Fantasy

The No. 1 pick in a lot of keeper leagues hit the injury report tonight, and we will tell you what that means to his season.

There are also updates on the health of one of the top second baseman, a returning first baseman, and of course the first start for one of the top closers last year as he attempts to make the transition to starter.

One key to winning a fantasy baseball league is finding value in the latter stages of the draft, especially starting pitchers who can provide help with wins and strikeouts without hurting a team’s overall ERA. Late-round value picks who pan out can also be excellent trade bait to help bolster other weak areas of a fantasy roster.  

It's that time of year again. The time when managers pull out their stat sheets, turn on the computer and enjoy the smell of virtual hot dogs, peanuts and beer (okay, maybe not that).

It's fantasy baseball season.

My focus here today is on two players, Jed Lowrie and Jarrod Saltalamacchia of the Boston Red Sox, and what their potential fantasy impact could be in 2011.

Previously The Fantasy Fix reviewed and gave projections for the 2011 Yankees rotation. Now its time to dive in and analyze the Pinstripes positional players.

Mixed League Rotisserie Auction Values in Parentheses

CATCHER: Russell Martin ($7)

Here’s an early look at the 2011 AL-only shortstop rankings:

1. Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers: The better shortstops reside in the National League, so there isn’t a clear-cut number one in AL-only leagues. I like Andrus because of his ability to score runs and steal bases. He could easily lead AL shortstops in both categories.

Over the past three or four years, third base has been one of the shallowest positions in fantasy baseball—with only a few players worthy of an early-round pick.  

As the 2011 season quickly approaches and fantasy owners begin drafting their teams, many owners will be pleasantly surprised to see that the third base pool is no longer filled with just a small handful of players.

Here’s an early look at the N.L. Only 2011 Third Base rankings.

1. David Wright, New York Mets: David Wright is back. His average/HR/SB combination make him the class of the National League hot corner.

2. Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals: While I favor Wright slightly because of his stolen bases, Zimmerman is right up there. The Nationals are improving, and Zimmerman is at the forefront of that movement.

Spring training is here, and with it comes fantasy baseball. Catcher is one of the toughest positions to project in fantasy baseball because of all the wear and tear on players. Injuries happen to catchers more than any other position.

There are the veterans, including Joe Mauer, Victor Martinez, Brian McCann and Jorge Posada. There are the rising stars: Carlos Santana, Matt Wieters and Buster Posey.

There are plenty of catchers to choose from, and if you miss out on the first three or four catchers, you might as well wait until the late rounds to grab one.

It’s been quite some time since we have looked at my Top 15 first basemen for standard five-by-five leagues.

There are quite a few players who I am concerned about as we head towards Opening Day, though unfortunately we don’t quite have all the answers yet.

That makes these rankings a little bit tenuous, but let’s take a look at how things currently stand:

Oakland Athletics General Maneger Billy Beane’s unconventional management methods were the focus of Michael Lewis’ 2003 blockbuster book Moneyball.  By focusing on on-base percentage and other sabermetric tools, Beane was able to build a successful ball club with one of the lowest payrolls in baseball.