Hot Players

Here are a few players that caught my eye in the past 7 or so days. Remember, these guys are hot right now but don't expect most of them to continue to torch pitchers/hitters for the rest of the season. But at the same time, make sure to take note of these players just in case they do have a career year which will help you win a fantasy championship.

R. Cedeno - SS - Cubs - .429AVG, 6R, 1HR, 10RBI's
C. Blake - 1B/3B/OF - Indians - .421AVG, 4R, 2HR, 10RBI's
F. Lewis - OF - Giants - .333AVG, 6R, 1HR, 5RBI, 2SB

J. Lannan - SP - Nationals - 13IP, 1W, 15K's, 0.69ERA, 0.85WHIP
C. Silva - SP - Mariners - 13IP, 1W, 5K, 2.08ERA, 1.08WHIP

Beltre

With the fat contract signed and after a few seasons of not living up to expectations, Adrian Beltre of the Mariners is slowly putting together a nice 2008 season. So far Beltre has 3HR's and 2SB's. This is a great sign for Beltre owners who drafted him in the 12-16 rounds. Beltre is even hitting in the 4th spot and with Ichiro ahead of him, it should give him plenty of RBI chances.

Owners, watch out and keep track of Beltre because of his injured hand. So far, everything looks fine but with a 162 game schedule minor injuries might slowly become bigger problems. Beltre is a great addition to spice up and add extra value in a deal to grab a premium hitter or pitcher in the near future. Watch his value shoot high and try to sell at the peak.

DL Time

E. Bedard of the Mariners is officially on the 15Day-DL, retroactive to April 9th. So far Bedard has been reported as saying he's not even sure when he'll be back on the mound. This is a big blow for owners who drafted him early in drafts but with a player of this calibre, you have no choice but to keep him on your bench or hopefully in a DL spot, if it is free. Again, this proves the point on why you should never draft pitching early in a draft. Pitchers will always come up during the season.

J. Borowski of the Indians is on the 15Day-DL with a strained tricep. Borowski was suffering from low velocity on his pitches and here is the reason why. Owners who read my previous post should have picked up Kobayashi and now I will also include the name of R. Betancourt for the job. Both are candidates for the closer position. I believe Kobayashi will get the nod because he is pitching well and has proven, in Japan, he can close out games an grab a save.

quick look @ pitchers

Lincecum of the Giants had his first real start and was strong like usual but was left with a no decision (like usual). 6IP, 7H, 1ER, 1BB, and 7K's (nice).

Harden of the A's was bumped from his start and is scheduled to pitch on Saturday. This is terrible news for Harden owners. This guy dominates the Red Sox in his first two outings and now is left with wondering if he'll be on the DL. Injury doesn't sound bad but any injury with Harden is not good. Keep an eye on this guy. He has a sore upper back.

Phil Hughes had a rough outing. 3IP, 6H, 3ER, 4BB, 2K. For the Yanks to do anything this year, they need him to step up and pitch better than this. Owners should keep him and monitor his starts closely. I would pitch him against favourable match-ups for the time being.

Daisuke had another dominating outing. The only thing I want to say is his 4BB. He needs to lower his BB but I'm only being picky right now. Owners should be happy with his stuff.

Bedard of the Mariners pitched in his return from a sore hip (something he woke up with...sounds like an 80 year old). Only thing to note is 2HR's allowed. He's giving up the long ball and that's not a good sign.

Closers

Brad Lidge owners should be happy because he's back!! Lidge of the Phillies recorded his first save of the season but didn't do it without having some intense moments. Lidge walked 2 and let up a run, unearned though. Lidge had some nice numbers last year in the second half of the season. His job is safe as the Phillies closer unless he unravels.

G Sherrill of the Orioles recorded 4 saves for his entire tenure with the Mariners, 128.1IP but just recorded his 4th save on Monday. So far Sherrill is doing just fine in the closer role. People who drafted him late should be laughing at others because you just found a nice bargain. Owners shouldn't be count on Sherrill to do this for the entire season since he doesn't have the history of closing games.

F. Rodriguez of the Angels is suffering from a sore right ankle, the one he uses to push off when pitching. The word coming from the Angels is the injury isn't hampering his performance but it doesn't seem like it. Looking at his numbers and owners should be worried. The latest from Angels website is F-Rod will most likely go on the DL. Look to Scot Shields to take save opportunities, this is a must pickup for all owners of F-Rod.

Notable Pitchers

Broxton of the Dodgers is still bringing the heat. He will give you a nice boost in K's, WHIP, ERA, and the occasional win and on the rare occasion a save. Too bad Saito is still pitching extremely well. But never keep Broxton far from your roster. Saito is old and well, closers can change in a week.

Trevor Hoffman of the Padres had 1ER in his last appearance which gave him his 2 loss of the season. Like I said, owners shouldn't worry just yet but this is not a good sign.

Lyon of the Diamondbacks blew a save but ended up with the W. If he continues to blow saves in the next two weeks, start looking Pena, he should take the saves if Lyon is incapable of holding a 9th inning lead.

Fuentes of the Rockies held the closers role last year until he lost it due to poor performance. But this year he's tearing things up with a stat line of 3IP, 2K, 0ERA, and a 1.33WHIP. I would grab Fuentes and stash him away since Corpas just blew a save.

Wang of the Yankees just had a second great outing of the year with a stat line of 6IP, 4H, 0ER, and an amazing/uncharacteristically striking out 6 batters!! Through his major league career Wang hasn't been high in the K department so don't expect this to continue. But this is a great pitcher for wins since he pitches for the stacked lineup of the Yankees.

Ben Sheets of the Brewers had an incredible outing with a 5 hit complete game shutout with 8K's. Sheets is a must own for all fantasy owners but just like Harden of the A's he's prone to injury. Owners, just hope this is the season where he stays healthy.

Erik Bedard of the Mariners is expected to pitch on Tuesday after skipping his start over the weekend with a sore hip.

Putz

Blown save by Mariners closer JJ Putz. Nothing to jump over at the moment but as always with closers, keep an eye out on this situation.

Eric Bedard

As an Eric Bedard owner myself, I am a little uneasy about his stats in the spring (8.63ERA), ouch! So, is it time to panic? Of course not, he hasn't even set foot onto the mound for the Mariners season opener. Arguably one of the top 3 pitchers in baseball, owners should have some worry with his spring numbers. His upside is tremendous with potential to strikeout over 210 batters and boost that with 14+ wins. Keep in mind that Bedard has increased his innings pitched every year of his career except for a stint on the DL that cost him, most likely, being the leader in K's for the 2007 season.

Currently, there is no news of any injury or mechanical issues with Bedard so lets just chalk it up to being rusty in spring training.