ESPN Buster Olney Blog

Players grow weary of spring training in the same way that we all grew tired of high school by spring, with the last days dragging on, the anticipation for the summer games building. By now, most of the players feel like they're ready to start the season, and are increasingly bored by the final exhibition games.

But there are still two weeks to go, still two weeks to think about what might be. After seeing a bunch of teams and talking with a bunch of front-office types and coaches and scouts, here are 10 players I'm really looking forward to watching this year:

1. Jason Motte, Cardinals: He has the aggressive makeup to be a closer, he has the stuff to be a closer, and St. Louis -- which was taken down by its bullpen failures last year -- has the need. He's looked good this spring, and his performance during the regular season could be pivotal.

2. Elvis Andrus, Rangers: I wrote early in the 2007 season that the Rangers would have a difficult time getting a good package of players in return for Mark Teixeira, but in the end, Texas did very well -- and this is the guy who was regarded by most rival evaluators as the most promising part of the deal. He has stepped in to take over at shortstop and said over the phone a few weeks ago that Michael Young -- who was pushed from short to third to facilitate the insertion of Andrus -- has been a big help to him. We'll see how quickly he assimilates to the big leagues, and whether there will be major growing pains.

3. Daniel Murphy, Mets: Everybody who sees his at-bats walks away thinking they've just seen one of the most savvy young hitters in the sport. Jerry Manuel intends to use Murphy as his No. 2 hitter in the Mets' order this year, writes Adam Rubin.

4. Milton Bradley, Cubs: He's played 100 or more games in the outfield exactly once in his career, and the Cubs are basically counting on him to play 140 or so in the outfield. If he can do that, their lineup will be much more balanced and potentially devastating. If he gets hurt, the Cubs will continue to be very right-handed.

5. Kyle Davies, Royals: Kansas City has a chance to contend, but only if the Royals can develop some depth behind Gil Meche and Zack Greinke in the rotation. Davies has the ability to be a good No. 3 -- if he throws as well as he did down the stretch last year. Was his late-season showing a mirage? Can he continue to be that good? We'll see.

6. Carl Crawford, Rays: It's hard to catch Crawford at his locker in spring training, because he always seems to be off to work someplace -- in the weight room, in a batting cage. The Rays' left fielder seems to be on a mission to be great this year, after hitting for his lowest batting average in 2008 since his rookie year.

7. Delmon Young, Twins: He was a No. 1 draft pick, and after he made his major-league debut, Ozzie Guillen talked about him as a someone with the potential to be a future Hall of Famer. And yet just a couple of years later, it feels like he's at a crossroad in his career. Young was traded from the Rays to the Twins and struggled to drive the ball last year amid questions about his ability to adapt. He's battling other players for at-bats this year, with no job assured, and if he has a tough year, he would be a candidate for another trade -- at less cost -- or perhaps even a non-tender.

8. Brett Anderson, Athletics: He is just 21 but with the command of a 31-year-old. Oakland's equation is simple: If Anderson, Vin Mazzaro and Trevor Cahill are effective when they are called up to pitch in the majors -- whenever that is -- then the Athletics can contend and keep Matt Holliday all year. But if Anderson et al. have a lot of problems, they'll probably wreck the Oakland bullpen, which will be left to get too many outs, and ruin the Athletics' chances for winning the AL West.

9. Fausto Carmona, Indians: Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? Wild Thing or Cy Young candidate? He has the stuff and has shown in the past he's capable of commanding his fastball -- and if he doesn't do that, the Indians probably can't contend.

10. Adam Dunn, Nationals: He worked hard in the offseason, got into better shape and has had some nice moments in the WBC. He could take a major step forward this year with the Nationals -- or he could cement a reputation as a guy whose actual impact doesn't match his gaudy numbers. He has a lot at stake this year.

The rest of Buster's blog - thoughts on Josh Hamilton, the decline of Dontrelle Willis, how far away Buster Posey is from the majors, and new news on Brandon Webb, among tons more - is available exclusively to ESPN Insiders.