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.
There is news on the catching situation in New York which could mean time for a top prospect. And of course we will look at some of the recent box scores and give you some of the possible stories from them.
The No. 1 hitting prospect in the majors this season, Domonic Brown's spring training is over as he fractured a bone in his hand swinging the bat on Saturday.
Even though he finished the at-bat and actually singled up the middle, Brown will miss the next three to six weeks as he will have surgery to mend the fracture.
This pretty much guarantees that Ben Francisco will start the season as the starter in left field, but even if he misses the full six weeks, that still puts Brown back on the field in mid-April.
Broken bones don't bother me nearly as much as muscle tears as bones generally heal on a set schedule, while muscles could heal faster on some people than on others.
Expect Brown to be back by mid-April and at that point he should have a great rookie season and should compete for some postseason awards.
Verdict: I would definitely downgrade him in my drafts somewhat because of this injury, but I wouldn't drop him too far down as he will likely still participate in most of the season.
Chase Utley's knee has not improved over the past week.
The prescription of rest has not worked to this point (perhaps they need more cowbell?) and he has received a cortisone shot to try to make it better.
It has been confirmed that there is no structural damage to the knee, so we should know by Monday if the shot worked and Utley is able to get back on the field. This is starting to cause a little bit of concern, and if this shot doesn't help, then maybe Utley isn't able to start the season healthy.
Hopefully he will be able to get on the field by the middle of next week, but right now you have to do some damage control if Utley is on your squad.
Verdict: Right now, still draft him as one of the top second basemen, but maybe grab a backup while the pickin's aren't too slim and nab a guy like Howie Kendrick who is going to be able to keep you in the hunt until Utley is ready to go.
Kendry Morales is close to returning to the field for the Angels as he attempts to recover from the broken leg he suffered last season during a celebration for his walk-off homer. He is back on a treadmill and agility work and is taking ground balls and soon he will be ready to get back into games.
If he is going to be ready for the start of the season, the Angels have said that they want him on the field by March 20th.
For now, Mark Trumbo is still taking the reins at first and is also working int he outfield in for a way to keep his big bat in the lineup once Morales is ready to return.
Verdict: I would still continue to draft Morales as one of the top 10 first basemen as even if he isn't ready for Opening Day, it doesn't appear that it will be long after that he will be ready.
Adrian Beltre appears that he will miss more than the expected two weeks as he has not yet started with running drills or taking ground balls.
Beltre's strained right calf still has stopped him from making his spring debut for his new team, and it is uncertain of when that is going to happen.
Verdict: I still warn against drafting him after last season's numbers as he has shown an ability to take it to another level when he is playing for a new contract. Beltre is still a decent third base option, but far from an elite one.
Francisco Cervelli fractured his left foot on Wednesday and the MRI results came back that he will miss a minimum of four weeks.
He fouled a ball off of his foot and will now be on crutches for the foreseeable future.
Cervelli has almost no fantasy value as the backup to Russell Martin, but does this mean that super prospect Jesus Montero will break camp with the Bronx Bombers?
Because he has massive fantasy potential. I still don't think that the Yankees will bring Montero north with the team unless he is going to get regular playing time, but stranger things have happened.
Verdict: He might be worth an end of the draft flyer just in case he does make the team, as Martin isn't 100 percent healthy either. If given regular time, Montero could easily be a starting fantasy catcher but the chances of that are fairly slim.
Miguel Olivo strained his groin while running the bases in an exhibition game and will require an MRI.
Olivo isn't really all that fantasy worthy, but if this turns out to be more significant than it originally seems that can open the door for Adam Moore who does have some real fantasy potential.
If Moore has a 20-homer season down on the farm and if he is able to get regular playing time with the Mariners he could have some fantasy relevance. Keep an eye on this situation as it requires more attention in leagues that require two catchers.
Verdict: There is no reason to draft Moore right now, but he absolutely should be on your radar.
Brian Matusz had a wart removed from his middle finger on Friday, but is still on pace to make his next spring start after the procedure.
Matusz is one of the best young arms in the majors and I expect him to have a very nice season in 2011.
He is already battle-tested from his rookie year in 2010 with wins against some of the best teams in the American League.
He likely will still have some tough outings, but I think he will improve in 2011, and as the Orioles get better, Matusz win total should get better as well.
Verdict: Matusz is someone to target at the end of your drafts for sure.
Angels super-prospect Hank Conger has really struggled with the bat so far this season as he attempts to earn a spot on the Angels roster this season.
He was 0-4 with two whiffs on Saturday and is now batting just .071 for the spring.
Of course it is still early on and things can improve, but Conger needs to have a monster exhibition season to break camp with the club and more and more it seems like he will start with Triple-A Salt Lake as the Angels are probably committed to Jeff Mathis.
Verdict: Keep Conger on your radar however, as he has massive hitting talent. He will be a fantasy force behind the plate for a long time once he gets the call.
Not that you shoud be surprised, but Clayton Kershaw absoutely mowed down the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday as he allowed just one hit and no runs over three innings and struck out four.
Kershaw is obviously a budding fantasy superstar and should have a remarkable year in 2011 as I expect him to take his spot among the pitching elite as the Dodgers should improve from last year.
Verdict: Kershaw needs to work on not walking as many, but he has nasty stuff and has should be in the Cy Young Award conversation this year.
Detroit prospect Casper Wells (who by the way went to high school about an hour away from where I am sitting right now) is definitely making the most of his spring training invite as he tries to win a spot to go north with the big team.
He hit his first home run of the spring on Saturday and is currently hitting .385.
Right now there isn't a spot for him in the Detroit outfield, but if he hits well enough perhaps he can claim right field and push Magglio Ordonez to DH where he belongs.
Verdict: Wells has great power potential and is one of the young kids you need to keep your eye on this spring.
Kyle Drabek had a solid outing with the Blue Jays on Saturday as he tries to earn a rotation spot in his rookie year. He allowed one run over two innings and struck out three.
He did walk just one batter, and overall pitched well.
He is the top pitching prospect coming into the season, and while I don't expect him to have an overwhelmingly good rookie season, he has a chance to have at least a .500 record with a nice number of strikeouts.
Verdict: Keep tabs on Drabek this spring to see if he is going to win that rotation spot. He is worth a late round flyer, especially in keeper leagues.
I wouldn't touch him with a 100-foot pole, but I have to report that Erik Bedard had an incredibly solid outing on Saturday. He threw 34 pitches in two innings, didn't allow a hit and struck out four.
If the Mariners can keep him healthy it woud go a long way to making them competitive this season but I wouldn't even consider drafting Bedard. He hasn't been healthy for any significant stretch in years, and even when he has been he has been subpar.
Verdict: Don't fall victim to one good start and a name you recognize, Bedard's body has broken down and he will never again be the guy he once was.
On Friday, another big time Yankee pitching prospect, Manny Banuelos, did great against the Red Sox. We have already talked about Dellin Betances, and Banuelos is another guy who should eventually bring his talent to the Bronx.
General Manager Brian Cashman has already said that both pitchers will start the year in Double-A, but Banuelos pitched two shutout innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three.
Verdict: He isn't someone that you need to target on Draft Day, but with so many questions surrounding the Yankee rotation, Banuelos and Betances are two guys that you will need to know sometime in 2011.
After a rough first outing this spring, Brett Anderson was lights out on Saturday as he allowed just one hit in three innings and struck out five.
Anderson had a roller coaster 2010 due to injuries and inconsistency, but he is a supremely talented pitcher and has a chance to be very special.
Anderson won't get a ton of run support in Oakland but he shouldn't need much. I am very encouraged by this performance and believe that he will have a good season.
Verdict: I expect great things from him in 2011 and if you can possibly get him as a third starter you are in really great shape.
Ian Kinsler continues to torture the baseball here early in spring as he connected on his fourth homer of the exhibition season already.
He had one hit in just two at-bats and is now hitting .545 so far.
There is no doubt that Kinsler is not only one of the most talented second basemen, but most talented hitters in all of major league baseball.
The only problem is his inability to stay healthy; you have to have a good second stringer as you know he will likely miss at least a month of the season at some point.
Verdict: It seems to really be registering with fantasy players as he was once a first-round pick and now falls to about the fourth round, but he is definitely someone to target.
You can email me any time at ryan@fantasyalarm.com for all of your keeper and pre-draft questions as well as throughout the season for all of your lineup advice, and don't forget to check out www.fantasyalarm.com for all of your draft preparation needs.
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