Sell Alfonso

Since April 21, Soriano has lit up pitchers in the NL. Finally, owners who invested in him, not sure why, should find a way to sell him and grab someone who will last the entire year. I don't see Soriano being a long term keeper in fantasy anymore. He's getting older and to simply put it, he's in decline.

With this brand name appeal and his huge numbers (as of late), there will always be one guy in your league that will pounce at the opportunity to deal for him.

Hot Hand

Barry Zito - 3-0, 1.32ERA, 0.84WHIP, and a 19:8 K:BB rate. Not a bad pitcher to pick up for a few starts and ride his hot hand. Once he starts to fall apart, drop him and find another hot pitcher or try and deal him.

Bullish on ERA

Chien Ming Wang - Owners, it is still early in the season and you shouldn't panic with Wang. Just because he's throwing batting practice during games doesn't mean he isn't worth something to fantasy owners. At this point, keep him on your bench. Have him pitch a few more times and see where he's at. You likely grabbed him relatively cheap on draft day so see where he is in two starts. Remember he is being skipped when they face the Red Sox.

Lyle Overbay - Jays seem to be hitting and Overbay is a guy usually overlooked in fantasy. Currently on a 4 game hitting streak which includes 2HRs and 7RBIs. Usually a pretty streaky hitter. Also, a great candidate to fill your roster on the "off days", which are Monday and Thursday.

Melky Cabrera - He was a starter but with his terrible play he was relegated to the bench this season. With injuries to the Yanks OF, Melky will see more at-bats. So far, he's producing when he has had the chance. Keep an eye out for him because with some motivation he could be a great find on the waiver wire as your 4th/5th OF'er.

Brian Barden - Guy is suppose to be a bench player and a candidate to be sent down to the minors but I guess he wants to be starter. With 3HRs so far, he's fighting to keep a spot on the Cardinals. Minor League history shows nothing special but with some motivation some players seem to excel.

Burnett worth it?

AJ Burnett - This guy sure does know how to pitch, just as long as he's healthy and not on the DL. The guys who took a chance on AJ are cashing in big time so far in his two starts. I still don't see him lasting the whole season. His record shows that he's vulnerable to injury. I would ride his hot hand and see where it leads but if he does string together 5-8 quality starts, I wouldn't blame you if you decided to cash in for some guys that can help you in other roto stats.

Scott Downs - If you need a guy who can give you help in all your pitching stats, look no further than Downs.

Chris Carpenter - I love this guy but only problem is he seems to enjoy spending time on the DL. He has a strained ribcage and will most likely head to the DL. Owners, do not panic just yet. Make sure you wait until more info is released. This guy still has it, proven by his amazing performance in his first outing. Just too good to drop.

Andruw Jones - With all the money in the world for doing nothing but stinking it up on the field, it seems Jones has found his stroke. Ok, I shouldn't go that far since he's only appeared in two games. But in those two games he's posted a 5-8, 1HR, 4RBIs, and a 1-to-1 BB to K ratio. If you have room why not pick him up and stash him for a bit. The Rangers lineup is a place where someone could easily get some sweet pitches to hit.

Travis Hafner - Guy seems to have found a comfort zone. 3HRs and 6RBIs so far. Owners who took a chance are smiling. Only problem is he is UTIL only. Not a fan, unless he is hitting 30-100 for the year.

Starters=Volatility

Cliff Lee - Again, this is why you should never waste a high draft pick on any pitcher, except Johan Santana. They are too volatile. They have too man ups and downs when it comes to performance and injury risk. Lee was lit up for 4ERs over 5IPed. If you were an owner who drafted Lee high because of his great CY Young year of 2008, I feel sorry for you.

Roy Halladay - On a positive note, Halladay came back from a rough first outing to get a win against the Indians. Owners who have Halladay should not worry and expect him to be another Cy Young contender this year. With Wells, Rios, Snider, and Lind swinging the bats, you might see Roy with a few more wins. Very scary!!!

BJ Ryan - Sticking with the Jays, the bullpen more specifically the closers role needs to be looked at. Ryan was torched for 3ERs over 0.1IPed. If you are a BJ owner, make sure to back him up with Scott Downs.

Hank Blalock - Two years of injuries seems to have given Hank some time to get back to raking. If Hank stays healthy he could be a sleeper in Texas this year. This guy has posted some great fantasy numbers in the past and if he continues stay healthy and hits behind Hamilton owners could see a 25/90 year from this once upon time fantasy staple.

Rocco Baldelli - For AL-Only, this guy should be on your roster. Seems to be healthy and swinging the bat and connecting.

Notes

Emilio Bonifacio - Adds to his to steals total. Now has 4 steals for the young year. Steals is a category in fantasy and this guy is someone you should throw into you OF or UTIL spot. Ride the hot hand and see what it can give you.

Closers - I preach grabbing a solid closer or two in the draft early so you can make sure you don't have to worry about saves throughout the year. Here is my proof. What did the elite guys do when during the first couple of days. Check out Nathan, F-Rod, Papelbon, Lidge, and Broxton do? Exactly, if you didn't grab an elite closer or two, it'll come back and haunt you through hours of looking up saves and monitoring closers.

Jeter - Looks fine in the lead off position so far. Hope it continues. He even gave you a stolen base and a home run. Not too shabby.

Koji Uehara - Threw 5 innings against the Yanks and only allowed 1ER. Very solid start to his MLB career. This is a decent option for a 4th starter in mixed leagues. I'm not too high on him though. If he has a few good quality starts, try and find a Japanese loving fantasy owner and deal him off.

Brandon Lyon - If you have him as a closer well that sucks. Make sure to have Zumaya on your DL because he is going to return and be the closer. Lyon is terrible. Simple as that.

Panic

Please do not panic if you had a 0-40 day with your hitters and a miserable day on the mound like Sabathia and Verlander. It's day one!!!

Opening Day

Okay, officially it was on Sunday but I don't consider that opening day since there was only one game played.

The fantasy season is officially here and for most of us this day couldn't come sooner. Here are a few things I noticed on the first day. Oh yeah, hope all your drafts went smoothly.

CC Sabathia - Don't worry, do you remember his start to last season? Enough said.

Mets Bullpen - If you want to grab some Holds look no further than the Mets revamped bullpen. I believe these boys will give all the starters in the rotation a boost in wins. See if you can grab a few guys from their bullpen and also maybe one of their starters.

Aaron Harang - He ended up with a loss but overall I am very impressed with his stuff. Owners who drafted him late will get a nice return at years end. For guys who want to trade for him, why not. The guy who drafted him might just look at the loss and figure he's on the road for another terrible year.

Emilio Bonifacio - Guy had 3SB's. This might be a guy who turns into a Dave Roberts or Podsednik. If you have room, grab him and stash him on your bench to see if he can continue his stealing ways. Had 6SBs in 157 at-bats last year. Keeps it up for the entire year and that could turn into 30+ steals. Value!!!!

Cliff Lee - That is why I don't draft starters early. Had a great year last year and it seems he'll be back to his days as a normal starter in the bigs.

Justin Verlander - What is wrong with this guy. If I had him on my team I would sit him on the bench for a few starts until he straightens things out. Not droppable...not yet!!

Closers - Make sure to pay attention to the closer situations throughout the league. These are the guys that can make a difference in the standings.

Mike Jacobs

Dude can hit. Spring training is treating him and the Marlins well. Mike Jacobs has 5HRs and 12RBIs so far and he's still under 30 years old. He's over the golden 27 but he still has the potential for a big season for owners. If you are in need of power than he might be it. You will have to suffer from a low average, .260's, and 100+Ks. What you will get is 25HRs/90-100RBIs. This guy is worth the draft pick, not early though.

Thoughts

Joba Chamberlain - Spring training started off slowly for him but he seems to have found his groove. I am still not sold on him and would not take him in a draft until the mid-teens. Since the Yanks want to take it easy on this pitcher, don't expect him to throw more than 140-160 innings this year. Then comes the injury factor. Just not a pitcher I would waste a pick on early.

Manny - Well, he signed his contract and now he's going to be sitting and resting his sore hamstring. In most leagues, this slugger is going in the 4-5th rounds. Remember, he has an option to opt out of the contract at the end of the season so for fantasy owners this is great news...another contract year. More massive numbers on the horizon?

Robinson Cano - He has a sore shoulder but seems to be doing fine now. This 2B is going in drafts more for his name and his team than his true value. Keep an eye on his health. He has the potential for 15-20HRs while batting .320.

Cole Hamels - Dude is sore. I would watch this situation very carefully because the injury is with his elbow. Not something you want with a pitcher. Again, proves the point of drafting pitchers early, just don't do it!

Pudge - He's back in the bigs. He signed with the Astros and will be a decent catcher for the year. As long as he is healthy he should give you decent production from your catcher spot.

Mike Aviles - This guy is all about average. If he isn't hitting .320 he isn't giving you much. His WBC action, .200avg, just doesn't cut it for me. You heard it from me first, he's going to be a flop this year.