Eric Young Jr. got the start at second base Tuesday night and hit lead off, going 2-for-4 with two RBI. Clint Barmes is struggling this season hitting just .189 and a permanent switch to Young would mean the potential for anywhere from 25-40 plus steals and a plethora of runs atop the Rockies batting order.

Miguel Olivo has taken over as the starting catcher with Chris Ianetta being sent down to Triple-A. Olivo went 1-for-2 with two RBI and is hitting .319 on the season with five home runs and 12 RBI.

Seth Smith has some value over the next two weeks while filling in for Brad Hawpe who was placed on the disabled list. I would love to see Smith get 500+ at bats one of these seasons, knowing he would hit 280+ with 20+ home runs.

Recent call up Jhoulys Chacin threw a scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts and will get the start on Sunday against San Francisco. While he might rack up some strikeouts, I think his other numbers will suffer until he is able to fix his control. In 21 1/3 innings in Triple-A this year he had walked 11 hitters.

Jorge De La Rosa and Jason Hammel both hit the 15-day disabled list with injuries. De La Rosa with a torn tendon on a finger on his throwing hand and Hammel with a strained groin. It has been an injury marred season so far for Colorado’s staff with Huston Street and Jeff Francis already out of action, although both are throwing as they work their way back.

He made drastic improvement in his pitch recognition at Triple-A last season with 74 walks and 64 strikeouts after  going 41 and 103 the previous season in Double-A. He has a lifetime minor league batting average of .301 so he can hit, it is a matter if he can carry over his patience at the plate to the major leagues now.  He finished spring training with 10 walks and 11 strikeouts. I grabbed him in a couple of my deep leagues where I needed some power this past weekend.

We saw what happened when Nelson Cruz of the Texas Rangers finally discovered some plate discipline. Not that Bowker has the power of Cruz, but I think he is definitely worth a pick up from the waiver wire if the Giants are going to stick with him for more than a few weeks.

Seth Smith got the start for the Colorado Rockies and hit second today over Dexter Fowler. Smith hit .352 in spring with 12 RBI while Fowler hit only .229. I had Smith projected for around 375 at bats this year and I love his bat for average and power.

We saw a similar situation in Cincinnati where Dusty Baker gave the start to Chris Dickerson over Drew Stubbs in center field. Dickerson hit .288 with two home runs and four stolen bases in spring compared to Stubbs at .300, five home runs and three steals. I don’t think it is going to be a strict platoon, but if it was, that would be bad news for Stubbs owners with him being the right-handed hitter.

The talk of Matt Kemp being the second hitter in the batting order did not carry over into the regular season as the Los Angeles Dodgers have Russell Martin hitting second and Kemp hitting fifth.

Mike Jacobs filling in for the injured Daniel Murphy got slotted as the clean up hitter in the New York Mets line up with Jason Bay hitting fifth.

Gary Matthews Jr. got the start in center field over Angel Pagan and hit sixth for the Mets.

Hitting:

Home Runs:

1. Chris Johnson – 8
2. John Bowker – 6
3. Aaron Hill – 6
4. Mike Napoli – 6
5. Sean Rodriguez – 6
6. Justin Upton – 6
7. Delwyn Young – 6
8. Ryan Zimmerman – 6
9. Jose Bautista – 5
10. Nelson Cruz – 5

RBI:

1. Chase Headley – 23
2. John Bowker – 22
3. Chris Johnson – 22
4. Nelson Cruz – 20
5. Justin Upton – 20
6. Mitch Maier – 19
7. Reid Brignac – 18
8. Tyler Colvin – 18
9. Hunter Pence – 18
10. Delwyn Young – 18

Stolen Bases:

1.  Carlos Gomez – 11
2.  Peter Bourjos  – 9
3.  Luis Durango – 9
4.  Will Venable – 9
5.  Nyjer Morgan – 8
6.  Aaron Cunningham – 7
7.  Ichiro Suzuki – 7
8.  Michael Bourn – 6
9.  Eric Bruntlett  – 6
10. Ian Desmond – 6

Pitching:

Strikeouts:

1.  Francisco Liriano – 30
2.  Matt Garza – 27
3.  Ryan Dempster – 25
4.  Jorge De La Rosa – 24
5.  Jeff Niemann – 24
6.  Jonathan Sanchez – 24
7.  John Danks – 23
8.  Scott Baker – 22
9.  Josh Beckett – 22
10.  Gavin Floyd – 22

Injuries:

Joe Blanton will start the year on the disabled list and miss 3-6 weeks with an oblique injury. The move opens a spot for Kyle Kendrick in the rotation.  Kendrick has a 1.66 ERA with eight strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings thus far in spring.

Huston Street stopped his throwing program after experiencing some issues on Wednesday which likely puts him out until sometime in May. Franklin Morales is the favorite for saves while Street is out of action.

Marc Rzepczynski fractured a finger on his pitching hand and will possibly miss up to six weeks. Rzepczynski had a 6.10 ERA in 20 2/3 innings with 14 strikeouts.

Brandon Webb still looks to be on track for a return in May after meeting with the team doctor and receiving no bad news in regards to his recent MRI.

Daniel Murphy will miss 2-6 weeks after spraining his knee. Mike Jacobs will fill in at first base with top prospect Ike Davis lurking in the wings. Davis will present an interesting challenge for those in FAAB leagues if he is recalled the first week of the season.

Ian Kinsler is still recovering from his sprained ankle and could begin the season on the disabled list, returning around the middle of April.

Lance Berkman, recovering from recent knee surgery, will begin the season on the disabled list and likely miss the first two weeks of the season.

Brad Lidge will begin the season on the disabled list since his elbow has not responded well from surgery. Ryan Madson will take over as closer in his absence.

Hitters:

It looks like Chris Johnson will see some time at third base against left-handed pitching while Lance Berkman is on the disabled list with Pedro Feliz sliding over to first base. Johnson is hitting .383 in spring with six home runs and 17 RBI in 53 at bats

Willy Taveras looks set to begin the year in a platoon role, hitting against left-handed pitching. That gives him some value in N.L. only leagues with the potential for 200+ at bats and 15-20 stolen bases.

I have a sneaky suspicion that Jim Edmonds ends the season with close to 400 at bats. I originally thought he might split time with Carlos Gomez, but the the way Corey Hart is hitting (.158 batting average), or should I say not hitting, it looks like Edmonds might platoon with him and as the left-handed hitter, he would see the majority of at bats. Edmonds is hitting .360 with 12 RBI in 44 at bats.

The injury to Russell Branyan makes Michael Brantley the starting left fielder for the Cleveland Indians. Brantley should have a solid batting average and could steal anywhere from 15-30 bases depending on how many at bats he gets this season.

Starting Rotations:

The Toronto Blue Jays have awarded the final two spots in their rotation to Dana Eveland and Brian Tallet. Brett Cecil was sent to Triple-A. Eveland has a 1.23 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 22 innings, while Tallet has a 5.06 ERA and 11 K’s in 16 innings.

The Cincinnati Reds won’t need a 5th starter until April 11th but it looks like Mike Leake might have pulled into the lead after his most recent outing. Leake has worked 18 innings with a 3.00 ERA and 10 strikeouts. Travis Wood meanwhile has a 3.50 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 18 innings but with 12 walks. Aroldis Chapman has a 1.69 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings, but has allowed seven walks.

Mat Latos won the 5th starter job with the San Diego Padres. No surprise there as he has the most talent of anyone on their staff. The only downside to him is the possible innings limitation in the 150-170 range. Latos currently has a 1.59 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 17 innings.

Hitters:

Elijah Dukes was cut by the Washington Nationals today.  No reason was given for his release and from a fantasy perspective, there are not a whole lot of interesting choices behind him (Mike Morse, Jason Maxwell, Mike Morse, etc.) to have an impact unless the Nationals decide to move Ian Desmond from SS to the outfield.

If you are in a deep AL only league, Mark Kotsay is worth going $1 on as he could see 200 at bats between the outfield, first base and designated hitter. He stole his third base of the spring on Tuesday.

The San Francisco Giants stopped their waffling and tried Buster Posey at first base. He becomes more draftable in mixed league formats with two catchers if the Giants are committed to giving him time at multiple positions.

Michael Stanton hit his third home run of the spring for the Florida Marlins, and is making things interesting in the outfield picture.

Pitchers:

Jaime Garcia is still in the running for the 5th starter spot with St. Louis after striking out seven in three scoreless innings on Tuesday.

With no one stepping up at the back of the rotation, the Texas Rangers moved C.J. Wilson from relief pitcher into the mix. Wilson worked four innings, allowing one run with five strikeouts on Tuesday.

Phil Hughes matched the performance of Alfredo Aceves from earlier in the week by tossing four shutout innings with two strikeouts.

In a blast from the past, Ramon Ortiz who last pitched in the major leagues with the Colorado Rockies in 2007, tossed four shutout innings with five strikeouts for the Los Angeles Dodgers in his bid to claim the final rotation spot.

Ben Sheets, zero innings, eight hits, nine runs and one walk. That’s a good way to drop your draft value by three to five rounds.

Closers:

Franklin Morales picked up a save Monday for the Colorado Rockies and could see some action in that role to start the season with Huston Street likely to begin the season the disabled list.

A couple of sleepers to take note of at closer though they may not have an impact until later in the season.

Pat Neshek is returning from Tommy John surgery in 2008 and could be an option for saves after the All-Star break as the Minnesota Twins wait before throwing him possibly into the fire. He excelled in 2007 with a 2.94 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with more than a strikeout per inning.

Koji Uehara was moved to the bullpen to make way for all the young arms the Baltimore Orioles had coming up through the farm system and will serve in a set up role this year. Given the injury history of Mike Gonzalez, he could be an option for saves at some point this season. He is definitely worth a flier in an AL only leagues as is Neshek.

Hitters:

Sean Rodriguez hit his 4th home run of the spring as is solidifying a spot on the Tampa Bay Rays roster. His ability to play all over the diamond could get him 300-400 at bats this year.

Chris Davis of the Texas Rangers seems to have a much better approach at the plate in early spring with only four strikeouts in 26 at bats.

Logan Morrison of the Florida Marlins is hitting his way out of a job in his battle with Gaby Sanchez at first base. Morrison is hitting .087 with two hits in 23 at bats.

Pitchers:

Stephen Strasburg tossed three shutout innings with two strikeouts on Sunday. As mentioned in earlier columns, I still expect him to open the season in the major leagues. He has been going in the 12-15 round range in 15 team league drafts this past week.

With all the hype around Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes as the New York Yankees 5th starter, Alfredo Aceves may be quietly sneaking in the back door. Aceves tossed four innings of one-run ball on Saturday and is in the mix to grab the last rotation spot.

Milwaukee got back-to-back good outings from the end of the rotation over the weekend with Manny Parra tossing four innings, allowing one run with three strikeouts and David Bush also going four innings with four strikeouts and giving up a lone run. While maybe not the magic worker like Dave Duncan is, you have to think that new pitching coach Rick Peterson is going to be able to make improvements to some of the Milwaukee starters that struggled last season.

With Madison Bumgarner struggling in camp, it looks like the San Francisco Giants may have two other options in Todd Wellemeyer and rookie Kevin Pucetas. Pucetas tossed three shutout innings on Sunday with a strikeout and Wellemeyer tossed four scoreless innings on Friday.

Closers:

Jon Rauch was touched up for two runs in an inning of work while Matt Guerrier pitched a scoreless inning as the current top two contenders to replace Joe Nathan barring a trade.

Jason Frasor allowed four runs in 1/3 of an inning while Kevin Gregg tossed a scoreless inning as the battle continues for the Toronto Blue Jays closer role.

Hitters:

Angel Pagan stole his third base of the spring and should have some value the first month of the season in NL only leagues while Carlos Beltran is out of action.

Lorenzo Cain stole his third base of spring for the Milwaukee Brewers and is someone worth stashing on reserve in NL only dynasty leagues. He had a chance to open the season as the starting center fielder this season before  he suffered a partially torn MCL in 2009. With no guarantee that Carlos Gomez is able to hold up as the starting center fielder, Cain could possibly see time later this season.

It looks like the position switch of Jose Lopez (to 3B) and Chone Figgins (to 2B) could grant extra flexibility for your fantasy baseball line up several weeks into the season.

As much as Chicago Cubs manager Lou Pinella wants to see Starlin Castro spend time at Triple-A, I still think he makes it to the major leagues sooner than later this season. Castro went two for three with three runs scored on Thursday, including his first home run of spring.

Pitchers:

Shaun Marcum had another solid outing for the Toronto Blue Jays with three shutout innings and two strikeouts. Marcum who missed the 2009 season after Tommy John surgery is a good late round option draft choice.

Keep an eye on Madison Bumgarner of the San Francisco Giants as he was supposed to open the season as the 5th starter. His velocity that dropped at the end of 2009 has reportedly not bounced back and he struggled on Thursday walking four in two innings and allowing two runs with no strikeouts.

James McDonald has been unable to take control of one of the rotation spots for the Los Angeles Dodgers so far this spring. He allowed three runs and five base runners in two innings.

Hitters:

Jose Bautista hit his third home run of the spring and is a good source of late game power in a draft as the starting right fielder for the Toronto Blue Jays if you team can support his low batting average.

Marlon Byrd might be able to retain his breakout numbers from last season as it looks like he will be hitting second in the Chicago Cubs line up after Ryan Theriot and in front of Derrek Lee.

After seeing 200 at bats in the one slot in the batting order in 2009, it looks like Aaron Rowand will be taking up full-time residence there in 2010, which should give him a boost in runs scored this season.

Pitchers:

Kris Medlen tossed three shutout innings with two strikeouts. I wrote about him last week in 2010 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers. The talent is there and he will get an opportunity at some point this year as a starter.

Joba Chamberlain was bombed, allowing six runs in 2 1/3 innings with three walks. History has shown that his numbers are much better as a relief pitcher so I have Phil Hughes penciled in for the fifth starter spot.

I put Neftali Feliz in the same boat as Joba right now. It does not look like Feliz will be making the transition to starter which limits his value if he is only a seventh or eighth inning set up man. He allowed four runs on four hits in two innings on Wednesday.

It looks like Ben Sheets still has some rust to shake off after allowing five runs in 2 2/3 innings for the Oakland A’s.

After missing part of the 2008 season and all of 2009, Jeff Francis is back on the hill for the Colorado Rockies. He tossed three shutout innings with two strikeouts on Wednesday.

Hitters:

Sean Rodriguez has been seeing time all over the diamond in spring training and could turn into a super utility player for the Tampa Bay Rays like Ben Zobrist was last season.

Garrett Jones went two-for-three with three RBI and his first home run of the spring. I like him more as a first basemen where you can get more value from his stolen bases.

Ian Desmond got a start in right field and stole his second base of spring for the Washington Nationals as he too could be looking at a super utility role backing up shortstop, second base and the outfield corner spots.

He struggled with injuries and a drop in power in 2009, but Rick Ankiel is a sneaky choice for late draft power if he can stay healthy for 450 at bats in 2010. He hit his first home run of the spring on Tuesday and should be able to hit 20+ home runs this season.

After hitting lead off 79% of the time in 2009, it looks like Ian Kinsler is set to enter the season hitting fifth in the order with Julio Borbon installed atop the lineup. It should mean an upgrade in RBI for Kinsler and push him into the 90+ range in 2010.

Pitchers:

I said last week I expect Stephen Strasburg to open the season in the major leagues and he took his first step toward doing that on Tuesday with two shutout innings and two strikeouts. Other people seem to be thinking that as well as I saw him go in the 12th round of a 15 team mock draft yesterday.

Chris Young of the San Diego Padres had an encouraging start after missing a good portion of 2009 due to surgery, tossing three shutout innings with two strikeouts.

For example, I don’t care that Fernando Martinez hit two home runs this weekend because it really means nothing in 2010 with Jeff Francoeur, Carlos Beltran (when healthy) and Jason Bay in the New York Mets outfield.

Injuries:

Catcher Russell Martin of the Los Angeles Dodger has an injured groin and is expected to miss four-to-six weeks which means he will likely miss opening day. I would knock 50 at bats from his projections just to be safe.

Third basemen Alex Gordon will be out for three-to-four weeks with a broken thumb. With Gordon usually being drafted two to three rounds earlier than he should every year, the injury just puts him back to where he should have been all along.

Hitters:

For those people concerned about Justin Morneau and his back problems from last year affecting his power in 2010, it was nice to see him get his first home run of the spring today.

The recent signing of Orlando Hudson by the Minnesota Twins bumped J.J. Hardy from the second spot in the batting order. On Sunday, Hudson was hitting second with Hardy in the sixth spot.

Value going up for Jason Bartlett as it looks like he might open the year as the lead off hitter for the Tampa Bay Rays. Value going down for B.J. Upton who was hitting seventh in the order on Saturday.

Mmmm, Matt Kemp as the new number two hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers? Not sure I like that. In 55 at bats in the number two hole last year, he hit two home runs with only five RBI. It definitely means he is going to have a hard time breaking 100 RBI if he stays in that slot the entire season.

Pitchers:

Kyle McClellan threw three shutout innings with four strikeouts in his bid to secure one of the St. Louis Cardinals starting rotation spots. The magic of Dave Duncan continues.

Ian Kennedy threw two scoreless innings for Arizona and is a good late game play in National League only formats after missing the majority of the 2009 season.

While spring training numbers are usually not that important for the majority of pitchers as they work on new pitches, get used to being stretched out, etc., for some coming back from injury it does has some impact to their draft status. Jeremy Bonderman of the Detroit Tigers was pounded on Sunday, allowing six runs in only 2/3 of an inning.

Shaun Marcum tossed two scoreless innings on Saturday with two strikeouts. He is a great end game option in mixed league formats in 2010.

Francisco Liriano hurled two scoreless innings with three strikeouts as he looks to carry over his strong performance from the winter league. Another outing or two like this and he is going to start rocketing up draft boards.

At some point this season Jaime Garcia is going to have some value for the St. Louis Cardinals. He might have to start the season in Triple-A to build up arm strength after missing part of 2008-09 with Tommy John surgery, but he is worth holding onto in NL only leagues. He tossed three hitless innings on Saturday with three strikeouts.