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.

Injury Update March 19th

Giant's closer Brian Wilson sprained an oblique muscle today, and now opening day is in doubt for the World Series Champ.  He said he should be ready, but the Giant's will be ultra careful with their all star closer because these injuries can linger.  Sergio Romo or Jeremy Affeldt would be in line for some saves. 

Late Round Targets

You usually don't win your fantasy league in the first few rounds of the draft.  It usually comes with the players you add off the waiver wire and late in drafts that puts you over the hump.  Here are some need to know players who will help you greatly in deep drafts. 

Catcher

J.P. Arencbia-  It looks like Arencbia will be looking at a 60-40 split in catching this season.  That should make him valuable enough to draft, especially in daily leagues.

1st Base

Mitch Moreland-  Moreland batted .462 in the world series and looks to improve his all around game this season.  It looks like Moreland will get most of the at bats at first this year.

Brandon Allen-  Allen should man first base for the Dbacks.  His average won't help your team, but he could provide 20 home runs for very cheap late in the draft.

Justin Smoak-  Smoak was the main get in the Cliff Lee trade and if he fulfills his potential will help the Mariners and your fantasy team.

2nd Base

Sean Rodriguez-  Rodriguez disappointed a lot of people last year after his big spring training, but this is the year I like him.  The Rays got rid of Carlos Pena, Jason Bartlett, and Carl Crawford, and Rodriguez can play 2nd base and the outfield.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka- The Japanese import should bat near the top of the lineup for the Twins.  It's hard not to like anyone batting in front of Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau.

Shortstop

Reid Brignac- Brignac was the main reason Jason Bartlett was traded in the offseason.  This season he should get full playing time and produce for a late shortstop pick.

Jed Lowrie-  If Lowrie ever wins the starting shortstop job from Marco Scutaro he will be a steal late in drafts.

Yuniesky Betancourt-  Betancourt hit 16 home runs last season, which is big production for this shortstop class.  He moves to the Brewers high powered offense.

3rd Base

Miguel Tejada- Tejada still has some pop in that bat and should hit close to .275 with 15 homers for the World Series Champs.  He should be eligible at shortstop and third base.

Utility

Jim Thome-  In daily leagues with an alert owner, Thome is a steal.  He won't play versus lefties, but he kills righties still.  He had 25 homers in only 276 at bats last season. 

Outfield

Mike Morse-  Morse has lit up spring training and it looks like he has secured the Nationals left field job.  He could put up major power numbers for someone late in the draft.

Rajai Davis-  People don't realize that Davis stole 50 bases last year.  When you need steals target him late in the draft.

Peter Bourjos- Bourjos will man center field for the Angels.  If he can put it all together he could be a poor man's five tool prospect. 

Cameron Maybin-  Maybin and Andrew Miller were traded from Detroit to Florida for Miguel Cabrera.  And now neither of them plays for the Marlins.  Both are still young and Maybin might have just needed a change of scenery to San Diego. 

Pitching

Mike Minor-  Minor didn't pitch great last year in his call up.  But, he showed his potential by striking out more than a batter an inning.  

James McDonald- Last September McDonald had 15 scoreless innings in back to back starts.  Most people still don't know his name.

Michael Pineda-  The Mariners top prospect should open the season as the Mariners number 5 starter.  He won't win a ton of games but his ratios should help pitching in spacious Safeco Park.  

Kyle Drabek-  Drabek was the prize the Blue Jays got for Roy Halladay.  He will open in the rotation this season.  If you play him when he doesn't pitch against the Yankees and Red Sox he should produce.

Ivan Nova-  Nova just had an outing where he had a no hitter through six innings before being pulled.  Hopefully you and not the other owners saw this performance.  

Wade Davis-  In the second half last season Davis had a 6 and 1 record with a 3.28 ERA.  Draft him and expect numbers like Matt Garza's last season.  

Rick Porcello-  Porcello is a veteran at a young age of 22.  He had flashes of brilliance last season, and if he puts it altogether he could be an ace at the end of your draft.  

Brian Fuentes-  This isn't really that I like Fuentes, but I do not think Andrew Bailey will stay healthy.  He's already had arm problems this spring and Fuentes should get the bulk of the opportunities for the shockingly competitive Athletics.