Mixed Leagues – 12/15 teams:

3B – Ian Stewart (COL) – Stewart was batting .361 with three home runs and 13 RBI in 32 at bats before being recalled by the Colorado Rockies from Triple-A. Although he struggled early in the season, it looks like he was able to get his swing back on track in the minor leagues. He should see at bats against right-handed pitching with Jose Lopez seeing time against southpaws

C – Yorvit Torrealba (TEX) – When you think of the catcher for the Texas Rangers, most people will say Mike Napoli, however, Torrealba has been splitting time with Napoli and is currently hitting .277 with three home runs and eight RBI. He hasn’t hit for a ton of power but Rangers Ballpark is a hitter’s ballpark so that statistic could change soon.

American League:

2B – Scott Sizemore (DET) – With Will Rhymes struggling badly and Sizemore hitting over .400 in Triple-A, the Detroit Tigers made the switch earlier this week and Sizemore will get the majority of at bats at second base for the foreseeable future. Sizemore was hitting .408 in 76 at bats with two home runs and three steals when he was recalled.

OF – Ben Revere (MIN) – Revere was recalled today by the Minnesota Twins when Jason Repko was placed on the disabled list. With Delmon Young also on the DL for another week, Revere has a chance for playing time this week and beyond if he can show the Twins what he is capable of. He’s been compared to Brett Gardner and has batted .300 or better in four minor league season. Revere was hitting .293 with no hone runs in 92 at bats and seven stolen bases with the Rochester Red Wings.

National League:

OF – Jason Bourgeois (HOU) – With Carlos Lee suffering from a rib injury, Bourgeois has taken advantage of the additional playing time, batting over .500 in his last five games. He has nine stolen bases in just 41 at bats this season so if you are looking for steals in a NL-only league, grab him up.

SP – Vance Worley (PHI) – Worley impressed in his first start with six scoreless innings for the Philadelphia Phillies. Worley is starting while Joe Blanton is on the disabled list and Blanton did not have a good start to the season before his injury. Worley could stick around if he strings together a few more strong outings. He faces the Washington Nationals at home tonight.

RP – Mark Melancon (HOU) – if you have a reserve spot open in your NL-only league, you might want to try and stash Melancon from the Houston Astros. Brandon Lyon blew his fourth save of the year today and is close to being removed from the closer’s role. Melancon could be next in line with his 1.76 ERA and 1.30 WHIP.

American League only:

2B – Scott Sizemore – I’m sure many AL and mixed league owners drafted this guy hoping to make a splash with him.  After hitting just .206 to begin the year, the Tigers sent him back down to Triple-A.  He’s been recalled to help out at second and possible third base while Brandon Inge is out with a broken finger.  In 167 at-bats in Triple-A, Sizemore was hitting .329 with 19 RBI and 32 runs scored.  He deserves a bench spot on your AL only team if he’s available if he is still available on waivers. He got the start on Thursday and went 0-for4 while hitting sixth at third base.

RP / SP – Brian Duensing – Duensing is going to take the rotation spot for Nick Blackburn in Minnesota who has just been dreadful this season. Duensing has only pitched in relief this season but made nine starts last season for the Twins.  In 2010, he has pitched 43 innings with a 3-1 record and a 1.67 ERA.  He pitched four innings in his last relief appearance to stretch him out.  I believe he may only go five to maybe six innings in his first start tomorrow against Baltimore.  His next start after that is against Kansas City.

National League only:

C – Erik Kratz – This is a true feel good story. If you were watching the Triple A All-Star game like I was last week, you saw that he was pulled from the game because he was being called up by the Pittsburgh Pirates.  What make this such a great story is that he is a 30-year-old rookie. He was hitting .296 with 9 HR and 37 RBI before being recalled and the plan was for him to platoon with Ryan Doumit. With Doumit just recently going on the disabled list, Kratz should see the majority of action over the next few weeks.

OF – John Jay – Jay is currently in a platoon situation with Randy Winn while Ryan Ludwick is on the disabled list but that may change shortly since he’s hitting .378 with three home runs, 11 RBI and 18 runs scored over 82 AB
this season. He could see a boost in playing time if he is moved in a trade as well as St. Louis does not have really any top level minor league prospects at this point.

12/15 Team Mixed League:

OF – Matt Diaz – Disregard his overall numbers and just pay attention to what he has been doing since he has come back from injury. He is currently hitting .400 in the month of July with four home runs and 11 RBI in 40 at bats. He might not get the start every game, but he is a good guy to grab if you need some help with your team batting average.

American League:

The Detroit Tigers waited as long as they could for Max Scherzer to turn it around, but after getting bombed again in his last start and allowing three more home runs, he was sent to Triple-A ad will be replaced in the rotation by Armando Galarraga. Galarraga had a 3.92 ERA in seven starts with 38 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings in the minor leagues.

The Detroit Tigers were not demoting players on Saturday as they also sent down second basemen Scott Sizemore. Danny Worth was recalled from the minor leagues as a temporary stop gap measure. Worth was hitting .274 with two home runs and 10 stolen bases. The real news is the announcement that Carlos Guillen will be going back to second base when he returns from the disabled list. This also solidifies Brennan Boesch’s role in the outfield since he had been filling in for Guillen while he was out of action.

Jack Cust (waiver wire – week 7) of the Oakland A’s was promoted from Triple-A and should see the majority of at bats at designated hitter moving forward as the A’s look to add some punch to their lineup. If your team is short on Power, Cust could give your team a boost in home runs while hurting your team batting average.

Javier Vazquez was on the week 7 two-start pitchers list until the New York Yankees decided to push him back to Friday against the New York Mets. Despite his good start this week, it seems like the Yankees brass did not trust him to throw in a divisional game against Boston or Tampa Bay earlier in the week.

The Tampa Bay Rays recalled Hank Blalock from Triple-A and sent out Pat Burrell. Blalock should take over the primary designated hitter against right-handed pitching. Blalock was hitting .349 with four home runs and 24 RBI in 109 at bats in Triple-A.

Justin Duchscherer just back from the disabled list was scratched from his start on Saturday with problems with his hip again and is headed to the doctor to see if surgery will be needed. Watch for news later today to see if you need to reserve him in your lineup for next week.

National League:

Xavier Paul could be back on his way to the Los Angeles Dodgers, depending on the fate of Andre Ethier’s fractured pinkie and if he can play through the injury. Paul would have value in NL only leagues as he can give your team some stolen bases when he gets playing time.

Just when it looked like Huston Street was close to returning, he was pulled from his minor league outing on Saturday. Manny Corpas who picked up a save Saturday night will continue on as closer for another week it looks like.

With Brad Lidge headed back to the disabled list, Jose Contreras takes over as closer in Philadelphia. Contreras picked up a save Saturday night and should be owned in all fantasy baseball leagues moving forward.

John Baker was put on the 15-day disabled list by the Florida Marlins and will be replaced in the line up by Ronny Paulino for the next two weeks.

The Atlanta Braves swapped players on the disabled list, bring off shortstop Yunel Escobar and placing Matt Diaz there. Escobar was back in the lineup on Saturday and wet 0-for-3 with a walk.

2010 Detroit Tigers  Projected Batting Order:

1.  CF Austin Jackson (ADP 303)
2.  LF Johnny Damon (ADP 113)
3.  RF Magglio Ordonez (ADP 256)
4.  1B Miguel Cabrera (ADP 9)
5.  DH Carlos Guillen (ADP 449)
6.  C George Laird (ADP 411)
7.  3B Brandon Inge (ADP 257)
8.  2B Scott Sizemore (ADP 305)
9.  SS Adam Everett (ADP ND)

2010 Detroit Tigers Projected Rotation & Bullpen:

1.  Justin Verlander (ADP 46)
2.  Rick Porcello (ADP 211)
3.  Max Scherzer (ADP 142)
4.  Jeremy Bonderman (ADP ND)
5.  Nate Robertson / Dontrelle Willis (ADP ND)

Closer – Jose Valverde (ADP 133)
Handcuff – Joel Zumaya

2010 Detroit Tigers Prospects with potential impact this year:

1.  Jacob Turner – SP
2.  Casey Crosby – SP
3.  Ryan Strieby – 1B

This is the third report in the series of fantasy baseball rankings looking at the position of second base. In 2010, second base and third base seem to be two of the thinnest positions to draft from. After the top 10 second basemen are off the board, there are some questions associated with quite a few of the players from that point forward.

Your best bet is to make sure you have secured a second basemen early in your fantasy baseball draft and not be worried about looking through the waiver wire during the course of the season because your player has either lost his job or is under performing.

Let’s take a look at the 2010 fantasy baseball rankings to see how the position stacks up.

1) Chase Utley – it was another solid season for Utley in 2009 as he stole a career-high 23 stolen bases. ADP has him as high as number three and as low as seven so if you are picking after the middle of the first round, don’t expect to see him sliding to you.

2) Ian Kinsler – he was the only 30-30 player in all of baseball last season. Home runs took a big jump as he raised his fly ball percentage 11 points. Batting average and his propensity to get injured are the two things that have him teetering on the edge of a first round status in fantasy baseball drafts.

3) Brandon Phillips – a lock for a 20/20 season in 2010 and this is the year he should break 100 RBI for the first time in his career with an improved lineup around him.

4) Dustin Pedroia – I have him rated very close to Phillips. Pedroia offers more runs scored and a better chance for a .300 batting average compared to the extra power and a few more steals that Phillips brings to the table.

5) Brian Roberts – the stolen bases are dropping each year he gets older, going from 50 in 2007 to 40 in 2008 and 30 last fantasy baseball season. Still should be good for 25-30 for another season or two.

6) Ben Zobrist – took advantage of injuries last season and became of one of the hottest free agent pickups of the season. Provides the extra flexibility of qualifying in the outfield in the 2010 fantasy baseball season. The stolen bases are not a surprise as much because Tampa Bay is a running team. I would expect some regression in his power numbers. In 1,330+ minor league at bats, he had a total of 23 home runs.

7) Robinson Cano – his new stadium helps the power numbers as a left-handed hitter although his splits were close in 2009 with 14 home runs at home and 11 on the road. Was consistent every month last year, hitting at least .270+ with three or more home runs.

8.) Aaron Hill – turned in a magical age 27 fantasy baseball season last year, by more than doubling him home run output from 2007. Turned some of those 47 doubles from ’07 into more home runs in ’09. Don’t pay for 35+ home runs in 2010; project him for the 25-30 range and you will be much better off.

9) Dan Uggla – as consistent as they come at second base. You can annually pencil him in for 30 home runs and 90 RBI. Needs to improve against left-handed pitching to get his average back up, hitting in the low .200′s the previous two years against southpaws.

10) Jose Lopez – continued to grow last season as he bumped up his home run total for the third straight year. Second year of 40+ doubles and he increased his home run output by eight. He is a great value pick, going a full two rounds later than Uggla in fantasy baseball drafts.

11) Howie Kendrick -  continues to tease fantasy baseball owners by putting up some nice stats in 375 at bats. Was sent to the minor leagues for a stretch last season but came back on fire, hitting .358 with six home runs and 36 RBI in only 165 at bats after the All-Star break. Always is drafted much higher than what his value really is.

12) Rickie Weeks – was off to a strong start before a wrist injury and surgery ended his 2009 season. Much like Kendrick, Weeks’ numbers look enticing if you project him out to 600 at bats, but injuries have held him back through his short career. Power usually suffers the following season after wrist injuries so don’t pro-rate out his 2009 numbers as a new home run level for him.

13) Kelly Johnson – great value pick because he will go after another 5-10 players on my fantasy baseball rankings based on current ADP numbers. Unfortunately too many fantasy baseball owners focus just on previous season’s numbers when forecasting stats and don’t look at a player’s body of work as a whole. Yes, he he had a rough year last season and eventually lost his job, thanks in part to some bad luck as evidenced by a nine percentage point drop in his hit rate last season. With the change of scenery to Arizona, look for him to return to his 2008 level.

14) Clint Barmes – doubled his home runs totals in 2009 as he swung for the fences. Strikeout rate has increased by a total of eight percentage points over the last two years as he looks for the long ball. Still should be good for another year of double digit home runs and stolen bases.

15) Placido Polanco – pretty stable numbers year-to-year which should continue with the high powered Philadelphia Phillies lineup. Will qualify at third base around the second to fourth week of the season depending on the position eligibility rules of your fantasy baseball league.

16) Scott Sizemore – heads into spring training as the starting second basemen for the Detroit Tigers. Should be good for double digit home runs and steals in his rookie season.

17) Martin Prado – qualifies at second base, shortstop and third base. Took over as the starting second basemen and never looked back last year. Nice to have as a middle infielder to support batting average. Prado holds a career batting avergae of .300 in the minor leagues and .307 in the Show.

18) Mark Ellis – should be able to reach double-digit home runs and steals assuming he can muster 450 at bats. In the last year of his contract with a club option for next season, there is a chance he could be dealt at the trade deadline if Oakland is out of the race.

19) Orlando Hudson – currently a free agent but should have a starting job by the time spring training starts. Does not stand out in any one category but is pretty solid across the board

20) Felipe Lopez – see Orlando Hudson

The FBT Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide is now available for purchase for just $9.99. You can view a sample here to see the template for the top 10 catchers and top 10 starting pitchers.

The Draft Guide includes the following:

• Projections in Excel for 480 players using the standard 5 x 5 fantasy baseball categories
• Cheat sheets already set up to be printed out
• Expanded player rankings for all positions
• Ages for all players as of opening day
• Word / PDF document that explains how to use the projections and some tips for some neat things to do in Excel.
• The first article that will be only available to subscribers (and not posted on the website) for “how to win your fantasy baseball draft league”. This is a seven page document with 3,500 words of fantasy baseball goodness based on my 20 years of playing in fantasy baseball leagues.
• You will also receive weekly reports every Monday that feature updates to rankings and a new article all the way up to opening day.
• Support for any questions you have in regards to Excel to ensure you get the most out of the data.

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Next up in the series for 2010 fantasy baseball rankings will be shortstops.