Biggest On Field Story

With the season drawing towards a close, there has been plenty of off the field news. From the draft signings to the released financial information, the off field news has taken away from the on the field news. It got me thinking as to what would be the story to follow on the field the rest of the way. Here are a few that we may be looking at:

The juggling of the corners. We might get an idea of what next year holds or not, based on how the corners are managed going forward. I say corners, but really we are just looking at right field and first base. Will John Bowker get a call up in September and if he does how do that effect the rotation? How often will Doumit play in the outfield? Will Garrett Jones stay at one of the positions or shuttle back and forth? What to do with Lastings Milledge?

The back end of the bullpen. We may be seeing a sort of audition for who will be anointed the closer for the team next season. It looks as though there will be some juggling between Hanrahan and Meek the rest of the way. I would not rule out a free agent signing in the offseason, but for the time being we will have plenty of time to look at the in house options.

The starting pitching. This might be the most interesting of them all and the one that I'll be paying attention to. Will Charlie Morton get a crack at the rotation again this season? Will we see Brad Lincoln come back to the rotation? What of Ross Ohlendorf? Will the performances of Zach Duke and Paul Maholm influence the club about offseason plans? Will James McDonald continue to grow?

While this is a lost year, once again, there are things to watch for coming down the stretch. There are plenty of players to provide some competition going down the stretch. What happens here will probably influence the make up of the team in the spring. One can almost think of this as the start of spring training 2011, even though it is the fall.