Two Managers to Watch

Here are two guys that I can guarantee aren’t on anyone’s draft board that might be able to help you this season: Tony LaRussa and Trey Hillman. Yes, two managers. Neither of whom will be pulling a Pete Rose and calling their own number to pinch hit, but both are trying to add some deep league value to a shallow position. It almost seems like LaRussa and Hillman were sitting in a fantasy draft room at the end of the 15th round looking at their teams and thinking that they wish they had a better middle infield. The next day in camp they had an old school little league meeting with their real teams and asked everyone to raise their hand if they could play 2nd base. In St. Louis, LaRussa was not happy with the any of the Major League ready 2nd basemen in camp this spring so he decided to give Skip Schumaker a shot at the job. Schumaker is an outfielder by trade, and has not seen the infield since playing 3rd base for six games in AA in 2004. The last time he saw regular time in the dirt was at shortstop his freshman year at Loyola Marymount. He also pitched an inning in relief that year and was listed as a possible closer candidate when he transferred to UC Santa Barbara is the next year, hopefully LaRussa wont see that and throw his name in the muddled closer mix in St. Louis. As an outfielder, Schumaker is not an exciting fantasy commodity. His ’08 line of .302 / 8 HR / 46 RBI / 87 R / 8 SB makes him a decent fourth outfielder. As second basemen, anyone with a chance for double-digit homers and steals, while hitting .300 and scoring 85 plus runs is worth a look. Over in Kansas City, Hillman is dealing with a similar situation. Mark Teahen became a man with a locker full of gloves, but no position. Teahen spent time last year in rightfield, leftfield, centerfield, 3rd base and 1st base. With the offseason addition of Coco Crisp the outfield is full. Crisp will start in center, David DeJesus in left, and Jose Guillen in right. When Mike Jacobs came over from Florida, Teahen was no longer needed to play 1st base. 3rd base will be manned by rising star Alex Gordon. What about the DH you ask? That spot is reserved for Billy Butler and Jacobs. Both of whom are hacks in the field but can swing the stick. At first, the common thought that Teahen would be traded, but no deals were struck. This spring, Teahen has been working out at 2nd base, where he has never seen any Major or Minor League time. The two 2nd basemen Teahen is battling in the Royals camp are utility-men Alberto Callaspo and Willie Bloomquist, neither who can provide the offensive punch that Teahen can. Teahen had an ’08 line of .255 / 15 HR / 59 RBI / 66 R / 4 SB. Again, not a great line for a corner infielder or outfielder, but as a 2nd baseman, it is serviceable. Teahen is hitting like a man possessed this spring, punishing the ball, hitting .500 with 5HRs. It is conceivable that Teahen’s line will look similar last year, but with a higher average. He hit .285 and .290 in ’07 and ’06. Schumaker and Teahen will by no means be top tier, or even second tier two-baggers, but they could be top 15 guys at a traditionally weak position. They should be owned in AL/NL only leagues and are definitely worth a look in a 12 team and up mixed leagues that have an MI spot. Keep in mind that neither of these players have 2nd base eligibility to start the season, so check your league eligibility requirements before investing a pick or a claim on either of these guys. Hoffy’s Ballpark Figures: Mark Teahen - 475 AB / .272 AVG / 14 HR / 71 RBI / 4 SB / 75 R Skip Schumaker - 550 AB / .304 AVG / 7 HR / 56 RBI / 11 SB / 86 R

Mining for Gold - Ryan Spilborghs

Somewhere in the mountains of Colorado, on the 150th anniversary of the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush, lies an unfound piece of baseball gold. Owned in only 4% of Yahoo leagues, Ryan Spilborghs will bring you fantasy riches this season. After spending last year splitting time in all three outfield spots, and all nine spots in the batting order, it looks as if Spilborghs has finally found a spot to call his own. Spilborghs is currently slotted in as the starting center-fielder and leadoff man for the Colorado Rockies. He is a much different hitter then last year’s three headed leadoff platoon of Willy Taveras, Clint Barmes, and Scott Podsednik. He has a bit more pop and not as much speed. Now before you tell me that you don’t want a slow, power hitter leading off, let me give you one more stat. In 233 ABs last year Spilborghs tallied an OBP of .407. Taveras in over 400 ABs, had an OBP of .299, and the total OBP for all Rockie leadoff men last year was a paltry .308. Isn’t the main job of a leadoff man to get on base and set the table for the hitters behind him? A full year or Spilborghs projects out to be on base nearly 50 times more than the average Colorado leadoff man from last year. The Colorado line-up may seem a bit lighter in the britches without Matt Holliday, but don’t let that fool you. Troy Tulowitzki and Todd Helton are both healthy and having solid springs. Brad Hawpe, Garrett Atkins, and the much hyped Chris Iannetta are also looking at 20 HR campaigns to round out a solid, (especially in the thin air of Colorado) punch filled line-up. Spilborghs spilts (vs LHP/RHP and Home/Road) do not show any signs of a platoon, so if Spilborghs can keep up his high OBP, he should be along for plenty trips around the bases. Hoffy’s Ballpark Figures: Ryan Spilborghs – 550 AB / .308 AVG / 16 HR / 76 RBI / 13 SB / 94 R / .384 OBP

Hot Spots - Daniel Murphy

Think of all the great spots you could be right now: On a beach in the Caribbean, on top of a snow covered mountain, a poker room in Vegas, visiting any costal city on the Mediterranean, pretty much anywhere but your office or your couch. When we talk Fantasy Baseball, spot in the order is very important, and I cannot think of a much better spot than sandwiched between two top five picks. To make it even better, the guy two spots behind you is a second round pick, and the guy three spots behind you drove in 115 runs last year. If you haven’t figured it out, I am talking about batting second for the Mets. With Jose Reyes (.358 OBP in ’08) leading off, David Wright (124 RBI in’08) hitting third, Carlos Beltran (112 RBI in ‘08) hitting fourth, and Carlos Delgado (115 RBI in ‘08) hitting fifth, the second spot there is a dream spot. A sack of potatoes could score 100 runs with those hitters as protection. With the off-season retirement of Moises Alou this spot falls to the new leftfielder, Daniel Murphy. Murphy received a vote of confidence from Jerry Manuel and will be in the two-hole to start the season. Manuel has praised the youngster for his plate discipline and once the season starts, and the games have more meaning, Murphy will see a steady diet of good pitches to hit. Pitchers cannot pitch around him and put him on base with the mashers behind him, so he will be challenged from day one. His minor league stats don’t show a ton of power or speed, but that is not what he is being asked to do. In 99 minor league games last year he hit .315 and had an OBP of .379. If he keeps that up, or anything close to that, he should easily be a cheap source of runs and average. He may lose some AB’s early to Fernando Tatis against lefty hurlers, but if he can prove he can hit lefties this ideal spot will be his all year. Grab in him in all NL-Only leagues and take a late flier on this undrafted gem in mixed leagues. Hoffy’s Ballpark Figures: Daniel Murphy – 475 AB / .303 AVG / 13 HR / 60 RBI / 14 SB / 89 R