Starting Pitching
Noah Lowry will be back in May. Only pick him up for a dollar in auction leagues. He needs an injury to see regular starts.
Jeremy Bonderman looks good so far.
Josh Outman is a good late-round pickup in keeper leagues, especially if your league lets you disable minor leaguers.
This means don’t draft Edgar Gonzalez.
Casey Janssen is hurt and competing for a spot. Don’t draft him.
Kris Benson is a fifth starter at best.
John Lannan is the Opening Day starter. Really. This means he’ll be matched up against a lot of good pitchers this season, so even though he will give you a good WHIP, don’t expect more than 12 wins.
Franklin Morales should make the rotation, but he will wreck your WHIP.
Clayton Kershaw is trying to strike less guys out this year. That means better WHIP and ERA and more IP, but less K’s.
Aaron Laffey will be starting, but Cleveland’s got a thin rotation behind Cliff Lee. Avoid him.
Aaron Heilman is just a fifth starter.
Cole Hamels will be fine.
Should he sign somewhere, stay away from Pedro Martinez.
And stay away from Wandy Rodriguez.
Chris Volstad is a sneaky pickup.
Kenshin Kawakami is hurt.
Closers
Francisco Cordero has looked terrible this spring, but who else in Cincinnati is going to close?
Neal Cotts is a good guy to stash on your roster, because Carlos Marmol has not yet proved he can close regularly without melting down.
Stay away from Trevor Hoffman.
Matt Lindstrom will be fine.
Jason Motte has been amazing.
This means stay away from Ryan Franklin.
Catcher
Matt Wieters won’t be the starter right away, but he is too good to ignore, especially in keeper leagues.
Brian Schneider will be fine.
First Base
Chris Shelton is at it again. Don’t fall for his antics. Pick him up for a dollar in auction leagues and try to trade him if he gets off to a fast start.
Look for Micah Hoffpauir to be traded. He’s got power but is stuck behind Derrek Lee, who has a sore quad but will be fine. Hoffpauir’s a bit old, so consider his strong spring an audition for another team (and a bit of a fluke).
Paul Konerko is back.
Expect Gaby Sanchez and Dallas McPherson to platoon.
Second Base
Dustin Pedroia will be fine.
Luis Castillo will not bat leadoff when the regular season starts.
Third Base
Evan Longoria is replacing Chipper Jones in the World Baseball Classic. Try to avoid this guy. High-profile guys tend to be drafted early, and a sophomore jinx could be in order.
Do not expect Scott Moore to start, despite a strong spring.
Geoff Blum will be fine.
Shortstop
If you have no Red Sox fans in your league, try to pick up Jed Lowrie in the middle rounds.
That means: Don’t draft Julio Lugo.
Hanley Ramirez will be fine.
Miguel Tejada won’t go to jail.
Jose Reyes is batting leadoff again.
Outfield
Jason Lane appears to be the starter because of a strong spring, but he’s a streaky hitter. You can pick him up for a dollar in auction leagues for the purpose of trading him if he gets off to a fast start.
That means Adam Lind is in trouble. Leave him alone.
Jeff Francoeur is worth a shot at the end of the draft. His arm keeps him in the lineup when his hitting stops, so if he gets off to a fast start, you might be able to trade him.
Wladimir Balentien will make the roster but is not expected to start. He is worth a dollar in keeper leagues and can be traded if he gets off to a fast start.
Stay away from Carlos Quentin and Pat Burrell. If you have them, try to trade them.
Stay away from Geoff Jenkins and Matt Stairs unless they are traded.
Brett Gardner is the starter, and Melky Cabrera is the backup. But if the Yankees trade for Mike Cameron then everything changes.
Starting OF in Texas appears to be Josh Hamilton, David Murphy and Nelson Cruz.
That means Marlon Byrd is worth a dollar in AL-only leagues, but that’s it. And it also means to stay away from Andruw Jones. Julio Borbon will be a stud, but not yet. Keep an eye on him in keeper leagues.
Michael Bourn will get you stolen bases this spring, but when the Astros get off to a slow start — they are terrible this year — he will be benched or cut.
Josh Willingham may not start this year. The outfield is shaping up to be Adam Dunn, Elijah Dukes and Lastings Milledge.
Today's featured shit 
Leave a comment