As we head into the final weekend of fantasy baseball league drafts and auction, here are the latest news and notes impacting position rankings.
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.
– injury concerns plus the possibility of him starting the season on the disabled list has dropped his average draft position by three to four rounds.
