Within a 24 hour window I learned Miguel Montero and Aaron Hill were heading to the DL, Jimmy Rollins probably will as well, and Derrek Lee left his game early due to injury. In one league, that means a third of my hitters are on the shelf and I have at least two key players out now in all three leagues.

If you are facing the injury bug like me, here are four things to consider this early in the fantasy baseball season.

Take solace in the fact that these injuries are happening now and not in September, in the playoffs or when the final scoring push is on. I’m fortunate the bulk of the damage is in my head-to-head leagues, meaning I can suffer through a few weeks of short-handed play, hopefully making it up later in the year.

Avoid overreacting to injury. Use your DL slot(s) and while you may have to drop that sleeper pick, don’t make mistakes with the roster this early on. For me, Aaron Hill and Jimmy Rollins should have plenty of time to produce in 2010. The news on Derrek Lee is positive. Unfortunately I did need to drop Montero in one league, since it is looking like he’ll be out at least six weeks and I needed the roster space.

Don’t get taken advantage of. It’s easy to compromise value for what really are short-term benefits. If you’re like some of the managers I play against (or me from time to time), they’re chomping at the bit to offer a few lower-value options for the a stud player on the rebound. Make trades if they make sense, but don’t trade away talent this early in the season.

Assess the damage and react accordingly. Ask yourself what scoring categories you’re losing out on most with injuries and try to make moves to compensate. A more risky tactic is to overcompensate in core strengths, so you’ll hopefully have trade bait later in the year. It’s all dependent on what’s available in the free agent pool.

Injuries suck, no matter when they happen but they certainly take some of the fun out of the game when they happen early on. No one likes to start a season short-handed. That said, it is still early and there are a lot of games and moves to be made. Hopefully some of the karma will shift back your way as the summer heats up.

This year I’ve outlined draft results and initial perspectives for the three fantasy baseball leagues I am participating in this year.

As the season rolls on, the goal is to also document and archive trades and acquisitions made via the comment system and welcome your opinions and perspective.

Here are links to the draft results and rosters for my three fantasy baseball teams in 2010.

2010 Fantasy Baseball Draft Strategy and Results

2010 Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Autodraft Team & Scorecard

2010 Fantasy Baseball Team with Babes Love Baseball

Best of luck with your 2010 fantasy baseball seasons!

While not the most elegant of interfaces, I update it regularly for purposes of keeping up to date with player and team moves in the off-season. Hope you find it of value and feel free to drop comments or suggestions below.

I was able to pick up Justin Verlander, Ricky Nolasco, Scott Downs, Huston Street, Michael Wuertz and Dan Meyer via free agency. Verlander and possibly Street should be the only surprises here (luck based off of owners with itchy trigger fingers).

This is why I try never to use early round draft picks for starting pitching.

Inevitably, quality starters will emerge from mid-to-late round draft selections and even free agency. According to Yahoo rankings, 13 of the top 25 starting pitchers in this particular league could have been drafted in the 10th round or later.

Patient managers should also be able to grab waiver wire or free agent gems at some point during the season. It’s possible to catch a pitcher in a hot streak or at least in line for favorable matchups. Pay attention to ball parks, split statistics and historic trends.

I find the most likely times to get good starters are in early May, when managers cut bait with guys who could turn out to be duds and mid-June and late August, when Triple-A prospects often get called up.

And if this is not enough reason, consider this: of the 19 starting pitchers who began the season in the top 100, only five are still ranked there. More importantly, only Tim Lincecum, Johan Santana, Roy Halladay and Dan Haren justify being selected in the fifth round or earlier (out of about eight or nine possible selections).

If the season were to end today, guys like Zack Greinke, Javier Vázquez and Chris Carpenter would certainly merit early round consideration and none of these guys where drafted earlier than round nine or ten this year.

Just remember that next year, it will be certain that someone like Matsuzaka, Gallardo or maybe Garza will emerge as a top starter and those guys will get picked somewhere in the middle to end of next season’s draft.

Photo: Brian Snyder/Reuters

Fortunately for Big Papi, he’s not the only major league slugger facing a home run drought this year. Here’s a look at ten more players who’ve been disappointments in the power department thus far this season (listed in alphabetical order).

Bobby Abreu …2 HR’s


Abreu’s .300 batting average and 15 stolen bases help make up for only 2 HR’s thus far this season but it’s a far cry from the hitter who knocked in 20 or more home runs in eight of the past ten years.


Garrett Atkins …5 HR’s


Atkins’ season has been such a disappointment that management has talked about a demotion to Triple-A to right the ship. 2 HR’s last Thursday should help but the player who was suppose help alleviate the Rockies’ loss of Matt Holiday is still hitting under .200 for the season.


Pat Burrell …1 HR


Pat Burrell’s move to the AL East has not gone as planned. Currently on the disabled list and having hit only one home run all year, Burrell has a long way to go for a player who’s averaged nearly 28 HR’s per season for his career.


Vladimir Guerrero …1 HR


While an injury to Guerrero’s pectoral muscle certainly has not helped, the historically great slugger has only hit 1 home run in 74 at-bats. To put this in perspective, Guerrero has hit HR’s every 16.8 at-bats for his career. It seems likely age and injury may finally be catching up.


Derrek Lee …6 HR’s


Like Guerrero, Derrek Lee is another slugger who may be past his prime. Six home runs is respectable but a far cry from the 43 Lee hit in 2005. Injuries to the rest of the Cubs’ lineup (and lack of performance from others like Geovany Soto, see below) have not helped protect Lee at the plate as well.


Russell Martin …0 HR’s


While Russell Martin can not be considered a “slugger”, having no home runs and still hitting in the heart of the Dodger lineup certainly seems like a surprise. Perhaps the historic workload at catcher is finally catching up (no pun intended).


Magglio Ordonez …2 HR’s


While Ordonez’ batting average has started to creep up (.315 in May) the power is missing. Ordonez has only hit 2 HR’s and 8 doubles and is on pace to hit well less than 100 RBI, which has only happened twice (not including two injury shortened seasons in 2004 and 2005) since 1998.


Geovany Soto …2 HR’s


Last year’s Rookie of the Year is off to a horrible start, having only hit 2 HR’s thus far this year (he hit 5 in April alone of 2008). It’s gotten bad enough that Lou Piniella has started giving Soto “mental breathers” in hopes of awakening the catcher’s bat.


B.J. Upton …3 HR’s


Upton’s post season explosion left many to believe his 9 home run 2008 campaign was the anomaly and shoulder surgery would bring back the power everyone expects. Thus far, with only 3 HR’s, a .220 batting average, and 62 strikeouts in 200 at-bats, Upton has a long way to go to fulfill the expectations set forth at the beginning of the season.


David Wright …3 HR’s


It’s hard to complain when Wright is hitting well over .300 and has an OBP of .440 through 50+ games. However Wright has also hit 30 HR’s or more the past two seasons and 26 or more over the past four. That said, as long as he still produces in the clutch (.357 with RISP), I’m sure the Mets won’t complain that much.

It’s certainly easy to get frustrated with players off to slow starts but it’s important to remember we’re only approaching the end of the first month into the season. There is a lot of baseball still to be played.

Five Top Players Likely to Rebound
Here are five higher tiered players I would hold out on for better results as the summer rolls on. Savvy managers may be able to put the right offer together to capitalize on another fantasy baseball manager’s frustrations

• Mark Teixeira – Teixiera is the consummate slow starter and it looks like even a solid spring training will not change that. With Alex Rodriguez set to get back in May, I still expect big numbers, particularly in the new, HR-friendly Yankee stadium.
• Lance Berkman – Everyone was down on Berkman to start the season but he is still a career. 300 hitter who has played in 150+ games 7 of the last 8 seasons.
• Matt Holliday – While Holliday probably won’t hit 30 home runs in Oakland, he’s certainly going to improve on a .254 BA. The entire A’s team is struggling offensively right now.
• Russell Martin – The Dodgers are off to a solid start and it is only a matter of time before Martin warms up with the rest of the team. The emergence of Ethier and Kemp, coupled with the security of Manny Ramirez means Martin will have less pressure and that should translate into a hot streak sooner than later.
• CC Sabathia – As long as Sabathia can get his walks down, he should rebound. Two of his next three starts are away from Yankee stadium – which should help – and you may want to deactivate him against the Red Sox (at home) just to be safe.

Five Top Players I’m Concerned About
Here are five higher-tiered players I would be concerned about and consider fielding offers for. It may not mean they’ll be complete busts, but trying to move these players now may be better than waiting and having them sink your season.

• Jimmy Rollins – Rollins’ semi-productive May and September of 2008 seemed like a tease since he basically under-performed all last season, even with the injury. I would consider selling as high as possible if you have depth at the position. It’s worth noting that Rollins hasn’t even attempted a stolen base this April.
• Brandon Phillips – The second base position has been relatively deep this year and Phillips is getting outplayed by guys like Marco Scutaro, Asdrubal Cabrera and Akinori Iwamura. While that seems likely to change, Phillips is also not getting the protection he needs (thus far) from Jay Bruce or Edwin Encarnación.
• Cole Hamels – I’m always a bit concerned when a pitcher has an elbow injury, even when it seems minor.
• B.J. Upton – Maddon’s decision to keep Upton at leadoff means the RBI and HR numbers fantasy managers may have expected have to be lowered. 30 to 40 SB’s is certainly realistic but 20+ home runs seems unlikely and 90+ RBI almost certainly is out of reach batting at the top of almost any lineup.
• Cliff Lee – I’ve expressed some of my concerns with regards to Cliff Lee here.

If you are in a rotisserie league, remember that it is the performance of a position throughout the entire season that matters. Players get hot just as quickly as they grow cold. Historic performance provides a better benchmark for understanding when a player may just be in a “funk”.

In head-to-head leagues, the reason to keep slumping players gets even more important. As long as your team makes the playoffs, it matters little if a player has a record-breaking April. I’ve seen relatively average players (or even September call-ups) have a blistering few weeks which thus propelled a team through the fantasy baseball playoff season.

Who has you worried this season? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this post and who else your trying to grab at a discount or worried won’t produce this fantasy baseball season.

Note that while each site certainly offers additional content, services and information, the sites highlighted are primarily based on the ability to obtain fantasy baseball player updates on a regular basis.

Rotoworld

Probably my favorite site for free fantasy sports updates, especially baseball, Rotoworld offers regularly player and team updates as well as articles, depth charts and features. Rotoworld also has a more comprehensive commercial service which includes more in-depth coverage during the season but I have never purchased the service to provide review personally. At only $14.99 though, it seems like a low risk investment if you are interested in more serious stat tracking and analysis.

Yahoo Fantasy Baseball

Yahoo is my preferential place for managing and playing in fantasy baseball leagues. Yahoo Fantasy Baseball features regularly updates articles and blog posts on player updates, prospects and recommended pickups. They also provide individual player updates collected from various sources, including Rotowire, KFFL and of course Yahoo Sports.

The RotoTimes

RotoTimes.com provides regular updates with free perspective from the editors. The site’s search functionality allows fantasy managers to find player news and statistical information by last name, team, league and position.

CBS Sports Fantasy Baseball

CBS Sports Fantasy Baseball provides player news with analysis as well as dedicated sections for projected starters and injury updates by team. I find that both CBS and RotoTimes (above) seem to be Google’s preferential sites for finding player information, which makes it easier to search via Google than within the sites at certain times. Simply “Google”, “[player name] fantasy baseball” and both sites will frequently show up in top search engine results. Here is an example.

MLB Player News & Updates

Major League Baseball’s official site offers a fantasy baseball player interface similar to CBS Sports but also includes better functionality on the page for searching for specific player information. Personally, I still find it easier to obtain additional fantasy baseball news and information from other sites, even if official Major League news will often be released on MLB.com first.

KFFL Fantasy Player News

KFFL.com’s “Hot off the Wire” updates player news and information regularly as well as organizing it by fantasy specific updates, injuries and breaking news. Fantasy baseball articles, reports and analysis can be found on the site as well.

Commercial Services
These two website services require subscription fees for access. Fortunately, both services offer different pricing packages, which minimize the investment risk if you are not satisfied.

Rotowire

All of Rotowire’s main content and analysis requires subscription but pricing is fairly low ($39) for a full season of updates. Subscriber content also includes regular articles, team depth charts and updates as well as game strategies throughout the season. Finally, it is worth noting that Rotowire provides player updates for both Yahoo Sports and ESPN (hence why they are not on this list).

The Sporting News

Sporting News offers an alternative, fee based fantasy baseball resource which includes access to player information and analysis. I have not used the service but the $19.95 annual fee (which includes the Sporting News magazine) seems reasonable. There is also a $4.99/month subscription which provides a low cost option to test out the service.

Travis Snider (OF – Toronto Blue Jays)
Travis Snider is probably not under the radar as a prospect but may have gone undrafted to start the season. Currently hitting .386 with 3 HR’s and 8 RBI this spring, Snider will begin the season as the Jays’ starting left fielder and could provide a solid source for HR and RBI if he can keep the job.

Chris Ray (RP – Baltimore Orioles)
Even though Mike Trembley insists that George Sherrill will begin the year as Baltimore’s closer, it may only be a matter of time before Chris Ray resumes the role he lost two years ago. Ray has yet to give up an earned run this spring, striking out 9 in 10.1 innings thus far.

Felipe Lopez (2B – Arizona Diamondbacks)
Bob Melvin is giving Felipe Lopez a chance to hit leadoff for the Diamondbacks. If he can stick in the role, maybe Lopez can regain the form that allowed him to steal 40+ bases in 2006. At the least, in Yahoo leagues, Lopez can be used as a super substitute since he is eligible at 2B, 3B, SS and OF.

Elijah Dukes (OF – Washington Nationals)
Elijah Dukes may pose injury and behavioral risk but did hit 13 home runs and stole 13 bases in about half a season worth of at-bats. He’s projected to hit 5th in an improved Nationals lineup and will have solid RBI opportunities behind Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn.

Kelvim Escobar (SP – Los Angeles Angels)
Originally not projected to be back until midseason, Kelvim Escobar was clocked at 94 mph during a minor league start this weekend and could be back in the Angels’ rotation before May. Escobar won 18 games in 2007 and pitching for a team that contends annually, could be a nice free agent pickup.

Other Drafted Players to Watch
A lot can happen in Spring Training, including injuries, demotions and hot streaks. Based off of recent player news, here are some more players to watch that most certainly were drafted but may have been dropped by a frustrated manager.

• Carlos Marmol – He just lost the closer role but stands a good chance to pick up saves and post solid numbers throughout the season
• Matt Wieters – Recently sent down to Triple A to start the season but probably back up in May
• David Price – Similar circumstances as Wieters
• Brandon Morrow – Likely moving from the rotation to a closer role for Seattle

• Positions: C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, IF, OF1, OF2, OF3, OF4, DH, SP1, SP2, RP1, RP2, P1, P2, P3, P4 and 6 Bench Positions
• Scoring Categories: Runs, HR, RBI, SB, Average, OBP, Wins, Saves, K’s, ERA, WHIP and K/BB

Draft Results (by position, bolded results indicate picks 1 through 5)
Hitting Lineup:

• C: Pablo Sandoval (round 12)
• 1B: Mark Teixeira (round 2)
• 2B: Chone Figgins (round 7)
• SS: Jimmy Rollins (round 1)
• 3B: Aramis Ramirez (round 3)
• IF: Justin Morneau (round 4)
• OF: Magglio Ordonez (round 5)
• OF: Bobby Abreu (round 9)
• OF: Justin Upton (round 13)
• OF: Cameron Maybin (round 19)
• DH: James Loney (round 17)
• BN: Travis Snider (round 21)
• BN: Felipe Lopez (round 24)

Pitching Lineup:

• SP: Scott Kazmir (round 10)
• SP: Yovani Gallardo (round 11)
• RP: Jonathan Papelbon (round 6)
• RP: Mariano Rivera (round 8)
• P: Brian Fuentes (round 16)
• P: Chad Qualls (round 18)
• P: Frank Francisco (round 22)
• P: Jose Arredondo (round 25)
• BN: Zach Grienke (round 14)
• BN: Chris Carpenter (round 15)
• BN: Chein-Ming Wang (round 20)
• BN: Kelvim Escobar (round 23)

General Observations
Overall I am pretty satisfied with this draft. I ended up picking last in the first round and feel lucky to have been able to grab Rollins. Anything less than 100/30/100/.300 for Teixeira would be a disappointment. I probably bid too aggressively for Ramirez (3rd round) and Ordonez (5th round) but I wanted power out of 3B and feel Ordonez will provide scoring in every category but SB’s.

Like last season I was the only manager to stock up on 6 relief pitchers. There’s certainly no guarantee all 5 closers will stick but I’d rather compete with lots of solid relief than a slew of starters.

At the back end of the draft, I tried to go almost exclusively with youth, including Upton, Loney, Maybin and Snider and am hoping at least 2 or 3 of these guys breaks out. I picked up Escobar solely to stash him on the DL and be able to pick someone else up for the first month or so of the season.

The Upsides and Downsides
The upside to this draft is that I feel I have a well rounded team on paper. 3 or 4 base stealers coupled with a power. The key issue is whether or not some of the young players I picked up produce, particularly Pablo Sandoval, Justin Upton and either Maybin or Snider. I am also hoping James Loney’s 2008 season was not a ceiling and he improves across all categories at even a reasonable level (90/20 to 25/90/.295 would be fantastic).

My starting pitchers have some injury potential but I was happy to put together a staff that was basically picked in the latter half of the draft. While all pitchers have risk attached all five of my closers have fairly safe job security, assuming they perform as expected.

Since I picked last I enjoy first waiver priority; which I will save for some point during the season. There are no free agents that I see worth using that with and it would be great if a frustrated manager drops a prospect like Wieters because they auto-drafted.

Conclusions
So that is my draft in a nutshell. Is it enough to win this year’s championship? Probably not. But I may have the right foundation for building that championship team throughout the season. I would love to hear your thoughts on this team.

Here are five players I’ll have my sights on in the later rounds of the draft and look to grab at least a round or two ahead of where they are projected.

Erik Bedard – Yahoo Average Pick 150+
Two years ago Erik Bedard was a top 5 pitcher. This year he’s not even in the top 100 and barely makes the top 50 pitchers selected by 4 of 5 Yahoo’s Fantasy Experts. Aside from an injured butt muscle, Bedard’s arm and shoulder appear fine and snagging him as the 4th or 5th starting pitcher of a fantasy baseball roster could yield solid dividends.

Pablo Sandoval – Yahoo Average Pick 160+
There are two things to like about Pablo Sandoval. First, he’s eligible as a catcher (Yahoo Leagues and CBS, not ESPN) and second, he’ll play everyday as the Giants’ first or third baseman. That means that a fantasy manager is much more likely to get 500+ at-bats from the catcher’s spot without rostering two players. Also, Sandoval might bat 3rd of 4th in the Giants lineup, so he has a great opportunity for RBI and run production.

Chris Carpenter – Yahoo Average Pick 200+
Early reports this spring indicate that Chris Carpenter is pitching well and healthy. That’s good news for a one time top 3 or 4 ranked starting pitcher. Carpenter’s also penciled in as the 4th starter in the St Louis rotation. That’s great news for fantasy managers who like to play pitching matchups.

Trevor Hoffman – Yahoo Average Pick 150+
Trevor Hoffman’s age and ballpark change makes most fantasy managers nervous and while his best days are certainly behind him, there really are no other solid closing options in Milwaukee. That means that barring a complete implosion, it’s quite possible Hoffman still picks up 30+ saves. In addition, even though his ability to strike out batters may have declined, his control still appears to be there.

Cameron Maybin – Yahoo Average Pick 180+
Cameron Maybin was barely on the draft radar of almost any fantasy baseball analyst a month ago but after batting .414 thus far this Spring, people are beginning to take notice. If Maybin can hold onto the leadoff spot in Florida all season, there is a good chance he can score 80 – 90 runs while hitting double-digit home runs and stealing 30 – 40 bases.