Rios On the Move

The true story behind how Alex Rios became a member of the White Sox may take some time to clear up, but regardless of how it happened he is done in Toronto. Placed on waivers at the end of last week by the Blue Jays, Rios was subsequently claimed by the White Sox. Most baseball insiders believed that this was an attempt to block him from being claimed by another team and that the Sox had no real interest in Rios and his hefty contract. The Blue Jays decided to let Rios walk away and got no compensation other than no longer having to pay the underachieving outfielder. Of course this is a fantasy website, so we are not here to discuss contracts and waivers, we want to know fantasy impact. Rios is full of upside, scouts have been saying for years that he could be a 25/25 guy or maybe even a 30/30 guy if he can put all his tools together. Maybe a change of scenery will be just what he needs. Rios has been hitting in the 6-hole in a decent offensive lineup in a middle of the road hitters ballpark. I could see him slotted in several different places in the White Sox lineup. He will most likely be playing center and taking over for Scott Podsednik, so it is only natural to think that he will take over the leadoff spot in the batting order. He has spent a good amount of time batting leadoff and has the speed and contact skills to hit there. Of course Podsednik has been a catalyst for the White Sox offense and certainly will never be used as a defensive replacement so he is hardly the ideal fourth outfielder. He could hit down in the order, 6th or 7th, but that would mean the Sox would be sitting Jermaine Dye, there best offensive player, or Carlos Quentin who is starting to heat up after missing most of the year with a foot injury. DH is an option for one of the current Sox outfielders, but that would leave Jim Thome with no place to go. As long as he gets everyday at bats, expect his numbers to get a slight bump. He is moving into a pennant race in a weaker division and gets to play his home games in a hitters park. Rios' departure leaves a hole in the Toronto outfiled that will likely be filled by youngster Travis Snider. Snider spent the beginning of the year with the big club but was sent down after struggling for the first month or so. He has hit the ball well in the minors most of the year and is probably available on the waiver wire for those in deep or AL-Only leagues.

Snide Remarks

By Todd Gold ProFantasyBaseball.com One of the best kept secrets in baseball right now is just how good Blue Jays rookie OF Travis Snider already is. Snider is rated as not only the best prospect in Toronto's organization, but one of the top 10 prospects in all of baseball. In Baseball America's 2009 Prospect Handbook, Will Lingo had Snider at #7, each of the 6 players ahead of him are currently still in the minors. To this point Snider is hitting .286 with a HR and 3 XBH in his first 4 games this year. In his previous big league experience last September Snider hit .301 with a pair of homers in 73 ABs. The downside to Snider is that he has yet to draw a walk this year, and is a bit of a free swinger, so his value in OBP leagues is diminished a bit. The Jays' top pick in the 2006 draft struggles a bit against lefties, thus making him a backup OF to be used against RHP opponents for now, with the potential of developing into a very good power hitter as the season goes on. In keeper leagues Snider is a must-grab, having more than held his own as the AL's youngest player last season.