Alex Rodriguez (3B - Yankees) - While A-Rod continues to dominate the headlines, he's almost ready to actually play baseball. He played a full seven innings in an extended spring training game on Tuesday and hit two HR. With Jorge Posada going on the 15-Day DL with a pulled hammy, A-Rod's return is even more important for the Yankees. There's no official day for A-Rod's return, but it could be as soon as this Friday for the weekend series. There is obviously some valid concern about A-Rod's ability to return to his "normal" self following the hip surgery. It gives me some comfort to see guys like Mike Lowell and Chase Utley go through similar hip injuries and return to the field unscathed. If you took the gamble on A-Rod this year, you're about to see if your wager pays off. We should have more information on Thursday when he will actually be in the lineup.
Joba Chamberlain (SP - Yankees) - Joba had a rough 1st inning, but settled down and put up some big numbers for fantasy owners last night. After giving up 4 runs in the 1st inning (3 off of a Jason Bay HR),Joba finished the night going 5.2 IP, 6 hits, 2 BB, and 12 K's. His career-high in strikeouts brings his season total to 29 in 28.2 IP (for a K/I of 1.01). Joba has had about as much hype surrounding him as any pitcher I have ever seen, so its natural to be disappointed with every non-QS he turns out. The 23-year-old has time to mature and develop his approach before he becomes a dominant ace. That is, of course, unless he gets moved to the bullpen first. No rumors there - just complete speculation on my part.
Alexei Ramirez (SS - White Sox) - Well, the batting average is still hovering just above the Mendoza Line at .211. His 1-for-6 performance in last night's Royals game didn't help. He has shown little signs of officially breaking out of this slump as he still sits on 1 HR and just 4 total extra base hits (includes that HR). The good news is that when he does get on base (OBP of .255), he's running. He's 6-for-7 in SB attempts already this year. And, given his slow start last year followed by huge production, he's worth the wait. Ramirez hit only .138 in April and .295 in May followed by .355, .341, and .308 throughout the summer months. I'm hanging on for now, simply for the speed out of the middle-infield positions.
Chone Figgins (3B - Angels) - Figgins is on fire. He has 4 multi-hit games in the last 7, raising his average to .269 (yup, his April was that bad), his OBP to .378, and OPS to .701). Of course, we draft Figgins for one thing - his speed. He definitely hasn't disappointed in that department, swiping 10 bags successfully in 12 attempts. The Angels are all about manufacturing runs with speed and small-ball. With injuries taking their toll (both with pitching and of course Vlad Guerrero), guys like Figgins become an even more important cog to spark the team with stolen bases. I wouldn't be surprised to see him beat April's total in May.
BJ Upton (OF - Rays) - Stay patient Upton owners. Its all you can really do for now. He was in an 0-for-20 funk (5-for-53 if you go back even further) before "breaking-out" with a double in yesterday's game. He's still hitting just .157 with no home runs, 3 RBI, and a .276 OBP. Other than 6 SB in 7 attempts, there has been little to get excited about for BJ Upton. His BB/K is at 0.5, in-line with previous years and he only has 4 XBH for the year. This is bound to turn around at some point, as Upton has proven he can hit for power and average when he's hot. He's certainly not the first superstar to have a bad month of April. If he can just have a mediocre May, I'd feel good about having him around for the long-haul this year. If you can buy low, I'd consider it.
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