April 19th Waiver Wire Alert

Here are two player's that could help you greatly in 10 team leagues or larger.

Jed Lowrie-  Lowrie came into the season as the Red Sox primary utility man, but after this weekend of playing shortstop over Marco Scutaro I don't see the Red Sox sitting him on the bench much longer.  In three starts this weekend Lowrie went 8 for 14 with 2 home runs and 7 rbi's.  Since the 2010 all star break there are only 5 players with a OPS above Lowrie: Paul Konerko, Miguel Cabrera, Jim Thome, Josh Hamilton, and Jose Bautista.   Pick him up and plug him in the middle infield.

Jerry Sands- The Dodgers called up the 6'4 slugger and will get him at bats between left field and 1st base.  It is looking like he will get at bats versus right handers in left field, and move over the 1st base when the Dodgers face a tough left hander.  Sands is probably off a lot of owners radar, so if you want to see if he produces before you pick him up, go ahead.

April 12th Injury Update

A big blow to fantasy teams and the Texas Rangers, Josh Hamilton will miss 6 to 8 with a broken arm.

Week One Recap

Here's a list of hot and cold player's and things you knew to know after week 1.

 

Hot

Pitchers

Matt Harrison- Harrison picked up 2 wins this week, only allowing 2 runs in 14 innings versus the Orioles and Red Sox.

Zach Britton-  I have been most impressed with Britton than any other player opening week.  

Dan Haren- Haren came in to pitch the 14th inning last night,  and picked up the win.  It was an added bonus for an already fantastic week.

Edwin Jackson- Jackson was dominate this week, picking up two wins and striking out 20 batters in only 14 innings.

Jaime Garcia- Garcia has only allowed 1 run in 15 innings this year while striking out 18 batters.  He's done a good job avoiding a sophomore slump early.

Trevor Cahill-  I loved the Oakland pitching staff coming into the season, and Cahill has impressed with a 1.42 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 12.2 innings.

Chris Narveson- Narveson was the last pitcher to make it in the rotation, and he now has 13 scoreless innings to begin the season.  He is definitely worth the pickup to stash.

Gio Gonzalez-  Gonzalez hasn't been overly sharp in the two starts I've watched him, but his stuff is so good, and his composure never lets him down.  He has a 2-0 record with a .69 ERA over 13 innings this year.

Jordan Walden-  The Angels pulled Fernando Rodney from the closer role and inserted the youngster.  He throws in the high 90's and has looked impressive early this season.

Jonathan Broxton-  The Dodgers are better this year, and Broxton has benefitted from it, saving 5 games in the first fantasy week.  

Joel Hanrahan-When the Pirates win games, they win them close.  Hanrahan has 4 saves this season and has only allowed one run.

Craig Kimbrel-  Kimbrel started the season in a closer by committee, but has dominated enough to now be called the closer.  In 3 save opportunities, he has six strikeouts and hasn't allowed a run or hit.

Catcher

Russell Martin- I was way off on this one, but Martin looks healthy, and now has three home runs on the early season.  

Mike Napoli-  When Napoli has been in the lineup, he's produced.  He has three home runs and is batting .429 with 5 walks.  

First Base

Joey Votto-  Votto has picked up where he left off last season.  He is batting .393 with 2 homers in the first week.

Mark Teixeira-  You could think it's crazy to call a player with a .200 average hot, but Teix has 4 homers and 10 rbi's already this season.

2nd Base

Howie Kendrick- A lot of people were nervous when they missed on a top second basemen, but Kendrick has made them feel better this week.  He's batting .412 with 4 homers. 

Gordon Beckham- Beckham has hit .343 this year with a homer and a stolen base.  The white sox have put a good lineup together, and Beckham should continue to shine.

Shortstop

Starlin Castro- The youngster is batting .353 with 2 doubles and 2 triples on the season.  He looks more comfortable at the plate and should be a solid option.

Asdrubal Cabrera- If Cabrera stayed healthy I really liked him this season and he is showing off some power early.  He has two homers with 7 rbi's batting in the middle of the Indians order.

Third Base

Alberto Callaspo- Like Kendrick he is having a great start batting .370 with 2 home runs and is an okay corner infielder in deep leagues.  

Mark Reynolds- Reynolds hit his first home run of the season and he has 8 rbi's in 8 games.  He has kept the strikeouts in check with only 1 a game.

Outfield

Nelson Cruz- Cruz leads the MLB with 5 home runs, and he should push 40 before the season is over.

Matt Kemp- Kemp seems a lot more focused this season, and he is batting .429 with 1 home run and 5 stolen bases on the season.  The Dodgers will emphasize running this season 

Jose Tabata-  Tabata has been great for the Pirates batting .343 with 2 homers and 4 stolen bases.

Alex Gordon- The former top prospect has been carrying the Royals offense after a good spring.  He's batting .378 with 5 doubles.

Not

Pitchers

John Axford-  Axford had a very forgettable opening day blowing a 3 run lead to the Reds.

Tommy Hanson-  The Braves don't like to scoring runs for Hanson and he hasn't been pitching well.  He is 0-2 and only has 3 k's in 9 innings. 

Clay Buchholz- People scoffed at me when I had Buchholz with a 3.5 ERA this season but he has struggled with his control, and leaving the ball down the middle.  He has given up 5 home runs compared to 9 all of last season.

Ubaldo Jimenez-  Jimenez has been put on the DL with a  thumb problem, and hopefully for owners it won't linger for the righty.

Francisco Liriano- Liriano has started 0 and 2 this season and has walked 8 batters in only 9.1 innings.

Phil Hughes- He has struggled with his velocity and it is the main reason why his ERA is 16.50 over 6 innings this far.  I'd be concerned if I was a fantasy owner.

1st Base

Adam Dunn-  Dunn had an appendectomy and it hurt his production over the first week.  He should be back for next week, but I'd keep him on the bench if you have any other options to be safe.  

Freddie Freeman- Freeman is hitting under .200 for the Braves, but they have no plans on pulling them from their lineup.  I would take him out of my fantasy lineup though.

2nd Base

Chone Figgins- Figgins is batting .147 and has no walks on the season.  When you aren't getting on base, you aren't stealing bases.

Dan Uggla- Uggla and the entire Braves lineup has been struggling early.  Uggla is hitting .176 with 2 solo home runs for his only rbi's. 

Shortstop

Juan Uribe- A lot of people were relying on Uribe this week and he threw up a clunker.  He is batting .120 with no walks and only 1 extra base hit.  

Hanley Ramirez-Hanley's only batting .207 no home runs and 2 rbi's this season.  Look for a better week two out of him.

Third Base

Evan Longoria-  Longoria went from maybe missing a few games, to a three to four week injury.  Get him out of your lineup.  

Pedro Alvarez-  Alvarez struggled in spring training with his patience, and it has carried over to the regular season.  He has 13 strikeouts compared to only 2 walks this season. 

Outfield

Michael Stanton-  Stanton has had nagging leg problems all spring, and it kept him out of the lineup quite a bit.  Hopefully, it doesn't sap his power for the long run this season.  

Jay Bruce-  A lot of people picked Bruce to breakout, but it hasn't happened yet.  He's batting .241 with only 2 rbi's.  He should kick it in gear for the first place Reds.  

Carl Crawford- The entire Red Sox offense is struggling and Crawford is not an exception.  He has been pressing a tad, and I expect him to bounce back quickly.

Things you need to take out of Week 1

- Zach Britton is really, really, really good.  After being a fill in starter for Brian Matsuz, Britton has been electric.  He is 2-0 in 13.2 innings with a .66 ERA.  His most impressive start was against Texas, where he went 7.2 scoreless innings, and got 16 outs from ground balls.  Next week he is pitching against the Indians, and should be a nice option.

-The Rangers offense is the best in baseball.  After losing Cliff Lee in the offseason no one looked at the additions of Adrian Beltre and Mike Napoli to the offense.  But, it gives this team a new dimension.  Surround them with Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, and a more mature Elvis Andrus, and this offense will be deadly.

-Red Sox fans should be concerned.  As I'm writing this, the Red Sox are now 1-7.  Yes, they will turn it around, but it won't be as easy as fans hope.  The Red Sox pitching staff has been getting rocked, and the truth is Josh Beckett, John Lackey, and Dice K won't be as good as they use to be.  Another problem for the Sox is the quality of the division this year.  I think there will be 4 teams with winning records, and the Orioles and Blue Jays are the real deal.

Bryce Harper Update

In Bryce Harper's first minor league game for lower class A, he went 2 for 4.  He had a single up the middle, and bunted his way on for his other hit.  We will continue with the updates as people seem to be enamored with the young stud.

April 7th Notes

Thursday was travel day for a lot of major league teams so there were a lot of quality games played this afternoon.

Red Sox vs. Indians
The Red Sox move to 0-6 after a 1-0 lost to the Indians.  That wasn't Jon Lester's fault as he threw 7 shutout innings striking out 9 Indians.  The Red Sox offense simply can't get anything going as they were shutdown by Fausto Carmona who gave up 10 earned runs his outing before.  Now the Yankees come to Boston for their home opener as panic slowly creeps into Red Sox nation.

Athletics vs. Blue Jays
This was another pitcher's duel with Trevor Cahill and Ricky Romero. Cahill won the duel only allowing 1 run on 3 hits in 8 innings.  What has been even more impressive about Cahill is his improved strikeouts this season.  He struck out 7 Blue Jays today.

Phillies vs. Mets
This game was over very quickly as Roy Halladay cruised to an 11-0 win.  Halladay struck out 7 in 7 scoreless innings and Shane Victorino, Jimmy Rollins, and Placido Polanco all collected two hits at the top of the Phillies lineup.

White Sox vs. Rays
Edwin Jackson threw a no hitter versus the Rays last year, and he channeled that inter mojo into todays start.  He struck out 13 rays in 8 innings.  David Price wasn't as sharp on the other side allowing 3 runs in 6 innings.  Juan Pierre paced the White Sox offense with 3 hits at the top of the lineup.

Twins vs. Yankees
Mariano Rivera picked up his 4th save of the year as the Yankees nipped the Twins 4-3.  Batting leadoff Derek Jeter had two hits which moved him into 33rd on the all time hit list.

Brewers vs. Braves
Shaun Marcum and Ryan Braun carried the Brewers to a 4-2 win over the Braves.  Braun hit a two run home run off Tommy Hanson in the 1st inning and Marcum gave up two runs through six innings to secure the victory.  A lot of people's fantasy favorite, Tommy Hanson, is now 0 and 2 on the year.

Rockies vs. Pirates
Esmil Rogers overpowered the Pirates for 7.1 innings striking out 7 in getting his first victory of the season.  Troy Tulowitzki hit his 3rd home run of the year and had an RBI double for the Rockies.  It's nice to see Tulo start the year off well as he is usually a slow starter. 

April 5th Injury News

Adam Dunn just had an emergency appendectomy but it looks like he will only miss around a week.

April 5th Studs and Duds

Studs
-Jordan Walden got his first save on the day he was named closer.  Should be the first of many for the big right hander.

-Mark Teixeria hit his 4th home run of the season in the Yankees extra inning lose.  Teix is usually a very slow starter so this is a relief for all fantasy owners.

-David Wright had 4 hits as the Mets roughed up Cole Hamels.  Wright is now batting .412 on the season.
-Yovani Gallardo twirled a 2 hit shutout versus the Braves and got the 1-0 win. 

-Kansas City Royals-  The Royals beat the White Sox in extra innings and now improved to 4-1 on the season.  Rookie Aaron Crow has really impressed early out of the bullpen and top prospect flamethrower Jeremy Jeffress got first win of the season out of the bullpen last night.

-Jhoulys Chacin out dueled Clayton Kershaw and threw 7 shutout innings and got the win versus the Dodgers.


Duds
-Madison Bumgarner didn't have his best stuff versus the Padres and only lasted three innings.  It wasn't entirely his fault, with the Padres getting a few bloop hits in the 3rd inning.  Bumgarner has two starts next week and should be in weekly lineups.

-Josh Beckett continued to scare Red Sox fans last night taking the lose against the Indians.  He gave up 3 earned in 5 innings while throwing 104 pitchers.  Beckett could get ahead in the count versus the Indians batters but could not put them away.  This could be a serious problem and a sign that Beckett no longer the stuff to put batters away.

-Cole Hamels got rocked for 6 runs in 2.2 innings versus the Mets.  He gave up 7 hits and walked 2 before getting pulled only 68 pitches into his outing.  Fantasy Owners should not be alarmed yet.

-Drew Storen struggled and took his first lose of the season.  He walked 2 and gave up a base hit.  If Storen keeps struggling the Nationals could have a short hook for him after his awful Spring Training.

-The Red Sox offense continued to struggle only mustering 4 hits and 1 run versus Josh Tomlin and the Indians.  After getting the two biggest bats of the offseason the Red Sox have 12 runs in 4 games.

April 5th Notes

There is a great lineup of games today, and I'm looking forward to quite a few pitchers going tonight.  I'm looking to see how Madison Bumgarner pitches in his season debut, along with the career debut of Michael Pineda.  I also want to see how James McDonald pitches in his first start of the season for the 3 and 1 Pirates.  And of course my NL Cy Young prediction Clayton Kershaw.

Waiver Wire Alert:
-The closer role for the Angels is now Jordan Walden's to seize.  The Angels have officially pulled Fernando Rodney from the role.  Pick Walden up immediately.

Injury Notes:
-Ubaldo Jimenez is in line to make his Friday start, after it was in question with a cut in his cuticle
-St. Louis slugger Matt Holliday has had an unbelievable recovery, and has been cleared for baseball activity.  Hopefully for fantasy owners he will be back in the lineup before next Monday.
-The Phillies announced that they will put Chase Utley on a running program shortly, but there is still no timetable for his return.
-Angels slugger Kendry Morales took batting practice and some fielding drills today.  He will do some running later in the week and a time table will form from there.
-Jose Bautista will take a personal leave until at least Friday for the birth of his first daughter.

April 3rd Notes

Cubs vs. Pirates
-Matt Garza went 7 innings and struck out 12 Pirates, but Carlos Marmol was not able to hold his lead in the 9th inning.  It wasn't all peaches and creme for Garza as he did allow 12 hits.
-Marmol got a bit unfortunate in the 9th after a lead off walk he allowed a couple of weakly hit base hits, but a blown save is a blown save.
-One thing that has blown me away in this first series, is how much better Starlin Castro has looked at the plate this season.  He was 3 for 4 today with 2 triples, and is now batting 8 for 13 for the season.

Angels vs. Royals
-Scott Kazmir proved once again why he is not a reliable fantasy option giving up 5 runs in 1.2 inning to the Royals. 
-Howie Kendick has two home runs today, making three for the year.
-Former top prospect Alex Gordon has 3 hits for the Royals.

Padres vs. Cardinals
-The Cardinals picked up their first win of the season, and needed an amazing performance by Jaime Garcia to do so.  Garcia threw a complete game shut out while striking out nine and only allowing 4 hits.  He is looking to avoid the sophomore slump and this is a good start.
-Dustin Moseley was the tough luck loser on the other side, only allowing an unearned run in the 5th inning to get the lose.

 
Red Sox vs Rangers
-Clay Buchholz looked great for the Red Sox only allowing the Rangers to get 5 hits over 6.1 innings.  Unfortunately for him and the Red Sox, 4 of them were solo home runs.
-  Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler both had their third home run of the year, while Mike Napoli and David Murphy also added one.
-One positive thing I took from the struggling Red Sox was how good David Ortiz is swinging the bat.  He was 2 for 4 today including a fly ball out that was caught at the warning track by Josh Hamilton.


Indians vs. White Sox
-The pitching duel between Justin Masterson and John Danks quickly became a blowout when the White Sox bullpen came into the game.  Danks struck out 8 while Masterson struck out 0, clearly indicated these players fantasy values.
-Orlando Cabrera did most of the damage for the Indians collecting 3 hits, including his first home run of the season.  In deep leagues he is a viable middle infielder.

Tigers vs. Yankees
-The Tigers won this absolutely slugfest in the Bronx where there were a combine 7 home runs in the game.  If you owned Phil Hughes or Max Scherzer you were not happy watching this game
-Miguel Cabrera and Jorge Posada hit two home runs, and Robby Cano, Mark Teixeira, and Brennan Boesch had one each.
-Jorge Posada has looked great from the plate this year and maybe being a full time DH will help the old catcher.

Twins vs. Jays
-Jose Bautista hit his 2nd home run of the year, but it was not enough to get the Blue Jays the win over the Twins.
-Joe Nathan came in with a 2 run lead in the ninth and struggled before getting the last out.  Nathan gave up two hits and two walks but picked up the save for his owners. 

Marlins vs Mets
-Javier Vazquez return to the National League did not go the way the Marlins wanted.  In 2.1 innings Vazquez gave 6 hits, walked 5, and gave up 4 earned runs.
-R.A. Dickey started where he left off last season throwing 6 scoreless innings, striking out 7 while picking up his first win of the season.

Brewers vs. Reds
-Rickie Weeks hit his second lead off home run in 3 games, but that was about all the Brewers could smile about as they got shelled by the Reds for the third start game.
-Brandon Phillips, Ryan Hanigan, and Jonny Gomes had a combine 4 home runs and the Reds won 12-3.
-The always underrated Bronson Arroyo picked up his first win of the season.

Braves vs. Nationals
-Tim Hudson went 7 strong as the Braves tacked on late runs first the National's bullpen to win 11-2. 
-Brian McCann had 3 singles and drove in 4 runs for the Braves.
-Jordan Zimmerman who is coming back from Tommy John surgery looked very solid in his season debut.  He went six innings only allowing 2 earned run.  If he is on your waiver wire he is someone to monitor.

 Phillies vs Astros
-Roy Oswalt picked up his first win of the year, going six innings and allowing 2 earned runs in the 7-3 win.
-Ryan Howard smacked his first home run of the year, a three run shot in the first inning.

Orioles vs. Rays
-Top prospect Zach Britton did not disappoint in his major league debut.  He went six strong innings only giving up 1 run while striking out six and picking up the win.
-Nick Markakis, Matt Wieters, Adam Jones, and Mark Reynolds all collected two hits for the Orioles who have taken 3 in a row from the Rays.


 Prospect Update:
-One of the Braves top prospects, Mike Minor, has been called up and will get the start for Jair Jurrjens on Wednesday.

Some quick injury notes:
-Evan Longoria has a sore oblique and will miss about a week.  It looks like he will be able to avoid a trip to the DL.  UPDATE: Longoria has been placed on the DL.
-Ubaldo Jimenez might miss next week's start due to a cut in his cuticle.  Try not too laugh to hard over this "injury"
-Mike Stanton who has been nursing a hamstring injury all of spring training, might take a few days off to rest.  I'd probably take him out of my lineup this week just to be careful.

April 2nd Notes

-Kyle Drabek, who is surprisingly the most searched player on this site, had his season debut today, and did not disappoint owners.  Drabek went 7 innings only allowing 1 hit and 1 run while striking out 7.  He totally controlled the Twins all day who are usually tough on right handed pitchers.  If he happens to be on your waiver wire jump on it.

-Speaking of top prospects, Orioles top prospect Zach Britton is starting his first game tomorrow.  If he's available you should pick him up.

-The newly exciting Royals took another game from the Angels today, squeaking out a tight game 5-4.  Joakim Soria picked up his first save of the season.

-Carlos Zambrano pitched well enough to get a no decision and a quality start, and the Cubs took the lead late, and held on 5 to 3.  Carlos Marmol struck out the side in 15 pitches for his first save.

-Cliff Lee had his first start of the season and although he gave up 3 earned runs he completely dominated the Astros.  He had 11 strikeouts in 7 innings and is in line for the win. 

April 1st Observations

Yesterday for opening day we had some great games.  We had Lincecum and Kershaw dueling, Granderson showing his health, and Brandon Belt getting his first career hit.  Let's see what today has in store.

Injury News:  After a 3 hit day yesterday Matt Holliday is out indefinitely.  He needed to have an appendectomy, and if I had a guess I'd say it'd be 4 to 6 weeks until he is back.  Quite the blow for the Cards.

-Felix Hernandez starts off his season right with a complete game win against the A's.  He was very economical and only need 108 pitches.

-Brandon Belt hit his first career home run, but the Dodgers nipped the Giants for the 2nd game in a row.  I can't express this enough, if Belt is out there in your league you need to have him.
-Jon Lester continued his normal April struggle by giving up 3 home runs in a no decision against the Rangers.

-The Texas Lineup looks more potent than ever, with Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz, and Mike Napoli all hitting home runs.

-Roy Halladay was his normal self, going 6 strong and only giving up 1 run in a no decision versus the Astros.

-Boston Newcomers Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford had different results in their debuts.  Gonzalez went 2 for 4 with rbi's while Crawford went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts.

Opening Day Notes

Giants vs. Dodgers
-This is a great pitching matchup between Tim Lincecum and Clayton Kershaw, but I'd like to congratulate Brandon Belt on his first major league hit.


Yankees vs. Tigers
-Days ago Curtis Granderson was listed as doubtful for opening day, but he is batting 8th in the lineup and made a diving catch in the first inning.
-Brett Gardner is batting first in the lineup with Derek Jeter batting behind him.
-Detroit has scored their first round of the season on a sacrifice fly after back to back singles from Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez.  The Tigers will hope this is a common occurrence this season.  
-Mark Teixeira just hit his first home run of the season.  A three run shot off Justin Verlander.  Teixeira who is usually a slow starter was 1 for 17 off Verlander before this at bat.

-The starting pitchers have now exited the game.  C.C. Sabathia's final line is 6 innings, 6 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs.  Justin Verlander's final line is 6 innings, 3 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts, and 3 earned runs.
-Austin Jackson, who lead the AL in strikeouts last year is on his way towards the top already, with 3 strikeouts in his first three at bats.
-Curtis Granderson who wasn't suppose to play, just hit a go ahead home run off Phil Coke in the 7th inning.  Interestingly enough it was Coke and other players who were traded to the Tigers for Granderson last season.
-Mariano Rivera closes down the first game of the season as the Yankees win 6-3.

Braves vs Nationals
-Brian McCann has driven in his first run of the season, driving in Chipper Jones with an RBI single.
-Jason Heyward has hit the first home run of the season, a blast off Livan Herandez.

-Livan Hernandez and Derek Lowe have looked great today, and it's 2-0 Atlanta after 6.  Neither are great fantasy options.
-A lot of debate about who was going to close for the Braves this year happened during spring training.  The first save opportunity went to Craig Kimbrel.  He has an absolutely effortless heater and a quick slider, and has been closing throughout his minor league career.  He shut down the 4th, 5th, and 6th batters in the Nationals and struck out two.  Kimbrel should continue to close down games, and I'm not too worried about Jonny Venters.

Milwaukee vs. Reds
- Rickie Weeks and Carlos Gomez hit back to back home runs off Edinson Volquez to start the season for the Brewers.  A great way for my NL Central pick to start the year.
-Joey Votto has his first rbi of the season after a Drew Stubbs double and the Brewers lead 3-1 after 1 inning.
-A lot of people's breakout outfielder, Drew Stubbs, hit his first home run of the season.  Batting in the leadoff spot will hurt his rbi total, but definitely benefit his runs and stolen bases.
-My NL MVP pick this season just hit his first home run as Ryan Braun hit a solo shot to make the game 5-2 in the 5th inning.

-Yovani Gallardo hasn't been particularly sharp this start, but he has managed to get through 6 innings only giving up 2 runs, qualifying him for a quality start.
-Joey Votto has hit his first home run of the year.
-John Axford came in with a three run lead in the 9th, and has struggled.  He loaded the bases with no outs before striking out Jay Bruce, and getting a fly out.  Then he gave up a walk off 3 run home run to Ramon Hernandez.  A dramatic ending to the Reds first game of the season.

Cardinals vs. Padres
-After the Padres went down 1-2-3 in the first, the Cards struck with a Matt Holliday RBI single.
-A double for Nick Hundley has driven in a run to make it a 2-2 game.  Chris Carpenter has looked very sharp only giving up 2 hits in 5 innings.
-Matt Holliday just collected his 3 hit of the day, this one a go ahead solo home run in the 8th inning.
- Cameron Maybin just hit a 417 foot shot to straight away center off Ryan Franklin with two outs in the 9th inning.
-And the Padres come back and pull off the win 5-3.  This team is still very pesky even without Adrian Gonzalez and Mat Latos on the DL.

Injury Update March 29th

Injury Update March 29th

Mat Latos- Although his symptoms have improved in his shoulder it looks like Latos will begin the season on the DL.  He should be back by April 11th but get him out of your lineup for the first week or two.

Brian Wilson- Wilson is less than 50-50 for opening day.  It is not known yet if he will need a stint on the DL, but Jeremy Affeldt and Sergio Romo will be the favorites for closing duties if he does.  

Curtis Granderson-  Granderson is doubtful to start on opening day with his oblique injury, but it doesn't look like he will spend time on the disabled list.  I think it's still too risky to keep him in your lineup.

Chase Utley- Utley is in real trouble from an injury standpoint.  His bulky knee still has no timetable for return.  I'd avoid him at all cost.

Jake Peavy-  Peavy was one of the most dominant pitchers before his injuries, but his shoulder is still giving him problems.  He is suppose to start in a minor league game today, and if he has no setbacks he should be in the majors by May.  

Brandon Morrow-  A lot of fantasy players were excited about Morrow this season, but expectations were tempered when he went down with a forearm strain.  Yesterday Morrow had a pain free throwing session but the Blue Jays won't rush him.  Look for him to be back by late May at the latest.

Preseason Predictions

With the 2011 season less than a week away, here are our preseason predictions on the season.

AL East: Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox improved the most of any team in baseball and should be the favorites in the division.

AL Central: Detroit Tigers

The additions of Victor Martinez and Phil Coke will help, and if Rick Porcello and Max Scherzer continue to mature they should be able to take out the Twins.

AL West: Oakland Athletics

I might get blasted for this but Oakland has one of the best young rotations in the game, and improved their bullpen greatly this offseason.  The additions of David Dejesus, Hideki Matsui, and Josh Willingham will also help.

AL Wild Card: New York Yankees

Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter are getting older and their rotation is a mess, but they will be right there like always.

NL East: Atlanta Braves

Everyone thinks the Phillies are a slam dunk to win the NL East after signing Cliff Lee, but I think injuries will affect them this season.  The Braves added Dan Uggla to the mix this year which will really help.  Look for them to surprise some people.

NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers

As good as the Reds were last year, the Brewers are my pick in the Central.  Although Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum have struggled with injuries this spring training they will be dominant when they come back.

NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers are my surprise pick of the West.  They now have a very solid rotation with a full season of Ted Lilly and Jon Garland as the fifth starter.  I feel like they were a little embarrassed by their performance last year and will look to rebound this year.  Look for Clayton Kershaw and Matt Kemp to have monster years.

NL Wild Card: Philadelphia Phillies

We aren't even out of spring training and Chase Utley and Brad Lidge are already injured.  They will have a dominant rotation but their lineup isn't what it used to be.  I look at the Phillies as a better playoff team than a regular season team.

World Series:  Red Sox over Phillies

I'm going with the two teams that made the biggest offseason splashes. I expect the Red Sox to meet up with the Phillies and Philadelphia's offense letting them down again.

AL MVP- Robinson Cano

If the Yankees are going to compete with the Red Sox Cano will need to have an MVP type season.  Personally, I would have given him the award last year.

NL MVP- Ryan Braun

Braun and the Brewers haven't lived up to expectations in the past few seasons.  Look for it to change this year in most likely Prince Fielder's last season in Milwaukee.

AL Cy Young- Jon Lester

Last year Lester came in 4th place in the Cy Young, and this year he has a much improved offense and defense.  Look for a monster year.

NL Cy Young- Clayton Kershaw

Kershaw is a long shot in the NL, but it is worth a shot.  Last year as a 22 year old he had a 2.91 ERA and 212 strikeouts.  I believe the Dodgers will be better this year and Kershaw will improve on his numbers across the board.

AL Rookie of the Year- Jeremy Hellickson

Hellickson really impressed last year in his 36 innings for the Rays.  He will be limited in innings especially if the Ray's are out of the race in September, but still should have Rookie of the Year type numbers.

NL Rookie of the Year- Brandon Belt

I think Belt will be a June call up and like Buster Posey put up big numbers.  The rookie of the year should again be a battle between the Braves and Giants with Freddie Freeman starting from the get go.

Spring Training Rising and Falling

People don't really care about spring training, but by keeping your eyes out for hot and cold performers you may be able to find yourself a steal.  There are a lot of position battles this spring that can really help your fantasy team.  Here's a list of players helping and hurting their stock this preseason.

Rising            

                                  

Jake Fox-  Fox leads spring training with 7 home runs in 54 at bats.  We always knew that Fox had power but if the Orioles can find a spot for him in their lineup he could put up big numbers for cheap.  Watch out for him on your waiver wire.

Brett Wallace  Wallace will have a starting gig in Houston and he is one of the only bright spots for the Astros this season.  He is batting .358 with 14 RBI's in 53 at bats.  

Mitch Moreland-  Moreland did his best to keep Chris Davis off the field this spring training and it's going to work.  He has batted .373 with 3 home runs and 10 RBI's this spring.  

Mike Morse -  Morse was a long shot to win a starting outfield job in Washington, but with the spring he is having I believe he will.  He has batted .333 with 5 home runs this spring while Nyjer Morgan has struggled.

Gordon Beckham-  This is the former top prospects third big league season and I'm looking for him to breakout.  He has impressed this spring training with a .347 average and only 6 strikeouts compared to 4 walks.  

Ben Francisco-  After Domonic Brown got injured the right field job was for the taking in Philadelphia.  Francisco has impressed with a .327 average and 3 home runs in 49 at bats. 

Ian Kinsler- After struggling last season with injuries, Kinsler has looked very healthy this spring training while batting .370 with 5 home runs in 46 at bats.  

Phil Coke-  Phil Coke was signed to anchor the bottom of the Tiger's rotation this season and has shown potential in the spring.  He has pitched almost 22 innings and has 3 wins with a 2.49 ERA.

John Danks-  I've always liked Danks and have looked at him as underrated.  He has a 2-0 record with a 1.65 ERA this spring.  Look for a big season from Danks.

John Lackey-  Lackey has come into spring in the best condition of his career and it has shown.  The Red Sox just named him their number 2 starter and I'm expecting a bounce back season.  

Gio Gonzalez-  Gonzalez has been overlooked from playing in Oakland but he is a true strikeout pitcher.  This spring he has a 1.76 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 15 innings.  

Ivan Nova-  Nova has pretty much locked up the 4th spot in the Yankees rotation and he has a 1.29 ERA in 14 innings this spring.  He should win quite a few games with the Yankees potent lineup.

Tommy Hanson-  For some reason I had my doubts about Hanson this season, but he has looked better than ever.  In 14 innings he has a 1.29 ERA and 9 strikeouts compared to only 1 walk.

Falling

Pedro Alvarez-  In 50 at bats this spring, Alvarez has struck out 19 times and only walked once.  He really struggles versus lefties and this spring is scary me away.

Jeanmar Gomez-  Gomez is known for throwing a perfect game in the minor leagues, but he hasn't overly impressed in the big leagues.  He is fighting for a rotation spot and has a 6.43 ERA this spring training.  I probably wouldn't draft him.

Matt Garza-  I really thought the move to the NL would help Garza but he has struggled first hitters this spring.  In 13 innings he has a 9.88 ERA and 10 walks.  I still like Garza this season, just not as much.

Jaime Garcia- Garcia came out of nowhere last season to be a great third starter behind Wainwright and Carpenter.  But, he's struggling this spring with over an 8 ERA.

Kendrys Morales- After breaking his leg last season, Morales has yet to see the field this spring training.  His injuries really concern me, enough to bump him quite far down my draft list.

Alfonso Soriano- Typical Soriano this spring.  He has batted .227 with 10 strikeouts and no walks.  I'll never draft Soriano on my team.

J.P. Arencibia-  The Blue Jays confirmed the youngster will catch 60% of the games this season, but I would of liked if he showed more production this spring.  Lighting up Triple A is a lot different than playing in the big leagues.

Hideki Matsui-  Matsui has struggled this spring, and after moving to the Athletic's spacious stadium I'm not very interested in him anyways.  DH's are tough to fit in a lineup and I try to only draft Adam Dunn, David Ortiz, and Vladimir Guerrero for my team.  

Players I Love and Players I Hate

This is one of my first rants over players I love to have on my fantasy team, and players I hate having.  They're in no particular order as I basically let it flow.  Trying to be more positive you'll notice that my Love list is much longer than the Hate.

Players I Love

Michael Pineda-  Overpowering righty will begin the season in the Mariners rotation.

Dustin Ackley-  Lead the Arizona Fall League in batting average, and showing his top prospect status.

Angel Pagan-  Stole 37 bases last year for the Mets and will again have a full time job.  

Adrian Gonzalez-  30 home runs and 100 RBI's in San Diego equals 40 home runs and 130 RBI's in Boston.

Daniel Hudson-  Absolutely dominated NL hitters after his midseason trade.

Mark Reynolds-  He may of hit under .200 last season, but over the past three seasons no third basemen has more home runs.  

Clayton Kershaw-  He a 2.91 ERA and 212 k's last season.  He will begin next season at 23 years old.

Jon Lester-  Lot's of innings, lot's of strikeouts, lot's of offense, possibly a cy young this season?

Jonathan Sanchez-  For three straight seasons Sanchez has decreased his ERA and increased his strikeouts.

Dan Haren-  Look for a better full season in Anaheim.

Gio Gonzalez-  Great second half/great spring training= big big season.

John Danks-  He gets overshadowed by Chicago's big hitters, but he is emerging as a true ace.

Max Scherzer-  From June until the end of last season Scherzer had a 2.46 ERA.  

Clay Buchholz-  People don't draft him because of his low strikeout totals.  He never had that problem in the minors, look for his strikeouts to increase.

Madison Bumgarner-  Looked absolutely phenomenal in the playoffs.  Will have a huge first full season in the bigs.  

James McDonald-  Ended last season with a bang for the Pirates.  Most people don't know his name.  

John Lackey-  Boston thought his season was awful, but is a 4.4 ERA with 14 wins that bad?  Has looked great this spring.

Carlos Marmol-  I love closers who start out more than a lot of starters.

Joe Nathan-  People are forgetting how dominate Nathan was before his injury.  You can get him after all of the elite closers are gone.

Carlos Santana-  He's being drafted outside of the top catchers, if he stays healthy he will be right there.

Robinson Cano-  Cano is a step above everyone else at the position.  

Sean Rodriguez-  He will get more playing time this season, and 15 to 20 home runs is possible.

Gordon Beckham-  Former top prospect is still only 24.  Had a great second half.

Kevin Youkilis-  The most consistent player in the Red Sox lineup.  He will be deadly with the lineup around him this year.  

Casey McGehee-  People don't realize how much McGehee produces in the shadow of Fielder and Braun.  Check his stats.

Troy Tulowitzki-  With the shortstop class so shallow, Tulo is at the top of my rankings.

Alexei Ramirez-  One of the few shortstops I'd be comfortable with starting after Tulo and Hanley.

Nelson Cruz-  Cruz puts up massive numbers, now imagine if he can stay healthy.

Colby Rasmus-  He could be looking at a 30-30 season sooner rather than later.

Drew Stubbs-  See above^ Colby Ramus

Andres Torres- Check Torre's stats compared to Andrew McCutchen, and then check their average draft positions.  Amazing.

Players I Hate

A.J. Burnett-  The Yankees named Burnett their number 2 starter today.  I still don't care.

Drew Storen-  It was Storen's closer job to lose this spring training, and it looks like he lost it.  

Russell Martin-  Injury problems and a top prospect behind him doesn't bode well for Martin's fantasy owners.  

Chase Utley-  Utley is already having injury problems this spring training.  I wouldn't draft him in the first 2 rounds.

Jose Bautista- People are taking him in the 3rd round, but I'd rather have Kevin Youkilis.

Aramis Ramirez-  I can't remember the last time he had 550 at bats.  I don't want that problem on my team.  

Jimmy Rollins-  J-roll has seemed to lost it the past couple seasons.  Maybe he just got old real quick.  

Jason Bay-  I never liked Bay after his move to New York.  I can't like him after last season either.

Shane Victorino-  I'd much rather have the potential of Rasmus and Stubbs over Victorino's limited potential.

J.D. Drew-  The injury prone 35 year old has top prospect Ryan Kalish wanting his job.