New players, coaches, replay; Different places for MLB stars.

AuthorWalker, Ben
PositionSports

Byline: Ben Walker

There's a Hall of Famer in the Minnesota dugout and plenty of Cuban talent all over the diamond.

New stars in different places, plenty of shifts and the lingering effects from performance-enhancing drugs are part of the lineup going into opening day, too.

A quick look at Major League Baseball in 2015:

Jon Lester and Jason Hammel joined the Cubs while Jeff Samardzija, David Robertson and Melky Cabrera moved to the White Sox in a Windy City whirlwind.

Max Scherzer signed with Washington, Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez went to Boston.

James Shields, Matt Kemp and Justin Upton wound up in San Diego and newcomers Russell Martin and Josh Donaldson try to boost Toronto, the only team that hasn't made the playoffs this century.

Home run leader Nelson Cruz, Yoenis Cespedes, A.J. Burnett, Jason Heyward, Jimmy Rollins, Ben Zobrist and Trevor Cahill also changed uniforms.

Any chance MLB emerges from the drug cloud this year? Nope. Baltimore slugger Chris Davis will miss opening day, completing a 25-game amphetamine suspension imposed last year.

Twins pitcher Ervin Santana will miss the first half of the season after a positive drug test while Angels star Josh Hamilton won't be banned for his latest off-the-field trouble.

Cuban prospects proliferate, with Boston's Rusney Castillo and Yoan Moncada, Cubs outfielder Jorge Soler, Arizona bopper Yasmany Tomas and Dodgers infielder Hector Olivera all getting rich deals.

Also on deck: Power-packed Cubs prospect Kris Bryant, who will start the season in the minors.

And remember, someone could emerge from nowhere -- Brandon Finnegan was in college at this time last year, and wound up getting key outs in the World Series.

No more of that strange on-field waltz between managers and umpires, waiting for someone on the bench to signal whether to challenge a call. Now, that decision can come from the dugout.

Look for teams to collect more data and employ more shifts. The Tigers put all four infielders on the right side vs. Bryce Harper...

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