Tony DeMarco

The wall-to-wall ESPN coverage, half-truth revelations and constant presence of voice recorders and cameras make Alex Rodriguez the player with the most to prove once they start playing for keeps this season.

We know how Jamie Moyer feels about Rodriguez: There's no way he should ever be let into Cooperstown.

Mike Schmidt thinks differently, saying he will accept Rodriguez as a fellow Hall of Famer if that day ever comes.

And perhaps Rodriguez, with 12-15 years before he goes on the ballot, does have time to flip voter opinion.

But he is far from the only player with a 2009 agenda that includes some opinion changing. Whether it be questions about performance-enhancing drug involvement, competitive desire, diminishing performance or returning from surgeries, here are a handful of others who will be trying to turn it back around this season:

Travis Hafner/Victor Martinez, Cleveland
Amid the growing sprawl of Goodyear, Ariz., in a sparkling new spring-training complex where a row of private jets are parked at a municipal airport just beyond the outfield walls, the duo of Indians sluggers already are at work.

They arrived early, knowing the Indians' hopes in 2009 rest largely on them — specifically Hafner's right shoulder and Martinez's right elbow. And so far, the prognosis is good.

Martinez returned late last season from an elbow injury, and appears fully ready to go. Hafner, who had post-season arthroscopic shoulder surgery, is progressing a bit slower, but says: “I've reached the point where I feel the shoulder won't be an issue.''

Here's all you need to know about their importance — and how much they were missed in the Tribe's disappointing 81-81 2008 season. Just compare their best years with their injury-interrupted 2008 numbers:

Hafner (2006): .303 BA, 42 HR, 117 RBI, .439 OBP, .659 slugging percentage; (2008): .197 BA, 5 HR, 24 RBI, .305 OBP, .323 slugging percentage.

Martinez: (2007): .301, 25 HR, 114 RBI, .374 OBP, .505 slugging percentage; (2008): .278 BA, 2 HR, 35 RBI, .337 OBP, 365 slugging percentage.

And as manager Eric Wedge added, referring to Martinez's leadership: “We lost a helluva lot more than him as a player last year.''

Besides the injury comeback, Hafner has faced the inevitable steroids questions this spring — after all, he broke into the majors with the 2002 Rangers, with Rodriguez and Rafael Palmeiro as teammates, and his 240-pound body has broken down.

In a recent interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Hafner denied using steroids, and later told MLB.com: “you almost feel like you have to defend yourself, even when there's no reason to.''

The issue has quieted, and for now the focus has returned to the field.

He's taking soft-toss, hitting in the cages, and says there are no strength or endurance issues with the shoulder.

“I've done everything I can do to have a healthy year and be on the field for as many games as possible,'' he said.

Brad Penny, Boston
It's safe to say he didn't leave behind many friends in high places in Los Angeles.

Earlier this week, the big right-hander told Yahoo.com sports that he felt pressure to pitch despite being injured last season, and knew there was criticism of him behind his back.

To which the Dodgers' response was a combination of bemusement and good-riddance, as Penny's work ethic and dedication to getting the most out of his ability long has been an issue.

Joe Torre and Ned Colletti laughed off Penny's comments, and refused to fire back. But third-base coach Larry Bowa — the only one named by Penny — summed things up from the Dodgers' perspective:

“You mean the guy who was always late, was out of shape, and who (pitched) one complete game?'' Bowa said. He had much more to say, but we'll leave it at that.

And that means Penny, who signed a one-year, $5-million guaranteed deal with the Red Sox, will have to shed that reputation and put up a healthy, productive season if he wants to land a long-term deal next winter.

The early indications are that his shoulder problems have cleared, so that's a start.

Miguel Tejada, Houston
He apologized to teammates on Tuesday for the distraction caused by his ongoing legal troubles stemming from lying to congressional staffers.

But he has been less than forthcoming to the media about the issue, as well as any potential use of performance-enhancing drugs — and so the suspicion rightfully lingers.

Not to mention a sentencing scheduled for March 26 — and the possible ramifications that could have on the Astros' season, although probation seems to be a likely outcome.

As if that's not enough, Tejada has another issue to face — this one on the field. He's 35, in the final year of a six-year, $72-million contract, and his production is heading in the wrong direction.

From .330/24 HR/100 RBI/.379 OPB in 2006, he fell to .283/13 HR/66 RBI/.314 OBP in 2008.

Jeff Francoeur, Atlanta
What's happened to this guy? He broke in with a bang in the middle of the 2005 season, hitting .300 with 14 homers in 70 games, and followed that with 29 homers and 103 RBI in his first full year in 2006.

He has all the necessary tools for stardom, including one of the game's better right-field arms that helped him win a Gold Glove Award.

But the numbers dwindled to .239, 11 homers, 71 RBI and a .339 slugging percentage last season, during which he got him a brief demotion all the way back to Double-A Mississippi.

And until Wednesday, it appeared as if the wide gap in salary arbitration filings would lead to a potentially contentious hearing that would have cost Francoeur two days in camp. But the two sides agreed on an exact midpoint figure of $3.75 million with $25,000 in potential incentives, and the hearing was avoided.

Granted, all first-time-eligibles in the arbitration process get huge raises. But why Francouer thought he deserved a nine-fold increase from the $460,000 he earned in 2008 (he filed at $3.95 million, the Braves at $2.8 million) certainly can be questioned.

The good news is he just turned 25, and he has time on his side.

Erik Bedard, Seattle
The Mariners won't be going anywhere in the standings this season, and that means Bedard could be going someplace else.

He avoided arbitration by signing a one-year, $7.75-million deal, but is in his free-agent year, and could be dealt before the July 31st deadline.

But first things first. The 30-year-old left-hander has to come back from arthroscopic shoulder surgery and prove he is much the same pitcher who went 28-16 with a 3.50 ERA and 392 strikeouts in 278.1 innings in 2006-07 with Baltimore.

If so, the Mariners could decide to offer him a multi-year deal, and hope he stays around long enough to justify the five-for-one trade they made to get him. Or, Bedard could cash in big somewhere else next winter.

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