Buy Big Gavin

As the White Sox continue to struggle this year offensively, Gavin Floyd has been lights out in the past month to make up for it. Gavin has posted 1.61 ERA and 6 quality starts in his past 6 starts and only has 2 wins to show for it. Still his season ERA is 4.65 and is ranked 950 in Yahoo leagues. You could potentially get Gavin Floyd for nothing and he could be a solid 4 starter in your rotation. He is only owned in 61% of leagues so if he is available pick him up. He may not post that many wins but will consistently get you strike outs and post a respectable ERA. Get yourself some Gavin Floyd.

Don't "Dis" the Disabled List

Obviously the last thing you want is for one your big name fantasy player to pull a hammy and end up sitting in the hot tub for the next month and a half while your fantasy team spirals down towards the bottom of your league’s standings. But if he does you can simply put him on your disabled list and pick up another player to fill his stead. That is the main purpose of having a DL, but if you’re smart you’ll make sure your DL is always full.

Having players on your DL does not count towards your max roster size, so you have the luxury of having an extra player or two on your team with no extra cost. So if you have open spots on your disabled list you should look at some of the available free agents in your league who are hurt. You should try to target hitters at positions where you weakest and as for pitching, well, fantasy is much like real baseball in the fact that you can never have too much pitching. Some notable players that are currently on the DL that are due back before or around the All Star break are: Xavier Nady (24% owned in Yahoo leagues), John Smoltz (49% owned), Justin Duchscherer (26% owned), Tim Hudson (6% owned), and Ryan Doumit (55% owned). These players have no risk and potentially high reward as they can possibly put your team over the top as you make your fantasy playoff push -Scout Berardi

Jump on Willy Aybar

With Akinori Iwamura getting destroyed at second base and out for the season, Willy Aybar has a chance to fill and and play regularly. He is eligible at first, second, and third in Yahoo leagues and fills in best at second. Three homers, 13 RBI, 274. AVG, and a 372. OBP. This makes him a middle-tier second baseman, and if you had Ricky Weeks or Iwamura this is a great chance to make up for your loss. Aybar will continue to play and produce. Only 3% owned in Yahoo leagues so add big Willy to give your team a utility man.

Is Carpenter for Real?

Chris Carpenter returned to action Wednesday vs. the Cubs and pitched five scoreless innings, with a 1.00 WHIP, a win, and striking out four.

What do we take from this? When Chris Carpenter is healthy he is a top 15 pitcher easily. He has already been on the DL this year and has had an injury plagued career so my advice trade him while he's healthy and pitching well.

Look for a team that looks desperate for starting pitching and try to unload Carpenter in a deal that can bring you back an everyday player. Jermaine Dye? An upper middle-tier player would be a nice return.

To sum things up Carpenter owners: wait for his value to hit its peak and after a quality start send out some trades for him. It is lock to see him on the DL at least one more time this year.

Scout Berardi

Sell high Zimmerman

When will Ryan Zimmerman's value be any higher? He has a lot going for him with his 30 game hit streak and his 8 homers. You could put him on the block and look for a struggling star than will bounce back. B.J. Upton, Carlos Quentin, or David Ortiz could give you great value in return. Ryan Zimmerman has never hit higher than 287. in any season yet and has topped out at 24 homers in only one season. Even if he does keep it up, his production will not be top 25 worthy. Zimmerman owners, look for trades to come flying in from desperate owners and pick out the trade that will help your team the most.

What to do with Manny?

Manny owners what do you do? If your team is stacked without Manny hold on to him. 50 games is a lot but will be equivalent to making a big trade around the deadline. If your in the middle of the pack try to trade him to a top team for a middle-tier player. Denard Span? If your just flat out of contention, drop him and pick up Juan Pierre or a Melky Cabrera.

Add these Guys

It's pretty obvious if I told you to pick up Emilo Bonifacio, Adam Lind, or Nelson Cruz...I'd assume your in a league full of monkeys if they were still available. Here are some hitters getting off to a great start that you may not have noticed. Marco Scutaro(TOR)- He is eligible at 2B, SS, and 3B only adds to his value. 6R, 2HR, 4RBI, and batting over 400. He usually plays everyday somewhere so at-bats are not an issue. I wouldn't expect the homers to keep coming but I expect his average to be right around 270 and will eventually steal a few bags. If your in a league where OBP% matters he will not hurt you there either. Only owned in 22% of yahoo leagues. Endy Chavez(SEA)- Endy is finally getting a chance to start and it's paying off for the Mariners. Batting over 400 and swiped 2 bags already with 4 RBI's. He's leading off temporarily but will probably slide to the 2 whole once Ichiro returns. Expect a 300 average and could potentially steal 25 bags. Only owned in 3% of yahoo leagues. Ryan Spilborghs(COL)- Finally getting a chance in Colorado and right at the top of the lineup. He's hitting in Coors and has plenty of opportunity. He's batting 389 right now but will hit in the 280-290 range but his OBP should be well above 350. Only owned in 7% of yahoo leagues.

Forget your Closers

If you didn't draft or forgot to draft a closer here are some guys that could pick you up some cheap saves early in the season. Leo Nunez(FLO)- With the Marlins closer Matt Lindstrom going down in the WBC, Nunez could pick up some saves with him out. Nunez usually maintains a very good ERA but doesn't have closer experience and doesn't get a lot of strikeouts. Jason Motte(STL)- Last year having any Cardinals closer hurt your team more than help it. This year should be a different story. Jason Motte should win the closer job and this guy is lights out. He has all of the closer credentials: High K rate, low ERA and WHIP, and a fireballer. Only thing I'm worried about is that he has only been pitching for 3 years since being converted from a catcher. Carlos Villanueva(MIL)- The ageless wonder Trevor Hoffman has already gone down. Having no bullpen like the Brewers do they have to use converted starter to closer. He should become the Brewers closer for the first week or so unless they give the job to journey men like Todd Coffey or Dave Riske. Villanueva has been a decent starter and long reliever in his career so far but he should be able to keep the job warm for Hoffman until he comes back. Once again Villanueva isn't a big time K pitcher but usually keeps a good ERA.

Know Your Home

Playing 81 games in one park can help or hurt certain players. I'll give you 3 of the most hitter friendly ballparks and 3 of the most pitcher friendly ballparks. There are more than 3 hitter and pitcher friendly ballparks but I'm just throwing a few of them out there. This doesn't necessarily change a player's stock but is definitely something to consider before drafting a player. Hitter Friendly 1. Rangers Ballpark- Highest SLG% and runs scored last year. Home runs will probably go up as well due to the powerful Rangers' lineup. 2. U.S. Cellular Field(Chicago White Sox)- Most HR's allowed in this ballpark and the fireworks go off there consistently every year. When the weather warms up in July and August, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen believes the park "shrinks" and the long ball is extremely common on the South Side. 3. Camden Yards(Baltimore Orioles)- Last season ranked third in HR's, runs, and SLG%. Every year the Orioles wonder why their pitching is so bad. Maybe the pitchers have a legit excuse. Pitcher Friendly 1. Dodger Stadium- Least amount of HR's, runs, and SLG% last season. Incredibly hard to hit long balls unless your name is Manny Ramirez. 2. Petco Park(San Diego Padres)- Placed in bottom 3 major hitting categories. A weak Padres lineup will keep these numbers down. 3. McAfee Coliseum(Oakland A's)- Bottom 5 in HR's, bottom 3 runs and SLG%. There's a reason why Matt Holliday's projections dropped significantly.

Wait A Sec

As many believe, building your fantasy team up the middle is key. If you can't snag the Chase Utley, Ian Kinsler, or Dustin Pedroia that's OK. There are plenty of guys that can do similar things. For example, Jose Lopez hit 17 HR, scored 80 R, had 89 RBI, hit for a 297. AVG, and swiped 6 bags last year. He hit the same amount of home runs as AL MVP Dustin Pedroia and drove 6 more runs than Dustin. Pedroia stole 14 more bases and scored nearly 30 more runs than Lopez but you can get Lopez 15 rounds later. Another second baseman you can get late and rely on is Kelly Johnson. Johnson contributes in every single category, is in a contract year, and is in baseball's magic age of 27. He's averaged about 88 runs, 14 HR, 69 RBI, 10 SB, and a 282. AVG the past two years. You can get him 13 rounds later than Utley, Kinsler, Pedroia. He won't necessarily help in in any category but will definitely contribute all around the board. My last second baseman to get late is Rickie Weeks. Yes, Rickie Weeks. Thing with Rickie Weeks is his AVG. It is awful to say the least. Despite his garbage average, he has a rare combination of power and speed. In 2007 he had 16 HR and 25 SB. In 2008 14 HR and 19 SB. Only Brandon Phillips, Ian Kinsler, and Dustin Pedroia surpassed him in both home runs and stolen bases last year. He has no competition at second anymore with the departure of Ray Durham and will have plenty of opportunity to prove himself. He has been going almost 20 rounds later than the top second baseman. If you go with Weeks as your starter make sure you have 2 or 3 players that hit for a high average like Joe Mauer, Chipper Jones, Albert Pujols, or Matt Holliday. Also get a veteran backup that will be your insurance plan like Placido Polanco or Orlando Hudson. If you can get Kinsler or Utley in the late first round go for it. But if you can't, hold off a while in your draft and go take a chance on someone with a high ceiling like Rickie Weeks. -Scout Berardi

Mock 1st Round and Sleepers

My mock is based off a 5x5 roto league. 1. Hanley Ramirez- He does it all. He is getting moved to the 3 hole in the lineup giving him even more chances to drive in runs. He has the potential to go 40-40 with a 310. AVG, 100 RBI's, and 120 runs. Not to mention the drop off at shortstop after him and Jose Reyes. 2. Alex Rodriguez- Has protection and has guys in front of him to drive in. I don't see how he doesn't hit 35 dingers and drive in 140 runs. He will steal you 15 bags and hit for a 290. AVG. Only reason I don't have him at one is I don't really know how he will play with the constant steroid talk. 3. Jose Reyes- Is getting better every year and I think his SB will go back up to 70+ range. He will score plenty of runs and with RBI machines behind him. He just has to get on base a little more often which he is improving on and his numbers will explode. 4. Grady Sizemore- Call me crazy but Grady Sizemore has a chance to be the first ever 45-45 player. Problem with Grady his AVG. is not very good but does everything else to carry your team. He also has the 27 year old breakout year going for him too. 5. David Wright- He has Reyes and Beltran in front of him and will drive in 120. It is also very hard to find speed at the corners and he is one of the few can swipe some bags for your team from a corner position. 6. Albert Pujols- You maybe thinking why so late on Pujols? He has no protection and in a 5x5 league walks do not help you. He will get pitched around but will still get his 35 dingers and 120 RBI's. Know your leagues stat categories. If walks or OBP is a category Pujols is a top 5 player. 7. Ryan Braun- Braun is getting better by the day. Has a monster in front of him and an All-Star behind him. He will get his projected stats and will definitely be a top 10 player. 8. Tim Lincecum- A bit of a stretch but is by far the number one pitcher. Will dominate weak hitting teams in the NL West. Pitches in a great pitchers park and I don't see this kid breaking down anytime soon. He will win the NL Cy Young again in 2009. 9. Miguel Cabrera- People question his love and his work ethic but the kid fills up the stat sheet. Check your league to see if he is 3B eligible I think his stock is a bit higher but if he is just 1B eligible he is right at the end of the first round. 10. Ian Kinsler- If this guy stays healthy last year he would have won the batting title and possibly a MVP(if the Rangers were better). He hits in a hitters park. He has great bats behind him and will fill up the stat sheet. 11. Chase Utley- May miss the first month of the season but when Chase is healthy is the number one 2B on the board. I am just worried that Chase's hip may linger. Hips are used in every swing and towards the season's end he could break down. 12. Ryan Howard- He will start slow and finish strong. You know what you get with Ryan Howard. 250 AVG. A lock 50 HR and 120 RBI. My three sleepers are: 1. Joey Votto- I think the Reds will be much improved and Votto has a great stroke and possibly could hit 35 HR. I love this kids upside. Good lineup and ballpark to hit in. 2. Troy Tulowitzki- Not really a sleeper but many forgot about how good he was as a rookie. Shortstop is very thin and Tulo isn't getting drafted all that high and I think he could be a mid round steal. 3. Justin Upton- Has super skills and now has a year under his belt for a mid round pick has the upside to be a top 25 player. Totally worth the risk. -Scout Berardi

A High Price

As we all seen last postseason, the Rays are loaded with young pitching. Closing games last postseason, David Price has been moved back to what he does best. Starting games. He obviously has the stuff as we seen last postseason and considering he is the former number one overall pick. Fantasy wise he will probably be the number 3 starter for the Rays after Scott Kazmir and James Shields. He will strike out a batter an inning and his ERA and WHIP will be well above average but, he will be on a strict pitch count and will rarely pitch past the sixth inning. With not going deep into games Price will not factor into many wins either. I would much rather have a guy like Ricky Nolasco. 200 plus innings, almost a K an inning, a great WHIP and ERA, and at least 15 wins. Price is also getting draft ahead of pitchers like Ryan Dempster, Brett Myers, and Justin Verlander. I am not saying avoid David Price. I'm just saying take the guys that will win more games and that have very similar numbers. Price will win 8 to 11 games with a 3.40 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP and K a batter an inning. If Price falls to you grab him but if you can get a proven player take a pass on the very high priced rookie. -Scout Berardi