Hold or Fold

First off I would like to send out my thoughts and prayers to all members of the Adenhart family. It was a sad day for all baseball fans to see a kid just about to come into his own tragically lose his life to a drunk driver. These things happen everyday and it is a terrible thing to drink and drive.

In memory of:

Now as for fantasy baseball the first week is almost in the books and now it is time to hold or fold some of those draft picks you have.

Hold:

Justin Upton--He is 20 years old and is batting 8Th on a part time basis, why shouldn't I drop this kid? Well first he is 20 years old and has all the talent to be a superstar for years. He is going to have growing pains but because of his High OBP last year I think over the course of 162 he is going to be a solid 3rd OF. Bench him till you see signs of life but don't give up on the kid yet.

Lastings Milledge--This is a personal favorite of mine, I know he is off to a horrible start but I still see him as a 20-30 guy by seasons end. The issue right now is that he needs to be moved down in the order he is pressing to much batting leadoff. If they move him to second or fifth he would produce more. Lets not forget he led the Nationals in RBI and SB's last year.

Ching Meng Wang--He was torched for 7 runs in 3 2\3 innings in his first start since last June. He is a solid ground ball pitcher who should not be your current staff ace. He will get you wins and decent era and whip ratios but he will not help in K's. try to get him if you can afford the hit in K's and if you have him hang onto him he will be fine.

Fold:

Cliff Lee--OK I know he won the CY Young last year and the Indians have a better bullpen this year and, the offense is improved. Well I am not buying Lee at all, I just think you should try to trade him well he has value. Cliff Lee is not an ace he never projected to be an ace and is being overvalued due to he awsome season that he had last year. He will come back to earth the season and be a solid number 2 or 3 starter and that isn't bad but you might be able to trade him at last years value if you act now. Move him quickly if you can get something good.

Brian Fuentes--I know I have put in the past that I love Fuentes, However, something is wrong. Fuentes is topping out in the mid to high 80's (which is not a good sign for a low 90's pitcher)and he has been very hittable. I think there is a undisclosed injury and he will end up on the DL sooner then later.

Chris Davis-- I know what is wrong with me, I am telling you to get rid of the next Ryan Braun, well YES! Chris Davis is over matched right now and we have seen this before in Texas with Nelson Cruz Circa 2007. Davis better start hitting soon or he will be in AAA, because the Rangers have enough offense that they feel they can contend and they will grow impatient. I can see the Rangers sending Davis down and Starting Jones at DH, Blalock at 3rd, Salty at 1st and Teagarden at catcher. Davis doesn't Provide enough in his other stats, he will hurt you in AVG, Runs, OBP, and steals. Just my opinion and I am sticking too it, been proved wrong before and for Davis's owners sake I hope I am again.

The Bay State Scout

Opening Day Eye Openers

Finally, Finally. Bags of peanuts are falling from the sky, overpriced beer is going down like water, and the smell of hot dogs has never been sweeter. Opening Day is here, and all is right in the baseball world. In the fantasy baseball world however, there are a few things that have left some owners scratching their heads today. I will start with some happenings in the desert today. You will be hard pressed to find an Opening Day in the next 15 years that will have neither Upton in the starting line-up, but that was the case today. B.J. Upton is on the DL still feeling the effects of off season surgery. Justin, one of the most hyped preseason sleepers spent today on the bench in favor of the newly healthy Eric Byrnes. The Arizona juggling act doesn’t end there. Mark Reynolds, another projected starter, spent Monday on the bench in favor of Chad Tracy, who was penciled in as the starting 1st baseman. The biggest surprise in the D-Back line up was the presence of Tony Clark manning 1st base. Clark responded to the starting nod by hitting two homeruns. Tracy, who was shifted across the diamond, hit a game deciding homerun in the 7th. Manager Bob Melvin responded to questions about his line-up with this quote, “The only message we're sending is we're trying to run the best lineup out there on a particular day." He has also said that Reynolds and Upton will be in the starting line-up in game two, but with the solid first day from Tracy and Clark we could be looking at some platoons forming. Clark has not been an everyday player for years and figures to just get a start or two a week, so he should not be seen as a fantasy asset or a major threat to steal time from anyone. I would assume that Reynolds and Tracy will each see 140 plus starts at the corner infield spots. A healthy Eric Byrnes does throw a wrench in the D-Back outfield. With Byrnes, Justin Upton, Connor Jackson, and Chris Young, there are four starting outfielders for only three spots. If Byrnes can keep his hamstring healthy all year he could be a solid waiver wire grab, as he is one year removed from a 21HR/50SB year. From the above quote it looks as if Melvin will be employing an outfield by committee to start the season. All four outfielders are should be owned in 12 team mixed leagues, but you will just have to keep an eye on the line-up on a daily basis for the time being. The Washington Nationals may have a disgruntled outfielder in their dugout, and Elijah Dukes is one person I would not want mad at me. Dukes was another preseason breakout candidate that was not in the starting line-up. He was sat today after being informed that Austin Kearns has won the starting job. Kearns was once a top prospect in the Reds system that has never put his tools together for an extended period of time. Dukes has too much upside to be kept on the bench for long, I see him making his way back into the line-up soon so don’t cut bait on him just yet if you have the bench space. The cancelling of a game in Chicago due to snow when it never actually snowed was not the only confusing thing to go down in the Windy City. Those of you who spent a high pick on Alexei Ramirez probably will not be too happy to find out that he will be hitting 8th in the order to start the year. Most people thought he would be hitting 2nd or maybe even leading off depending on who won the CF job. Taking a look at his stats from last year you will see that he does not have the peripherals of a normal top of the order hitter. 18 walks in 480 at bats last year and an OBP of .317 do not scream lead off guy. It is not like he strikes out a lot, but he is a guy who has never met a pitch he doesn’t like. If you are going to hit high in the order for Ozzie Guillen, or any one for that matter, you need to take some pitches and draw some walks. I can see him making his way up to 6th or maybe even 5th in the line-up on some days, but I do not foresee much of an improvement over last years’ numbers. He is 27 after all. Keep in mind that Opening Day is just one day. It is just the one day where everyone thinks they are a contender. What happens today by no means will set anything in stone for the remainder of the year, but it can provide some insight into what the managers really thought of their teams in Spring Training. No need to panic and drop guys who went 0-4 or rush and grab the next Tuffy Rhodes who had a solid day one, but keep in mind… They all count now fellas, so put your game face on.