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.

Randoms

Carl Pavano had a healthy 2 innings for the Indians and found a way not to land himself on the DL. This guy has the stuff still and if he ends up pitching 25-30 games this year you might have a gem on your hands. If you have a late round pick and you are kind of filled with most of your positions why not throw him a bone and see if he can do something with it. If he stinks it up out of the gate, just cut him loose. In my eyes, he's a half sleeper, not a full blown one but he's inching towards one as spring training continues.

Johan Santana has an ailing elbow. As I have always said, do not draft pitchers in early. They are too vulnerable. Make sure to keep an eye out for his health especially if your draft is fastly approaching.

Adrian Beltre will not be allowed to participate in the WBC for his home country of the Dominican Republic. Apparently, the Mariners have denied his chance because they say he is not 100% healthy. This is the walk year for Beltre, who never really lived up to this 5 year $64million contract he signed after his huge 2004 season. I am a firm believer in the walk year affect so I am planning on taking Beltre in the early double digit rounds. Even though he doesn't give the Gotti like numbers of 2004.

Chris Carpenter had a nice outing. With 19 pitches he made 6 outs. If he stays healthy throughout spring training this is a guy I am going to draft as my 4th pitcher in the late teens. He will most likely fall into the late rounds of most drafts because of injuries in the past few years. If he stays healthy he could easily be a complete STEAL!

Francisco Liriano is healthy and throwing the smoke he usually does. If he falls to the early teen rounds grab him but I wouldn't set him into my lineup as pick from the 5-10 rounds. Just not worth it.

News Worthy

Milton Bradley has signed with the Cubs. I was hoping to see Bradley land on an AL team where he could be a DH but instead he landed in the NL. Milton will be sharing time in the OF with Fukudome and Reed Johnson. As long as Bradley can stay healthy he can produce. Not a bad guy on draft day to gamble on for your 3rd OF.

Pat Burrell is now part of the Rays organization. He doesn't come with a high AVG (in the .250's over the past 3 years) but he does come with power. Burrell seems to be a lock for 25+HRs and 95RBIs. He will serve as the DH and will stand along side Upton, Crawford, Longoria, and Pena in a very potent rays lineup. He will be eligible for an OF spot so having him as your 2/3 OF will help your cause. Look for him to continue his 30/100 numbers.

Willy Taveras is part of the Reds. This guy is only on fantasy radars because of his ability to steal. These are the types of guys I hate drafting because they are only going to help you in steals and if they have a sore leg or hamstring they won't steal, losing all value. Willy should be a late fantasy pick. Do not pick him just because he had 68 steals last year. If you look at his career totals, he usually steals around 30 a year. Don't expect him to swipe another 68 bags this year.

Chris Carpenter of the Cardinals might be a closer. After a few surgeries he is still trying to recover and find a way to pitch in the bigs. As long as he is on the mound and healthy he can dominate. Keep an eye out for him because with his stuff he could be a very dominating closer just like these two starter to closer converts, Wood and Smoltz.

Around the Majors

Troy Percival of the Rays is back on the DL for the third time this season. The closer is suffering from an injury to his right knee. The Rays will have a closer by committee. This is the worst case scenario for any owners who are in a battle for saves. If you have a chance go out and grab these guys Wheeler, Balfour, Howell, and even Miller. The most likely candidate will be Wheeler, who owns 4 saves this year, and is the only one who has major league experience in the closer position prior to this season.

Chris Carpenter of the Cardinals is back on the DL and for owners who thought he might give you a boost for stretch run just got hit hard. This former CY Young winner in 2005 now finds himself trying to recover from a shoulder strain. All owners should drop him ASAP and find another player. If he he outs the minimum 15 days, which I doubt he will, he will only give you 2/3 starts maximum. Plus, with his history of injury the Cards will most likely shut him down for the rest of the season.

Melky Cabrera of the Yankees is now finding a life outside the historic gates of Yankee Stadium and now catching fly balls in the minors. He was demoted after a terrible slump which has lasted since May. After a hot start in which he hit 7HRs he is not just hitting .240AVG. He should not be on any teams except AL-Only leagues but after his demotion he should be on the wire in all leagues.

Tom Glavine of the Braves is back on the DL. Owners, just drop him.

Billy Wagner of the Mets is scheduled to return to the bullpen on Monday when he is allowed to be activated. This is not soon enough for a bullpen that has been shelled in his absence.

Liriano

Francisco Liriano is back in the majors for the Twins and he is expected to be here for the rest of his career. Owners who have him should be overjoyed with his call-up since he was absolutely tearing things up down in minors. For the ones who don't have him go out and see if he is on the waiver wire because this is a guy you need to grab. Look for Liriano to have around 10 or so starts for the rest of the season and don't be shocked if you see him dominate for the entire time.

This is the type of pitcher that can make a difference in your pitching categories. Plus, if you were the one that added Chris Carpenter as a free agent as well you could see two top tier pitchers dominate for the final two months of the season.

Between the two they are capable of putting up HUGE numbers for example 10-13Ws, 120-140K's, low 3 ERA, and combine that with a WHIP around 1.1...nice end to the season eh?

Watch the Radar

Here are a few guys you need to keep an eye out and make sure they don't leave your radar.

Andruw Jones of the Braves. He is expected to return after the All-Star break if all goes well. Currently, he is in the minors for a rehab stint. Most owners cut him loose and he should be sitting on the FA list. If you have a spot on your bench or a DL spot go out and grab him and stash him away. If he can live up to his old power and the $18million contract, he could be a steal for the second half.

Chris Carpenter of the Cardinals is recovering from right elbow surgery and should have returned by the All-Star break but has recently hit a snag in his recovery. It seem like the Cardinals are going to take things extremely slow and hope he can come back for the stretch run. If the Cardinals are in a play-off race you will Carpenter back but if they are completely out Carpenter will be a sleeper for the 2009 fantasy season.

Fuentes and Street of the Rockies and A's respectively are both rumoured to be on the trading block. This is terrible news for owners because if they are traded they will most likely turn into set-up men and would destroy all fantasy value. If you have either player I would try to and see if anyone wants to take their services off your hands. Try to sell these guys to another team that is on the bottom of the saves category, don't sell to the competition. Make sure to keep an eye out on this situation.

Moises Alou of the Mets is suppose to return to the lineup in the next week or two but the Mets are going to take extreme caution with this player...he is old and brittle. If you have room on your team try and pick him up because when he is not injured he produces for fantasy owners. He is available in almost all leagues. Take a quick peak on the FA list and see if he is there, if so, take a chance on him.

Richie Sexson of the Mariners is not finding it pleasant due to the fact that rumours are swirling that he is going to be out very soon. So far this season he hasn't produced and many owners have cut ties with him a long time ago. If you look at his stats he is a .284 hitter after the All-Star break and .244 before so if you have a spot on your bench maybe this is the time to grab him and stash him there and see if he gets hot. If he can go on one of his tears he can easily hit 15-20HR's in the second half and still give you the decent AVG (.284) as well. If you are in desperate need of power this guy might be your solution.

Kenny Lofton is still sitting on the side and waiting for a contract to be handed to him. This guy, even at the ripe age of 41, still has something in him to help fantasy owners. Last season, at 40 years of age, he produced 23SB's and hit .296 in 490AB's. Looking at those numbers, I am curious on the reason why he hasn't been dealt a contract. As a veteran he can still produce on the field and hopefully could still help the younger guys out. I have that he is demanding too much money and when his price goes down teams will be there with the paper and pen. Owners, make sure to keep an eye out for Lofton because he can easily put up 10-15SB's in the second of the season while hitting .275.

Barry Bonds is sitting, just like Lofton, without a contract this season. After finishing his legal issues for this year (he has court dates set for 2009) Bonds is waiting for a club to offer him a contract. The problem is no one is willing to go out and sign this homerun king (I use the term loosely) because of what their fans might do. Honestly, I think it is a mistake in not signing him. Bonds is still able to produce as a DH (2007: .276, 28HRs, 66RBIs, 132BBs, 5SBs, and only 54Ks in 340AB's) and would bring a team a left handed bat. If he is signed, ALL fantasy owners should pick him up ASAP.

Rocco Baldelli of the Rays is still trying to make his way back to the Majors after being sidelined with a mitocondrial disorder that cause fatigue in his legs. This guy, if healthy, has the potential to produce 20HRs and 20SB's but the problem is inability to stay healthy. Just keep him in the back of your mind just in case he finds a way to get healthy and stay healthy.

nice starts

W. Rodriguez of the Astros had a great start going 7.1IP, 3H, 0ER, and 6K's. Owners should have this pitcher as their 4-5 starter. Use Rodriguez as a hot streak pitcher. In my mind, this pitcher is only good as I said, a 4-5 starter, or use him in favourable match ups.

T. Wellemeyer of the Cardinals pitched this stat line 7IP, 5H, 2ER, 1BB, 7K. People in leagues should use him only in favourable match ups or as I said for Rodriguez, use him for his hot streak. He's allowed 3ER in 12IP so far this season. Too bad for the Cards not having Carpenter on the DL.