March 24, 2008

Average Auction Values Report: March 24, 2008

By Gareth Davies | FantasyAuctioneer.com

It's now March 24th and the players are almost loose, umps have almost got their chops warmed up, and we are rapidly approaching the 2008 season. All that’s left of spring training is a few more exhibitions, and the final stretching and strategizing for another long season ahead. Here are the latest Average Auction Values (AAVs) taken from auctions hosted on FantasyAuctioneer.com and CBSSports.com so far this season. As always, we encourage you to come up with your own values for players on this list, and see who you can get at a bargain price.

These are the top 300 AAV's (plus ties) for a 12-team, mixed league, 5x5 Rotisserie format, with 23-man starting rosters and a $260 Salary cap. Anyone not on this list is, on average, a $1 player.

Catchers
OVERALL	POS. RANK	NAME	TEAM	POS	AAV
27	1	Victor Martinez	CLE	C	$26
30	2	Russell Martin	LAD	C	$24
42	3	Jorge Posada	NYY	C	$22
76	4	Joe Mauer	MIN	C	$16
92	5	Brian McCann	ATL	C	$13
130	6	Kenji Johjima	SEA	C	$8
146	7	Bengie Molina	SFG	C	$7
154	8	Ivan Rodriguez	DET	C	$6
176	9	Geovany Soto	CHC	C	$5
182	10	Jarrod Saltalamacchia	TEX	C/1B	$4
183	11	Jason Varitek	BOS	C	$4
205	12	Miguel Olivo	KCR	C	$3
219	13	J.R. Towles	HOU	C	$3
228	14	Mike Napoli	LAA	C	$3
284	15	Ramon Hernandez	BAL	C	$2
293	16	Javy Lopez	ATL	C	$2
303	17	Jeff Mathis	LAA	C	$2
First Basemen
OVERALL	POS. RANK	NAME	TEAM	POS	AAV
10	1	Ryan Howard	PHI	1B	$37
11	2	Albert Pujols	STL	1B	$36
13	3	Prince Fielder	MIL	1B	$35
22	4	Mark Teixeira	ATL	1B	$27
41	5	Lance Berkman	HOU	1B/OF	$23
52	6	Derrek Lee	CHC	1B	$20
56	7	Justin Morneau	MIN	1B	$19
66	8	Carlos Pena	TB	1B	$17
86	9	Adrian Gonzalez	SD	1B	$14
87	10	Nick Swisher	CHW	1B/OF	$13
89	11	Todd Helton	COL	1B	$13
111	12	James Loney	LAD	1B	$11
161	13	Paul Konerko	CHW	1B	$6
170	14	Kevin Youkilis	BOS	1B	$5
184	15	Dmitri Young	WAS	1B	$4
186	16	Carlos Delgado	NYM	1B	$4
200	17	Ryan Garko	CLE	1B	$3
273	18	Joey Votto	CIN	1B	$2
276	19	Adam LaRoche	PIT	1B	$2
286	20	Conor Jackson	ARI	1B	$2
Second Basemen
OVERALL	POS. RANK	NAME	TEAM	POS	AAV
9	1	Chase Utley	PHI	2B	$37
26	2	Brandon Phillips	CIN	2B	$26
34	3	B.J. Upton	TAM	2B	$24
51	4	Brian Roberts	BAL	2B	$20
70	5	Robinson Cano	NYY	2B	$17
105	6	Ian Kinsler	TEX	2B	$12
119	7	Marcus Giles	COL	2B	$10
144	8	Jeff Kent	LAD	2B	$7
153	9	Placido Polanco	DET	2B	$7
158	10	Dustin Pedroia	BOS	2B	$6
159	11	Rickie Weeks	MIL	2B	$6
174	12	Dan Uggla	FLA	2B	$5
188	13	Howie Kendrick	LAA	2B	$4
206	14	Freddy Sanchez	PIT	2B	$3
216	15	Aaron Hill	TOR	2B	$3
233	16	Yunel Escobar	ATL	2B/SS	$2
244	17	Ryan Theriot	CHC	2B/SS	$2
249	18	Kelly Johnson	ATL	2B	$2
263	19	Tadahito Iguchi	SD	2B	$2
265	20	Kazuo Matsui	HOU	2B	$2
280	21	Ty Wigginton	HOU	2B/3B	$2
295	22	Luis Castillo	NYM	2B	$2
Third Basemen
OVERALL	POS. RANK	NAME	TEAM	POS	AAV
1	1	Alex Rodriguez	NYY	3B	$48
2	2	David Wright	NYM	3B	$42
6	3	Miguel Cabrera	DET	3B	$39
12	4	Ryan Braun	MIL	3B	$35
23	5	Chone Figgins	LAA	3B	$27
37	6	Aramis Ramirez	CHC	3B	$23
38	7	Chipper Jones	ATL	3B	$23
48	8	Garrett Atkins	COL	3B	$21
72	9	Adrian Beltre	SEA	3B	$16
78	10	Mike Lowell	BOS	3B	$15
91	11	Ryan Zimmerman	WAS	3B	$13
121	12	Edwin Encarnacion	CIN	3B	$9
149	13	Alex Gordon	KCR	3B/1B	$7
168	14	Hank Blalock	TEX	3B	$5
169	15	Pedro Feliz	PHI	3B	$5
172	16	Evan Longoria	TAM	3B	$5
209	17	Joe Crede	CHW	3B	$3
226	18	Mark Reynolds	ARI	3B	$3
227	19	Akinori Iwamura	TB	3B	$3
251	20	Josh Fields	CHW	3B/OF	$2
252	21	Melvin Mora	BAL	3B	$2
268	22	Kevin Kouzmanoff	SD	3B	$2
275	23	Troy Glaus	STL	3B	$2
285	24	Scott Rolen	TOR	3B	$2
287	25	Brandon Wood	LAA	3B	$2
301	26	Chad Tracy	ARI	3B	$2
Shortstops
OVERALL	POS. RANK	NAME	TEAM	POS	AAV
3	1	Jose Reyes	NYM	SS	$42
4	2	Hanley Ramirez	FLA	SS	$41
8	3	Jimmy Rollins	PHI	SS	$37
44	4	Derek Jeter	NYY	SS	$22
54	5	Troy Tulowitzki	COL	SS	$19
61	6	Carlos Guillen	DET	SS/1B	$18
68	7	Michael Young	TEX	SS	$17
82	8	Miguel Tejada	HOU	SS	$14
107	9	Edgar Renteria	DET	SS	$12
109	10	Orlando Cabrera	CHW	SS	$11
131	11	Rafael Furcal	LAD	SS	$8
137	12	J.J. Hardy	MIL	SS	$8
192	13	David Eckstein	TOR	SS	$4
194	14	Khalil Greene	SD	SS	$4
229	15	Jhonny Peralta	CLE	SS	$3
243	16	Stephen Drew	ARI	SS	$2
292	17	Julio Lugo	BOS	SS	$2
306	18	Erick Aybar	LAA	SS/2B	$2
Outfielders
OVERALL	POS. RANK	NAME	TEAM	POS	AAV
5	1	Matt Holliday	COL	OF	$41
14	2	Carl Crawford	TAM	OF	$34
16	3	Ichiro Suzuki	SEA	OF	$32
18	4	Alfonso Soriano	CHC	OF	$31
19	5	Vladimir Guerrero	LAA	OF	$30
20	6	Magglio Ordonez	DET	OF	$29
21	7	Grady Sizemore	CLE	OF	$29
24	8	Carlos Beltran	NYM	OF	$27
25	9	Carlos Lee	HOU	OF	$27
32	10	Curtis Granderson	DET	OF	$24
33	11	Manny Ramirez	BOS	OF	$24
43	12	Nick Markakis	BAL	OF	$22
45	13	Torii Hunter	LAA	OF	$21
46	14	Alex Rios	TOR	OF	$21
47	15	Eric Byrnes	ARI	OF	$21
53	16	Bobby Abreu	NYY	OF	$19
57	17	Hunter Pence	HOU	OF	$19
59	18	Juan Pierre	LAD	OF	$18
62	19	Adam Dunn	CIN	OF	$18
73	20	Corey C. Hart	MIL	OF	$16
80	21	Hideki Matsui	NYY	OF/DH	$14
85	22	Brad Hawpe	COL	OF	$14
94	23	Shane Victorino	PHI	OF	$13
99	24	Jeff Francoeur	ATL	OF	$12
100	25	Jose Guillen	KC	OF	$12
101	26	Willy Taveras	HOU	OF	$12
108	27	Moises Alou	NYM	OF	$11
114	28	Matt Kemp	LAD	OF	$10
115	29	Jason Bay	PIT	OF	$10
117	30	Aaron Rowand	SF	OF	$10
118	31	Ken Griffey Jr.	CIN	OF	$10
120	32	Chris B. Young	ARI	OF	$10
123	33	Raul Ibanez	SEA	OF	$9
128	34	Vernon Wells	TOR	OF	$8
134	35	Josh Hamilton	TEX	OF	$8
135	36	Andruw Jones	LAD	OF	$8
136	37	Johnny Damon	NYY	OF/DH	$8
142	38	Delmon Young	MIN	OF	$8
150	39	Garret Anderson	LAA	OF/DH	$7
157	40	Mike Cameron	MIL	OF	$6
162	41	Randy Winn	SF	OF	$6
171	42	Kosuke Fukudome	CHC	OF	$5
173	43	Milton Bradley	TEX	OF	$5
175	44	Jacoby Ellsbury	BOS	OF	$5
187	45	Justin Upton	ARI	OF	$4
190	46	Jermaine Dye	CHW	OF	$4
195	47	Jeremy Hermida	FLA	OF	$4
196	48	Pat Burrell	PHI	OF	$4
197	49	Frank Catalanotto	TEX	OF	$4
204	50	Rick Ankiel	STL	OF	$3
207	51	Jay Bruce	CIN	OF	$3
210	52	Michael Bourn	HOU	OF	$3
214	53	Michael Cuddyer	MIN	OF	$3
222	54	Cameron Maybin	FLA	OF	$3
223	55	Lastings Milledge	WAS	OF	$3
225	56	Adam Jones	BAL	OF	$3
240	57	Elijah Dukes	WAS	OF	$2
248	58	Bill Hall	MIL	OF	$2
253	59	J.D. Drew	BOS	OF	$2
255	60	Carlos Quentin	CHW	OF	$2
259	61	Shelley Duncan	NYY	OF	$2
270	62	Josh Willingham	FLA	OF	$2
279	63	Colby Rasmus	STL	OF	$2
282	64	Corey Patterson	CIN	OF	$2
299	65	Felix Pie	CHC	OF	$2
305	66	Tony Gwynn	MIL	OF	$2
Designated Hitters
OVERALL	POS. RANK	NAME	TEAM	POS	AAV
17	1	David Ortiz	BOS	DH	$31
93	2	Travis Hafner	CLE	DH	$13
113	3	Gary Sheffield	DET	DH	$10
151	4	Jim Thome	CHW	DH	$7
254	5	Billy Butler	KCR	DH	$2
264	6	Jonny Gomes	TB	DH/OF	$2
Pitchers
OVERALL	POS. RANK	NAME	TEAM	POS	AAV
7	1	Johan Santana	NYM	P	$38
15	2	Jake Peavy	SDP	P	$33
28	3	Erik Bedard	BAL	P	$25
29	4	J.J. Putz	SEA	P	$25
31	5	Jose Valverde	ARI	P	$24
35	6	Brandon Webb	ARI	P	$24
36	7	C.C. Sabathia	CLE	P	$24
39	8	Jonathan Papelbon	BOS	P	$23
40	9	Josh Beckett	BOS	P	$23
49	10	Cole Hamels	PHI	P	$20
50	11	John Lackey	LAA	P	$20
55	12	Joe Nathan	MIN	P	$19
58	13	Francisco Rodriguez	LAA	P	$18
60	14	John Smoltz	ATL	P	$18
63	15	Aaron Harang	CIN	P	$18
64	16	Bobby Jenks	CHW	P	$18
65	17	Takashi Saito	LAD	P	$18
67	18	Chris R. Young	SD	P	$17
69	19	Justin Verlander	DET	P	$17
71	20	Javier Vazquez	CHW	P	$17
74	21	Trevor Hoffman	SDP	P	$16
75	22	Fausto Carmona	CLE	P	$16
77	23	Dan Haren	ARI	P	$15
79	24	Billy Wagner	NYM	P	$14
81	25	Roy Oswalt	HOU	P	$14
83	26	Francisco Cordero	CIN	P	$14
84	27	Felix Hernandez	SEA	P	$14
88	28	Roy Halladay	TOR	P	$13
90	29	Scott Kazmir	TB	P	$13
95	30	Francisco Liriano	MIN	P	$13
96	31	Carlos Zambrano	CHC	P	$12
97	32	A.J. Burnett	TOR	P	$12
98	33	Mariano Rivera	NYY	P	$12
102	34	James Shields	TAM	P	$12
103	35	Jason Isringhausen	STL	P	$12
104	36	Tim Hudson	ATL	P	$12
106	37	Kelvim Escobar	LAA	P	$12
110	38	Chad Billingsley	LAD	P	$11
112	39	Brad Penny	LAD	P	$11
116	40	Daisuke Matsuzaka	BOS	P	$10
122	41	Oliver Perez	NYM	P	$9
124	42	Matt Cain	SF	P	$9
125	43	John Maine	NYM	P	$9
126	44	Rich Hill	CHC	P	$8
127	45	Matt Morris	PIT	P	$8
129	46	Joe Borowski	CLE	P	$8
132	47	Huston Street	OAK	P	$8
133	48	Yovani Gallardo	MIL	P	$8
138	49	Chad Cordero	WAS	P	$8
139	50	Tim Lincecum	SF	P	$8
140	51	Orlando Hernandez	NYM	P	$8
141	52	Zack Greinke	KC	P	$8
143	53	Ben Sheets	MIL	P	$8
145	54	Joe Blanton	OAK	P	$7
147	55	Dustin McGowan	TOR	P	$7
148	56	Chien-Ming Wang	NYY	P	$7
152	57	Randy Johnson	ARI	P	$7
155	58	Rich Harden	OAK	P	$6
156	59	Ted Lilly	CHC	P	$6
160	60	Rafael Soriano	ATL	P	$6
163	61	Manny Corpas	COL	P	$5
164	62	Matt Capps	PIT	P	$5
165	63	Todd Jones	DET	P	$5
166	64	Jon Rauch	WAS	P	$5
167	65	Brett Myers	PHI	P	$5
177	66	Mark Buehrle	CHW	P	$5
178	67	Jered Weaver	LAA	P	$5
179	68	Joba Chamberlain	NYY	P	$4
180	69	Derek Lowe	LAD	P	$4
185	70	Pedro Martinez	NYM	P	$4
189	71	Ian Snell	PIT	P	$4
191	72	Cla Meredith	SD	P	$4
193	73	B.J. Ryan	TOR	P	$4
198	74	Gil Meche	KC	P	$3
199	75	Shaun Marcum	TOR	P	$3
201	76	Brad Lidge	PHI	P	$3
202	77	Edinson Volquez	CIN	P	$3
203	78	Dontrelle Willis	DET	P	$3
208	79	Yusmeiro Petit	ARI	P	$3
211	80	Phil Hughes	NYY	P	$3
212	81	George Sherrill	BAL	P	$3
213	82	Jon Garland	LAA	P	$3
215	83	Clay Buchholz	BOS	P	$3
217	84	Aaron Heilman	NYM	P	$3
218	85	Eric Gagne	MIL	P	$3
220	86	Brandon Lyon	ARI	P	$3
221	87	Jon Lester	BOS	P	$3
224	88	Justin Speier	LAA	P	$3
230	89	Livan Hernandez	MIN	P	$3
231	90	Joakim Soria	KC	P	$2
232	91	Jeremy Bonderman	DET	P	$2
234	92	Gio Gonzalez	CHW	P	$2
235	93	Adam Wainwright	STL	P	$2
236	94	Chris Carpenter	STL	P	$2
237	95	Matt Garza	TB	P	$2
238	96	Homer Bailey	CIN	P	$2
239	97	Derrick Turnbow	MIL	P	$2
241	98	C.J. Wilson	TEX	P	$2
242	99	Scott Olsen	FLA	P	$2
245	100	Andy Pettitte	NYY	P	$2
246	101	Brian Wilson	SF	P	$2
247	102	Andrew Miller	FLA	P	$2
250	103	Kevin Gregg	FLA	P	$2
256	104	Brandon McCarthy	TEX	P	$2
257	105	Scott Linebrink	CHW	P	$2
258	106	Bob Howry	CHC	P	$2
260	107	Miguel Batista	SEA	P	$2
261	108	Nick Adenhart	LAA	P	$2
262	109	Jason Schmidt	LAD	P	$2
266	110	Bronson Arroyo	CIN	P	$2
267	111	Carlos Marmol	CHC	P	$2
269	112	Ubaldo Jimenez	COL	P	$2
271	113	Ervin Santana	LAA	P	$2
272	114	Kerry Wood	CHC	P	$2
274	115	Noah Lowry	SF	P	$2
277	116	Braden Looper	STL	P	$2
278	117	Paul Byrd	CLE	P	$2
281	118	Jeff Francis	COL	P	$2
283	119	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	P	$2
288	120	Paul Maholm	PIT	P	$2
289	121	Boof Bonser	MIN	P	$2
290	122	Pat Neshek	MIN	P	$2
291	123	John Patterson	WAS	P	$2
294	124	Chad Gaudin	OAK	P	$2
296	125	Dave Bush	MIL	P	$2
297	126	Barry Zito	SF	P	$2
298	127	Franklin Morales	COL	P	$2
300	128	Curt Schilling	BOS	P	$2
302	129	Kenny Rogers	DET	P	$2
304	130	Mike Hampton	ATL	P	$2

ALL
1B
2B
3B
SS
C
OF
DH
SP
RP
injury

Dice-K throwing off mound
Daisuke Matsuzaka, SP, BOS
11:52 AM

News: The Boston Globe reports while Red Sox pitchers and catchers don't officially have to report until Sunday, some players have arrived early, including SP Daisuke Matsuzaka. The paper noted that Matsuzaka, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery in June, was throwing off a mound with manager Bobby Valentine watching.

Analysis: Clearly, the fact Dice-K is already throwing off a mound is good news. However, we still have to temper expectations. It usually takes pitchers 12-18 months to recover from Tommy John surgery, so we aren't expecting to see Dice-K in a major-league game until mid-summer. We will continue to update his progress as the news warrants, but Dice-K is merely a draft-and-stash option in the deepest of Fantasy formats on Draft Day.

Ortiz settles before hearing
David Ortiz, DH, BOS
11:11 AM

News: DH David Ortiz and the Red Sox came to terms on a one-year contract hours before the two sides were set to go to an arbitration hearing. Ortiz signed a one-year, $14.575 million contract.

Analysis: Now that Ortiz has this business out of the way he can get down to focusing on the baseball aspect of things. Ortiz hit .309 with 29 homers and 96 RBI in 2011. He is DH-eligible only in Fantasy, which hurts his appeal a bit. But Ortiz remains a viable early-to-mid-round Fantasy pick on Draft Day.

Snyder fully recovered from surgery
Chris Snyder, C, HOU
12:27 PM

News: The Houston Chronicle reports Astros catcher Chris Snyder said he is fully recovered from the back surgery he had in June.

Analysis: A lot of folks feel Snyder will make the Astros roster out of camp, but he still needs to prove he is past his back problem, which robbed him of most of the 2011 season with Pittsburgh. Manager Brad Mills has already said Jason Castro is the team's starting catcher, but he is recovering from foot surgery and isn't expected to be ready for spring games until the second week of the exhibition schedule. In the meantime, Snyder will be battling Humberto Quintero for the backup role. Snyder has decent pop for a catcher, but his strength is defense. Snyder is more of an NL-only Fantasy option.

Nats convinced Desmond will re-emerge
Ian Desmond, SS, WAS
11:41 AM

News: CSN Washington reports the Nationals are convinced shortstop Ian Desmond is in for a bounce-back season in 2012 because of two trends they spotted in 2011. The first is that Desmond made significant strides at the plate in the second half of last season. After hitting .223 with a .264 OBP and .308 slugging percentage before the All-Star break, Desmond hit .289 with a .338 OBP and .417 slugging percentage down the stretch. He really thrived when manager Davey Johnson made him the leadoff hitter, which is a position he is expected to keep heading into the spring. The second trend is that Desmond's defense improved as the season progressed. He committed seven errors in his first 20 games and just 16 over his final 134.

Analysis: A lot of folks were excited about Desmond's 2011 outlook after he played well in his first two MLB stints in 2009 and 2010. Unfortunately, Desmond took a step back last year and will plummet down Fantasy draft boards because of it. Clearly, there is potential with Desmond. But don't reach for him on Draft Day. Let him fall to the late rounds in mixed leagues and hope that you grab a bounce-back candidate.

Hughes appears ready to compete
Phil Hughes, SP, NYY
11:26 AM

News: Newsday reports Yankees SP Phil Hughes, who looks noticeably slimmer and more muscular, said he weighs about 240 pounds. He added that in the offseason he changed his "body composition."

Analysis: The early word from Yankees camp is that Hughes is in shape and ready to compete for a spot in the rotation. Although, he is on the outside looking in if the Yankees don't trade A.J. Burnett. Though, if Hughes proves to be more valuable in the rotation than the bullpen, then the Yankees might have to reconsider his role in 2012. Let's see how Hughes does this spring training before making a final evaluation about his 2012 outlook, but clearly him being in shape is a good start. Hughes could be a viable Fantasy option again if he returns to the 18-8 pitcher he was in 2010.

Garland gets shot with Indians
Jon Garland, SP, LAD
10:37 AM

News: The Indians signed SP Jon Garland to a minor-league deal on Monday. Garland, who last pitched for the Dodgers, was limited to only nine starts last season before having arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder in June.

Analysis: Garland will most likely compete with Kevin Slowey for the final spot in the Indians rotation, but he's a hittable pitcher who now may be working with less than his best stuff coming off shoulder surgery. Even if he's able to win a rotation spot, he won't be worth drafting outside of deeper AL-only leagues.

Yanks, Pirates still talking Burnett
A.J. Burnett, SP, NYY
2/12/2012

News: The New York Daily News reports the Yankees and Pirates continued to talk Sunday about completing a trade for A.J. Burnett, but a baseball source said the sides are still "a good ways away" from agreeing on the final terms. The source added the Pirates are willing to pay $10 million of the remaining $33 million Burnett is owed over the next two seasons, but Pittsburgh has offered "two borderline prospects" in return. The Yankees could be willing to pay more of Burnett's remaining contract if they receive a top-tier prospect from Pittsburgh. A person familiar with the Yankees' thinking believes there is enough common ground that a deal could be completed in the coming days. However, ESPN.com reports their source said the Yankees aren't desperate to make a trade and the team would go to spring training with Burnett if a deal isn't completed.

Analysis: Leaving the Yankees usually has a negative impact on a player's Fantasy value, but in Burnett's case it might be the opposite, especially if he moves to the NL. He has struggled to handle the pressure of pitching in New York and a fresh start could be what he needs. Burnett had some of his best years in the majors pitching in the NL. Still, Burnett would be nothing more than a risky late-round Fantasy pick in mixed leagues.

JJ continues to feel no discomfort
Josh Johnson, SP, MIA
2/12/2012

News: The Sports Xchange reports Marlins SP Josh Johnson arrived to the team's spring training complex in Jupiter, Fla., on Feb. 9, more than a week ahead of the Marlins reporting date for pitchers and catchers. Johnson, who has been throwing off a mound near his home in Las Vegas, threw his first bullpen session of the year in Florida on Feb. 10. He felt no discomfort and expects to be ready for the first workouts on Feb. 22. He made only nine starts last year because of shoulder issues.

Analysis: Any encouraging news regarding JJ is welcomed. But Fantasy owners do have to be aware of the risk of drafting him. Of course his potential makes it worth it, but JJ has made it past 30 starts just once in his career. Look to Johnson as more of a No. 2 Fantasy SP on Draft Day, but clearly he has the potential to be your ace if he can stay healthy.

Pence likely to hit cleanup
Hunter Pence, RF, PHI
2/12/2012

News: The Philadelphia Inquirer reports Phillies manager Charlie Manuel has to find a cleanup hitter with Ryan Howard expected to miss the beginning of the season recovering from an Achilles injury, and he said his choice going into spring training is Hunter Pence.

Analysis: Pence either hit right in front of or right behind Howard after his acquisition from Houston last season and thrived in the Phillies lineup. He will miss Howard's lineup protection, but might only have to play a month without Howard. In the meantime, Pence should get plenty of RBI chances batting cleanup, and he will still have plenty of lineup protection without Howard. Look to Pence in the early rounds of Fantasy drafts.

Vargas expected to pitch in A's series
Jason Vargas, SP, SEA
2/12/2012

News: Mariners manager Eric Wedge hinted Sunday that ace Felix Hernandez and Jason Vargas are the leading candidates to start the team's first two games against the A's in Japan. "That's one of the reasons we're here early, to make sure we get Felix ready and we're probably looking at Vargas right now in regard to the first couple games," Wedge said, as reported by MLB.com. "It is a little odd, but that's OK. That's part of it. We're professionals here and we have to get multiple starters prepared for the regular season. It's not just about those two guys, it's about everybody else as well. We've got a lot of starting pitchers here in camp and we'll see how it plays out. I'm looking forward to the competition."

Analysis: Believe it or not, but Vargas is arguably the M's second-best pitcher heading into spring training. He has been a steady part of the M's rotation the last two seasons. He is 19-25 with a 4.02 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 63 starts since the beginning of the 2010 campaign. However, he is not a dominant pitcher and has weak strikeout totals, so Vargas is nothing more than a low-end Fantasy SP on Draft Day.

More Updates

1	Miguel Cabrera, DET, 3B
2	Albert Pujols, LAA, 1B
3	Adrian Gonzalez, BOS, 1B
4	Joey Votto, CIN, 1B
5	Carlos Santana, CLE, C
6	Prince Fielder, DET, 1B
7	Mark Teixeira, NYY, 1B
8	Mike Napoli, TEX, C
9	Michael Young, TEX, 3B
10	Lance Berkman, STL, RF
All Rankings

1	Dustin Pedroia, BOS, 2B
2	Robinson Cano, NYY, 2B
3	Ian Kinsler, TEX, 2B
4	Ben Zobrist, TB, 2B
5	Rickie Weeks, MIL, 2B
6	Dan Uggla, ATL, 2B
7	Brandon Phillips, CIN, 2B
8	Chase Utley, PHI, 2B
9	Howard Kendrick, LAA, 2B
10	Ryan Roberts, ARI, 2B
All Rankings

1	Jose Bautista, TOR, RF
2	Evan Longoria, TB, 3B
3	David Wright, NYM, 3B
4	Adrian Beltre, TEX, 3B
5	Kevin Youkilis, BOS, 3B
6	Ryan Zimmerman, WAS, 3B
7	Pablo Sandoval, SF, 3B
8	Brett Lawrie, TOR, 3B
9	Michael Young, TEX, 3B
10	Alex Rodriguez, NYY, 3B
All Rankings

1	Troy Tulowitzki, COL, SS
2	Hanley Ramirez, MIA, SS
3	Jose Reyes, MIA, SS
4	Starlin Castro, CHC, SS
5	Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE, SS
6	Jimmy Rollins, PHI, SS
7	Elvis Andrus, TEX, SS
8	Emilio Bonifacio, MIA, SS
9	Derek Jeter, NYY, SS
10	Erick Aybar, LAA, SS
All Rankings

1	Carlos Santana, CLE, C
2	Alex Avila, DET, C
3	Brian McCann, ATL, C
4	Mike Napoli, TEX, C
5	Joe Mauer, MIN, C
6	Miguel Montero, ARI, C
7	Buster Posey, SF, C
8	Matt Wieters, BAL, C
9	Russell Martin, NYY, C
10	J.P. Arencibia, TOR, C
All Rankings

1	Jose Bautista, TOR, RF
2	Matt Kemp, LAD, CF
3	Jacoby Ellsbury, BOS, CF
4	Curtis Granderson, NYY, CF
5	Carlos Gonzalez, COL, LF
6	Justin Upton, ARI, RF
7	Andrew McCutchen, PIT, CF
8	Josh Hamilton, TEX, LF
9	Matt Holliday, STL, LF
10	Mike Stanton, MIA, RF
All Rankings

1	Michael Young, TEX, 3B
2	Paul Konerko, CHW, 1B
3	David Ortiz, BOS, DH
4	Billy Butler, KC, 1B
5	Edwin Encarnacion, TOR, DH
6	Josh Willingham, MIN, LF
7	Jason Kubel, ARI, LF
8	Johnny Damon, TB, DH
9	Adam Dunn, CHW, 1B
10	Bobby Abreu, LAA, LF
All Rankings

1	Clayton Kershaw, LAD, SP
2	Roy Halladay, PHI, SP
3	Justin Verlander, DET, SP
4	Cliff Lee, PHI, SP
5	CC Sabathia, NYY, SP
6	Felix Hernandez, SEA, SP
7	Jered Weaver, LAA, SP
8	Cole Hamels, PHI, SP
9	Zack Greinke, MIL, SP
10	Tim Lincecum, SF, SP
All Rankings

1	Craig Kimbrel, ATL, RP
2	Heath Bell, MIA, RP
3	Drew Storen, WAS, RP
4	John Axford, MIL, RP
5	Matt Moore, TB, SP
6	Jonathan Papelbon, PHI, RP
7	J.J. Putz, ARI, RP
8	Mariano Rivera, NYY, RP
9	Ryan Madson, CIN, RP
10	Brian Wilson, SF, RP
All Rankings