The Spring Training Season begins today and with the start of Spring comes the hope for a magical season. Most teams have a good idea of what their opening day lineup will be coming into Spring Training but each team has those couple of questions that remain unanswered. Most of these questions regard second catchers or utility IF neither of which have any impact on what is truly important to us nose picking Fantasy Playas. However not all decisions are so insignificant. Some actually have Fantasy Value associated with them but how can someone take the time to determine what has value and what doesn't. Leave it to the Factory to make your life easier. I will breakdown the position battles that actually do have Fantasy relevance associated with them for each team.
Toronto Blue Jays- Closer- Scott Downs and Jason Frasor will battle it out for the Closer spot. Both performed well last season in the role but given Downs being a dominate Lefty I imagine this contest is Frasor's to lose because of the situational value of Downs. Rotation- Spots 4 and 5 could be filled by a handful of players but two names in particular warrant Fantasy consideration. Marc Rzepczynski a lefty with swing and miss stuff and Sean Marcum who had a promising start to a career but injuries have wrecked the last two seasons.
Baltimore Orioles- Rotation spots 3-5 remain in question but most of the candidates have little to offer. Brian Matsuz and Chris Tillman are both highly regarded prospects who played well at times last season and both have spots to lose. Both could be considered in all Fantasy formats and could be late round players that really produce. Garret Atkins- Atkins was a top 40 offensive player but after a terrible 09 campaign his value is nothing should Atkins win the 1B job as is expected he could be a very nice prize for a lucky owner willing to take a shot.
Tampa Bay Rays- 2B/RF- Sean Rodriguez, Willy Aybar, Matt Joyce and Brandon Jennings appear to be battling out for one position. Should Sean Rodriguez win out then Zobrist will move to RF. Should any of the other three win then Zobrist will play second and the winner will be the everyday RF. Rodriguez has monster minor league numbers but his home park was the Coors Field of Triple A but given his 2B position he would be worth a late round pick. As for the OF options Joyce and Jennings are young with upside. Jennings is the better of the two but given his young age and arbitration status the spot would be Joyce's to lose.
Kansas City Royals- 2B/SS. Yuniskey Betancourt has a secure job but Chris Getz and Mike Aviles could battle it out for the other spot. None are elite talents but given the weak position Getz's SB potential has value and Aviles was a top 20 MI going into last season by many publications (The Factory wasn't one of them.) 5th Starter is also up for grabs which shouldn't have much value coming from the Royals but Robinson Tejada was dominate at times last season in that spot and Kyle Farnsworth's name has surfaced as a candidate. Both would be worth monitoring during the Spring.
Detroit Tigers- Ryan Rayburn. No one was more disappointed in the Damon signing than Rayburn. Rayburn played well in a limited role last year and he was shaping up to get 400AB prior to the Damon signing. Rayburn could be used as a Super Utility player this Spring and if so would be worth late round consideration.
Minnesota Twins- Francisco Liriano. Liriano pitched well in the Caribean league this offseason and it was needed. Liriano comes into Spring as the favorite for the 5th spot in the rotation but a bad spring could end that.
Anahiem Angels- 2B. Howie Kendrick and Maicer Izturis will battle it out for the starting spot. Given Izturis's ability to play SS and 3B it is Kendrick's spot to lose. Both warrant a selection come draft time but needless to say the starter has more value.
Oakland A's- OF/1B. Jake Fox, Coco Crisp, Daric Barton all are worth consideration in your draft but one will likely be riding the pine come day one of the regular season. Crisp should have a spot so the true battle should be between Fox and Barton for 1B duties.
Atlanta Braves- RF. Everyone will be watching every move a Jayson Heyward this Spring. Heyward is the number 1 prospect in baseball even more regarded than the real life Sid Fynch in Washington. Matt Diaz is currently slotted in RF but Diaz doesn't hit righties much at all. Given that it is Cox's final season I say the Braves pull out all of the stops and Heyward is the everyday RF come day one.
Florida Marlins- 5th Starter. Sean West, Chris Volstad and Andrew Miller figure to be battling for two spots. Given Volstad was in the Major's all last season one spot figures to be his leaving the two lefties battling for one spot. Miller was the centerpiece of the Cabrerra but has yet to pan out. Should he have a strong Spring the Marlins would love to have him over West given the upside with Miller.
Washington Nationals- Who else but Stephen Stratusburg. Will he or won't he start the season with the big club. Judging by last year with Jordan Zimmerman it would take absolute dominance to even consider Stratusburg in Washington on day 1. However the Nationals franchise has 0 buzz without the Messiah and teams in trouble often do things they normally wouldn't do so I wouldn't be shocked to see Stratusburg on the bump in game 2 or 3 of the season assuming he is dominate in the Spring anything short of that and Strats is waiting for his callup. OF Rotation. The Nationals are a terrible team perhaps the worst in baseball but they do have 4 OF who can start for many teams. Willingham is a 20HR threat, Dukes is a player with the "tools", Nyjer Morgan is their best option for leadoff so it was surprising when the picked up Willy Taveras. One will be left out of the everyday lineup assuming they all make the team. It's anyone guess as to who it will be.
St. Louis Cardinals- 5th Starter. It's not often when a 5th Starter could be so valuable but given Duncan's track record whoever the 5th starter will be they stand a good chance of having a All Star caliber season. Rich Hill could be the latest reclamation project. Hill was a up and coming ace just two seasons ago so he is certainly worth watching this Spring. If he doesn't claim the spot Mitchell Boggs appears to be in the running and would be draft worthy.
Cincinnati Reds- LF. Chris Dickerson and Johnny Gomes appear to be the front runners for the LF spot. Gomes may be worth a selection if you are desperate but the most interesting possibility is Yonder Alonso. Alonso would have to have a monster spring but it could be possible for Votto to move to RF and Alonso to 1B.
San Francisco Giants- Given Mark DeRosa's ability to play multiple positions RF/1B is up for grabs. Aubrey Huff is likely the favorite for 1B but should he fail the Fred Lewis/Eugenio Velez/Nate Shierholz loser could claim the RF spot and move DeRosa to 3B and Sandoval to 1B. None of the three appear to be major contributors but Lewis and Velez have the potential to swipe some bases.
So there you have it the Factory has broken down some of the more intriguing battles this Spring. Of course you should always note any prime time performers during the Spring. Some may not be rewarded for it but some may go from being just another Prospect to the Superstars of tomorrow over the course of a Spring. Both Albert Pujols and Ryan Braun emerged during Spring Training and neither at the time were on the radar of there own teams and certainly not on the minds of us Nose Pickers.
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