Player Projections Blog - March 22nd

Rays Manager Joe Maddon was very definitive yesterday when he said that Rocco Baldelli (hammy) "is going to be"in Tampa's Opening Day lineup on April 2nd. Rocco left Tuesday game with what Maddon is terming a "mild"hamstring strain and understandably the Rays have been cautious with him. There's plenty of time, so for now consider him as a go for Week #1, unless or until we hear otherwise.

Maddon also intimated on Wednesday that B.J. Upton seems to be less of a butcher ... er ... "is more comfortable"at second base. That's good news from a fantasy standpoint, unless of course we are talking Rays pitchers ....

Jim Edmonds is extremely upbeat about his recovery from offseason toe and shoulder surgeries. He himself stated his physical condition at "fantastic". Edmonds could see his first action with live ammunition this weekend, possibly starting in the minor league complex. Right now the medical staff says that it's quite possible that he plays Opening D and LaRussa (between mug shots) isn't setting a deadline for making that decision. Jim has been a gym rat this spring and should be in great shape to start the year. The question is whether his recent problems have more to do with declining skills than injury issues and conditioning. The good news is that Edmonds has worked hard to eliminate the injury and conditioning issues, so we'll see.

The sands keep shifting in the desert where the nursery that is the Arizona Diamondbacks continues to provide us with almost daily changes of heart. This morning we see that Bob Melvin is once again considering batting Stephen Drew leadoff. I don't know if this has more to do with Drew or Chris Young but I believe this could have a long term positive impact for Drew because while he's there as he'll have to take a more mental approach to his ABs (just 14 walks last year in 209 ABs). Last year he posted a .133 AVG and .133 OBP in 15 ABs but that way to small a sample and it is way too early in his career to read anything into it. Keep in mind however that Arizona's lineup will be fluid throughout the season and Melvin will be writing it out in pencil a lot more often than the average MLB managing bear.

Meanwhile Carlos Quentin's Opening Day fate is probably almost a week away from being determined. He has a small tear in the labrum of his non-throwing shoulder. He's going to shut it down for a couple of more days and them they will run him through a strengthening program. From there it's just a matter of having him back in rhythm prior to the opener, a matter of whether he can see enough pitches. The fact that he was hitting .357 this spring while slugging .821 definitely works in his favor, but we'll keep you posted.

The target date for Jered Weaver's 2007 debut has just been pushed to mid-April. He will start the year on the DL (biceps) and right now the plan is that he will miss two turns. This injury has been elusive however and the Angels will be overly cautious, so don't be shocked if that return date moves again before all is said and done.

Add the Rockies to the list of teams testing the availability of National's closer Chad Cordero. Jim Bowdens' price is high however at this point with Cordero under contract through next year. And either the Rockies or perhaps Cordero's more ardent suitors, the Red Sox would have to get considerably more desperate that they are now to pony up multiple high-end prospects.

The Mets brass is reportedly engaging in internal debate as to whether Lasting Milledge's time has come. They are considering giving Milledge the RF job now and plunking Shawn Green and his $12.75M on the bench. There, as they say, is the rub. Milledge has been hot this spring and while he's a better defensive option than Green, that's not saying much. Most GMs will always use the available option when in doubt, but there seems to be the sent of desperation in the air in Queens, notably demonstrated by their debate over whether to rush Mike Pelfrey by half a year or so. Omar just seems anxious to get to the next chapter and he seems willing to drag his kids along, ready or not.

To the surprise of no one, manager Buddy Bell officially said that Alex Gordon will open the season with the Royals. Ya think? He will open the season as the Royals third baseman. Alex is quite possibly the best offensive prospect since Albert Pujols and he's a must-have in keeper leagues.

Alexis Rios was 3- for -3 on Wednesday upping his average to .343. Fun to see after the way he ended last season ... after seeing the way he opened last season ...

Andruw Jones (shoulder) returned from a three-day hiatus yesterday with a homerun.

The White Sox are not comfortable with Bobby Jenks' disappointing spring and they are now publicly questioning his readiness for the season. There are velocity problems in addition to control problems. It's hard not to speculate about the health of his arm at this point ... Meanwhile the Other Sox continue to sort through their closer issues. Internally they still believe that Joel Piniero is the eventual answer (enough so that it appears they have tabled the Chad Cordero discussions for now), but it's looking more and more like Julian Tavarez will be the stop gap when the curtain is drawn. The Sox have schedule a coronation for next week.

Freddie Garcia left yesterday's game with tightness in his right biceps. Had he pitched better this spring I might be more inclined to take this at face value. However I am forced to advise Garcia owners to monitor this situation closely and brace for bad news.

Brad Penny was scratched from his start yesterday with shoulder soreness. You always pay attention when any sentence with Brad Penny contains the word "shoulder"and he's been less than impressive to this point (12.86 this spring, 17 hits 6 walks in 7 IP ... a 3.28 WHIP!) so yes this is cause for concern. On the positive side, an MRI failed to reveal any structural concerns and Brad said if it were the regular season he'd have pitched. And the Dodgers have already scheduled him to through a side session Friday and start Monday if all goes as planned.