The end of Spring Training is coming up on us very quick.  Some teams are ready to start and some are not.  Some teams have their lineups and their rotations set and others are scrambling to figure something out.

Then there are teams that had plans and injuries have stepped in the way.  The Washington Nationals are one of those teams.  They had made plans for their outfield to consist of Wily Mo Pena, Lastings Milledge, and Austin Kearns.  Elijah Dukes was going to be the fourth outfielder and most likely the prime candidate for pinch-hitting when a power bat was needed.  Because of Pena's injury that will cost him a few weeks, Dukes is now in the starting lineup and will be the everyday left fielder until Pena comes back. 

Dukes is a special talent on the field, but has had several issues off of it.  He started with the Tampa Bay Rays organization and even they decided that he was too much for them.  After Dukes threatened his estranged wife with a picture message of a gun, the Rays shut him down for the season to get some help and to step away from the field for a while.

In the 52 games that Dukes did play in, he hit .190 with 10 home runs and 21 rbi.  He definitely has the ability to play the game and to be a special player, but his mentality is definitely going to be tested more than anything this season. 

Dmitri Young, brother of Dukes' former Rays teammate Delmon Young, has had his own personal problems in the past.  Accused of assault on a woman that was identified as his girlfriend, Young went into his own personal tailspin.  He missed a trial and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.  He also was treated for alcoholism.  Young has battled back to get his life going in the right direction.  He can be a person that Dukes can talk to and look to if/when he is having problems.  Selfishly, I am hoping he can turn it around and become the person AND player that he is supposed to be.  If not, then I am just hoping he can become a better person.