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.