Could Joe DiMaggio Play Again?

There is an interesting article over at Yahoo! Sports. You'll have to read it to believe it. What if Joe DiMaggio was alive and well? Could he play SS? Would he play for UNLV and hope that he could somehow find a way into the Pros? Check it out.

Young Pitchers

Two young pitchers that many people were high on this year will not be starting the in the rotation. Chad Billingsley of the Dodgers will be starting the year in the bullpen and Matt Garza of the Twins will be starting the season (most likely) in AAA. Both of these pitchers will probably be starting by the end of the year and are still worth a very late round draft pick but lower your expectations for them slightly. Drop them down a round or two.

In focus: Lance Berkman

There is an interesting article about Lance Berkman over at Yahoo. The intent of the article seems to be to mix humor and facts to portray Berkman as very underrated; however, to me, it seems to portray Berkman as lazy and unmotivated. Take a look at it and tell me what you think.

Either way, he is a very valuable fantasy commodity, even if he doesn't provide many steals. A late 1st round or early second round selection is certainly warranted. Still, this article intrigued me and I wanted to see what everyone else thought.

MLB Front Office Via Email

As you will notice, you can now get all of the MLB Front Office articles emailed straight to you! Don't hesitate to sign up for this amazing service...ITS FREE! Just enter your email in the box on the right hand side of the page and your ready to start recieving great fantasy insights by Brad Stewart in your inbox!

Top 150 Prospects: 1-25

For the past couple days I have been unveiling my top 150 prospect list. Today. the rankings will conclude with players 1-25. Please note: that these rankings are for long term success, not immediate impact and only Players with NO major league experience qualified for this list. So players like Delmon Young and Matt Garza who still qualify as rookies will not make an appearance. Also, I may have missed a couple AB or IP in the majors in which case I appologize. As always if you have any questions or comments feel free to email me.

1. ALEX GORDON, 3b, Royals
2. PHILIP HUGHES, rhp, Yankees
3. HOMER BAILEY, rhp, Reds
4. BRANDON WOOD, ss, Angels
5. JAY BRUCE, of, Reds
6. CAMERON MAYBIN, of, Tigers
7. EVAN LONGORIA, 3b, Devil Rays
8. JUSTIN UPTON, of, Diamondbacks
9. YOVANI GALLARDO, rhp, Brewers
10. ANDREW McCUTCHEN, of, Pirates
11. TIM LINCECUM, rhp, Giants
12. REID BRIGNAC, ss, Devil Rays
13. RYAN BRAUN, 3b, Brewers
14. BILLY BUTLER, of, Royals
15. FERNANDO MARTINEZ, of, Mets
16. JOSE TABATA, of, Yankees
17. ANDY LaROCHE, 3b, Dodgers
18. ADAM MILLER, rhp, Indians
19. CARLOS GONZALEZ, of, Diamondbacks
20. SCOTT ELBERT, lhp, Dodgers
21. LUKE HOCHEVAR, rhp, Royals
22. CLAYTON KERSHAW, lhp, Dodgers
23. COLBY RASMUS, of, Cardinals
24. NICK ADENHART, rhp, Angels
25. JEFF NIEMANN, rhp, Devil Rays

Bill Hall Article

Over at Yahoo, there is a good article about Bill Hall. It doesn't have a whole lot of fantasy relevance but it has a nice personal touch on it. The article compares Hall to Michael Young. As some people may have forgotten, when Young was called up he was also a utility player. Actually, he came up as a 2B and when the Rangers traded A-Rod, they asked Young to move to SS to make room for Soriano, well Young has blossomed into a good SS and Soriano, well, he's in CF now. Anyway, Hall will be starting the season as the Brewers CF after playing almost all IF positions last year. He is still being drafted as a SS in Fantasy Leagues and hopefully he can play enough at SS this year to retain eligibility -- he's the 4th SS on the team now.

One noteable quote to leave you with before I send you to check out the article for yourself:

'"Everybody knew I could hit home runs eventually," [Hall] said. "I used to try. Last year I stopped trying and started letting it happen."'

Isn't that how it always happens?

Fantasy Baseball: Keys to Winning

These are the ten most important steps to winning your fantasy baseball league. So many times people think an excellent draft or an excellent trade alone can win you the league, THIS IS NOT THE CASE! The list is in order of importance, for the most part.

1. STAY ACTIVE. 5 minutes of fantasy a day keep last place far far away. You need to stay on top of who is starting and who has off days and you need to follow the free agent pool religously. The teams that win leagues are the teams that find that hidden gem before anyone else does.

2. The Draft. This is the starting point for the whole season. It is the single most important moment and if you don't prepare correctly you are doomed to finish in the bottom half.

3. Know your league. Know the scoring system and roster requirements like the back of your hand. Knowing the other owners favorite teams and tendencies is also a must. Know when you owners come online, eat, drink, sleep and have sex. (note: MLB Front Office does not promote having sex before you are married)

4. Trading. Don't get ripped off and know your stuff. You don't need to make amazing trades to win your league, just know your stuff and don't let other managers rip you off. Know the person you are trading with and who their favorite players are. Also, don't trade just to make a trade. Know what you want and don't trade unless you get it.

5. Sell high and buy low. After the first month if a star player is struggling ask the owner what he wants for him, it may be much less than you would think. On the other hand, if a player is performing much higher than usual, sell him high (Think Chris Shelton). Some perenial slow starters: Aramis Ramirez, Johan Santana.

6. Follow the minor leagues. If a player is about ready to come up, take a chance on him. He may become the next Jered Weaver. Some players to keep an eye on this season: Ryan Sweeney, Alex Gordon (if he doesn't start the year in the majors), Phil Hughes and Homer Bailey (although they may already be owned in your league).

7. Know players stats. If a player has a tendency to go through long slumps and come back better than before after it, bench the player but don't drop him. Know the players past, and not just the previous season.

8. If it ain't broken don't fix it. Too many times people get bored and try to change their team when its not needed. Don't fall prey to boredom, just flip on the TV, kick back and watch some sports center. Chances are there will be a nice segment on whether Pete Rose did or did not -- as there have been for the past 20 years!

9. Follow your team, and everyone else's team. You have to know who you have to beat in order to beat them. Are they speed deprived? How many closers do they have? Could one trade put you over the top? What category do you have to improve in?

10. HAVE FUN. Fantasy Baseball isn't your job, its FOR FUN. If you aren't having fun you will have a higher tendency to miss out on something or someone important.

Mail Bag

I recently recieved a good question from Robert Codey and I thought I would post it here.

Question: Alright, drafting in the first year of a keeper league, keeping 5 for an unlimited time. The league has 10 teams, 5X5, Head to Head. I have the #2 pick in the draft. I'm thinking Arod is my best bet.

Arod is in, what amounts to, a contract year with his ability to opt out of his contract. I think we can expect a big year from him.

My other option, Soriano, just signed a big contract (5 years, I believe?). When I take that into consideration, along with the fact that he had a drop in production his first year in Texas, and I suspect he might have a drop in production his first year in Chicago as well....

I feel Arod is my best choice at #2.

I've contemplated taking Utley...he's had a good, consistent, three year arc to get to last year's numbers, so I don't think he's a flash in the pan. In a keeper league, he's the youngest of the three, and might produce just as good as those two, but at a much more depleted position (2B). I'm not aware of Utley's contract situation, but if I found out this was a contract year, that would put it over the top and convince me he was my #2.

I was just interested to hear your opinion on the matter, and your opinion of my opinion.

So what are your thoughts.

MLB Front Office Answer: Reyes has to be considered because of his age. In fact, I would probably take Reyes. He represents a young player with the potential to steal 80 bases, yep I said it. 80 bases! He also offers a good amount of power and a good average and he will get the runs because he plays for one of the best lineups. However, if you are dead set against taking reyes, I think you should also consider Howard.

Let me know how it turns out.

The Indians

Over at MLB Trade Rumors Tim Dierkes has a team round up for the Indians which is mostly all of their salary commitments. A couple of other notes he makes however are quite interesting. Most of you know that the Indians are one of my favorite teams this year and I think they can be a World Series Contender, as does Tim.

He notes:

- The Indians infield probably took a hit defensively but an improved season from Jhonny Peralta could balance that out.

- The Offense will be top 5 in the AL again and if Hafner can put together a full season they could be second to the Yankees.

- The Pitching can put together a top 5 rotation in the AL this year and is certainly top 7-10.

- The Bullpen is the biggest question going into the season with Joe Borowski as the closer.

- The team has a ton of depth and will have to leave some major league ready talent in AAA to start the year.

Credit Mark Shapiro for assembling such a good and young team for only 60MM.

Tim Kuda Sports Radio

Tim Kuda has a sports radio show that you should check out. It looks pretty good and Mike Greco from Fantasy Baseball Guy will be a guest on Tuesday the 20th of March. The show normally airs Tuedays, Thursday and Saturday at 10:30 pm central but you can listen to past shows any time on TimKuda.com or blogtalkradio.com/thetimkudashow. I may be a guest in the future and if that works out I'll let you know.