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.

Joba

Job is on the DL and if you are in a keeper league and the owner who has Joba is in contention and needs help, go out and try to make a deal for Joba. This is a great chance for owners who are in keeper leagues who are out of contention to try and acquire Joba in a trade.

Get it done!

Joba/Pedro

Last night we had two pitcher making important scheduled starts, one Joba Chamberlain of the Yankees and two Pedro Martinez of the Mets. Joba making his major league debut as a starter and Pedro coming back from the DL.

Joba didn't fair so well during his start only lasting 2.1 innings while walking 4 and striking out 3. Joba was pulled after pitching 62 pitches because he was on a pitch limit. Owners who have Job shouldn't be too impressed with the results but I wouldn't worry about it right now since he has the raw talent which comes with a devastating 100MPH fastball which topped out at 101MPH last night on the stadium radar. For the immediate future, don't worry about Joba.

Pedro had a great return to the mound pitching 6 innings striking out 3 and allowing 3ER's for the victory. If Pedro is still on the wire, go out and grab him. His ability to strike people out may be gone but his smartness on the mound will help him overcome the loss of velocity. As long as he can stay healthy Pedro is worth a spot on all rosters.

Joba

Joba Chamberlain of the Yankees will make his debut as a starter on Tuesday against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees have placed a 65-70 pitch limit on his young hard throwing arm. For owners who drafted Chamberlain and kept him you will have a chance to see if Joba can add to your stat categories especially the K column.

With the Yankees absolutely crying for help and staring up at division leaders, the Rays and Red Sox, this change was almost written on the wall. In my opinion, I prefer Chamberlain coming out of the bullpen and throwing 2 innings a game and striking out 2-4 batters. I am not completely sold on his ability to start games just yet. Just have to wait and see.

Joba

Chamberlain of the Yankees is slowly stretching out his innings and will see more opportunities in games. The plan is to work his way up to starting territory with respect to innings and the whole workload. With the Yankees need for starting pitching this was something that needed to be done. I am a little skeptical about this transition during the regular season. Not sure if this will do any damage to his young arm. Hopefully the Yankees will be super careful and give him plenty of time to extend his workload.

Owners who have him on their teams this is a great sign. With Chamberlain being extended with innings you will see a nice boost in almost all your categories, obviously not the SV or W columns but you will see the occasional vulture win. For owners who need help with K's, ERA, and WHIP see if you can grab this guy off the wire, he'll most likely not be there but you never know.