Chris Sale - Sale has really impressed me with his control this spring, walking just two batters through his first 24 innings in the rotation. I thought that would be one area that he struggled with early on in his conversion, but thus far it hasn't been the case. I still believe that expectations are a bit too high for him this year, but I also think it's very likely that he'll be a credible mid-rotation starter.
Brent Morel - I'm going to stick by the comment I made last September, as I think that Morel is very capable of hitting .275 with 15 homers this year. Throw in a handful of steals and you've got a very solid regular who isn't even 25 yet...definitely like him as an upside candidate for a late-round pick this year.
Dustin Ackley - Ackley picked up a homer and a steal during the two-game Japanese swing, which hopefully will serve as a springboard to a breakout campaign for the 24 year old. With a very solid batting eye and a 22.3% LD rate last year, I think it's very possible that Ackley approaches .300 with solid power and speed numbers in his first full big-league season.
Brendan Ryan - Ryan is entrenched as the starter at SS for Seattle, and with five straight years of double-digit steals behind him the 30 year old at least offers a smidgen of value for your squad. An LD rate above 20% last season might mean a league average BA as well, but there still won't be any power to speak of.
Brian Dozier - With Alexi Casilla and Jamey Carroll providing little in the way of blockage in the middle infield, Brian Dozier could be the first Twin offensive prospect to consider in quite a few years. Dozier has hit .307 through two full minor league seasons, and he has enough speed to expect double-digit SB totals annually as well. He may very well be up to stay at some point this year, and merits a look in deeper leagues as a result.
Joe Benson - Nothing I've seen this spring has changed my mind on Benson, who remains the best offensive prospect in the high minors for Minnesota. The Twins are trying to throw any and all kinds of chaff into Benson's way in RF, making this spring's competition more about Chris Parmelee and Trevor Plouffe than about Benson, so it's difficult to take Benson seriously for 2012 at this point. I would still say that he's worthy of a farm spot in most formats, and he's definitely capable of providing some interesting power and speed numbers if given the time.....I'm just not so sure that he can get any playing time to speak of this year.
Jeff Samardzija - Samardzija continued his hot spring Wednesday, limiting an Indians lineup with eight left-handed bats to just two singles, a double, and a walk over six innings, logging five strikeouts in the process. I'm as skeptical as most regarding "newfound mechanics"-type stories every spring, but Samardzija has always had the raw stuff to be a successful pitcher, which makes it a bit easier to believe here. The control will be the key, and if the one walk in 20 innings this spring is any indication, there have been substantial improvements. He is officially the Cubs #3 to start the season as of yesterday, and although I'm skeptical enough that I wouldn't have him in my rotation right off the bat, I certainly wouldn't be afraid to grab him as a late-game reserve.
Cory Luebke - Luebke is up among the league leaders in K's this spring after racking up 154 strikeouts in just 140 innings last season, and the walks really haven't been an issue thus far either. Pitching in Petco adds another data point in his favor, making him an easy choice for a rotation spot in NL-only formats, and I think he's earned enough respect to be a comfortable back-end choice in mixed leagues as well.
Jon Niese - Last year's substantial improvement in GB% and BB rate was masked by a poor BABIP, making him a nice sleeper candidate for 2012. He even was able to increase his K rate a bit despite the control improvements, making him even a bit more intriguing.
Lorenzo Cain - You certainly don't want to get carried away by spring stats, but they are measures of performance, so they have some relevance. Lorenzo Cain's 15 XBH this spring shouldn't be ignored, and the fact that he exhibited increased pop last year at age 25 is fairly relevant as well. With the Royals wisely cutting bait on Melky Cabrera over the winter, Cain is poised to take the starting CF job and run with it. Double-digit totals in HR and SB would seem likely, and he ought to provide at least an adequate AVG as well. I'm very optimistic here.
Gerardo Parra - Parra has been terrific this spring, earning rave reviews from Kirk Gibson left and right, but the acquisition of Jason Kubel will prevent him from getting as much playing time as he likely deserves. It seems like Parra has been around forever, but he doesn't even turn 25 until May, and you can see signs of a bit more power potential in there as well (at least if he'd stop hitting the ball on the ground so much). Parra certainly could be a 10 HR, 15 SB player with a solid AVG if everything pans out, and I for one wouldn't be counting on Kubel to play a full season in the OF, but for the time being Parra is worth no more than a reserve slot as his chances of picking up 400 PAs are no better than 50/50.
Jesus Flores - Flores is definitely a guy that would see a huge bump in value with a change in opportunity. I'm not sure we even know what Flores can do anymore, as he hasn't had any consistent playing time since 2008, but we know that he's still just 27 and was just starting to show some pop four years ago when the injuries started. Wilson Ramos is firmly entrenched as the starting backstop right now, but Flores is just one injury away from being a real commodity.
Hector Sanchez - Continuing today's theme of guys that are an injury away from value, Hector Sanchez has definitely turned some heads this spring with four homers in rather limited playing time. The 22 year old is just a few months removed from A-ball, but there's a chance he could stick with the Giants if they decide to carry three catchers to start the year. The switch-hitting catcher slugged over .500 in 50 games at A-ball last year before scuffling a bit at AAA, and could easily become an interesting option if Buster Posey goes down for any length of time.
Jordan Schafer - I'm still intrigued by Schafer's potential, but yet another hand injury this spring isn't offering us much of a glimpse at him. Schafer is still just 25 and has some very interesting power/speed numbers in his minor league past, but they're getting more toward the distant past now as he's spent the last three seasons bouncing around all over the place and being injured. He's definitely someone to keep an eye on as the season progresses, but for the time being is likely only worth a spot in NL-only leagues.
Nolan Reimold - Reimold has had a succession of guys in front of him the past two years in Baltimore as his performance stagnated, but in this, his age 28 season, it appears that he has a clear shot at consistent playing time for the first time since 2009. Reimold showed plenty of power early in his minor league career (and some of it showed back up late last season), and with consistent PT should be a 20+ HR threat. He is probably best suited as a reserve with upside potential to start 2012, as even at his best the AVG is unlikely to be a strength.
Josh Reddick - Reddick doubled and homered in game 2 of the "sort-of Opening Day" against the Mariners, which certainly doesn't diminish the likelihood of having a breakout year in my eyes. Reddick had 52 XBH in less than 450 ABs between AAA and the bigs last year, and at age 25 could even see a bit more in the power category going forward. The change in home park will hurt his value a touch, but the greater likelihood of consistent playing time is more important.
