chance to better get to know two baseball teams. As far as prospects go, the Wildcats probably grade out as a C-minus squad, with the Cougars being more of a C-plus. Players from both sides will get drafted, and play pro ball. Probably, this season. This dry run, though, was to work out the kinks in the system, I hope.The Cubs are likely quite familiar with the Wildcats baseball people, seeing as the Evanston campus isn’t far from Wrigleyville. Rightly or wrongly, BYU is often considered a rather clean baseball program Dellin Betances Jersey , as well, with players expected to require a two-year service mission in their school years. In the future, what sorts of teams might be worth make sense?Southern schools, the hallmark of the college baseball landscape, don't need trips to Arizona. Nor do non-competitive northern sides. Trips to a Sloan tournament would be most useful for schools that would like to get in three or four good games early. As Mesa is Pac-12 territory, inviting a western school would be a natural. Any northern Pac-12 school would make sense. Stanford, Washington, Washington State, Oregon, or Oregon State would be natural. Toss in Nevada, Montana, New Mexico, and New Mexico State (Yeah, the last two are awfully south. A wider net is better than a smaller net.), and you have nine options for one school.I'm very good with including an in-state school. With the advances in technology brimming, the days of assuming Illinois schools sending out pitchers tossing 85-87 mile-per-hourfastballs with regularity is a bit outdated. At least, among the more major programs. Inviting Illinois, Illinois State, Bradley, or Southern Illinois would be applicable. Northwestern could be an occasional invite. In a year the Illini or Northwestern aren't invited, link in a Big Ten school to be the third. When the Big Ten is represented, search for a northern Big 12 school, like Kansas or Kansas State. Louisville would be a fantastic invite, as would be Kentucky, Tennessee, or Memphis. Poaching a northeastern school might work Matt Holliday Jersey , depending on the year and talent distribution.Aaaaaah, talent. Talent is why the idea makes sense. The college talent pool is wide and deep. While the "major conferences-only" mindset might have been valid in earlier seasons, that's by the boards, now. I'm as "SEC Baseball is the best" as anyone, but talent develops in all the Division One conferences these days. As a good coach is about "getting his players exposure", what could be better than three early games against quality foes in Arizona, while being scouted by MLB executives? Who should start recruiting teams for February of 2020? Who should get the first call? If I had my druthers, I'd place a call to Louisville and Illinois as soon as possible. Fetching one or both for a mid-February tournament in either 2020 or 2021 would give the scouts a great chance to eye some talent early. If Illinois is out, a glance at the D-1 Big Ten rankings for the 2020 Draft class notes four of the top seven for next season are from the Wolverines program in Ann Arbor. Baseball schedules in college, unlike football or basketball, are planned from year-to-year, not three to four seasons in advance. Baseball schedules are announced officially as late as January before a February opening. If a quality northern program is alerted that the Cubs venue is on the prowl for February visitors, a 2021 tournament line-up ought to be a bit impressive. By hosting six full-length games in the Cubs facility, and the run-up scrimmages, using Rapsodo and Driveline devices on their practices and games gives the Cubs data points from which to draft. Paired with the applicable player interviews, setting up a series seems a no-brainer. My top 12 programs for a 2020 Sloan Park Tourney?LouisvilleMichiganIllinois (if not Michigan)Oregon StateStanford (if not Oregon State)Vanderbilt Kentucky (if not Vanderbilt)OklahomaOklahoma State (if not Oklahoma)East CarolinaTennessee (if no other SEC schools)Bradley, Illinois State, or Southern Illinois (if not Illinois)Plug in any of those four, and the Cubs brass could have a nice pulse on the impending draft class. If that works well, contemplate doing something similar on the preceding weekend regarding four high-end NAIA schools. Their weather tends to be rather dicey in early February, as well. Talent is talent, and the Cubs executives tend to know what they’re seeking. If the playing field is ready, let some teams get some scouting looks with the new-fangled computers firing.