Although he was slightly cold to behin the season, Alfonso has been beyond “red-hot” at the plate. Not only did he just belt 2 home-runs against the D-backs this last Sunday, but he has brought his batting average up to .325 accompanied with an astonishing 1.058 OPS in the young season.

Soriano has been a very consistent and smart base-stealer while on the Cubs, although in fewer numbers in his first 2 years on the team. He would be lucky to get much more than double-digit thefts in 2010, but can still add some value to his Cubs and to some fantasy-teams.

He’s quite likely not going to keep up his rate of home-runs and finish with 40, but he most certainly has the ability to get you 25-30 pretty safely, which is pretty cheap power. His average draft position this past season was a middling pick 137, on ESPN.com’s draft boards. Although he may not work his way to first-round value again, he could very likely give you 4th round production from a 13th round pick.
Take that, all you Fonsie-haters. I’m not a big fan of Smilin’ Sori, and I completely loathe his contract, but his production is paramount to the Cubs having ANY chance for the playoffs. His success at the plate could also be apart of many Fantasy Baseball teams championships, so value him in your leagues.

Although Miller was a pretty good defensive catcher, Zaun is at best a mediocre guy behind the plate, with Kendall owning an absolutely abysmal throwing arm in his time as a Brewer.

Offensively, only Miller had the above average season in 2005. He was sub-par or pretty bad in 2006 and 2007, followed by 2 awful offensive seasons by Kendall. 2008 saw Jason Kendall post a .241 batting average and a .636 OPS. Yikes.

Although the season is young, Zaun has been beyond abysmal at the plate in his short, 12-game Brewer tenure. He is a paltry 5 for 35, with a .184 on-base percentage. Gregg may be adding some “veteran leadership” to the young club, for whatever it’s worth, but that type of play is miles from acceptable.

Even worse, all this below average production is from catchers in the twilight of their careers, they are also paying above average costs for it. No upside or possible improvements can be expected from any of them, only a steady decline in all categories. They signed Zaun for a 2 million dollar deal this off-season. They paid Kendall 4.5 million in 2008 as well, so they aren’t even bargain-bin shopping.

Overpaying for that type of production doesn’t exactly bode well for a team with their modest budget. If they plan on giving Prince Fielder than big deal he desires, they don’t need to be shrewed in other areas, they just need to not over-pay in other places, like below average catchers…

To top off the apparent idiocy of having a “no-hit” player as the designated freaking hitter, the Sox opening day lineup had him pegged in the 5th spot of the lineup. Yikes, to say the least. That is a very “Pirates-y” move, and less a decision of a team that has realistic playoff hopes.

As if to quickly show his incompetence in the role, Kotsay came up in the opening day game with the bases loaded, twice.

He promptly grounded out in both chances. Quite the heroic effort…
I am most certainly the last person to judge much of anything off a single game, let alone a month of play, but simply look at what Kotsay has done since 2004.

The 34-year-old has always been known as a defense-first kinda guy, with a few random above average offensive years spread throughout. Although he was a serviceable enough offensive guy in his early years, Kotsay has been ten different shades of awful since 2006.

In the past 3 years, Mark has hit .260 with a .316 On-base percentage. This sub-par contact and patience is also coming from a guy with anemic power with sub-par speed and base-running skills.

His situation seems blatantly awful to me. He owns a pitiful .687 OPS since 2007.
Mark Kotsay is a fringe-bench player and possible defensive replacement. To put him in a role where he could start 75% of the time at DH?

Is that Ozzie-ball? More like Kamikaze-ball, as Kotsay’s awful production should put a hurting on his team.
I don’t expect him to retain this role long, just like I laughed off Guillen’s plan to start DeWayne Wise everyday in center field and lead-off with him. Yes, Ozzie planned on leading off with a 31-year-old bench player with a career .255 ON-BASE-PERCENTAGE! I kidd you not.

This designated hitter situation is on a similar level of stupid, and should be alleviated as soon as possible if the Sox want to field a playoff-caliber team.

This is a tool that can be better used in leagues where you can make positional changes on a daily basis, but if you’re a cold a calculating fantasy player, it can be implemented in weekly leagues as well.
I have an ideal example of how I used this idea effectively in my league last year.

Jayson Werth was studly, across the board in 2009. The man was a 36 home-run-hitting outfielder in a stacked Phillie lineup. Add his incredibly patience and efficient 20 stolen bases and you have a guy who carries teams for good portions of the year.

Werth’s season totals are admittedly gaudy, but he was markedly better against lefties, as he has been his entire career. Over the past 3 seasons, Werth has only managed a .256 batting average against right-handers. Compare this to his .319 batting average, .418 on-base percentage, and unbelievable 1.058 OPS against southpaws in the same 3-year time=-span, and you can see the extreme disparity. In the realm of real Major League baseball, he is by no means a liability against them, but we’re talking fantasy here.

I am not saying that you should be sitting Werth 80% of the time in order to use him only against lefties, but it can be a smart play to sit guys with similar split-numbers, if a tough right-handed starter coming to town.
If a fantasy powerhouse like Jayson Werth can be put to even more effective use through, you can imagine how well it would work with lower-tier players as well.

This strategy can be used to a fault, like most ideas of this nature. You don’t want to overdo it, and double-think yourself consistently, but it bears keeping in mind.

Personally, I would advise you doing a quick Google-search of your mainstay players and check out how they have done over the past 3 years. It could be the edge that brings your team the fantasy glory.

Blanco has spent his Major league career with the Royals and Cubs until just recently being traded from Chicago for a player to be named later or cash.

Simply put, Blanco should never be allowed to pick up a bat with his newfound team. His value is purely seated on the defensive-side of the game. He has well above average range and a powerful throwing arm; He simply has the ability to play second base, shortstop or third base with quality results.

The 26-year-old has very limited upside, and absolutely zero value in the fantasy baseball community. As the utility infielder for the Rangers, he stands to receive possibly 150-250 plate appearances. When you consider he has almost no contact or power skills and a lack of patience at the plate, well, let’s just say he’s a non-factor.

Rangers fan’s can watch and enjoy his sure-handed play in the field, but there is nothing that special about the young infielder.

Other contenders for the Ranger’s utility infielder role would be second basemen Esteban German and Joaquin Arias. Neither of the two are acceptable defensively anywhere outside of second, and that poses some versatility issues for the team. This is where Blanco alleviates this dilemma.

Say what you will about Blanco, but he has a small, established niche as a Pro player, and Texas stands to improve their bench with this addition.

The former “uber-prospect” from the Rangers minor league system was a major force to be reckoned with in his first full-season as a part of the Cincinnati Reds rotation. After getting moved from Texas to the Reds in the blockbuster deal in which he was traded for Josh Hamilton, Volquez tore up the NL central to the tune of a 3.21 ERA and just over 200 strikeouts.

Yet after amassing only 49 innings in 2009, his season was abruptly ended with Tommy John surgery. His road to recovery has been arduous, but if he’s healthy, the rewards could be astronomical.

Through all the bullpen sessions Volquez will be throwing until his eventual return, the Reds organization needs to not rush the 26-year-old.

According to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com, Volquez is on pace to return to the Reds in August. The Reds are, as usual, a dark-horse team to pull off the Wild Card in the National League. If Edinson is able to regain his dominating form for his team down the stretch, he could be the spark to push them into the post season.

A 3-letter, guttoral sound that perfectly exemplifies many Cubs fan’s feelings on the 2010 year. Whether such tepid feelings on the future are justified or not remains to be seen.

Piniella just announced his plans that won’t inspire too much optimism for some of the Cubbie faithful. Sweet Lou wants to lead-off, full-time, with 30-year-old shortstop Ryan Theriot.

Theriot’s most notable story this off-season was when he took the Cubs all the way to an arbitration hearing earlier this year, demanding to be paid more than the team planned to offer him. He lost, and settled for the lower contract. Somehow Theriot’s character took no hit in the eyes of his fans, which is odd, but let’s move on.

To quickly get to the point, Theriot is plainly an awful full-time option batting first in the lineup. Of all the starting players on the Cubs in 2009, he was the least patient, taking the fewest pitches per plate appearance. Not an ideal trait for a lead-off man, but other attributes can overcome this.

Too bad Theriot doesn’t have these other attributes. While he can knock the Heck out of left-handed pitching, Ryan has struggled with righties for three straight seasons. Last year saw him post a .279 batting average and a meager .339 on-base percentage against right-handed hurlers. These sub-par numbers are again, coming from a player who hits for almost anemic power with pitiful base-running skill.

You wouldn’t know Ryan had above average speed looking at his stolen base rates. Getting caught 23 times over the past 2 years while only swiping 43 bases is a major problem, and pits him as an actual liability when on the bases.

I just don’t get it. I do not see how Piniella can overlook all of his flaws. I am sure Lou understands and uses lefty/righty splits when making lineup decisions, but it looks like he’s not on the ball with this choice.

Kosuke Fukudome put up a stellar .387 on-base percentage against righties in 2009, and is the only legitimate option in the 1-spot. Kosuke looks to have secured the 2-hole in the lineup, but it doesn’t change the fact that Theriot should be no higher than 8th when he has to face a righty pitcher.

With news like this, I guess all I really can think to say is a resounding “meh”.

Yet there is a difference between enthusiasm and being over-anxious.

Some Cubs fans are seemingly buying into the incredibly hype on Castro. Much of it is actually deserved; Many notable and big-name scouts are saying he is the definition of a “can’t miss prospect”. Personally, I’m extremely excited to see what Starlin is capable of over the next 3 years and beyond. His inherent talent is unmatched by almost everyone his age, and his ceiling as a Major Leaguer is, well, in the superstar stratosphere.
And unless incumbent starting shortstop Ryan Theriot gets hurt before the season opening, Castro will be nestled nestled as the starting shortstop on the Cubs triple-A club. Cubs skipper Lou Piniella has eluded to this fact in a recent interview.

Castro needs to work on his patience and power still, which one more season in the minors will help refine. His defensive game may be ready for the big league, but his offensive game needs to come together in a few fundamental areas.

Ryan Theriot is a serviceable 30-year-old shortstop. He gets way too much appreciation from the average Cub fan, but I digress. If and when Castro is ready and producing, Theriot becomes all but expendable. Ryan’s offensive game would be bottom of the barrel at second base, plainly unacceptable. Basically, if and when he is forced to move from shortstop, I would like to see him moved to the bench or traded.

As of 2010, I believe Theriot has worth as the starting in the Majors, while there are also many more positives to Castro spending one more year in the minors than there are negatives. He has some work to do yet to become the potential elite shortstop the Cubs have been waiting for since Banks graced Chicago with his play.

It’s been 101 years guys, what’s one more year of seasoning on a stud prospect?

Franklin Gutierrez. Know the name well. He’s the best defensive center fielder in all of the majors. Well, at least he was in 2009. No one came close to Gutierrez in the field…so I was surprised to hear that he didn’t win a “gold glove award” this past year. Confusing, ain’t it?

“Gutz” is simply an across the board contributor in fantasy. He clubbed 18 homers in his first full-season as a starter last year. It is legitimate power, and the sky is the limit on it’s potential. He also efficiently swiped 16 bags, and has the talent to greatly improve on that number. Patience is most certainly not his game, but he has shown the ability make enough contact to lessen that blow. Batting average-wise (which alone can be a very misleading statistic, mind you), Franklin shouldn’t be a drain. Honestly, he may actually be an asset in this category by the year’s end.

According to MockDraftCentral.com, his average draft position in their fantasy baseball leagues was 243rd. Yes, you read that right. That is unbelievably late for someone coming off a slightly notable little season.

Franklin will be one of 2 things in the 2010 baseball season, barring injury. He could be an above average contributor as a late-round outfielder pick with serious upside. That’s on the negative-side. His upside? A very good player with across the board statistical contributions who can carry your fantasy squad for big parts of the season. Think Matt Kemp-lite. You see, Kemp is going in the top 10 of every fantasy draft, for good reason. Gutierrez a similar-style of player, although not yet on that high of a plateau.

You could draft him at his very late point right now and still have a steal. Yet I wouldn’t be afraid to pounce on him 2-3 rounds early, if you feel you have some savvy members of your league.

Gutierrez may very well become a main-stay as a fantastic outfielder for many years to come. Don’t miss out on this potentially fast-rising star.

I have never really been a fan of the Indians, but I hold no grudges against them.

With those things said, I can comfortably state that my favorite baseball player in the Majors is a current member of the “Tribe”: Mr. Grady Sizemore.

I won’t let this outright bias affect my feelings towards what I believe he’s capable of in the 2010 season and beyond; I wish more fans could hold these two things separately.

Back to Sizemore. The guy was the definition of “studly” from 2005-2008. A fantasy baseball team’s dream. He was a lead-off hitter who could hit for contact, get on base and steal bags at strong rates, while also hitting 20 to 30 homers to boot. Grady had quickly blossomed into a fan-favorite and league-wide star on all-fronts. Although fantasy-irrelevant, I didn’t even mention his top-flight defense in Center.
2009 did not go so well for the (only) 27-year-old center fielder. Grady was absolutely riddled with injuries; He first injured his groin, only to be followed by elbow and abdomen surgery to end his season short. He dealt with problems throughout the entire year, and still managed to do some things right, but struggled nonetheless.

So again, any fantasy fan knows what Sizemore has done over the past 5 years. He has the ability to be one of the 3 or 4 most valuable pieces your league could have, yet he isn’t seemingly getting his recognition.

He’s not getting cast-aside very much, but he’s being ranked as a mid-third to fourth round pick by most fantasy analysts, but in many drafts he’s falling into even the 5th round and later.

I understand guys. His numbers may look pedestrian if only glancing at his 2009. Yet the man is at or very close to 100% health right now, and for all intents and purposes should be in for a very large rebound.

I repeat, if healthy and producing, Grady can almost carry your team offensively, both in reality and in the world of fantasy baseball.

Again, this isn’t some “Master-plan” of fantasy baseball, it’s just a simple reminder: If Grady Sizemore is slipping past the third round in your draft, you would be wise to draft him quickly.

I don’t think the Indians will be seeing the playoffs in 2010, but your fantasy squad could end up in your league’s Championship, carried in a big way by Sizemore.