Spring Training games have finally started and there are finally box scores to look through! Unfortunately, the injuries keep on coming and we will be giving you all of the updates on them. There is some good news among the walking wounded today though, as some pitchers look to be on the road to recovery.
There is more news of teams tinkering with their batting order as well as two hot shot New York pitching prospects wowing the opposition in their first action. Remember to keep it here in the Spring Training blog for all of the relevant news during Grapefruit and Cactus league games.
Chase Utley had an MRI on his right knee that has kept him out of games so far and the test showed patellar tendonitis. Utley is insisting that this will not have any effect on him long term, especially with his ability to start Opening Day. He will be doing plenty of resting during the spring, so don't be surprised when he doesn't play a lot in March.
Apparently this has been bothering Utley since the offseason, but only bothers him when he runs or fields and not so much at the plate. As of right now I would not put Utley any farther down the rankings because of this news, but I would keep an eye on updates as they come along. He has been dealing with more injuries in the past couple of seasons, but I think that this one will be fine.
At first it seemed the collision between Rockies' Ian Stewart and Carlos Gonzalez was going to be just a blip on the radar. Both players jumped up rather quickly and stayed in the game. Stewart has a sprain of his MCL and will miss a week's worth of action, while Gonzalez got off lucky and has just a bruised shin and should only miss a day or two.
Apparently the knee to the head didn't do anything to Gonzalez, which tells me that he has a rock for a skull. This could have been far worse as Stewart's foot was temporarily pinned under Gonzalez and he could have done serious damage to his knee. With some rest in the next couple of weeks, both men should be fine to start the season and should not be downgraded in your draft plans.
Marlins' stud Michael Stanton pulled up lame running to first in his second at bat and suffered what is being called a quad strain. After belting a homer in his first at bat, Stanton couldn't quite make it to first base the next time up as he stumbled and fell on his way there. It is too soon to put a timetable on how long he will be out, but as soon as it is released you will have it from Fantasy Alarm.
With all of the pitching questions the Yankees have, they got some good news as their young prospect Dellin Betances came in and struck out the side in his only inning of work. Prospects always get people's attention when the radar gun says 97 miles per hour, and he strikes out the side. Of course Betances faced Domonic Brown, Ben Francisco, and Wilson Valdez, so it wasn't like he struck out the meat of the Phillies order, but the Yankees are a great team and are looking at Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon as possible options. If this kid can continue like this he could be worth a look.
Shin-Soo Choo missed the Indians opener with a sore elbow, the same elbow that he had Tommy John surgery on four years ago. This does not appear to be serious and he had a precautionary MRI that came back clean. Choo played a full schedule for the Indians last season and then played in international competition following that so he didn't have a long offseason.
There is speculation that he could have hyper-extended the elbow, but right now there doesn't seem to be too much cause for alarm. Choo is going to be doing some long tossing this weeks and hopes to play by the end of the week. Perhaps you can knock him down a notch or two in the rankings, but nothing substantial at this time.
Josh Johnson's season ended early with back and shoulder injuries, but he is back on the mound (in simulated games) for the Marlins and feeling fine. He didn't throw his best stuff, but the good news is he reported no discomfort afterwards and took another step towards recovery. Johnson is one of my favorite pitchers coming into this season, and this news just makes me happier and validates him as a top ten starting pitcher for 2011.
Jeremy Hellickson threw another bullpen session and felt fine as he is returning from a hamstring injury. He threw 32 pitches and reported no issues afterwards. Hellickson likely won't pitch in a game for at least a week, but it is good news to see him making progress as he is one of the more popular pitchers this draft year. I do think that he is being drafted a bit too high after his amazing start to his career in 2010, but he's got great stuff and should be a fine pitcher.
Craig Kimbrel didn't get off to a great start as he attempts to earn the closer's job in Atlanta as he gave up two runs in just a third of an inning. His main competition, Johnny Venters, looked great as he gave up just one hit and struck out one in his inning of work. I still like Kimbrel to close and am not putting too much stock into this first outing, but I don't like to see it. I still see Kimbrel as a top 15 closer, and Venters is a middle reliever who will still have value in fantasy leagues, even if he just pitches the eighth inning.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are trying an experiment here in Spring Training by having Jose Tabata leading off and Andrew McCutchen batting third. This could be great for both player's values. From the leadoff position Tabata could have a chance to steal 40 bases along with a good average and the chance at 10 home runs. He is a nice fourth outfielder on your team and this note only solidifies him as someone you should be targeting in your drafts.
For Andrew McCutchen, the sky is the limit, and he could display more power and drive in more runs if hitting from the three hole. There is nothing this kid can't do in my opinion and he could have a 20/40 season if this is where he is hitting. I consider McCutchen a number one outfielder in fantasy for 2011.
No sooner do we mention Mark Trumbo on The Fantasy Alarm Show than he hits a homer in a Spring Training game. With Kendry Morales due to miss the first month of the season potentially, that could give Trumbo enough time to earn a spot on this roster. Like we said on the podcast, this kid has monster power and could hit 30 homers if given a chance. The only issue is that he likely goes back to the minors when Morales is ready, but keep his name on your radar.
From a Yankees prospect to a Mets' prospect, Jenrry Mejia looked great in his first start this Spring as he gave up just an unearned run in two innings and struck out three. Mejia pitched well at times for the Mets out of the bullpen in 2010, but he also dealt with a ton of inconsistency. He has an electric arm and great stuff, now we will see if he can harness it and turn himself into a pitcher. Mejia is not someone you should be drafting now, but could earn a spot on a less than stellar Mets' rotation.
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