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Ben Sheets looked great his first
outing (CG, 2-hitter), and if he can hurl 200 innings (something he last did in
2004), he would be the favorite for the NL Cy Young
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MILWAUKEE BREWERS
Notes: The Brewers
have high hopes this year. The team moved Bill
Hall to CF so that SS J.J. Hardy can
man the spot full time. That move could help the offense. On the hill, Ben Sheets looked great his first
outing (CG, 2-hitter), and if he can hurl 200 innings (something he last did in
2004), the Brewers could actually make a run at the division title.
Injuries:
Corey Koskie still is out with post-concussion syndrome, and his career
must be considered to be in serious jeopardy at this point since he hasn’t
played since last summer.
Player to
Watch: 3B Ryan Braun. Braun can flat out rake,
he hit like .400 in spring training, but he also has an annoying habit of
throwing the ball to fans in the first row behind first base. Once he
straightens out his defense, he could be manning the hot corner by mid-season
for the Brew Crew.
NEW YORK METS
Notes: Jose
Reyes,
David Wright and Carlos Beltran are all top 5 performers
at their positions. Carlos Delgado
hits 30 HRs with 100 RBIs almost every season, and even 403-year-old Moises Alou can still hit (.301-22-74 last year). As a result, the Mets
should have the best offense in the NL, easily.
Injuries:
Pedro Martinez is diligently rehabbing his shoulder after surgery,  |
While the team would like to see Pedro back around the All-Star break, fantasy owners shouldn't expect to get more than 6-10 starts from the former Cy Young winner.
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and the
team is still counting on him returning at some point around the all-star
break. Duaner Sanchez was found to
have a broken shoulder, an injury that could keep him out up to 4 months. Look
for Aaron Heilman to serve as the top setup man as a result.
Player to
Watch: SP Oliver Perez. The once dominant hurler
(239 Ks, 2.98 ERA in 2004), looks to recapture the magic this year after a
solid end to ’06. Perez had an ERA below 3.00 this spring, and hopes that is a
sign of things to come. He still possesses dominant stuff if he can locate it.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Notes: The Phils blew
two leads to the Braves in their first two games because of terrible pitching
by the bullpen. In game 1, Brett Myers
allowed only 3 ER’s in 7.2 IP before Ryan
Madson and the bullpen lost the game to the Braves in 10 innings. In game
2, Cole Hamels pitched 7 innings
with 8 Ks and no runs allowed before Tom
Gordon blew a save and Madson lost
the game in the 11th inning. If the bullpen doesn’t get straightened
out, it won’t matter how good the rotation is.
Injuries:
Chris Coste (hamstring) will see some work at Clearwater this week, and hopes to return to
the majors in mid-April, if the team has a spot for him. Freddy Garcia (bicep tendinitis) threw on Thursday night at Clearwater (7 Ks, 1 BB in
3.1 IP), and he will make one more start next week. He hopes to be back next
weekend for the Phils. Jon Lieber
(oblique) threw 42 pitches on Monday and did well. He will likely make at least
one start (Friday), before rejoining the Phils.
Player to
Watch: OF Shane Victorino might own the best
real estate in baseball. Shane bats second in the Phillies lineup after Jimmy Rollins and before Ryan Howard and Chase Utley. Victorino, who worked with Davey Lopes on translating
his speed into SBs this preseason, hit .287 with 70 runs scored last year in
just 415 ABs.
PITTSBURGH PIRATES
Notes: Xavier
Nady has
started off like gangbusters with 2 HRs in his first three games, a great sign
after he hit only 3 HRs in 55 games as a Pirate last year (though he did hit
.300). Salomon Torres has likewise started hot on the mound with 3 SVs in his
three appearances.
Injuries: John
Grabow threw
50 pitches on Thursday in his attempt to come back from a sore elbow. He will
likely return to the team’s bullpen in about a week. Freddy Sanchez went 1 for 2 on Thursday at AAA in his continued
attempt to return from the DL (knee injury). Sanchez, the leagues leading
hitter with a .344 mark last season, could be activated soon, possibly this
weekend.
Player to
Watch: 2B
Jose Castillo was slated to play 3B
this year and to split some time with Jose
Batista. With the injury to Sanchez however, Castillo has been moved back
to his normal position of 2B. What will happen when Sanchez returns? Castillo
is 1 for his first 11 at the plate.
SAN DIEGO PADRES
Notes: The Padres
brought in the younger Giles, Marcus, to bat leadoff and play 2B. His
reported demise was a lot less gradual than most realize (he knocked in 60
runs, scored 87 and stole 10 bases last year). Kevin Kouzmanoff, brought over after the team traded Josh Barfield,
will be the team’s 3B. He should hit, hopefully he will be able to field as
well.
Injuries:
Scott Cassidy (strained knee), is the team’s only player currently on the
DL.
Player to
Watch: RP Cla Meredith was simply spectacular
last season coming out of nowhere to post the best ERA of any NL reliever
(1.07). In addition, he held batters to an anemic .170 BAA and posted a 0.71
WHIP. What will he do for an encore? He
and Scott Linebrink form a great
bridge to the 9th inning for the Padres.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Notes: The Giants
will go as far as Barry Bonds can
take them. Bonds, who  |
Bonds took his first trot around the base paths this past week and swears he is as healthy as he's been in three seasons. Fantasy owners who have served on a Grand Jury believe him too.
|
looked great this spring hitting 7 HRs, is batting .300
with a HR through 3 games. On the hill, all eyes will be on Barry Zito as he tries to prove that
his 126 trillion dollar, OK million dollar, deal is worth it.
Injuries: Mike
Sweeney is
on the DL with a foot injury, but when he is healthy, there may be no place on
the roster for him with Ryan Klesko
now in town to basically fill the same role.
Player to
Watch: What
will the Giants do in the pen? After Brian
Wilson bombed in spring training, the team had no choice but to turn to Armando Benitez to fill its closers
role. Benitez had a strong spring, but his history of injury, combined with his
terrible attitude, still has the Giants looking to move him for something of
value.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Notes: Albert
Pujols is
the best hitter in baseball, in case you haven’t heard. Even though he hit .292
last year and had a great post-season, David
Eckstein has to prove himself all over again after hitting just .250 in the
second half.
Injuries: Jim
Edmonds isn’t
on the DL, but he is still recovering from surgeries to his foot and shoulder.
He isn’t 100% yet. The big news is the elbow injury to Chris Carpenter. No word yet on what it is, but the “swelling” has
gone down and he hopes to start on Tuesday, though they may still hold him back
to make sure he is healthy. Juan
Encarnacion is still on the DL as he has been slow to recover from offseason
surgery on his wrist. Jason Isringhausen
is on the roster, but just how strong he will be after surgery on his hip is an
open question.
Player to
Watch: Adam Wainwright. Wainwright is a
starter for now, god knows the Cards need starters, but what happens if Izzy
goes down to injury? Will the team stick with its plan and leave Adam in the
rotation, or will they shuffle him back to the pen to fill the closers role
that he dominated in during the 2006 playoffs?
WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Notes: Cristian Guzman is
on the DL with a hamstring strain. This necessitates moving Felipe Lopez back
to SS (he doesn’t yet qualify at 2B), and placing Ron Belliard into the starting lineup at 2B. Belliard, one of
only two 2Bs in all of baseball to have at least 67 RBIs in each of the past
three seasons (Jeff Kent), should be able to take the job and run with it if he
has a solid couple of weeks.
Injuries: The big blow
here is Nick Johnson’s leg injury.
Slow to heal, it looks like Johnson won’t return until at least June. The Nats
obviously can’t stand to be without their best hitter, but they don’t have a
choice. The mercurial Dimitri Young
will fill in at 1B until Nick returns. Cristian Guzman is out with injury. The
question is; does anyone care?
Player to
Watch: The
teams leading hitter figures to be Ryan
Zimmerman. So why is he here? Without Alfonso Soriano in front of him, and
Nick Johnson behind him, how will the 2nd year player fare? Chances
or a repeat of his 110 RBI rookie season seem slim, but he does have a legitimate
shot at batting .300 on the year.
