Welcome 2010!

Hello all and welcome to spring! Baseball is around the corner and it's now time to start thinking about your draft and/or the up and comers who you should know about in your keeper league. I'm here to help you along. I'm the Scout Monkey.

Question: Why listen to your advice?

Answer: I do lots of research.

Question: Is that the only reason to listen to your advice?

Answer: No, but that is the best. I do the research so you do not have to. Read enough articles about a guy and you start to get a nice impression of what to expect. Couple that with being a baseball fan for 30+ years, and I usually come up with some solid stuff.

Question: How was your advice last year?

Answer: Much more good then bad (Nobody's perfect).

Good Advice: J.A. Happ, Jordan Zimmerman (prior to injury), Joba expectations (and Sell High advice), Kendry Morales, Cliff Lee (pleaded with people to not trade him after his bad start to the season), Shin-Soo Choo. - To name a few.

Bad Advice: Daniel Murphy (way off), Kris Medlen (AAAA pitcher I guess), Derek Holland (wasn't a bust, but I had higher expectations), Mets (pretty much anything with them).

Clearly I'm not perfect, I'm certainly not psychic, but I can throw down some decent knowledge to keep you informed.

Question: How about some advice now?

Answer: Keep an eye on the Cardinals 5th rotation spot. The two prime candidates are Kyle McClellan and Jaime Garcia. McClellan has more experience and has pitched very well in relief. His four pitches can keep hitters guessing even after the first time through the lineup. Garcia is younger and has the higher ceiling, but has had only limited time to show his stuff since his return from Tommy John surgery. What Garcia has shown, though, has been very good. Usually you don't focus too much attention on a number 5 starter, but both of these guys can pitch better then the spot they are vying for (not to mention a good offense and a good defense to back them up).

Question: Is this the end of the article?

Answer: Yes.

- Scout Monkey

( scout_monkey@gmx.com)