LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE

OF – Josh Hamilton – CIN
Hamilton homered for the second straight game Wednesday. The Cincinnati Post reports that Hamilton will stay in the lineup. "We've got to get him on the field with what he's done," Manager Jerry Narron said. "The spring he had, the at-bats he's having right now. He looks like he belongs there. It's not going to be easy playing four outfielders, but we'll do what we can do." How many years now have the Reds had a glut of quality outfielders? Something that typically turns solid fantasy options into a diluted product. That said NL-only and deep mixed leagues should not hesitate to take a flier on Hamilton while he rides success.

SP- Ramon Ortiz – MIN
Not only did Ortiz dominate the Yankees for eight innings Wednesday (struck out four while allowing only one run, three hits and one walk), he has also looked surprisingly good in both starts this season; 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in 15 innings of work. Despite his strong start, Ortiz remains an AL-only option until he proves he can avoid the big inning.He has two favorable starts in for Fantasy Week 3 (April 16-22); @ Seattle and @ Kansas City.

SP- Mike Pelfrey – NYM

There is little doubt about Pelrey's talent, but when will he actually morph into the ace the team believes he can be?

Pelfrey was recalled from the Florida State League to make his season debut Friday against the Nationals. Even though he had a 5.48 ERA in four major league starts last year, Pelfrey is still considered an elite pitching talent; on the level of a Justin Verlander. Consider him a solid start in all formats especially in Week 3 where he'll face the Florida Marlins in pitcher-friendly Dolphin Stadium.

RP- Al Reyes – TB
The dust seems to be settling in what was a cloudy closer situation in Tampa Bay. Reyes got three outs Wednesday night for his second save and appears to be the Devil Rays' closer du jour for the time being. There has been talk that the Devil Rays are one of the many teams that have an interest in Brad Lidge. For now, Reyes has no challenger to the position and will get save opps.

RP- Henry Owens – FLA
With little to no experience at the big league level, a common denominator among the Marlins roster, Owens will replace the demoted Jorge Julio today as the teams' first option at closer. Taylor Tankersley was activated from the 15-day disabled list and will challenge Owens for this role. For now owners can vulture saves via Owens.

RP- Taylor Tankersley – FLA
The Marlins have activated Taylor Tankersley (shoulder) from the 15-day DL. To make room, Lee Gardner was sent to the minors. Tankersley will slot right in as the Marlins' primary left-handed setup man and he might even be a candidate to close with the Jorge Julio demotion. Tankersley is the best talent in the Marlins' bullpen, but his inexperience and left-handedness might keep him from being named the primary closer -- as least initially. Mr. Tankersley is looking over the shoulder of new closer Henry Owens, and is one bad ninth inning away from gaining solid mound-ground if Owens struggles. Those in need of saves should find a bench spot for Tankersley.

1B- Mike Jacobs – FLA
Jacobs, who is platooning with Josh Willingham at the cleanup spot, gained naysayer's this offseason because of his slow finish last year, and his struggles against lefthanders. His .435-2-5 start to the season is a good sign, as is his early work against lefties (4-for-7).  Jacobs has 30-homer potential, but the spacious Dolphin Stadium means he will have to do most of his damage on the road. He can be had in mixed leagues and could become a contender for a starting role in deeper formats.

2B- Kelly Johnson – ATL

Johnson will help fantasy owners if he can prove worthy as the Braves leadoff man.

Johnson is starting to pick up the pace after a slow start.In his last five games, he's batting .263 (5-19) with two homers and five RBIs. Johnson has developed plate discipline, a critical element for a Bobby Cox leadoff hitter.The potential for 18-20 homers and 12-15 steals is there, provided of course his recent trends continue.

SP- Philip Hughes – NYY
First there was Chien-Ming Wang's injury (hamstring) then there was Jeff Karsten's injury (elbow stiffness). This week Mike Mussina left Wednesday's contest against the Twins in the 3rd inning with what is being described as a hamstring injury. Enter rookie phenom Philip Hughes? No word yet out of Yankee camp but he's an inevitable consideration. Hughes dominated at AA Trenton with a 10-2 record, 2.25 ERA and 138 strikeouts in 116 IP. Should the Yankees decide to bring him up and insert him into the starting rotation he will likely stay for the remainder of the season.

THE CUTTING BOARD

RP- Jorge Julio – FLA
Continuing on from the Tankersley capsule, according to MLB.com, Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez was noncommittal Wednesday about Jorge Julio remaining the team's closer a day after he blew his second save of the season against the Brewers. "We'll do what's best for the team, the organization and the individual." On Thursday, Gonzalez announced the demotion of Julio and the promotion of Henry Owens. Julio is 0-1 with a 14.73 ERA in 3 2/3 innings. He also has "backwards" K/BB ratio of 1/6. He has little chance to regain the closer role in Florida or anywhere else in 2007.

RP- Brad Lidge – HOU
Manager Phil Garner appeared confident this spring when he emphatically said Brad Lidge was his guy, and that closer-by-committee late last season was a mistake because it never instilled confidence in his hard throwing right-hander. Less than two weeks into the season Lidge is out and Dan Wheeler is in. There is nothing that says Lidge couldn't return to the ninth inning role for the Astros, but current rumors have him on the way out of Houston.

C- Josh Bard – SD

Bard is back on the DL which means his value rests as a free agent fodder

San Diego Padres catcher Josh Bard was put on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a strained groin sustained the night before in a 4-0 victory against the San Francisco Giants. Bard looked like a nice find after his four hits, RBI and two runs scored in the season opener, but without a deep bench or DL slot, disabled catchers outside of McCann, Martinez or Mauer are simply not players to covet

SS- Bobby Crosby – OAK
The once highly touted shortstop is struggling again. Crosby is batting .190 (4-for-21) with no home runs or RBIs -- and is 1-for-10 in his last three games. Throw that into a blender, mix in a helping of "my back is bothering me a bit", and what you have is a prime cutting block candidate. Need more reassurance? Crosby has a career .243 batting average with 40 home runs and 16 steals in 349 games played. He also hasn't participated in more than 84 games a season since his rookie campaign and outside of deep formats he isn't worth the fantasy headache.

OF- Coco Crisp – BOS
Batting eighth in manager Terry Francona's lineup, Crisp is only 4-for-28 (.143) with a no home runs, three RBIs, two runs scored with one stolen base. These aren't even Scott Podsednik numbers and he's considered a 1-2 category type player. Crisp is owned in 54.7 % of the leagues, a number that has dropped almost 15% since opening day. If you're one of those 54.7%, it might be wise to cut bait on this anchor and take a chance on one of the outfielders listed above in the "Lightning in a Bottle" group.