Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

You share it with the Twins young catcher Josmil Pinto , who turns 26 today. I saw him several times during the 2013 season, when he played for their New Britain (AA) farm club -- posting some nice numbers: 23 doubles, 14 home runs and a .308 average. That earned him a late-season promotion to the majors, which he hit well over .300 in limited service. His 2014 numbers, split between Triple-A Rochester and the Twins, weren't as impressive. And with all-star Kurt Suzuki the everyday catcher in Minnesota, Pinto could well find himself back in the minors during 2015 -- especially after missing time this spring after a concussion.

From March 10th: Pedro Ciriaco, batting for the Braves against the Mets in Orlando. The onetime Red Sox infielder (and briefly, Yankees nemesis) is having a fine spring for Atlanta -- hitting around .380 -- and has a good chance to make the 25-man roster, even if this time, he popped up to the shortstop.

...you share it with the manager of the Yankees championship teams of the 1920s, Miller Huggins. Along with star players Ruth, Gerhig, Lazzeri and Combs, he established the Yankee brand, the Yankee aura -- six pennants and three pennants in a decade will do that. And his leadership skills must have been extraordinary. Remember, this is the only manager Babe Ruth really respected. Keeping the Bambino in line (especially after the "bellyache" season of 1925) could not have been easy. If you read up on Huggins, the usual take is that he was a "light-hitting" second baseman in the early 20th century with the Reds and Cardinals. In light of his extraordinary success as a manager, his playing days were always minimized. Yet if you look at the numbers , Huggins clearly had some skills -- one in particular. Look at those walk totals and on-base percentage. It reveals a player who'd fit right in with today's moneyball philosophy -- he led the league in walks fo...

From July 24th, 2014: Yankees 1st base prospect Greg Bird playing for the Trenton Thunder against the Binghamton Mets and Dilson Herrera. Did you catch either of them in Grapefruit League games or MLB Network highlight packages?

From March 9th at Viera: Braves outfielder Zoilo Almonte twists out of the way of a Craig Stammen pitch. How high was it? Really? Click on the picture to enlarge it -- and you'll the ball resting in the glove of the Washington catcher. Envision a line from the ball and it pretty much lines up with Almonte's chin.

Though they won the AL Central in 2014, anyone who followed the Tigers would tell that they never were able to adequately replace shortstop Jose Iglesias . The Cuban ex-pat who came to Detroit at the 2013 trade deadline, missed all of last season with stress fractures in both legs. Healthy again, he was back on the field when I caught the Tigers at Kissimmee against the Astros on March 12th.

From March 12th: Astros manager A.J. Hinch, along with several of his coaches, watches the game from chairs just outside the Houston dugout. Does anyone know where and why this Grapefruit and Cactus League tradition began? While it provides a better view of the action. do they really feel the balls aren't hit as hard in exhibition play? Regardless, it's something you'll only see when the games don't count.

A familiar face to Yankees fans is battling to make the Braves this spring. Chien-Ming Wang, a two-time 19 game winner in the Bronx before -- in story in some ways resembling that of Dizzy Dean -- a freakish 2008 foot injury led to a series of arm problems. Hard to believe the pitcher who was the fastest to 50 career wins since Dwight Gooden, has struggled for nearly seven years since tearing his Lisfranc ligament running the bases against the Astros in Houston. Wang never regained his effectiveness with the Yankees, and has since pitched briefly for the Nationals and Blue Jays He worked two scoreless innings against the Nats on March 9th -- and he'll get another chance to firm his future with the Braves when he gets a start in one of today (Saturday)'s split squad games. After such an impressive start to his career, followed by a protracted struggle to make it all the way back, you have to be pulling for the native of Taiwan this spring.

Say hello to Nationals infielder  Danny Espinosa .  He's looking to bounce back in 2015 after two very down seasons put his once-promising career in jeopardy. He's got good power, but he strikes out way too much -- he led the NL in that unenviable stat back in '12. Maybe he thinks the Joe Namath/Fu Manchu look can be a good-look charm. While it's not Rollie Fingers-caliber, that is some of the most unique facial hair I've seen a player sport in quite a while.

Looking back recently through some images of Steinbrenner Field, I noticed the special logo displayed in 2009 near the upper entrance to the Yankees Spring Training home. It commemorated the upcoming inaugural season of the new Yankee Stadium. Below, moving behind the right field stands, the rapidly grown palm trees have that began obscuring the Yankees name.

The hot dog is unquestionably the official food of ballparks. You might remember how impressed I was a few years ago by Peoria, Arizona's mega-frank, the Ruthian . On this year's trip to Florida, the over-the-top contender would be the BBQ Slaw Dog from Champion Stadium in Orlando. While not as massive as its Cactus League rival, this combination of a hot dog, barbeque pork and cole slaw -- all one extra-rugged bun -- was darned good! Most impressive was how the sauce from the pork and the slaw never soaked through the bun, so you need not gobble it down fearful it would all collapse in your lap. If you get to a Braves exhibition game in Florida, this is the one to grab!

Images from the March 10th Mets/Braves game, with the focus on the New York guys. First up, some pre-game stretching. This shot also spotlights the left field berm as well as the unique advertising "flags" beyond the left field fence -- a subtle touch that I'd love to see at more Florida, Arizona and minor league parks. It gets the message across without overwhelming your view with billboards. Below, former Phillie and new Mets reserve outfielder John Mayberry Jr. Running hard, Atlanta's Jonny Gomes beats a throw to 1st base and prevents a double play.  Below, the end Mets reliever Buddy Carlyle's motion says this is a curve ball. (Above) Mets manager Terry Collins talks strategy with 3rd base coach Tim Teufel. (Below) I got my first look at the Mets other shortstop prospect, hard-hitting Matt Reynolds.

Expected to be strong contenders in 2015, the Detroit Tigers are full of familiar faces -- two of whom were sporting the number-three at Thursday's game in Kissimmee. 2nd baseman Ian Kinsler (above) is one; longtime Tiger shortstop and special assistant to the general manager  Alan Trammell (below) is another. Since he isn't a fulltime member of the coaching staff, it was nice to see Trammell back in a Detroit uniform. Have you ever wonder why Trammel -- whose career numbers rank him just behind Cal Ripken and Derek Jeter among American League shortstops of the past 40 years -- isn't in the Baseball Hall of Fame? That's a subject we'll have to explore more fully down the road.   Trammell also models the special patch the Detroit player and coaches wear on their right shoulders this spring: it honors the golden anniversary of the club's Lakeland, Florida training camp, which first opened in 1966.   In case you're curious, Marchant was the longtime...

Final stop on this year's Spring Training trip was Kissimmee and Osceola County Stadium. The Astros' pre-season home since 1985 is the smallest Grapefruit League Park with capacity of just over 5000. Its small size and simple design brings everyone close to the action. We sat just behind the 1st base (vistors) dugout and loved every minute. There's a wonderful beauty to baseball, the easy going pace, and at times, a park-like quiet. So unlike the other three major team sports, and at times, refreshingly welcome. Osceola County has a nice enough video board in right field and great food (try the Kona white pale ale -- it goes well with their peppery brats) but doesn't go ga-ga for the "amenities" such as persistent sound effects, canned music and pulsating lights. I have to single out Osceola's organist who works his magic on the keyboard, with a heavy dose of oldies from the '60s -- when was the last time you heard a live rendition of "L...

You share it with one of the best players overlooked by the Baseball Hall of Fame, Dale Murphy ... and one of the music world's most avid baseball fans, James Taylor. (Above) Murphy -- who won back-to-back MVP awards while starring for the Braves in the early 1980s -- on March 10th, when he carried out Atlanta's lineup card before their game with the Mets at Orlando. (Below) Taylor -- sporting a cap in tribute to Ted Williams -- in a 2008 Berkshires concert performance that aired on Good Morning America. Some other notable baseball birthdays on March 12th : Daryl Strawberry, Raul Mondesi, Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild, longtime Pirates hurler Vernon Law and pair of '60s stars -- Jim "The Toy Cannon" Wynn and the late Johnny Callison.

6th inning fun at Champions Stadium at ESPN's Wide World of Sports in Orlando: the Braves' counterpart to the Presidents Race at Nationals Park. Here, it's four items stocked at Home Depot racing toward the checkered flag. Let's hear it for the hammer!

Finally Florida! After a seemingly endless winter, my first Spring Training game of 2015 -- and first hot dog of the year, too. (I can't eat the de-facto official food of baseball during the off-season.) At 7:30am, we flew out from Westchester County Airport, where it was cloudy and 30 degrees. By 1:05, we were at Space Coast Stadium in Viera, as the Nationals hosted the Braves. After signing a seven-year, $210-million contract, you have to consider the Nats Max's team. We didn't see Scherzer on mound. Fortunately, since Dennis scouted out seats in the second row behind the home team dugout, I did see Max pop his head out of the dugout for a few moments. Instead, lefty Gio Gonzalez was on the mound, He worked two shutout innings. Shortstop Ian Desmond, the subject of off-season trade rumors, enters his "walk year" with Washington. He takes a good swing here. Eric Young was hustling all afternoon. The ex-Met, who signed with Atlanta this winter, be...

On this date in 1897, the Cleveland Spiders signed Louis Sockalexis to a contract. The former Holy Cross University star -- and member of the Penobscot tribe -- had an impressive rookie season, batting .338 with 16 stolen bases in 66 games. But his career was derailed by alcoholism, and he was gone after just three years in majors. Supposedly, to honor his "outstanding skills," the Spiders, who in 1899, posted the WORST record in baseball history at 20 - 134, were officially renamed the Indians in 1915. I've always had trouble with that tale -- and in a time of greater sensitivity, that Looney Tunes-ish logo of "Cheif Wahoo" seems terribly out of place -- but the name and the association with a player (with a short career) consumed by personal demons has stuck for 100 years. You probably have noticed that despite his place on the uniform sleeve, the image of the Indian has been seen less and less on Cleveland uniforms in recent years. So maybe a time for cha...

Driving through Queens this afternoon, I was taken by the poignancy of Citi Field being surrounded by acres of snow-covered (and apparently unplowed) parking lots.  I had to double back and capture this image.

From March 2009: Hideki Matsui , eager to bounce back from a injury-plagued season, comes to bat in an exhibition game against the Phillies. It would turn out to be a memorable year for the played beloved in both Toyko and New York as Godzilla. After a productive season, with 28 homers and 90 RBIs, he ramped it up in October. He earned World Series MVP honors: batting .615 and tying Bobby Richardson's record of six RBI in a game (game six) to become the first Japanese player and first full-time DH to do so. Below, Matsui takes a lead off first base against Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick.