The A’s, as you know, moved to Mesa this year after long being in Phoenix. Their new stadium used to be the Cubs’ place, but is all spruced up. The field and stands and the whole ballpark are state of the art and beautiful. A few blocks away, they have their minor-league complex. There are so many players in camp the major-league squad also practices at the minor-league place called Fitch Park. There are several diamonds at Fitch and the greenest grass you ever saw. If you were on the fence about coming to spring training, think about visiting the A’s. Mesa is a little off the beaten track and hotel rooms are reasonable, especially for this time of year.

The A’s, as far as I can tell, have two bona fide starting pitchers Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir. The rest I’m not so sure about — Jesse Chavez is also in camp but may be better as a long reliever. The injured people AJ Griffin and Jarrod Parker are around but won’t be available until later. Barry Zito could end up being the A’s No.3 starter.

The Giants are in the same boat. They have one-lights out starting pitcher, MadBum. The rest are unclear. Just how much do Tim Hudson and Jake Peavy have left? What does Tim Lincecum have left? If he falters, Ryan Vogelsong, projected to be a reliever, could take his spot. Matt Cain is supposed to be healed from a procedure on his elbow. He has a lot to prove.