Baseball

As the 2010 Fantasy Baseball season nears, many of you will be shifting your focus towards sniffing out those sleepers.

But can a sleeper be bad for your team?

Well, in essence, yes. This is a list of players that could have more of a negative impact on your team than a postitve one, and considering there is no set rule in fantasy regarding player performance, we should then remember that anything is possible.

I'm looking your way Mr. Penny!

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Teams salivate for a ballplayer who can influence a game without reaching first. The majority of the time that ballplayer is a major power threat that pitchers eye in the on-deck circle. Although Davaris (Dee) Gordon is little and different.

It is said that speed never has a slump, if that remains to be true it becomes frightening to think of what potential this 5'11", 140 lb, twenty one year old shortstop has.

Stressing fundamentals is a trait a manager would want in every player under him, that's just what this athlete does.

John Lannan is a pitcher who has garnered some attention the past two seasons due to some impressive ERAs, but that is where the positives come to an abrupt end. 

Is this one "plus" a reason to consider taking the gamble on him?  I certainly don’t think so, and here’s why…

First off, his 2009 statistics:

9 Wins
206.1 Innings
3.88 ERA
1.35 WHIP
89 Strikeouts (3.88 K/9)
68 Walks (2.97 BB/9)
.276 BABIP

Things You Need To Know:

Here it is, one day before "The Ides of March" and the so-called pundits, as well as the vast majority of the Mets' faithful, are in full panic mode and have come to bury Caesar long before the body is cold.

Come on everybody, 2009 was officially over on Oct 3. Or if you believe in the Julius Caesar calendar, how about 11:59PM and 59 seconds on December 31.

It's spring and no time to complain about anything that might or might not happen this summer.

The San Francisco Giants are favored by many to win the NL West. So, let's celebrate on day we enjoy our first extra hour of daylight.

OK. Celebration's over. A couple of things caught my on Saturday and, well, I'm concerned about what the summer will bring.

Giants fans who feel like playing right field at AT&T Park requires an advanced degree of some sort might be alarmed to hear that Aubrey Huff is talking about potentially seeing some action in right field.

First off I want to apologize for my lack of writing as of late. I've been on Spring Break this past week and...well...lets just say that the computer I'm using isn't the greatest. I know it's a lame excuse, but it's the truth. So I apologize and I will certainly write about a lot of things this week (such as the Nick Blackburn contract extension, Joe Nathan injury, and I'll finally get around to finishing my Top 50 Twins Prospect list). Thanks for visiting.

This article was originally published at TheDailyCub.com , my blog covering all things Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs’ infield has been one of the stronger areas for the Chicago Cubs over the past few years.

Their corner-infielders have become stars in Chicago, and they have had lovable middle-infielders as well.

Here is a look at the expected starting line-up for the infield:

C: Geovany Soto
1B: Derek Lee
2B: Mike Fontenot
SS: Ryan Theriot
3B: Aramis Ramirez

Since the departure of Barry Bonds two seasons ago, the San Francisco Giants have undergone a youth movement—from the completely revamped and most feared starting rotation in the major leagues, to the likes of Pablo Sandoval and Eugenio Velez in the infield.

The Giants will be expecting big numbers from Sandoval, dubbed the “Kung-Fu Panda” by teammate Barry Zito...a nickname that has since stuck. They will also need contributions from Velez, who has been up and down for the last three seasons, as well as outfielder Fred Lewis.

The Milwaukee Brewers have had a lack of top prospects at several positions in the organization over the last few years for a variety of reasons.

Through trading away a couple of upper-echelon players (i.e. 1B Matt LaPorta and OF Michael Brantley), having a few guys rise quickly through the system (i.e. Ryan Braun, Alcides Escobar, etc.) or just some late-round draft choices proving why they were late-round draft choices, the Brewers haven't had many true roadblocks set up at the big league level.

Before the regular season even starts, should the New York Mets be alarmed?  The questions surrounding their pitching staff as well as the lack of depth behind their lineup are sure to hinder any chance they have at winning the N.L. East.