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| Raul Ibanez continues to rip the ball as he had three more hits, with two runs and an RBI on Wednesday night. |
Our View: Ibanez now has 15 RBI in 16 games for the Mariners, not to mention the fact that he is hitting .323 in a tremendous start to the fantasy season.
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| Felix Hernandez dominated the A's on Wednesday night throwing a complete game "W" at them. King Felix allowed eight hits and one walk, while picking up eight K on his way to two runs allowed (one earned). |
Our View: This is what you paid the big bucks for on draft day, and there is little reason, barring injury, to think that he won't end up being one of the top-15 starters in baseball this season.
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| Josh Hamilton had four hits and two RBI for the Rangers in their 14 inning victory over the Blue Jays. |
Our View: Hamilton is now hitting .311 on the year with 15 RBI through 15 games, and right about now the team couldn't be happier with their acquisition of the oft-troubled hitting star.
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| Kason Gabbard lasted six innings on Wednesday and allowed seven hits and two runs on his way to permitting two runs to the Jays. |
Our View: Gabbard continues to limit the damage in his starts despite giving up his fair share of base runners, which is all that the Rangers and his fantasy owners have the right to expect right now.
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| A.J. Burnett came out of the bullpen to pitch the 14th inning on Wednesday night, and he allowed three hits and walk which led to two runs and the loss for the Jays. |
Our View: It's always questionable when the Jays do anything out of the ordinary with the perpetually injured Burnett, but he did throw only 24 pitches so hopefully there won't be any negative ramifications from this outing.
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| Deolis Guerra won his first game of the season on Wednesday, throwing five scoreless innings for High-A Fort Myers. He allowed four hits, walked one and struck out four. |
Our View: Guerra was the final piece of the Johan Santana deal, and he is showing his value this season with one run allowed in 15 innings. We also must keep in mind that he turns 19 on Thursday, making his early-season performance even more impressive.
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| Jon Still, a 2006 fourth-round draft choice, hit his sixth home run of the season on Wednesday for High-A Lancaster. He is hitting .353-6-13 for the season. |
Our View: Still also draws walks (105 last season and 10 this season), so he is a dream prospect for the Red Sox. There is some doubt that he will be able to stay at catcher, but he has shown the on-base skills and power to handle first base or DH so far. Whether he will continue to be a dependable option against more advanced competition remains to be seen, as Still is playing less advanced competition at age 23.
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| Anthony Swarzak threw six scoreless innings for Double-A New Britain on Wednesday, allowing three hits, no walks and striking out 10 batters. |
Our View: Swarzak has allowed one run in 16 innings this season and has an 18/1 K/BB ratio. He was very successful at Double-A last season as well, but the Twins are loaded with pitching at Triple-A Rochester as well. Swarzak remains arguably the organization’s best pitching prospect, and he could still get some innings in the majors this season.
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| Eric Hinske went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI for the Rays against the Twins. |
Our View: AL Only leaguers have got to be loving the production they are getting from Hinske who now has two HR, seven runs and six RBI in 12 games on the year.
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| Carlos Gomez went 2-for-4 with one run scored on Wednesday night. Oh yeah, he also stole two bases. |
Our View: Gomez is hitting an acceptable .262 on the year, but the nine SB he has racked up are simply huge in standard 5x5 leagues.
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| James Shields struggled to hold the Twins down on Wednesday as he allowed five runs, three earned. Shields permitted one walk while giving up eight hits in five innings. |
Our View: This was far from the type of experience we have become accustomed to with Shields, but he still had a 5 to 1 K/BB outing and he should bounce back nicely next time out.
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| J.D. Drew went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored for the Red Sox on Wednesday. |
Our View: Drew is often maligned, but when he is on the field he almost always produces something, and this year he has produced runs with 10 RBI and 12 runs scored in 12 games.
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| Derek Jeter upped his average to .324 thanks to two hits on Wednesday night. Jeter also scored twice and had two RBI as did Jason Giambi. |
Our View: Jeter is still favoring the leg a bit, but that isn't stopping him from slapping line drives to right field from the #2 hole in the Yankees order.
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| Clay Buchholz failed to last even four innings against the Yankees as he permitted eight hits and one walk which leg to seven runs for the Yankees. |
Our View: Mama said there would be days like this. Buchholz has a bright future and made some great pitches tonight, but he also left too many balls over the middle of the plate and was only able to pick up two K on the night.
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| Chien-Ming Wang had his first brutal outing of the season as he was tagged for nine hits and three walks which led to eight runs in four innings. |
Our View: Wang just didn't have control of his ball tonight, and the Red Sox made him pay by working the count until they got pitches the could handle. Look for him to bounce back next time out.
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| Armando Galarraga made just the second start of his major league career on Wednesday night and he picked up the victory thanks to allowing just one hit in 6.2 innings against the Indians. |
Our View: Other than a home run to David Dellucci, Galarraga was masterful on the night as he struck out six Indians without allowing a single walk. Not bad for a guy who was called up just to make this start.
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| Edgar Renteria had a huge outing on Wednesday as he had three hits, including his first home run, on his way to five RBI for the Tigers. |
Our View: Renteria bumped his average to .300 on the night with this big outing, and he should continue to be one of the better hitting shortstops in the AL in 2008.
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| Miguel Cabrera had his first big game of the young season as he hit a HR, had four hits, and knocked in five runs for the Tigers. |
Our View: Though he is still hitting only .264, Cabrera is up to 10 RBI in 14 games with this big effort, and despite the general malaise that has settled on the Tigers, there is no reason to expect anything less than a .300-30-100 season this year from this young slugger.
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| Mike Jacobs continued to drive the ball on Wednesday as he hit his sixth home run of the season for the Marlins. |
Our View: Jacobs also has 12 RBI in 13 games, and this might finally be the year that he puts together all his skills to be the 30-HR bat that many see lurking behind the scenes.
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| Aubrey Huff went 1-for-4 on Wednesday night with a single RBI from the fifth spot in the order for the Orioles. |
Our View: Huff now has 12 RBI in 14 games, but his average has fallen to .245 for the habitually slow starting Huff.
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| Adam Loewen picked up the loss on Wednesday night as he allowed three runs in six innings to the White Sox. Loewen allowed only six hits on the night, but he also walked five batters. |
Our View: Loewen has dominating stuff, but the walks are just killing him in the early going (6.89 BB/9). Unless he throws more strikes, success will elude him.
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| Jose Contreras had his first solid outing of the season on Wednesday night as he allowed just one run in seven innings against the Orioles to pick up his first win. Contreras struck out six Orioles but more importantly he allowed zero BB as he pounded the strike zone all night. |
Our View: Contreras still possesses the stuff to be winner at the major league level, but far too often he nibbles and ends up walking far too many hitters. If he throws strikes, he can be a useful AL Only starter.
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| Jim Thome returned from a 1-game suspension to hit his first home run in 43 AB for the White Sox on Wednesday. Thome also hit a double and three RBI on the night. |
Our View: Thome is only hitting .184 through 49 AB, but he still has 10 RBI in 13 games as he has been able to produce runs even with all the K (15).
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| Kevin Slowey (strained right biceps) threw his second bullpen session without incident on Wednesday and he is close to pitching in a minor league game, this according to MLB.com. "He is going to have to work his way back up and stretch out again," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We have to make sure everything is okay. But we've got good stuff going with him. He doesn't feel anything and that's where we wanted to get to." |
Our View: It doesn't sound like Slowey will be back for at least another week or two, so continue to role with your other options until Slowey is once again healthy.
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| Joba Chamberlain, who is away from the team to be with his ailing father, could return to the bullpen this week as his father's health has greatly improved, this according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Chamberlain is of to a tremendous start yet against with six hits and no runs allowed through 5.1 innings, and he serves as a tremendous setup bridge to Mariano Rivera.
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| Adam Everett had an MRI on his shoulder on Wednesday and team doctors were scheduled to talk with him about the results tonight before making the results of the test known, this according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Everett was out of the lineup on Wednesday, and the team will continue to be very careful with their slick fielding shortstop until a determination is made on how to best deal with the injury. Nick Punto stared on Wednesday and will split time with Matt Tolbert until Everett is healthy.
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| B.J. Ryan is back with the Blue Jays but manager John Gibbons is still trying to find out the best way to utilize his hard throwing lefty less than a year removed from Tommy John surgery, this according to MLB.com. "You've got to be careful, and you've got to be smart with the guy," Gibbons said. "You can't get too overly excited now that you know he's back, because it's still been less than a year." |
Our View: While managing a guys workload most team's worry about too much work, but in the case of Ryan the team wants to make sure that he doesn't go more than three days without throwing, though that might mean nothing more than throwing a bullpen session. On the other side of the coin, don't look for him to appear in back-to-back games until May. so Jeremy Accardo and Scott Downs are in line to pick up some saves.
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| Curtis Granderson, who had a solid BP session on Wednesday, will be sent out to the minors for a rehab assignment this weekend if he has another BP session without incident on Thursday, in the hope that he will be ready to return to the Tigers sometime next week, this according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Granderson is close to a return, and when he does make it back to the field look for the playing time of Clete Thomas to vanish and the AB of Brandon Inge to diminish substantially.
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| Nate Robertson will make his next scheduled start on Sunday, this after leaving his start last night due to tightness in his left lat, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Robertson has struggled mightily with a 7.02 ERA and 21 hits allowed in 16.2 innings, but with Dontrelle Willis already on the DL, the Tigers really need Robertsons innings in the starting rotation.
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| Coco Crisp, who isn't starting on Wednesday night, is dealing with some soreness in his right leg, this according to MLB.com. "I'm OK. It's just sore," said Crisp. "I think it was the other day, trying to do all those dang bunts and then being in a coat and not being warm. That tightened me up and I'm sore, so we'll take it day by day." |
Our View: Crisp may be out of action for a couple of days which would allow Jacoby Ellsbury to try and get some traction in the outfield as he has been outhit .325 to .280 through the first two weeks of the season.
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| Kevin Millwood will make his next scheduled start even though he was forced to leave his start on Tuesday night when he was hit by a comebacker on his left shin, this according to MLB.com. "I wouldn't say it's stiff," Millwood said, "but it's still a bit bruised and sore." |
Our View: His next start will be against the Red Sox, so it might be wise to treat the game as if he is still injured and just leave him on the bench given the propensity of the Sox to batter struggling pitchers.
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| David Dellucci has been swinging a better bat at the plate, and as a result he will now hit in the second hole against right-handers, this according to MLB.com. Asdrubal Cabera, who is just 4-for-31 on the year, will drop down to the seventh spot. When they face a left handed pitcher, Jason Michaels will still inhabit the second spot. |
Our View: Cabrera had better improve fairly quickly or the Indians might decide to recall Josh Barfield from the minors to battle for playing time at second base.
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| Dioner Navarro was able to play in an extended spring training game on Wednesday and though he didn't bat because of his injured hand, he did throw out a runner trying to steal, this according to the St. Petersberg Times. |
Our View: There is still no timetable for his return to the Rays, but when he is recalled it is not clear whom the Rays will demote be it either Mike DiFelice or Shawn Riggans.
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| Francis Beltran was designated for assignment as the Tigers purchased the contract of Armando Galarraga, this according to The Sports Network. |
Our View: Beltran had allowed 10 baserunners with a 5.79 ERA in five appearances, so the Tigers decided to give Galarraga and his 2.25 ERA in 12 innings with the Mud Hens a shot.
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| Craig Italiano, a 2005 second-round draft choice, allowed one unearned run in 4.1 innings and struck out 10 batters on Tuesday at Low-A. |
Our View: Italiano missed most of last season due to injury. He is making a fine comeback thus far with 24 strikeouts in 14 innings.
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| Chris Parmelee, the 20th overall pick in the 2006 draft, went 3-for-5 with a home run and seven RBI on Tuesday. He is now hitting .351-4-14 this season. |
Our View: Parmelee hit only .239 last season with a very high strikeout rate, so his rebound is encouraging. Still, the 20-year-old is very far away from becoming worth realistic fantasy keeper consideration.
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| Jeff Clement hit his third home run of the season on Tuesday night, and he is now hitting .419 for the season after going 2-for-5 for Triple-A Tacoma. |
Our View: Are Jose Vidro and Richie Sexson looking over their shoulders yet? Neither is having a particularly productive offensive season yet, and it would not be shocking if the Mariners made a switch at some point if the current pattern continues.
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| The Twins have stated that even if Michael Cuddyer is not ready to play the outfield by Sunday, he still could come off the DL, according to MLB.com. Manager Rob Gardenhire commented on Tuesday that he wouldn't hesitate to use Cuddyer in a DH role if he could throw in an emergency situation. |
Our View: This is favorable news for the Twins' outfielder.
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| As expected, Reggie Willits has been sent down to Triple-A Salt Lake, according to the AP. He was sent down to get more at-bats, as he only registered one plate appearance with the Angels this season. |
Our View: He held no fantasy value in the early going while confined to the bench, and he will benefit from the playing time in Triple-A.
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| The Angels have recalled rookie righty Alex Serrano from Triple-A Salt Lake, according to the AP. The team sent down outfielder Reggie Willits, which freed up the roster spot for Serrano. |
Our View: Serrano has never pitched in the majors, and went 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA in five games with Salt Lake this season.
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| Chad Moeller is expected to make another start at catcher for the Yankees tonight as they battle the rival Red Sox, according to the Boston Globe. He will bat ninth in the order, and Jorge Posada will notably handle the DH role. |
Our View: Moeller has one hit over six at-bats so far, with two walks and one run scored.
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| Robinson Cano is going to bat eighth in the Yankees' lineup tonight, according to The Boston Globe. He finally hit his first homer, but still only managed 10 hits over his first 57 at-bats, with eight strikeouts. |
Our View: He will have less pressure to hit from the eighth spot, and could still post favorable numbers in the Yankees' strong offense.
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| Melky Cabrera will bat leadoff for the Yankees tonight, according to the Boston Globe. He is hitting 12-for-40 so far with two homers, five RBI, one stolen base, and four walks. |
Our View: He will have a better chance to score runs now, with Derek Jeter back in the lineup. Cabrera has only scored four runs over the first 13 games of the season.
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| Coco Crisp will ride the pine tonight in favor of Jacoby Ellsbury in center field, according to the Boston Globe. |
Our View: Crisp is off to a favorable start as he is hitting 13-for-40, but Ellsbury has too much talent and potential to keep on the bench.
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| Jacoby Ellsbury will start in center field over Coco Crisp tonight, according to the Boston Globe. He will bat leadoff against Yankees' righty Chien-Ming Wang. |
Our View: He is hitting 7-for-35 so far, with one homer and five RBI. He also notched two stolen bases.
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| Joe Thurston has been called up from Triple-A Pawtuckett, according to the Boston Globe. He will fill the roster spot vacated by Alex Cora, who has been placed on the 15-day DL due to his sore elbow. |
Our View: Thurston won't likely see much action during his time with the Red Sox.
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| Alex Cora has officially been placed on the 15-day DL due to his sore elbow, according to the Boston Globe. The team has called up Joe Thurston from Triple-A Pawtuckett to take his place on the roster. |
Our View: Cora held no fantasy value for this season.
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| Jesse Litsch is aiming for a 3-0 start when he takes the hill at home against Texas tonight, according to MLB.com. He only allowed two runs on six hits over 5.2 innings in his previous meeting against Texas this season, and holds a 4-4 career mark over 10 starts in front of the home crowd at the Rogers Centre. |
Our View: He will face Kason Gabbard, who is also unbeaten this season at 1-0. This should be a good duel to follow tonight.
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| The Rangers are set to battle the Blue Jays in Toronto tonight, which is good for Gerald Laird, according to MLB.com. Laird is hitting 11-for-26 over his career in Toronto at the Rogers Centre. |
Our View: He is hitting 8-for-36 so far this season, but ranks as a favorable sleeper option at the position for tonight.
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| Bartolo Colon was seen playing catch with Julian Tavarez in the outfield this afternoon, according to the Boston Globe. Colon has been suffering from a strained right oblique, and is still on the 7-day minor league DL.
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Our View: This is favorable news for Colon.
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| Victor Martinez has racked up six hits over his last eight at-bats, according to MLB.com. He will look to remain hot tonight against pitcher Armando Galarraga and the Tigers. Galarraga is notably being called up from Triple-A to start the game in place of the injured Dontrelle Willis. |
Our View: The elite catcher should remain in all lineups tonight.
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| Ryan Garko has reached base safely in all 14 games for Cleveland this season, and looks to continue his streak tonight against righty Armando Galarraga and the Tigers, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: He will have a good chance to keep it going, as Galarraga will only be making his second career start, and is being called up from Triple-A to pitch.
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| Manager Jim Leyland stated that closer Todd Jones should be available to pitch tonight, despite working the last two nights, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: He has three saves so far this season.
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| Magglio Ordonez is two RBI away from 1,000 for his career, according to MLB.com. He will try to reach the mark tonight against lefty ace CC Sabathia and the Indians. |
Our View: He is hitting 14-for-55 over his career against Sabathia, with four doubles and two triples.
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| Armando Galarraga will be recalled from Triple-A Toledo to make his second Major League start tonight, according to MLB.com. He will take the place of of the injured Dontrelle Willis. The 26-year-old has won each of his first two starts this season at Toledo, while allowing three runs on seven hits over 12 innings with 11 strikeouts. He will be opposed by lefty ace CC Sabathia and the Indians.
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Our View: This is going to be a tough assignment for Galarraga tonight.
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| Jim Thome could be moving down Chicago's batting order, according to The Chicago Tribune. Manager Ozzie Guillen noted that he may move Thome down the batting order to help jump-start him from a slow start, as he is only hitting 7-for-45 so far. Also of note, Thome served his one-game suspension on Thursday. |
Our View: Thome could hit homers from any spot in the lineup, and his fantasy value won't drop that much, if at all.
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| Jason Varitek has not fared well against Chien-Ming Wang, tonight's opposing hurler for New York, according to MLB.com. Varitek only registered one hit over 19 career at-bats against Wang, who is currently 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA. |
Our View: Varitek is worth sitting tonight if you have a more favorable option at the position.
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| Chien-Ming Wang is off to a 3-0 start (with a 1.23 ERA) and is set to battle the Red Sox for the second time this season tonight, according to MLB.com. He notably threw a two-hit complete game in his previous outing against Boston. |
Our View: He will square off against future star Clay Buchholz, who will be looking for his first win of the season. This should be another great battle in the classic rivalry between New York and Boston.
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| Alex Cora is headed for the DL, according to The Boston Herald. He could be put on the shelf as soon as today due to his sore elbow. He stated, "If I’m not 100 percent, I’m not going to play, so why be here, you know. I get healthy and I don’t have to be thinking, ‘Oh, I have to show up and play tomorrow.’ I don’t have to push myself too hard. When I’m healthy, I’m healthy." The team hasn't decided if they want to replace him with another infielder or pitcher on the roster.
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Our View: The 32-year old infielder holds no fantasy value for this season.
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| Brandon Inge is going to return to the bench when center fielder Curtis Granderson comes back, and the team commented on the situation, according to the Detroit News. Manager Jim Leyland noted, "He'll swing from place to place, and I think he'll get a lot of at-bats, but he understands that when things straighten out, he won't be a regular. That's just the way it is. He's aware of that. I'm sure he's not happy about it, but he'll handle it the best he can."
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Our View: His fantasy stock will start to drop when Granderson comes back, but he is still worth holding onto as a reserve, in case someone gets hurt. Inge is a great utility man, who can literally play any position.
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| Curtis Granderson had a favorable first session of batting practice on Tuesday, according to the Detroit News. Granderson commented, "Pretty much free of pain, just a little bit here and there. It felt all right, but everything looked kind of funny, being outside for the first time with the cage around me and hitting coach Lloyd McClendon behind me yelling at me about this, that and the other. But it was definitely positive. Hopefully, I'll continue to move forward. There were a few timing issues with my swing though. I could probably play right now, but it's a combination of the pain/ready issue. There's no way I'd be able to jump in there right now. I'd be overmatched." Manager Jim Leyland added, "We're happy with the progress he's making, but we're not going to rush it."
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Our View: This is good news for Granderson, but the team will need to find a way to keep the hot hitting Brandon Inge in action when he returns.
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| Ian Kennedy is on schedule to start on Saturday, according to the NY Daily News. He reported no problems after being hit under his right hip by a line drive on Monday night. |
Our View: This is good news for the Yankees' young hurler.
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| Jorge Posada made around 45 throws in the outfield yesterday, while testing out his strained right shoulder for the second consecutive day, according to the NY Daily News. Manager Joe Girardi noted that he will not be getting a cortisone shot, and Posada commented that he felt better and is getting closer to resuming his role at catcher. |
Our View: This is favorable news for Posada, and his fantasy stock should go back up soon.
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| Scott Rolen could return in about two weeks as a best-case scenario, according to the Toronto Star. Manager John Gibbons commented that he's pleased by what he's seen of Rolen during these two games in Baltimore, as he is recovering from a broken finger. Gibbons added, "I thought he looked really good. He looks ahead of where I'd expect him to be (after watching him take batting practice with the team)." Rolen will return to Florida today to continue his rehab. |
Our View: This is favorable news, and it looks like he is still on pace to return by the end of the month.
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| Justin Duchscherer threw at 140 feet and then did some more vigorous flat ground throwing. He's scheduled for a rehab start on Monday and could rejoin the A's rotation in Seattle on April 26, according to the SF Chronicle. He is recovering from a strained right biceps. |
Our View: This is favorable news in his progress.
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| Reggie Willits could be headed to Triple-A, according to the LA Times. He is getting very little playing time with the Angels (only one plate appearance), and the team would send him down to get in some at-bats. The move would also allow them to call up an infielder for depth while Howie Kendrick is out. |
Our View: He is useless as a fantasy prospect right now, and some at-bats in Triple-A would help him.
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| J.P. Arencibia, the 21st overall pick in the 2007 draft, hit his second homer in as many days on Tuesday. He is now hitting .300-3-12 at High-A Dunedin this season. |
Our View: Toronto’s farm system is loaded with catchers, but Arencibia is already making a name for himself. Arencibia showed in college that he has big offensive potential, and he could be a terrific future fantasy commodity if he can stick behind the plate.
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| Wes Hodges went 3-for-4 with two home runs and seven RBI for Double-A Akron on Tuesday. He is now hitting .370-4-15 this season. |
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