I’m surprised at the amount of feedback I have received so far with this little newsletter. The consensus is pretty clear:

• Tell me when pitchers become or are no longer starters.
• Tell me when pitchers become or are no longer closers.
• Tell me when hot prospects get called up.
• Tell me who injury replacements are.
• Go get a real job.

This makes sense. Why read something for 10 minutes when 90% of it is stuff you already know about or can’t do anything about? So with that in mind, here is your ever-evolving newsletter.

Danys Baez is no longer competing for a SP slot. He’s not going to return to closing, so you can simply forget about him.
Adam Everett hurt his ankle yesterday in the first inning when he slid awkwardly into second on a double. It’s understandable, considering how out of practice he is when it comes to extra-base hits. His replacement would be Ramon Santiago.

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.