Scouting Notes: Kershaw Sharp, Zito Not

Spring training is different for every player. For some it takes the entire time to get into peak form, but for others they are set to go right out of the gate. While he of course needs time to build his arm strength, Clayton Kershaw had his best stuff in what was his Cactus League debut on Monday.

His final line may not do it justice, but as far as the Dodgers are concerned their young lefty ace opened the spring on a very high note. For two other hurlers, there was definitely more work to be done in terms of building up their stuff for the regular season.

Kershaw on His Game

Living at 93-96 mph out of the gate, Kershaw looked free and easy with his fastball. He reached 97 mph in his second inning of work, and broke off a handful of his signature curveballs for strikes. He did leave some fastballs too close to the middle of the plate, but more importantly the explosive life was very much there and his mechanics appeared to be in order.

Zito's Curve Lacking

Barry Zito is rapidly becoming a finesse pitcher, that much we already knew. But with his decreasing fastball velocity also comes a decreased effectiveness with his big curveball. There are two reasons behind this. For one, Zito's curveball simply isn't what it was. He loses it up in the strike zone consistently now, and hitters are easily recognizing the spin out of his hand. In so many words, he isn't fooling anyone anymore.

Zito didn't crack 85 mph with the fastball on Monday, living at 82-84 mph throughout. That will get a couple ticks better as he heads toward the season, but the way he nibbles around the strike zone and with an inability now to get hitters out on the big looping curve, it looks like it could be another long season for the veteran southpaw.

Posey Comfortable at First

One thing scouts will tell you about Buster Posey is that not only is he a superb young hitter, but he's also an excellent all-around athlete. Posey has proved his athleticism and versatility early on in the spring as he's gotten some work in at first base. His footwork has looked solid, and his first step to the left has looked outstanding.

His best position is still behind the plate, but Posey brings some good bounce and range to first. He showed us that with a smooth sliding catch on a soft popup in foul territory during Monday's action.

Billingsley Taking Shape

Unlike his teammate Kershaw, Chad Billingsley looked more like a pitcher making his spring training debut on Monday. That, of course, is completely normal. The big right-hander topped out at 92 mph, living at 89-91 throughout his two-inning stint. He had some issues getting the ball down in the strike zone, especially with the curveball. He did manage to throw a few sharp, well-spotted cutters to the corners at 87-88 mph.

This was typical early spring stuff from a pitcher, and given that Billingsley was able to mix each of his pitches in at least a few times and throw quality strikes, he is right on track.

Frankie Piliere spent the last three seasons working as a scout, most recently in the professional scouting department for the Texas Rangers in 2009. He now serves as the National Baseball Analyst here at FanHouse.