He’ll Be Fine

Clayton Kershaw was hit in the hip by a line drive.
Brian Schneider and his knee will get five starts a week.
Garret Anderson and his calf are coming along.
Mark Loretta strained his groin.
Jack Cust has a tight back.
Michael Young has quadriceps issues.
Manny Ramirez has a sore hamstring.
Doug Davis has triceps issues.
Troy Tulowitzki had a sore back.
Ryan Church had a tooth pulled.
Mike Pelfrey has a sore leg.
Chipper Jones has a strained oblique.
Vernon Wells had hamstring issues.
Wandy Rodriguez had a bruised finger.

Name Recognition Means Nothing

Jason Schmidt threw 88 yesterday, but he is not starting the season with the club. You can add him from waivers if he rehabs well.
Ken Griffey Jr. is worth a dollar in AL-only leagues. So is Eric Chavez, who may not even be ready for the beginning of the season.
Sidney Ponson is a No. 5 starter at best.
Eric Byrnes appears to be over his hamstring, but where will he get his at-bats?
Livan Hernandez is the fifth starter and should only be used in NL-only leagues.
Maicer Izturis should only be used in AL-only leagues.
Juan Rivera is the fourth outfielder. Gary Matthews Jr. is the fifth.
Fernando Tatis is worth a dollar in NL-only leagues.
Ivan Rodriguez should not be your starting catcher.

Injured Starters

Cole Hamels should miss the first week of the season.
Tim Redding will begin the season on the DL.

Sleepers for Keeper Leagues

Reassigned to minor league camp: Eduardo Nunez, Juan Miranda, Austin Jackson, Freddy Garcia, John Niese, Brian Burres, Curtis Thigpen, Matt Clement.
Julio Pimentel is opting for rehab instead of surgery.
Austin Jackson will likely begin the year at AAA.
Ross Ohlendorf is worth a dollar in NL-only leagues.
Emmanuel Burris is leading Kevin Frandsen in the battle for the second base job.
Aaron Poreda could still start, but his control makes it iffy.
Optioned: Jake Fox, Sam Fuld, Luis Mendoza.
Chad Paronto strained his shoulder and will likely start the season in the minors.
Paul Kelly will be out until the All-Star Break.
David Purcey could surprise this year.

Major League Starter Doesn’t Mean Fantasy League Starter

Josh Outman is losing ground in the race to be a fifth starter. His competition is Dana Eveland, Sean Gallagher, Trevor Cahill and Brett Anderson.
David Pauley will not start this season. The 3-4-5 spots will come from this list: Hayden Penn, Adam Eaton, Mark Hendrickson, Brian Bass, Alfredo Simon and Danys Baez.
Cha Seung Baek looks terrible.
The fourth and fifth starters will be two of these: Ricky Romero, Brad Mills and Scott Richmond.

Breakout Candidates

Mike Aviles will bat second.
Chad Tracy is not thinking about his knee.
Nelson Cruz has been raking since he got back from the World Baseball Classic.

Closer Alert

Rafael Soriano will set up for Mike Gonzalez.
Brad Zeigler will be the setup guy for Joey Devine.
Tom Gordon threw a bullpen, but he will not close this year even if he does play.
Eddie Guardado is going to be a setup guy.
Tyler Walker has an oblique injury and is no longer in the running.

Other Stuff

1-2-3-4-5 for Baltimore is Brian Roberts, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, Aubrey Huff and Melvin Mora.

He’ll Be Fine

Alex Gonzalez (Reds SS) strained his hamstring.
Nick Johnson had wrist surgery but will be starting at first for the Nationals.
Alex Gordon pulled his hamstring.
Fausto Carmona was struck by a line drive.
J.D. Drew has a $14 million hand contusion.
Kevin Youkilis has a healed heel.
Carlos Beltran has a stiff neck.
Orlando Cabrera has a tight back.

Starting Job in Jeopardy

Dana Eveland has been getting rocked all spring.

Name Recognition Means Nothing

Brad Penny should only be used in AL-only leagues.

Injured Starters

Rich Hill might begin the season on the DL.
Justin Duchscherer threw a bullpen yesterday.

Sleepers for Keeper Leagues

Chase Headley will be starting in left field.
Kelvin Pichardo was suspended for using a banned substance.
Chris Coghlan is hitting with power but should start the season in AAA.
Ricky Romero is good in AL-only leagues but may only be an injury replacement for Casey Janssen.
Scott Moore can hit, but there are no at-bats for him.
Joe Bisenius has been reassigned to the club’s minor league camp. So has Sam Narron. And Blake Hawksworth. And Yasuhiko Yabuta. And Paul McAnulty. And Daniel Bard.
Derek Rodriguez was sent back to the White Sox.
Landon Powell has a tight oblique but will be a backup anyway.
Brad Harman was optioned. So was Lou Marson. And Kyle Kendrick. And Tyler Greene. And Michael Bowden.
Brandon Knight cleared waivers.
Max Scherzer is a fifth starter but has enough K’s to consider adding for a dollar.
Jonathan Van Every will start the season in the minors.
Buster Posey impressed but just isn’t ready yet.

Major League Starter Doesn’t Mean Fantasy League Starter

J.A. Happ, Chan Ho Park and Carlos Carrasco are battling for a fifth starter role. Same with Micah Owings and Homer Bailey. Owings is OK in NL-only leagues.
Zach Duke is a very average pitcher.
Eric Hinske should only be used in NL-only leagues. Same with Jeff Suppan, who is a No. 1 this year.
Shawn Hill signed with the Padres but is a No. 4 at best.

Breakout Candidates

Matt Kemp may be moving up the batting order because of his continued good performance this spring.

Closer Watch

Seth McClung is the favorite in Milwaukee.
Jason Hammel will be deep in the bullpen but walks too many guys for it to matter what he does.
Brandon Lyon only has the job by default.
Henry Rodriguez was sent to AAA. So was Vince Mazzaro.
Brian Wolfe has shoulder problems.
Chris Perez has finally begun throwing.
Joey Devine threw a bullpen yesterday and should be fine.

Other Stuff

Ronny Paulino and Chris Coste are backups at best. Carlos Ruiz is the starter.
Mike Hampton is worth considering as a No. 2.

He’ll Be Fine

Erik Bedard had sore legs.
Wandy Rodriguez has a bruised index finger.
Koji Uehara has a sore hamstring.
Today is Brad Penny‘s first start because of his shoulder.
Johan Santana had elbow discomfort. Remember: Don’t draft him. Trade for him in June.
Troy Tulowitzki has a sore back.
Dustin Pedroia had a sore oblique.
Mike Lowell had offseason hip surgery.
Robinson Cano has a sore shoulder. It only affects him when he throws.

Starting Job in Jeopardy

Horacio Ramirez has been very inconsistent.
Joe Mather may lose the third base gig to David Freese.

Name Recognition Means Nothing

Wilson Betemit should not be taken till the end of the draft.
Darin Erstad only belongs in NL-only leagues because he is stuck behind Michael Bourn, Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee.

Injured Starters

Brandon Backe is on the DL.
Eric Chavez hurt his shoulder and still has not played.
B.J. Upton will be out at least two weeks.

Sleepers for Keeper Leagues

Junichi Tazawa has been optioned to AA.
Matt Brown and Kendry Morales are battling it out for the first base job.
David Price is still scheduled to be optioned, but he may stick with the big club.
Adam Jones will be starting in center field. So will Cameron Maybin, and he will be batting leadoff.
Paul Janish may make the team but will only be a backup.

Major League Starter Doesn’t Mean Fantasy League Starter

Elvis Andrus is a 20-year-old rookie starting shortstop who can’t hit.
Matt Kemp is only going to bat seventh once Manny Ramirez is back.
Jonathan Sanchez should be dealt if he gets off to a hot start.
Dallas Braden will be lucky to be a No. 4 starter. Same with Brian Moehler.
Jerry Owens should be the starting center fielder, but he can’t hit.
Miguel Olivo will be the starter, but he should be your No. 2 catcher.
Jeff Mathis will get more starts with Mike Napoli DHing on occasion, but he can’t hit.
Nick Punto should only be considered in AL-only leagues, especially if you can get 2B eligibility. (He is the starting SS this year.)

Closer Alert

Todd Coffey will start out in middle relief.
Evan Meek has a fatigued shoulder and may not even make the team.
Troy Percival has looked great but will be on a short leash because of the deep bullpen.
Carlos Villanueva and Seth McClung are the leading candidates for replacing the injured Trevor Hoffman.

Breakout Candidates

Josh Fields will start in a platoon but could get the full-time gig.

Other Stuff

Randy Winn may bat leadoff.
There are no at-bats available for Daric Barton.
Jody Gerut and Jerry Hairston will platoon.
Chad Tracy will be the starter at first base.
Jeremy Reed, Ryan Church, Fernando Tatis and Daniel Murphy are fighting for the same at bats in the outfield.
Adam Lind, Travis Snider and Jason Lane are fighting for the same at bats.
Ben Zobrist has multiple position eligibility, but he sucks at all of them. Same with Ty Wigginton.
Ian Snell will be a cheap WHIP/ERA guy, but don’t expect a lot of wins.
The Twins will rotate four outfielders: Michael Cuddyer, Denard Span, Carlos Gomez and Chris Young. Span usually bats leadoff, and Cuddyer looks to get the shortest end of the stick, although the other three are so young that invariably one will stop hitting.

He’ll Be Fine

Eric Byrnes had an injured hamstring.
Brandon Phillips ate a bad burrito.
Orlando Cabrera hurt his back.
Manny Ramirez has a bad hamstring. So does Brad Hawpe.
Derrek Lee‘s quad is still sore.
Dallas Braden had a root canal. He should only be used in AL-only leagues.
Dallas McPherson has a tight oblique and should only be used in NL-only leagues.
Kevin Youkilis is wearing a special boot so he can kick more ass.
Garret Anderson is testing his calf.

Starting Job in Jeopardy

Austin Kearns hasn’t been promised anything.
Jose Capellan was rocked again.
Alex Romero is out of options and just taking the field now.

Name Recognition Means Nothing

Ken Griffey Jr. reminds me of when Reggie Jackson played his final year in Oakland. Even if he plays every day, his best years are behind him.
Travis Hafner is having a terrible spring. So has Gil Meche.
Joba Chamberlain is still no more than a fifth starter.

Injured Starters

Alex Gordon has a tight right knee.
Trevor Hoffman may start the season on the DL. Brad Hennessey definitely will.
John Parrish is going to have arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder.
B.J. Upton was hit by a pitch and still has to rehab his shoulder.
Garrett Atkins still has a groin injury.
Cole Hamels took some anti-inflammatories for left elbow tightness.

Sleepers for Keeper Leagues

Kendry Morales (1B) is finally starting.
Matt LaPorta (LF) will start the season in the minors.
Anthony Reyes (P) has finally figured it out.
Chris Getz (2B) has been named the starter.
Paul Phillips (C) is at best a backup for now.
Jeff Larish (1B) should make the club but won’t start.
Colby Rasmus (OF) should make the club but will platoon.
Jason Smith (3B) and Edwin Maysonet (2B) are fighting for a bench spot. Expect Smith to get it, but neither will do much this year.
Bryan LaHair (1B) was optioned and, if he is recalled, would be OK in AL-only leagues. Same with Phil Hughes (P).
Mike Carp (1B) was optioned and may be a year away. The Mariners consider him the first baseman of the future.
Gaby Hernandez (P) was optioned.

Major League Starter Doesn’t Mean Fantasy League Starter

Kevin Millwood is Texas’ Opening Day starter. Big deal.
Sean Marshall might sneak into the rotation but should only be used in NL-only leagues. Same with Chan Ho Park.
Anibal Sanchez is still inconsistent.
Josh Anderson should start in center field but should only be used in NL-only leagues.
John Maine just doesn’t look right out there. He doesn’t appear to be experimenting. He’s just not that good.
All Tom Glavine is going to get you is wins.
Russ Ortiz will be the fifth starter. Same with Brandon Morrow.
Gaby Sanchez should start at first base but should only be used in NL-only leagues.
Clayton Richards will be the fifth starter but should only be used in AL-only leagues.

Closer Alert

Jason Motte, not Chris Perez.
R.A. Dickey will end up in long relief.
Matt Lindstrom will be fine.
Jim Johnson has tendinitis but will end up in middle relief anyway.

Breakout Candidates

Billy Butler has looked good so far.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia is the starting catcher.
Jeremy Hermida is the starter in left field.
Jay Bruce‘s average should improve from last year.
Paul Maholm has had a great spring and appears to have finally figured it out.
If this isn’t the year Michael Cuddyer gets it done, he may never start again.
Alex Rios just keeps getting better and has had a great spring.

Other Stuff

Josh Bard signed with Washington, which means the team is not happy with Jesus Flores and Wil Nieves.
Chris Gomez will likely be cut.