Jim Thome (DH - White Sox) - Thome may be turning 39 this year, but its not of the realm of possibility for him to equal his age with his homerun total. He got off to a hot-start yesterday, going 3-for-4 with 3 RBI and a homerun. There's speculation that Thome has trouble with southpaws, but its not pronounced enough to keep him out of your fantasy lineups with a lefty on the mound. In 2008, his HR/AB was basically the same against both handed pitchers, 14.6 against lefties and 14.9 against righties. That equality basically led to the same OPS of .858 against lefties and .868 against righties. The trouble with Thome is that he is stricly a DH, which could cause roster problems with filling your utility spot. Its also a problem when the AL visits the NL in interleague play (and the DH goes away). If nothing else, Thome is a cheap fantasy source of power and if his age doesn't contribute to any significant injuries, he should reach 30+ HR easily.
Edwin Jackson (SP - Tigers) - Edwin Jackson had a strong performance in his first start of the year for the Tigers. He hurled 7.1 IP, while giving up just 1 ER (a solo shot), 1 BB, and 4 K's. Jackson was the epitome of inconsistency in 2008 with the Rays, showing brilliance at times and an absolute lack of control at others. In the first half of the year last season, Jackson posted a very respectable 3.93 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, K/9 of 5.3, and OAVG of .254. Fast forward to post-all star break and Jackson's K/9 stays flat at 5.3, but his ERA balloons to 5.15, 1.69 WHIP, and a OAVG of .320. Jackson has a few more things going for him this year - pitcher-friendly ballpark with a factor of 95, he's now out of the offensive powerhouse of the AL East, and has another year under his belt. But the 25-year-old needs to put together a string of consistent QS's before being fantasy relevant in mixed leagues. For now, he'll remain a pitch-and-ditch candidate for spot-starts against weaker offensive teams.
Alex Gordon (3B - Royals) - Is this the breakout year? That's the question fantasy owners are asking for the third straight year with the highly touted Royals' third baseman. With a homerun yesterday, he certainly seems well on his way to continuing his upward trend. From 2007 to 2088, Gordon's FPI climbed from 0.52 to 0.60, his plate discipline improved with an EYE change from 0.30 to 0.55, and he yielded more power with a HR/AB increase from 36.2 to 30.8. Those factors combined to increase his OPS by almost 70 points between the two seasons and at 25, we are predicting a 0.64 FPI and continued imporvement in all major offensive categories. A 14.0+ ADP pick this season, Gordon is one of the value picks that will continue to take patience before we see major results.
Brad Ziegler (RP - A's) - It looks like any successfully converted save is going to be news-worthy in 2009. For the A's, "closer" Brad Ziegler gave up a run but earned his first save of the season on Tuesday by striking out Vlad Guerrero and Torii Hunter to end the game. With Joey Devine on the 60-day DL, Ziegler should get the majority of the save opportunities and could solidify his role if successful over the first couple months of the season. He has limited experience in the role, so we will probably see some growing pains out of Ziegler, but let's not forget that he set the record for most consecutive scoreless innings to begin a career. He's a groundball pitcher with a low K/BB ratio. Of all of the closer situations in-question aroudn the league, I would rank Ziegler toward the top of having the best chance to keep his role for an extended period of time.
Trevor Cahill (SP - A's) - Trevor Cahill's major league debut came earlier than expected with the fall of Justin Duchscherer. One of the game's top young pitching prospects went 5 IP and gave up 5 walks and 3 runs while striking out one while getting the no-decision. Cahill's 2008 campaign was split between A and AA ball with combined stats of 9.8 K/9 (more than a K an inning), a BB/9 of 3.6, a WHIP of about 1.00 and ERA of about 2.50. Cahill is a deep sleeper and deserves AL-only consideration. He could emerge as one of the top rookie pitchers in 2009, but it might be a little premature for the 21-year-old to put up fantasy-relevant numbers in mixed leagues. His keeper value is without question.
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