Wolfie's driving the DiceK bandwagon, jump on

Watched some of the Daisuke spring training start today. He didn't have his command and still threw 6 innings of no hit baseball. Lets be serious, this guy is a cant miss. I love that little zen warrior. The guy throws 8 pitches for strikes in any count. His change might be his best pitch and it has a rare screwball movement to it (ppl call it the gyro). He gets swings and misses on his fastball when its in the strike zone, not just guys chasing. His right arm MRI came back shockingly flawless despite throwing 250 pitches in a 17 inning HS game and 588 pro innings before he was 21. Hes poetry in motion on the mound. Noone conducted the orchestra like vintage Pedro, but this guy reminds me of him in terms of presence. He doesn't get rattled, absolute stone cold assassin. He doesn't use ice on his arm, seriously, ever. He is going to throw multiple complete games this season. They say he will have even more movement and velocity on his pitches due to the american baseball which is slightly larger and has bigger seems. His first start comes on April 5th (right before Lauzons spike TV premiere) and he will face Ichiro as his first hitter in a MLB game. The same Ichiro who he struck out three times in the same game when he was 21 years old pitching for Seibu. I'm officially driving the Daisuke bandwagon, get on while you can.

-Hansen came in and let up 5 runs and looked terrible. This sucks. The guy has lidge stuff but just can't throw strikes when its important. Been waiting on him to get right for a long time now. Send him to Paw.

-Tough news for the Yankees. Wang will miss most, if not all, of April with a hamstring pull. He has been their anchor and now your looking at Pavano starting opening day. Kei Igawa throws 85 and was a #3 in Japan, the NL hit Pettite for a .280 avg last year and hes already suffering back spasms, and Mussina is coming off a solid year but is 39. Uh, people are worried about our rotation now with JP closing? NYY are gonna need Phil Hughes to be ready for the show soon.

Take the over, Delmon, Cano-verated

- In all objectivity, the line on the Red Sox win total is a gift. Its set at 91 wins which means you need to pound the over if you like winning money. Sox are gonna cruise to 96. They went out and broke the bank Yankees style and improved everywhere. You gotta remember last years team was on their way to win somewhere in the high 90's until they tanked at the end with Ortiz/Manny injuries. That team did not have a deep lineup. We depended on the 3/4 hitters for a significantly higher percentage of our output and it was evident when they went down. 86 wins last season with that tank job, Beckett sucking, and Jason Johnson starting? That was a 95 win team when healthy and this offseason we add DiceK, a good hitter for the 5 hole, and a shortstop who can hit. Then your looking at a healthy Crisp and a likely rebound year for Beckett, who people forget is only the same age as Papelbon. So the logic is we win 86 games with injuries, get better and healthy in the offseason, and only need to improve 5 games? 91 isn't even fair, take the over.

- I love outfielders with absolute hoses. Ichiro holds it down as the overall best when you add in his accuracy. Vladdy wins in the pure power arm category. Alex Rios is a young guy with one of the better cannons out there. Immediately thrown into the mix now though is Delmon Young. That kid is a Ken Griffey Jr type prospect and his arm is just as good as the rest of his game. He gunned some guy down at 3rd last year that blew my mind but I couldn't find the clip. I did find another pretty impressive one though. Go here and click 'Young saves a run' on September 16th.

- I want to talk about Robinson Cano and we'll start with his fluky.342 average. Looks can be deceiving and Cano's 2006 was a prime example. Luck in baseball can sometimes be reflected by a stat called batting average for balls in play. BABIP is used for both hitters and pitchers but lets look at it for hitters right now. It's basically just what percentage of the balls that you hit fall in for base hits. A random spike over one year with BABIP is usually due to luck as more of your balls happened to find the holes in the defense than normal, and your batting average will increase with it. In 2006 some people experienced a spike in BABIP that was not in line with their career numbers including Jeter, Freddy Sanchez, Tejada, Wells, and Cano. Notice that means those guys all hit for averages that were way over their career batting averages. Not always, but usually that means a regression is coming. Cano isn't going to hit .342 again, hes going to hit around .300 flat. And while your thinking that still makes him a good hitter, you need to look a little deeper again.

That Yankee lineup is scary good. They wear pitchers out by seeing a ton of pitches and getting on base for the power bats to drive them in. Only one hitter in that lineup is impatient, Robinson Cano. He might hit .300, but he will sucks at getting on base. Just how impatient is Cano? Well Cano saw 3.05 pitches per plate appearance last season which ranks him dead last out of all the hitters in major league baseball. Cano would need to hit .330 just to get on base at the league average. The high batting average looks nice and all, but in reality Cano actually hurts that lineup.

Add in the fact that Cano is an absolute butcher in the field (17 errors), and the overall picture doesn't look that great. See I don't think he sucks, hes a nice little player, but the fluke .342 season has everyone gushing while proclaiming him one of the best hitters in that lineup and a perennial batting title contender. The guy will hit for a decent average and will take the same number of walks as errors he'll make. The kid is far from being a stud.

Cubs, JP/Closer, Bill Hall - Whats in a name?

- Ross calls the Cubs a poor mans Red Sox and I agree. Wrigley/Fenway, the World Series drought, AL/NL, high payroll vs higher payroll, etc. Well anyway, I was thinking about the Cubs and they have some serious talent this year. If things pan out they could come out of the NL in October. Matt Murton and Jacque Jones are solid role players with some pop at the corner outfield positions. Cubs went out and paid Soriano some serious cash to come play Center Field. He should provide some real power, speed, and production in this lineup. I don't think he replicates last year, but anything close is going to add wins and let you ignore his defense. The middle infielders are nothing special, but Izturis is slick with the glove. If Derrek Lee comes back and picks up where he left off when he was healthy, then you get a top 5 player. Lee is a gold glover and in '05 he hit a ridiculous .335 and cranked 45 dingers with 50 doubles. At third base you've got Aramis Ramirez who started slow last season but came on strong and hit a quiet 38 HR. Aramis has real life power. Hes still young and could always take another leap. Then you got Michael Barrett behind the plate who doesn't mind punching Pierzynski in the temple, or turning into one of the better hitting catchers in the NL. Thats a nice looking team on paper. D-Lee, Soriano, Aramis is a monster 3/4/5 or however they decide to hit them. Wild man Zambrano is a top 10 pitcher and anchors the staff. Who knows what you'll get from Wood/Prior. Keep your eye on Rich Hill though, filthy curveball. He could do some damage in the rotation this season.

- Closer situation for the Sox is still wide open. Piniero has been pitching better but still who knows with his new mechanics and resume of crappyness. Timlin seems like a long shot. Tavarez? Are you kidding me? No thanks. MDC and Hansen need to pitch well in a regular role first.

I wish we had Papelbon back there still. If his health, and the health of the staff, permit it, he could be back closing at some point. Especially if Lester is ready for the rotation. Papelbon can be a solid starter, but he can be a dominant closer for years to come. The kid has the attitude, composure, and explosive fastball to rack up important K's like he did last year. When he is only pitching one inning, he can let it fly and throw 97. (I just picture A-Rod chasing that high exploding heater and love it.) Over the course of 7 innings he needs to pace himself and sit around 92. He still needs to refine his curve and other secondary pitches before he can be lights out as a starter. You'll see some hanging curves get smoked over the fence this season. Its going to be weird to see JP fail sometimes like a normal human. I was always an advocate of moving him back to a SP, but now I would feel more comfortable with him trotting out to slam the door shut in the 9th on a nightly basis. The way you can sum it up is by asking a NYY fan what they would rather have us do. They'll tell you how happy they are to not have to face JP in the 9th. It was a huge mental edge. More so than the stats will show. Quality SP is scarce in the league right now and I'm sure Theo and Co. will figure out if hes more valuable throwing a solid 200 innings as a SP, or a dominant 70 innings as a closer.

Ideally the closer role is filled internally, but don't let the Sox convince you they aren't exploring other options. Nipper was scouting Turnbow from the Brewers and Julio from the Diamondbacks this week. Rumor was that we also inquired about Armando Benitez from SF, Linebrink the Padres setup man, Brad Lidge, and most interestingly Chad Cordero of the Nationals. I really don't know what we are going to do, some bullpen depth would be nice though. I would love to see Cordero in a Sox uniform personally.

- I have a theory on Bill Hall and why casual baseball fans do not even know who he is. Bill Hall belted 35 hr with a .900 OPS for the Brewers last year while playing SS, 3B, 2B, and CF. Someone with that kind of power and versatility must be invaluable right? Well he was only worth a 4yr/24m contract extension. 6m per yr is a lot of money for the Brewers to hand out, but not much when you consider we signed Lugo for 4yr/36m in the same offseason. Remember we signed Lugo for his offense. Lugo had a slightly better batting average than Hall, but didn't share his power (12HR, .762 OPS). So why does Bill Hall fly under the radar? First of all, Hall plays in Milwaukee. Low budget NL teams don't get the same sportscenter burn as the AL East soap operas. Second of all, Hall is labeled as a utility man. Instead of that being a positive connotation, its incorrectly perceived as him not being good enough to stick to one position. Its strange how that works. If he was a full time SS he would have led the league in HR at his position. Third, the fans and people who were aware of and followed Halls big year, think it was fluky. Hall jumped from 17HR to 35HR and ppl expect a large regression to the norm in '07. In reality a small regression is expected, but those 35HR were not luck, Hall absolutely improved. He increased his fly ball rate, stopped consciously trying to hit HR, and hit the same amount of doubles as he did the year before. My last reason why Bill Hall is underrated? Its his name. Bill Hall is a generic, boring, white guy's name. The simple name compounds with the lack of a definitive position to keep Bill Hall from having his own identity. Don't worry though, the Brewers know what they've got. It looks like Hall's bat speed and versatility has won him a more consistent role this season. Hall is penciled in to be the every day CF and cleanup hitter for the Brew Crew. I expect another 30HR and some big numbers hitting in the meat of that order.

Down on the Farm 2007 - Matt Costello

Costello sent me his first installment of DOTF this season. Its self explanatory, but you should pay attention considering his other pieces read like horoscopes if look at them now. Anyway, here you go...

It appears that Theo’s goal of supplementing the big budget free agents the Red Sox are able to sign with homegrown, cost-controlled talent is coming to fruition. With All-Star pitcher Jonathan Papelbon moving into the 3^rd starter role this season, Jon Lester waiting in the wings in AAA as the “6^th starter”, Manny Delcarmen and Craig Hansen looking for breakout seasons in the bullpen, and Kevin Youkilis / Dustin Pedroia making up two-fifths of the Red Sox infield this season, the kids are starting to filter in. However, these names might just be the tip of the iceberg. In this year’s first edition of Down on the Farm, let’s take a look at Soxprospects.com Top 10 prospects heading into this season.

1) Jacoby Ellsbury-CF Expected Level: AA

Jacoby is a going to be a bona-fide MLB centerfielder. Ellsbury runs very well, has line drive power, and flashes a great glove. He moved from Wilmington to Portland last season, and hit .300 at each level. Ellsbury has a knack for getting on base and causing havoc. Could benefit from not being rushed up due to a crowded OF situation the Sox have, with super talents like Manny, JD Drew, Coco Crisp, and Wily Mo Pena all locked up through at least 2008. If Ellsbury progresses into AAA by the end of the minor league season, he could certainly make Coco Crisp expendable, or be traded himself next off-season.

Matt’s Grade: B+

2) Clay Bucholz Expected Level: AA

The 22-year old right hander had a breakout season in 2006. Clay simply dominated A ball last season, starting in Greenville, throwing 103 innings, striking out 126 while walking only 26, sporting an ERA of 2.62. This earned him a late promotion along with fellow prospect Michael Bowden to high-A Wilmington late in the season where he proceeded to throw 16 innings, striking out 23 while walking only 4, posting an ERA of 1.13. Clay was drafted in 2005, and has since rapidly progressed through the system. Most of the season he sits at at 93-94 with his 4-seamer, however late in the season he topped out in the high 90s. His secondary pitches are well-developed for his age and experience, sporting a slider, changeup, curveball, and a sinker. Expected to begin the season in Portland or Lancaster (the new Sox high-A team), Bucholz is certainly a potential front of the rotation starter by mid-2008.

Matt’s Grade: A-

3) Michael Bowden Expected Level: High-A/AA

The other half of my “dynamic duo” of starting pitching prospects in the minors right now, Bowden may actually have a higher ceiling than Clay, but will likely take a little longer to reach it. Think Jon Lester to JP. Bowden is a 20-year old two years removed from High School who has already advanced to high A Ball. Throws a low-90s moving fastball which tops in the mid 90s, and will probably gain velocity as he adds bulk to his frame, and also sports a hard 12-6 curve, a slider, and a circle-changeup. Like Bucholz, he began 2006 in Greenville, and threw 107 innings, striking out 118 and walking 31. He was promoted for one start only to Wilmington late in the season, and did not have a great outing. He pitched 5 innings, allowed 9 hits and 5 runs all earned. This has been the only bump in the road in an otherwise stellar minor league career thus far. Like Bucholz, the Red Sox are not going to rush Bowden. He will probably pitch a bulk of his season in Wilmington then finish off in AA if and when Bucholz is promoted to Pawtucket towards the end of the season. Could be a great number 2 to Bucholz number 1 down the line, or great trade bait next off-season.

Matt’s Grade- B+

4) Dustin Pedroia - Starting 2B

Much of you know who Pedroia is by now, and those who do are not worried at all about Theo and Tito turning over the 2B duties to the 23-yr old out of Arizona State. A former “Golden Spikes” award winner at SS for defensive player of the year in college, Pedroia has hit .300 at every level of the minors. Reportedly slimmed down this off-season and added some lean muscle, which has allowed him to potentially add some major league doubles and home run power to his game. Will probably post an OPS in the mid 700s this season while turning in good D. Fenway fans will come to love this dirt-dog type at 2B this season, and hopefully for many seasons to come. Is ranked a little lower since 2B ceilings are typically lower then other positions, but Pedrioa is the kind of prospect who can hop right in and be a winner. Teammates at all levels of the minors rave about this kid.

Matt’s Grade: B+

5) Bryce Cox Expected Level: High A/AA

Cox is a closer of the future candidate who will begin his season pitching in Lancaster for the Sox high-A affiliate. Cox was drafted out of Rice University where he had an interesting senior season. Half-way through the year, he came down with a case of the yips, and he lost complete command of the strike-zone. Bryce took a couple of weeks off, and came back with a new delivery. Cox absolutely dominated the College World Series, not allowing an ER in 15 innings pitched. The Sox drafted him in the 3^rd round. Cox is blessed with a sinking high 90s fastball and a lights-out slider. In 30 minor league innings last season, Cox struck out 32 and walked 11, while allowing only 3 earned runs. Cox has the kind of arm that can progress rapidly through the system. However, as the Sox learned with Craig Hansen, a little seasoning is probably best. For that reason alone, expect to see Cox get all his work in the minors this season and compete for a bullpen job in 2008.

Matt’s Grade: B+

6) Daniel Bard Expected Level: High A

Bard, the Sox 1^st round draft choice in the 2006 draft, is an exciting starting pitching prospect. Coming out of North Carolina, the 6-4, 200lb right hander throws an “effortless” 98-100 MPH fastball with little movment but good command. His secondary pitches need some refinement, but they include a changeup in the low 80s, a sinker in the low 90s, and a slurve in high 70s. Bard has a very smooth delivery and was clocked at 98 as far as the 8^th and 9^th innings of most starts last year. Combined with Andrew Miller to form one of the most formidable one-two punches in the game. A toolsy pick, which is unlike Theo’s past drafts, Bard has an incredibly high ceiling but will likely not reach the parent club until 2009.

Matt’s Grade: B-

7) George Kottaras Expected Level: AA/AAA

The catcher acquired for David Wells at the end of August last season will probably slot into Pawtucket this season for the majority of his ABs. Figures to be the heir apparent to Jason Varitek. Great patience at the plate and his 15-20 HR potential at the major league level. Bats and throws left-handed, catching skills are ok, but game-calling supposedly great. Has caught knuckle-baller Steve Sparks before, and could be the Sox backup catcher in 2008, then take over the starting job in ’09.

Matt’s Grade- B

8) Justin Masterson Expected Level: High A

Masterson was the Red Sox 2^nd round draft pick out of San Diego State, and he flourished as a relief pitcher in Lowell last season. He threw 31 innings, struck out 33 and walked only 2 as a RP. This season, Masterson will return to his natural role of a starting pitcher, where he flashes a Derek Lowe-type repertoire with the good sinker in the low 90s, a slider in the 80s, as well as a good straight change in the low 80s with some fade to it. Masterson will likely be a reliever at some point in the future, but this season the Sox are giving him some more innings to develop his secondary pitches. Could be a dark-horse BP candidate in 2008.

Matt’s Grade: B

9) Jason Place Expected Level: Mid-A

Place was the Red Sox other 1^st round pick in the 2006 draft. A 5-tool potential outfielder, Place started last season in the GCL, where he posted a .839 OPS with 4 HR’s and 3 SB’s in 30 games. Place was drafted out of high school, and tends to strike out a bit much, but he does get on-base, slug well, and play great corner OF defense. Look for Place to have a good season and end up in Lancaster before the end of the minor league season. Definitely a few years away from the Bigs, but has a high ceiling.

Matt’s Grade: B-

10) Lars Anderson Expected Level: Mid-A

Perhaps the most intriguing and highest ceiling prospect in the system, Anderson was a 14^th round draft pick by the Red Sox this past year. The highest rated HS corner infielder, there were concerns by many teams that he would not sign and instead go to college. The Red Sox were able to sign him, and the big lefty could make some noise sooner than later in the system. Lars is 6-4, 215 lbs, and clubbed 14 HR’s in a mere 70 AB’s his senior year of high school. Anderson brings what the Sox system has lacked since Theo took over, a high ceiling, power hitting, corner infielder. Lars is definitely a few years away, however I am particularly interested in watching him develop this season.

Matt’s Grade: Inc.

Schill's Dream Team

Saw this on Schilling's blog and thought it was interesting. I like how he described Vlad because I one hundred percent agree. The man looks like his bones are creaking until you see him stealing bases and hitting tomahawk home runs. Anyway, check it out...

"Anonymous question: If you could have a ‘Super’ Team who would be in your lineup?

Schilling's response: Fun one. Starting 9 with a DH, and SP, from todays players? No payroll limit?

C-Jason Varitek – As good a handler of pitching staffs as anyone I’ve ever been around, coach or player. Not to mention he brings value in the clubhouse as well. I have heard Joe Mauer is this same kind of presence, but he brings some pretty incredible offensive tools that no other catcher in the game possesses. I’ll stick with what I know though and that makes Tek an easy choice.

1B- Albert Pujols – There are some other great ones here, Morneau is a stud, Helton, Ryan Howard. I love Lyle Overbay as well. But Albert is doing things no ones ever done, ever, and when you are doing things that have never been done in a game that’s over 100 years old, that’s something.

2B-Chase Utley- I don’t know a lot about him defensively but his production at a position that doesn’t have a lot of power is huge. If I had to pick this based on defense I’d go with Orlando Hudson hands down.

3B-Scott Rolen-Personal bias here since I had the good fortune of being his teammate. Along with Junior Spivey he’s the best athlete I’ve ever played with. Opening day in 1997, 9th innning, 1 run game, Brett Butler hits a spinning chopper over the 3rd base bag, Scott, running to his right, backhands the ball, falling into foul territory, spins and throws sidearm, perfect chest high strike on the bag. Still one of the better plays I’ve ever seen. Not to mention the guy runs the bases to perfection.

SS-Derek Jeter-Lots of good choices here but Derek may be the only guy in the game that you’d not be able to find someone that had something negative to say. He’s money on the games biggest stage and an often overlooked fact is that he plays every single day. Tejada is another one. He brings an immense amount of energy to the field and he plays to win. For pure defense I’d pick Alex Gonzalez with no one even a close second. I will argue until I die that he’s the best defensive shortstop that ever played. I still think he played the best defensive season in the games history last year. Chuck the range charts or whatever ‘scientific’ method is used, this guy was a stud from pitch one until the end of the season.

LF-Jason Bay-I think he’s a stud. Unfortunately he’s almost invisible in Pittsburgh. I don’t know much about him other than the few times I’ve faced him but he has put up some incredible numbers and I thought he was a pretty good defensive player as well. If it were pure offense I’d pick Manny hands down, twice on Sunday. Manny is still the best pure hitter I’ve ever played with. Matsui is, in my opinion, horrifically underrated as a run producer. The Yankee lineup is drastically different when he’s not in it.

CF-Andruw Jones-I’d pick him just to watch him shag during BP. He’s so incredibly gifted it’s unfair. I had a chance to get to know him when we were on the MLB team that toured Japan after the 1997 season and I was blown away at what a nice and respectful young kid he was, and he was a kid. Didn’t he hit 2 HR in a world series game when he was like 15?

RF-Vladimir Guerrero-Most plate coverage in the game. Can hit a ball a foot off the outside corner down the RF line and deep. Cannon for an arm. The funny thing about Vlad is that if you watch him doing something other than running or hitting he looks like he’s got a broken back. He limps around right up to the point where he beats you. Ichiro would be another great choice, incredible athlete. Bobby Abreu, JD Drew are both in for big years as well I think. Both can run, throw and grind out AB’s.

DH-Who else? David Ortiz-I think he’s in the midst of one of the better offense runs in baseball history. Though I think you could argue that Travis Hafner is every bit as good or at least getting there. Hafner continues to amaze me with his ability to manage the strike zone. He’ll chase every now and then but most times, against me anyway, he chases ‘good’ bad balls. He chases in areas he’s looking, as opposed to guys that chase just because they are swinging.

SP-Johan Santana-True legit ace. To me the earmark of an ace is innings. I think it’s far and away a SP most important stat. If you’re good, and you compile innings, the other numbers all take care of themselves. He’s dominant and he carries that to the mound with his presence. There are others I’d be more than ok with as well. Brandon Webb, Roy Oswalt, Ben Sheets, Josh, John Lackey, healthy Pedro, Carpenter, Halladay, Rich Harden, Sabathia, Verlander, Bonderman. True #1’s are guys who, if you don’t win on the day they start, everyone is stunned, I think every one of these guys brings that in spades. The guy that even on a bad day is going to get you through the 6th inning. That’s what I think about Halladay everytime he pitches.

-Here are my starting nine right quick...

C Joe Mauer - Preparation meeting one of the sweetest swings you will ever see. They say Mauer is athletic enough to play gold glove defense at 3rd if need be.

1B Ryan Howard - Pujols is in a league of his own. After him, then there is some debate who you take. For me its Big Ryan Howard. Supposedly the crack of his bat on contact is louder than anyone else in baseball.

2B Chase Utley - Great hitter at a weak hitting position. Butcher in the field though.

3B Miguel Cabrera - Can't play D like Wright, but is pulling away from him at the plate. Cabrera's ceiling is limitless. You probably didn't know he has a cannon arm too.

SS Derek Jeter - Could be Reyes or Hanley in a few years. Jeter is a pro though. He would be the captain of this fake team.

LF Carl Crawford - Burner, power numbers are trending up. Covers ground on defense. Take Manny if you need a slugger.

CF Carlos Beltran - Nobody makes it look easier at the plate or in the field.

RF Vlad Guerrero - People are saying he had an off year last season, kidding me? The guy hits .330 in his sleep. Also has the most powerful outfield arm of our generation.

Baseball Watch, Fantasy Thoughts

Decided to make a small comeback on here so I don't overload the aim profile. I've been reading baseball material in preparation for fantasy and I wanna throw in some "keep your eye on" comments. I'll try to keep it at one per position. Most are under 25 and on the rise or prospects.

1B Adrian Gonzalez SD- I gave you Ryan Howard last year, but no one is going to break out like that. Adrian Gonzalez is just a polished machine. His lefty stroke reminds you of a young Raffy Taffy Palmeiro. Expect him to hit about 30 bombs with a high average.

2B Howie Kendrick - He struggled last year after the call to the majors but don't expect that to continue. His quick wrists and minor league track record say that Vlad won't be the only hitter in that lineup.

3B Miguel Cabrera Fla - Needs to be mentioned for the fact that he is still under appreciated on the national level. Cabrera is a small market Pujols. A pure hitter that I can see making the hall of fame. Miggy came into the majors at 20 years old and hit .300 with a ton of power, already all star level. The thing is he has improved both seasons since then. He hit .340 last season. His walks are trending up and his strikeouts are trending down. Another nominee for the sweetest right handed swing on earth competition. Wonder where he ends up after Florida can't pay him.

SS Stephen Drew - Drew has all the talent in the world and is ready to put together a nice season for the Diamondbacks. We just paid his older brother 70 million and Steve doesn't share the same DL tendencies. Some sleeper potential in fantasy.

C Joe Mauer - Noone else is really in his class at the position. McCann could breakout, and Victor Martinez is very good, but Mauer is a great hitter. Joe hitting .350 over the course of the season is no fluke. this kid can handle anyone. In terms of fantasy, the 13 hr left something to be desired, but Mauer is a doubles machine and more of those will leave the park as his body matures. Defense is top notch also, scouts say hes athletic enough to be a gold glover at 3rd base.

RF Delmon Young TB- Yea, hes making the list again. If he didn't huz a bat at an ump and get booted for 75 games, he would have arrived earlier. His ceiling is real high, we'll see how quickly he makes a run at it. He has a hose and also can run pretty well. Tampa will be tougher this year if Young and Upton blow up.

CF Grady Sizemore Cle - He needs to be on here. Last year he made the leap to to star level. If he improves again this year, you could be looking at an MVP candidate. Grady is a treat to watch. Kid plays balls out, diving into walls, dirt dog. You don't expect 30 HR from a wiry 200 pounder, but Grady has that kind of power. Only downfall is strikeouts, and hitting .214 against leftys. Also led the majors in runs scored as he leads off for the tribe.

P Phil Hughes NYY - Once NY figures out Igawa is bad, and Pavano gets hurt, Hughes will be in the majors. Untouchable in the minors and the top prospect in all of baseball. Power pitcher with pinpoint control, 34 walks and 168 k's. Has ace potential down the road.

P Cole Hamels Phi - Kid has all the talent in the world. Filthy stuff and the K numbers to prove it. He started last year in AAA with 36k's and 1 walk before being called up. His heater is mid 90's, but his plus plus change is one of the best in the game. If he makes 30 starts, King Cole will win 20.

Fantasy OF - In fantasy, outfield is the deepest position. The top seven are pretty much interchangeable in terms of value. You gotta just decide what your looking for and see what happens. Heres that lucky seven.
Crawford - speed and improving
Soriano - 46hr/41sb
Vlad - only 31 yrs old, hits .330 career
Beltran - lower batting avg but excels everywhere else
Sizemore - see above description
Berkman - same OPS as Ortiz
Manny - literally never had a down year.

Diamondbacks - That farm system has been loaded for awhile, now three blue chippers should have starting jobs. Chris Young and Carlos Quentin are penciled in as two of the other outfield starters. Young is a top of the order guy who can do it all, Quentin is just a power machine. Keep your eye on that team. A lot of young talent that should be nice to follow.