By David Ferris
Two American League clubs are already on the board, but let's focus on the other 14 outfits, still toiling away in Florida and Arizona. There are lessons to be learned from the spring results if you look in the right areas; get out your notebook and follow along.
BATTERS
BUY
Hank Blalock, 3B, Rangers – His super camp (1.081 OPS) earned him the cleanup spot, and the runs flow freely in Texas, especially when the weather warms. Blalock's strong finish to 2007 didn’t draw a lot of attention; he’s been a bargain in most leagues this spring.
Alex Gordon, 3B, Royals – Was the second-half rally something we can get behind? The spring results give a thumbs up: Gordon’s got a solid .308 average and .438 on-base percentage this month, with 11 walks against nine strikeouts. This might be the last draft season where you can land him at a reasonable price.
Gerald Laird, C, Rangers – He’s not going to make anyone forget Pudge Rodriguez, but Laird has swung a big stick all month (.311, four homers), and Jarrod Saltamacchia now toils at Triple-A. Don’t be surprised if we see 15 homers and 70 RBIs from Laird.
SELL
Brandon Wood, 3B, Angels – Do the Halos overrate their prospects, or simply fail to develop them? Wood hasn’t hit much this month, that’s for sure: .135 average, 21 strikeouts, zero walks.
Richie Sexson, 1B, Mariners – You can give him a mulligan all you want for 2007, but we saw too many inside fastballs get by him last year, and things haven’t been different in camp (.379 slugging percentage, 18 strikeouts in 58 at-bats).
HOLD
Vladimir Guerrero, OF, Angels – Sore elbow, huh? A.L. pitchers don’t believe it. Vlad’s doing his normal thing this spring, hobbling around like Fred G. Sanford but mashing anyway (.326, four homers, 16 RBIs in just 47 at-bats).
Carlos Gomez, OF, Twins – Don’t worry too much about the sore hamstring of the last few days; Go-Go Gomez already has the center-field job sewn up. His 11 steals in the spring have fantasy owners dreaming about 40-50 bags when the bell rings.
PITCHERS
BUY
Felix Hernandez, SP, Mariners – Look past the ERA and the homers allowed (six); we see two walks against 19 strikeouts and conclude King Felix is putting a few things together. Of course, we’d also like to see him take some old Seattle pitching advice – "smoke him inside" was the catchphrase of the old Pilots – but one step at a time. With some trepidation, put us down for the extra buck here. (Fantasy rule of thumb – if you look at just two things from a pitcher in March, let it be walks and strikeouts.)
Denny Bautista/Aquilino Lopez, RPs, Tigers – Jim Leyland desperately needs a second option in his bullpen with Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya hurt, so get these guys on your radar. Both are off strong camps: Bautista has a 1.42 ERA with 12 strikeouts against three walks, while Lopez is at 1.32 with three walks and 15 whiffs. Lopez isn’t a complete stranger to ninth-inning and inner-city pressure – he saved 14 games as a rookie with the Blue Jays in 2003 – but it looks like Bautista starts the year higher on Leyland’s pecking order. Bottom line, be aware of both guys here.
SELL
Kason Gabbard, SP, Rangers – The club says his poor spring hasn’t cost him a rotation spot; good news for hitters all through the American League. Gabbard has allowed 28 hits over 16.2 Cactus League innings, along with 10 walks against just nine strikeouts. If he brings that act to Arlington, hide the women and children.
Dontrelle Willis, SP, Tigers – So what if he’s tied to a better offense and defense this time around? Florida hitters have owned him for the last four weeks (8.64 ERA, 15 walks, 12 strikeouts), underscoring that D-Train’s mechanical bugs won’t be worked out overnight.
Troy Percival, RP, Rays – He was having a fine spring until a seven-spot reared its head last week, but mostly we’re bearish because we can’t imagine Percival staying intact through six months of high-leverage innings. Joe Maddon has several other choices at his disposal, starting with Dan Wheeler.
A.J. Burnett, SP, Blue Jays – His curveball didn’t come out until a few days ago, and batters had no problem digging in all month (23 hits over 18.1 innings; nine walks against just eight strikeouts). We need to see some proof that Burnett is over last year’s shoulder problems before we get invested.
HOLD
Javier Vazquez, SP, White Sox – It’s our nature to be skeptical on any pitcher who spiked like Vazquez did in 2007, but a tidy spring (four walks, 22 strikeouts over 17.2 innings) buys some cred. Maybe Vazquez has finally found a home in the Second City.
By Rob Steingall
These recommendations are only for March 31 through April 6 unless otherwise suggested.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Put’em in
Billy Butler, 1B/DH, Royals: Hitting in the middle of an underrated lineup, Butler should be a solid fantasy contributor this season. Hitting well over .300 this spring with a handful of bombs, he oozes fantasy potential at the tender age of 21.
Rich Harden, SP, A’s: Healthy and dominant this spring, Fragile Rich was a late-round bargain on draft day. His first outing against the Red Sox was outstanding (6 innings, 1 run, 3 hits, 3 walks, 9 Ks); just hope he doesn’t get injured on the flight home from Japan. He’s special when healthy.
Bench ‘em
Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, Red Sox: Barely hit over the Mendoza line this spring, and split the first two games in Japan with Coco Crisp. Terry Francona is also batting him eighth to “ease the adjustment” despite Ellsbury leading off during 2007’s championship run.
Ryan Garko, 1B, Indians: Coming off a breakout ’07 campaign, Garko has been slow to get the bat going this spring, with an average in the low .200s. Former top prospect Andy Marte showed serious power this spring and saw time at first, signaling he occasionally may play at Garko’s expense.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Put’em in
Lastings Milledge, OF, Nationals: Finally getting a chance to play every day, Milledge should thrive batting second in a much improved Washington lineup. He’s shown his five-tool talent this spring, providing a late-round bargain in fantasy drafts. He’ll be playing with a chip on his shoulder this season after being dumped by the Mets.
Eugenio Velez, 2B, Giants: His role dramatically increases now that Kevin Frandsen is out for the year with a ruptured Achilles. He stole 58 bases at various levels last season and double digits in Cactus League games this spring. He could carry you in that category early on.
Bench ‘em
Carlos Delgado, 1B, Mets: Slowed by an ailing hip, Delgado enters the season with limited work at the plate and memories of a forgettable ’07. Last April, he hit .188 with one homer. His age and health raise enough red flags to employ a wait-and-see approach.
Jeremy Hermida, OF, Marlins: A nagging hamstring injury lands him on the DL at least the first four games. While his .295 batting average, 18 home runs and 63 runs batted in last season show serious upside, he’s never been quick to recover from injury.
Email
