Bill Mueller missed half of last season after fracturing his kneecap on a sliding catch that carried him into a then unpadded wall at Busch Stadium. While he returned in mid-August, due to lingering complications from his injury, he only managed another 84 at-bats over the remainder of the season. Although he should have been fine by Opening Day if not the start of Spring Training, rather than follow the doctor's recommendations that he rest and let the knee heal during the off-season, he instituted a vigorous rehab program. As a result, the knee became swollen and painful and he had to have a second surgery a week ago.

If he follows instructions this time, he should be able to begin playing in 4-5 weeks. However, since he missed the end of last season and has had no Spring Training, he will likely need at least a short rehab assignment to regain his form. I don't expect him to be back until the end of April and he could easily suffer setbacks that prolong the process. He's not even really safe once he joins the team, as knee injuries are easily re-aggravated.

The Cubs should have no difficulty covering the position in Mueller's absence, though they would generally prefer that he was healthy so that the team could maintain a better overall offensive balance. Mark Bellhorn has had a great spring, and considering that the Cubs gave up a solid second base prospect when they acquired him from Oakland, I expect him to make the roster. Free agent pick-up Chris Stynes also seems assured of a roster spot and could see a significant amount of playing time at 3B, though I prefer that Bellhorn see more at-bats in a possible platoon with NRI Kevin Orie. As Baylor really likes Augie Ojeda's flexibility, he'll return as the primary defensive infield back-up, so Orie will likely be sent down when Mueller returns to health

The final option for the Cubs is to start top lead-off prospect Bobby Hill at second base, in which case Delino DeShields would then be free to play third, a vast improvement over the possibility of him stealing time from Corey Patterson or even Roosevelt Brown in the outfield. Hill was slowed slightly by a sore rib cage and that might have made the difference between him breaking camp and returning to AAA to for a few months. If Hill does make the team, then Kevin Orie's roster spot is in danger.

Once Mueller returns, I would expect his replacements to continue to play fairly regularly in an attempt to keep him healthy. Manager Don Baylor would be smart to completely avoid using Mueller on turf this season if he really wants to protect the third baseman.

Terry Pendleton has agreed to take the Atlanta hitting coach position that opened when the Braves fired Merv Rettenmund at the end of last season. The Braves have been interested in Pendleton for this position for a few years, so they were pleased that he decided to accept the job offer this time.

The players appear to value the fact that Pendleton, who only retired in 1998, has faced a number of the pitchers. His knowledge of some of the veteran pitching across the league does seem to provide him with an interesting perspective that few hitting instructors possess. However, I am a little concerned that, to the best of my knowledge, this is his first professional coaching position. Typically prospective coaches go through some minor league warm-up before being released upon the major leaguers.

Due to his lack of prior coaching positions, it is somewhat difficult to project the effect he is likely to have on the Braves. Although if we look at his own record, there are a few areas of concern assuming he will probably preach what he practiced. The first is his plate discipline. Pendleton never had a season in which he took more BB than K; he actually struck out almost twice as many times as he walked in his career. Of course he still managed to have a successful career despite his lack of plate discipline, but given the riskiness of such a path I certainly wouldn't encourage it being taught.

There are dozens of successful coaches whose careers don't reflect their own teachings for one reason or another. In some cases, they had the know-how and just didn't have the physical talent. In others, it appears that they've picked up techniques of which they weren't aware during their playing days. Oakland hitting coach Thad Bosley didn't have a model career but you won't find many critics of his track record with the A's. This season should tell us into which group Pendleton will fall.

New Boston manager Grady Little has replaced pitching coach Ralph Treuel with former NYY bullpen coach Tony Cloninger. Treuel was only in the position for the few months after Joe Kerrigan was promoted to manager. The change reportedly had little to do with Treuel's performance and more to do with Little putting his stamp on the coaching staff; Little and Cloninger are supposed to be old friends.

I have some concerns about Cloninger's ability to protect the staff. Despite Little's minor league experience, I think one of the most important things for a new manager, probably any manager, is to have is a good pitching coach. Cloninger was used heavily himself, so there is a chance he believes that today's pitchers can withstand the same treatment. He's also made remarks regarding his general lack of use for computers, which hinders his ability to study his pupils.

Hopefully Cloninger will follow the good example that Mel Stottlemyre has set for him the last few years. Boston doesn't have a lot of young pitchers so there is less harm that can be done. However, they do have several pitchers with a history of arm problems that will need to be watched carefully.