Fantasy Baseball League #1 (5×5 Rotisserie League)

• Traded Chris Carpenter, Robinson Cano & Jacoby Ellsbury for Ryan Braun & Brian Roberts

Fantasy Baseball League #2 (6×6 Head-to-Head League)

• Traded Carpenter, AJ Burnett, Frank Francisco & Mark Teixeira for Johan Santana, Erik Bedard & David Wright

What do you think? Carpenter has been an absolutely fantastic pick for me this year. His performance thus far has certainly been a factor in my rotisserie team’s current second place standings for both ERA and WHIP. It’s also contributed significantly to what has been a relatively average SP lineup in the head-to-head league.

However, I am strongly concerned over Carpenter’s health over the course of the second half. Since dominant 2005 and 2006 campaigns, he was only able to pitch in 5 games over the next two seasons. He’s already been on the disabled list once this year and it remains to be seen if his shoulder condition will remain stable (a situation which gets more precarious as the season wears on).

I’m selling high this year. In the rotisserie league, the Carpenter trade allows me to upgrade the one statistic I’m lacking a bit in (RBI) by obtaining Braun. Brian Roberts will help offset the loss of Ellsbury’s stolen bases but I’m 30 stolen bases over the team anyways. My feeling is there are enough free agent pitchers that at worst case I can periodically swap in and out of my lineup based on match ups.

For the head-to-head league, I gain another top starting pitcher in Santana as well as upgrading the inconsistent Burnett with Bedard (who hopefully gets traded to a contender sometime this month). I already had 4 other closers, so parting with Francisco was possible. Finally, the Teixeira for Wright was pretty much a wash for both teams (the other manager is a Yankee fan who despises David Wright) and my offense already led the league in runs, RBI and average.

Concluding Thoughts
In the game of fantasy baseball, one of the more potentially rewarding - but risky - maneuvers is in trading players when they might be at their peak. If Carpenter does stay healthy (and dominant) the rest of 2009, I’ll miss out on his pitching contribution (particularly in the roto-league), but it’s worth it to gain top-tiered talent and avoid the potential roster headache should he be lost to injury at any point in the second half.

What do you think about this tactic and are their players you’re trying to move? I’d love to hear your thoughts via the comments below.

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.

Dropping key draft picks in April is too early. Holding on to poor performers through June is too late. The month of May represents my timetable for taking calculated risks based on a roster’s scoring needs and a players’ potential upside and/or performance in the past.

Some of the key players I’ve made moves for and to get rid of:

Trading Away: Scott Kazmir
Kazmir’s phenomenally poor performance last night sealed the deal for me. I had already traded him in one league for Alexei Ramirez (see below) and am considering outright dropping him in another. As it stands, I’ll need considerable help (with high ratio RP’s) to bring down my WHIP and ERA over the next couple months.

Why this reaction? I could deal with an inflated ERA on a competitive Rays team if it meant wins and strikeouts. Unfortunately, Kazmir is consistently putting his team in a bad position (30+ ERA through his first 15 pitches) and is not striking players out. His K:BB is an ugly 32:25.

FanGraphs.com post, Scott Kazmir is Busted, started the thought process and it’s worth reading for those of you who may be on the fence.

Trading For: Alexei Ramirez
As indicated, I traded Kazmir for Alexei Ramirez. Last year, Ramirez started off batting .138 in April and had only 2 HR, 2 SB and 7 RBI through May. As the season rolled on, he raked through the Summer months, cooling to a September .210 BA but still hitting 6 HR, 17 RBI and stealing 3 bases.

The fact that Ramirez provides my teams depth at 2B, SS and OF (Yahoo leagues) makes him even more attractive. At the least I’ll have him on my bench in both roto leagues but could start him at 2B if he gets hot (in place of Chone Figgins or Robinson Cano who are my current 2B’s).

The only red flag to consider is Ramirez’s low walk ratio, which means he might be less impactful if your league takes OBP into consideration.

Trading For: David Ortiz
This move was very speculative and being in the New England area, I get much more visibility to Ortiz’s struggles. I traded Jonathan Papelbon for him in my Yahoo Head-to-Head league (issuing both positive and negative reaction on Twitter).

Reasoning: With the exception of this week’s dreadful play, Ortiz is doing better at drawing the walk with a reasonable 20:30 BB:K rate (12:8 in May). His 10 doubles (7 in April) lead me to believe the power is not completely sapped.

The other reality is that in this case, my current roster is dead last in runs, homeruns and RBI and well ahead in saves. It’s certainly a risk but if Ortiz rebounds (and other players get hot), my team still has a chance.

Trading Away: Jonathan Papelbon
The following statements are almost sacrilege in New England. Aside from closer depth (specifically on my roster), another reason I traded Papelbon (and would have looked to trade Papelbon) is because I have some concern. He’s already walked more through mid-May (10) than all last season (8), and while he’s struck out 19 in 16 IP, his 13 hits (coupled with walks) has his WHIP at an unfavorable 1.44.

There’s no indication anything is wrong, but this could be the year Papelbon goes from being an elite closer to simply average. As indicated above, I already had 5 other closers so trading away Papelbon made sense, but if you could package him to get assistance in another scoring category, I think it is worth exploring.

Other slumping veteran players to consider acquiring:

• Magglio Ordonez (based on historic performance)
• Troy Tulowitzki (always an injury risk but seems like there is solid upside)
• Lance Berkman (too good of a hitter to continue hitting .200)
• Manny Ramirez (try to capitalize on a manager’s frustration while you still can)

Exploring Your Scoring Potential
May represents a good time for determining how feasible it will be for my roster to remain competitive across all scoring categories. In my opinion, it’s not too late to catch up in categories your team may be trailing in and it certainly is time to take control of categories your already leading in.

Some of the things to evaluate when making roster moves:

• A Player’s historical performance
• Potential upside
• Player impact on needed scoring categories

It is a delicate balance between choosing the right players who might help your team and dropping players who could continue to hurt your team. Remember that holding onto the wrong players too long might create a hole to deep to dig out of. Good luck on your season and I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions via comments below.

(M. SPENCER GREEN/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Through the first week of May I’ve already used 38 different players (standard 5×5 rotisserie scoring Yahoo league) and had 12 players go on the DL, unavailable or miss more than a few games as a result of injury.

Here’s the complete rundown (bold indicates still on the roster):

• David Price - Minor Leagues to start the year
• BJ Upton - began the season on the DL - traded (for Aramis Ramirez, see below)
• Ichiro Suzuki - began the season on the DL
• Chris Carpenter - on the DL (dropped/reacquired)
• Daisuke Matsuzaka - on the DL
• Alex Gordon - on the DL (dropped)
• Jorge Cantu - wrist injury (part of a trade for Miguel Cabrera)
• Hong-Chih Kuo - on the DL (dropped)
• Travis Hafner - on the DL (dropped)
• Nate McLouth - oblique injury
• Aramis Ramirez - calf injury and will go on the DL with a dislocated shoulder
• Brandon Morrow - about to come off the DL (bicep tendinitis)

I’d also point out that my first round pick - Jimmy Rollins - has done nothing but hurt my team in the categories I need him in most (runs, stolen bases and a respectable batting average).

Through all of this, my team is somehow still hovering around fourth to sixth place (currently fourth). While first place may be out of reach, I feel there is still a chance to grab third and maybe even second if luck turns around.

What are your thoughts? Can you top this team of walking wounded? Here is a link to my current roster and I would love your opinions and suggestions for what you would do to keep this team in contention for the 2009 fantasy baseball season.

(AP Photo)

For those fantasy baseball managers scrambling to fill the roster spot, here are some suggested recommendations.

Justin Upton
In Yahoo Fantasy Baseball, Upton is available in almost 39% of all leagues. This will change very soon, as Upton has hit safely in 14 straight games and might continue to hit as high as the coveted 3rd spot in the Diamondbacks’ lineup as long as he stays productive.

Elijah Dukes
Dukes is owned in less than half of all Yahoo leagues and is hitting 5th in the Nationals lineup, behind strong OBP guys in Dunn and Zimmerman. In addition to 20 - 25+ HR power, Dukes should be able to get fantasy managers double digit steals throughout the remainder of the season.

Jose Guillen
Back from the DL Jose Guillen quietly has a seven game hit streak with 7 runs, RBI and a HR. He bats 4th in the Royals lineup and has hit 20 HR’s the five of the past six seasons (missing the milestone in 2006 when he only played in 69 games)

Jack Cust
Cust hit 26 and 33 home runs respectively in the past two years and he can also help with OBP (if OBP is a qualifying stat). Unfortunately, it’s unlikely Cust will help your team’s batting average (.242 BA over the past two seasons) so keep that in mind.

J.D. Drew
Drew should hit 5th in a solid Red Sox lineup and as long as he stays healthy will provide decent power, RBI and OBP. Drew’s currently available in over half of all Yahoo leagues. Don’t forget the tear he went on last June (12 HR, 27 RBI, 27 runs scored).

Travis Hafner
Hafner’s visit to Dr Andrews revealed no structural damage to his shoulder and hopefully he can return to the Indians lineup in a two to three weeks. Hafner could help in the utility role and provide needed power and RBI.

Manny Ramirez Fantasy Baseball Fallout - Additional Resources

• Fantasy Baseball Impact: Manny Ramirez Suspended 50 Games For PED Use
• Manny Ramirez Suspended - KFFL Recommendations
• Man(n)y Possible Replacements (Thu 5/7/09)
• Manny Ramirez Slammed With 50 Game Suspension

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.

(AP Photo)

Adam Lind’s production through Friday, 4/10/2009:

3 HR’s, 11 RBI, 5 Runs Scored, .476 BA and .500 OPB

Lind has never played a full season in the majors. If he gets the left-field nod all season, it seems reasonable to expect 20+ HR’s and 90 - 100 RBI batting 5th in the Blue Jay lineup. However Lind historically bats about 50 points lower against lefties and has struck out about once every five at-bats.

If you picked him up as a late round draft choice or free agent, definitely enjoy the ride. However, don’t get fooled by the hot start and make the early season trade for him just yet.

One should only think back to Chris Shelton’s home run explosion in 2006 to remember that fast starts may fade quickly as well.

That being said, Carlos Quentin exceeded all expectations in 2008 to hit 36 home runs and drive in 100. While Quentin also hit about 50 points lower against lefties note Quentin’s strong walk to strikeout ratio of 66:80 (Lind is at 38:139 for his career).

Bottom Line Recommendation
If you’re interested in Adam Lind, make sure to keep tabs on the peripherals such as walk rates, strikeouts and overall OBP, in addition to RBI and HR production. Lind’s limited history certainly suggests a drop off and there are several options in the Jays’ lineup to bat in the 5th spot this year should he fall into a slump. I would not trade even a mid-round draft pick for his potential production yet.

• Mike Cameron (OF Brewers) - Cameron was available in all three of my Yahoo leagues and is worth a bench spot at least. He probably will not help a team with batting average (.250 career BA), but already has 2 stolen bases and 3 runs scored for a Brewers team that should put up good offensive numbers all season.
  
  
• Orlando Hudson (2B Dodgers) - Hudson has been hitting in the #2 spot of the Dodger lineup and already has 3 stolen bases. Leagues that require an additional infielder or just want depth at the 2B position may want to keep tabs on him.
  
  
• Fred Lewis (OF Giants) - Lewis is batting 3rd in the Giants lineup which probably is the best opportunity for RBI production on the team (even if the Giants offense sputters). Randy Winn (who also has 2 SB’s the first week) and Edgar Renteria appear locked into the 1 and 2 spots and both post career OBP of .347.
  
  
• Kyle Davies (SP Royals ) - Davies struck out 8 in 7 innings of shutout baseball against the White Sox this week. He also went 4-1 in his last five starts in 2008 with a 2.27 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP.
  
  
• Kiko Calero (RP Marlins) - Calero looks to be taking over the Marlins 8th inning setup duties and has 4 strikeouts in 2.2 innings. He’s worth watching as a pickup for ERA, WHIP and K’s and maybe vulturing the cheap win or save here and there is he can stay productive.

Finally, it is also worth noting that Travis Hafner has a home run, only 2 strikeouts and 2 walks through 3 games this season. He could provide some power, RBI and reasonable batting average if he can stay healthy all season as the Indians’ cleanup hitter.

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.

Unfortunately, that is not always the case.

Here are my top 10 fantasy baseball draft picks that are making managers scramble as a result of team adjustments, performance or injury. The list is ordered in my opinion of magnitude, least to most damaging for a fantasy manager.

Ben Sheets
What surprises me is that in all 3 leagues I am playing in, Sheets was drafted somewhere between rounds 15 and 20 even after news of his surgery came out.  It’s no surprise that he has since been dropped in all 3 leagues as well but it goes to show you how not being present at your draft (or using an auto-draft system) can really hurt.

Chris Perez
Nagging injuries and failure to step up this spring has St Louis sending Perez back down to the minors for a while.  He certainly could emerge as a closer option later this season, but those risking the late round pick have probably dropped him for other immediate options by now.

B.J. Upton
Upton is slated to only miss the first week of games but there should still be some concern for a guy that was probably drafted early in the second round of most fantasy baseball drafts.  Until Upton starts hitting HR’s on a semi-regular basis, monitor closely, because a replication of last season’s statline (85 runs, 67 RBI,, 9 HR and .273 average) would certainly be considered a disappointment.

Trevor Hoffman
A couple weeks ago I was recommending Hoffman as a guy to draft earlier than his projections.  I felt bad because he went down with injury nearly a day later.  It’s clear the 40+ year old pitcher will need longer to rehab from injury.  That being said, Hoffman is not expected to miss much time, so barring future injury, I still feel he is decent, late round draft pick for saves.

David Price
The Rays decision to keep Price in the minors to start the season is disappointing but let’s hope he’s not your roster ace.  Fantasy managers just have to use a roster spot to keep Price stashed until he finally gets the call back up to the majors.

B.J. Ryan
Not even a day into the regular season and the third closing casualty has already surfaced. This one might be the most damaging.  Ryan’s fastball is barely over 85 mph and the team has indicated Scott Downs is in line for some closing opportunities as well.  Obviously this is a tough hit if you had drafted Ryan on your team somewhere in the middle rounds of your draft.

Matt Wieters
Unlike David Price, the catcher position has little depth and fantasy managers most likely took the risk on Wieters fairly early in their draft.  Now that Wieters is headed to Triple A for a month or so, managers must scramble and backup options are thin.

John Lackey
While no structural damage was found, Lackey’s elbow strain has him starting the season on the DL for the second year in a row.  For many fantasy baseball teams, Lackey probably was projected to be at least a #2 pitcher and picked in the earlier-middle draft rounds.

Joe MauerAn unnamed Twins official told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that Mauer (back) is expected to return at some point in April.  Mauer’s value is in high batting average with RBI and runs scored hitting 2nd or 3rd in the Twins lineup.  But since he’s a catcher, you know you’ll get 500 AB’s at best when healthy, which is why his lack of HR power makes a high average that much more essential. At a thin position, it hurts to have a guy go down who’s ADP probably was well ahead of the return you already knew you were going to get.

Alex Rodriguez
Anytime a first rounder goes down with significant injury it has to top the list.  While A-Rod hopes to get back in the Yankee lineup in early May, managers must wait to see how his hip holds up.  More importantly, the baseball season is long, so while A-Rod may come back and produce in the short-term, who knows what will happen in August and September (when fantasy baseball championships are made)

Honorable Mention
Other players whose performance (or situation) this spring has to have the active fantasy baseball manager gritting their teeth a bit if they drafted them.

• Justin Duchscherer - His recent injury could have put him in the list but here’s to hoping he was a late round selection for most
• Jason Giambi - 1 HR and .149 BA to start the spring is certainly a disappointment
• Cliff Lee - 12.46 spring ERA should have managers a bit nervous, especially if you drafted him around the 8th or 9th round
• Fernando Rodney or Brandon Lyon - I wouldn’t feel confident with either of these closing options in Detroit
• Justin Verlander - Verlander’s 3.90 spring ERA is good but 15:16 K:BB in 32 IP is a bit worrisome.
• Justin Upton - Upton is hitting .204 this spring without a home run. Once thought to hit in the cleanup spot, it’s looking more and more like Upton will start in the bottom third of the Diamondback lineup.
• Cole Hamels - Thankfully, Hamels’ elbow injury does not look to be serious; but there had to be a few days of worry if you drafted him to be your ace.

What do you think? Who’s on your team that is dealing with injury or a slow spring and has you worried? Your comments and opinions are certainly appreciated.
Update 4/3/2009
I finished the majority of this post before getting news of Ichiro Suzuki’s bleeding ulcer (and of course he is on one of my teams). Here’s to hoping he’ll be back on the field when eligible April 14th, but this is pretty damaging news considering he has never been on the DL in his career and played 160+ games the last five seasons.