Angel Berroa

ESPN 2009 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Examining Shortstops.

And now onto the ESPN shortstop rankings, which seem pretty solid at least at first glance.  There’s a few guys I’m not fans of, but they’re ranked in these spots by just about every expert.  They’ll probably perform at this level, and I’ll probably be wrong.  Regardless of such reality, I’ll rank ‘em where I think they’ll perform:

Rank	OVR	Name	Team	Position(s)	MIX$	AL/NL$	UP/DWN
1	1	Hanley Ramirez	FLA	SS	38	40
There’s always an argument for not taking someone first, but this year Hanley seems like a sure-fire bet for number 1 in all leagues.
2	4	Jose Reyes	NYM	SS	35	35
Hopefully the power will come, all the signs were there and then he fell flat on his face. If he adds the power so many scouts said he had him in, he’ll rival hanley.
3	9	Jimmy Rollins	PHI	SS	31	34
Rollins had a nasty year last year, and the only thing that saved him were those stolen bases. I’d expect somewhat of an improvement across the board, which’ll be offset by a dip in speed numbers
4	65	Derek Jeter	NYY	SS	12	24	DOWN
I’m not a Jeter fan, but he does put up numbers across the board. He’ll undoubtedly go too high in your league, but batting early in that New York line-up will help his R and probably his RBI totals too. The loss of A-Rod hurt him though.
5	70	Rafael Furcal	LAD	SS	10	24
Furcal’s just gotta stay healthy and he’d easily come in at 3rd overall on this list. He’s a perfect power/speed combo but has as many injury concerns as anyone in the league
6	78	Stephen Drew	ARI	SS	9	23	DOWN
I’m on the fence with Drew. He’s young and there’s lots of room for improvement, but there’s also plenty of room for him to be a bust this year before going on to have a long prosperous career. Last year’s .291 average shouldn’t be expected again. Think more in the .275 range.
7	88	Troy Tulowitzki	COL	SS	8	20	UP
Tulo should rebound nicely after last years abysmal start. 8HR and .263 isn’t Tulowitzki. Think closer to 20HR with a .290 average. Could be a steal, but like Drew could also fall flat on his face
8	105	Michael Young	TEX	SS	7	20	DOWN
Young’s moved over to third to allow the speedster Andrus to get AB. While Young was never a defensively gifted SS, the move to a somewhat less demanding position defensively should help prolong his career. Texas’ line-up is always fun to watch, and expecting the same as last year seems about right. Somewhere around .300 with about 15 HR seems reasonable.
9	130	J.J. Hardy	MIL	SS	5	16	DOWN
25HR, .275 BA, and about 80-85 Runs and RBIs seems reasonable. Hardy’s one of the better RBI producing Shortstops, if you skimped in the power-positions.
10	139	Jhonny Peralta	CLE	SS	5	17	UP
Another RBI man, Peralta has been up and down the last few years but he’s starting to level off into a consisent run-producing machine. Peralta doesn’t steal though, and this may pose a problem if you haven’t grabbed speed elsewhere. In the ballpark of 100 Runs and 85RBI with 20 HR is as good as it gets at the position though.
11	159	Mike Aviles	KC	2B/SS	4	15	DOWN
I’m not sure why I dislike Aviles so much, he hasn’t done anything wrong. His Minor League numbers show his .330 AVG wasn’t out of the blue but – Never Bet the Farm On BA, and that .359 BABIP is gaudy. When the end of the year rolls around you should be happy that Aviles hit .295 with 70 each of RBI and RBI, and maybe 10-15HR. He could go for 20 if all the stars align, I guess.
12	166	Miguel Tejada	HOU	SS	3	13
It looks like Tejada is going to get off with just probation for his little escapade. I wont get into how much bullshit that is, but Tejada does what he does and the Astros are a better team for it. The Days of 30HR are over, but there’s probably still a 10 percent shot of an insane year. In a perfect world, we’re insanely happy with 23-24 HR to go with 80 of R&RBI. Realistically, 20 HR and 75 of each seems right.
13	176	Ryan Theriot	CHC	SS	3	13	DOWN
Somethings things look too good to be true, and Theriot is one of them. The .307 Average is bound to drop, 22 SB is nothing to write home about and his Run numbers will free-fall if he cant get on base. There’s a lot of Theriot bashing going on over at Fangraphs, but that BABIP vs. Expected BA really stands out…330 vs 290. You think he’ll free-fall?
14	204	Jason Bartlett	TAM	SS	1	11	DOWN
How much is 20 SB worth to you? With Bartlett, you’re getting an extra 15 SB over the no-stealers above him, but you’re sacramenting everything else. .280, 60 Runs, 50 RBI with a .280ish average. Bartlett is however a possible break out player and realistically just needs to move himself up in the line-up to have great value. Unfortunately, with Upton, Crawford and Iwamura up there, the odds of movin’ on up are slim.
15	215	Orlando Cabrera	OAK	SS	1	10	UP
Cabrera’s a great fit in a very improved Oakland offense. Move him up more than a couple spots. He may be the biggest asshole money can buy, but 80 Runs and 70 RBI seem about right depending on where he hits. He’s always been at least an average base-stealer, and so long as he doesn’t start getting nabbed all the time – he’ll steal 15-20.
16	232	Elvis Andrus	TEX	SS	1	10
Speed Kills and it better, because at this point Andrus doesn’t have anything else. Even if he takes up the rear of the Rangers batting order, he’ll still score runs. 65Runs, and say 45-50RBI is about right… and then BAM, if he’s allowed to run he’ll steal 40-50.
17	255	Jed Lowrie	BOS	SS/3B	$-	10	DOWN
I’m not a fan of Average Lowrie. Everything about him screams average, to slightly above average. There’s a shot Lugo still takes his job. Whoever wins the job will put up good, solid, numbers in the Red Sox lineup.
18	263	Cristian Guzman	WAS	SS	$-	8
Guzman got on base at a ridiculous clip last year. If he bats lead-off again this year, and maintains his silly-stupid leadoff skills he’ll be a top 12 SS. Unfortunately nothing leads us to believe that Guzman can do what he did last year again. I like Guzman as a boom/bust type in that improved Nat’s lineup.
19	276	Yunel Escobar	ATL	SS	$-	7	UP
There’s nothing not to love about a guy who walks as much as he strikes out, while hitting .300. Escobar will put up a nice OBP if that’s your thing. He wont run much, but 10 HR and 70R/60RBI seems about right.
20	285	Khalil Greene	STL	SS	$-	6	UP
My favourite sleeper, or at least one of them. Over the past 3 or 4 years, I’ve grown to hate Khalil Greene and his infinite talent with all of my soul. I figure a change of scenery may actually help him, and while he’s killing spring training pitching I wouldn’t move him up too high. That BA will kill you even if he ups it to .260
21	291	Brandon Wood	LAA	SS/3B	$-	8
One day Wood is going to get a shot to prove his worth without feeling like he could be sent down after an 0/4 performance. I think if Wood ever gets a fair shot, he’ll eventually develop into what everyone thought he’d become. This year, I just cant see where he’ll play unless someone gets hurt. Someone always gets hurt though.
22	296	Clint Barmes	COL	2B/SS	$-	6
Do not like Barmes, at all.
23	300	Asdrubal Cabrera	CLE	2B/SS	$-	8	UP
Do Like Cabrera, a lot. A healthy clean-up hitter, a healthy Cleveland line-up = sneaky good numbers for Cabrera.
24	318	Erick Aybar	LAA	SS	$-	7
Well, someone’s gotta play short and I’d rather have Aybar over Izturis.
25	322	Edgar Renteria	SF	SS	$-	5	UP
Awful San Fran line-up but Edgar deserves to be a smidgen higher. He should bat early, and big ‘ol Bengie Molina will drive him in.
26	331	Yuniesky Betancourt	SEA	SS	$-	6
27	344	Jerry Hairston Jr.	CIN	SS/OF	$-	5	UP
I like Hairston a lot, he had a great year last year in limited action and it looks like that’ll be the case this year too. He’s quick, and’ll steal bases. Dickerson looks to have the LF job on lock-down, but he could falter. Hairston’s versatility makes him useful in almost any league.
28	348	Julio Lugo	BOS	SS	$-	5
Awful BA, could steal some, will score some. Watch the Lugo/Lowrie situation unfold, LIVE on mlb.com
29	370	Jeff Keppinger	CIN	SS	$-	4
…never bank on BA for value
30	377	Emmanuel Burriss	SF	2B/SS	$-	4
Speed is nice. Frandsen is not.
31	381	Cesar Izturis	BAL	SS	$-	5
An Age’d Freddy Bynum
32	393	Maicer Izturis	LAA	2B/SS	$-	4
Could steal some…
33	395	Alex Gonzalez	CIN	SS	$-	3
No thank you.
34	466	Aaron Miles	CHC	2B/SS	$-	2
35	472	Nick Punto	MIN	2B/SS	$-	2	UP
Punto should go higher, as he’ll get his AB.
36	476	Nomar Garciaparra	OAK	SS	$-	2
37	479	Brendan Harris	MIN	2B/SS/3B	$-	2
38	487	Brendan Ryan	STL	2B/SS	$-	1
39	517	Bobby Crosby	OAK	SS	$-	2
Thank God the Bobby Crosby Experiment is over. I hear he’s learning second base now!
40	522	Ben Zobrist	TAM	SS/OF	$-	2
41	524	Jack Wilson	PIT	SS	$-	1
42	527	Marco Scutaro	TOR	2B/SS/3B	$-	1
Hrm, move him up a smidgen.
43	528	David Eckstein	SD	SS	$-	1
44	534	Gordon Beckham	CHW	SS	$-	1
If he plays this year, Chicago is on crack. I wrote a piece on him the other day, and while I love him – rushing him is an awful idea.
45	551	Tony Pena Jr.	KC	SS	$-	1
46	565	Angel Berroa	NYY	SS	$-	$-	UP
This one’s interesting. Move him up.
47	685	Ronny Cedeno	SEA	2B/SS	$-	1
48	735	Brian Bixler	PIT	SS	$-	$-
49	738	Brent Lillibridge	CHW	SS	$-	$-
50	754	Alcides Escobar	MIL	SS	$-	$-	UP
Nice place to end the rankings, but if Escobar plays I’d expect him to be higher than this. If Bill Hall continues to Bill Hall the situation, I’d expect Escobar to make his way into the line-up rather than Gamel. I think Hardy can play 3B – actually, it may be a pipe dream. Disregard.

ESPN hasn’t missed much with these rankings but,

Adam Everett – Detroit Tigers: While Everett brings the suck, he’s probably got a starting job save Ramon Santiago stealing a couple AB here and there.  In that Tigers line-up, everyone should have value.  Carlos Guillen’s days at shortstop are well over.

There’s a couple here and there, but I’m pretty satisfied with these rankings.

Angel Berroa

ESPN 2009 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Examining Second Basemen.

ESPN seems to have some glaring holes in the second basemen rankings, so here’s your cup of tea for the day.

RANK	OVR	Name	Team	Position(s)	Mixed $	AL/NL $	UPDOWN
1	14	Dustin Pedroia	BOS	2B	28	27
There’s no arguing with Pedroia at 1, but I wouldn’t expect a repeat of 2008. Pedroia doesn’t strike the same fear you’d expect from an MVP. 14th overall seems right, but second base has a lot of value this year.
2	16	Chase Utley	PHI	2B	26	27
If Utley comes in healthy, and gets at least a little time under his belt prior to the season – he’s number one. Utley has about 3 weeks of the season to take off, before I’d drop him below Brandon Phillips and crew.
3	25	Ian Kinsler	TEX	2B	22	26
The little guy cannot stay healthy, at all. He’s a superb talent that can’t seem to play a whole season. Obviously, you’re going to have to rank Kinsler based on the depth of your league. If you can fill the 25 or so games that Kinsler will miss with a half-decent player, then Kinsler might just be the best fantasy option at second base. As a player, I like him more than Pedroia but less than Utley.
4	34	Brandon Phillips	CIN	2B	17	23
Phillips brings everything except batting average, which he should hike up to at least .270ish this year. Phillips is a given for 20/20 with the possibility of 25/25 or even 25/30! The Reds should be a blast to watch this year, and having Phillips on your team will at least keep things fun.
5	38	Brian Roberts	BAL	2B	16	24
At least the Orioles think that Roberts has something left in the tank, giving him a new multi-year deal. Roberts leaves a little bit to be desired in the power category but more than makes up for it with SB numbers. He went for 50 a couple years ago, and 40 last year. Like the Reds, the O’s are stacked with young talent and should be fun to watch. I figure Roberts will miss 40 SB by a couple.
6	62	Alexei Ramirez	CHW	2B	13	21
Ramirez is the most interesting of the bunch, as he seems to have all the potential in the world. He could easily finish the season as the top second baseman in the league. Not often do you get a player outside the top-50, that has the potential to jump up into the top-15. Here’s the problem with Ramirez: He Swings at Everything and gets caught stealing way too much. Ramirez’s numbers will drop once pitchers completely clue into Ramirez’s hacking ways, and whether or not Ramirez can adjust remains up in the air. Ramirez hit 20 HR and stole 13 bases in limited playing time last year. He was unfortunately caught stealing 9 times. Is 30HR and 25 SB a possibility for Ramirez? A Resounding Yes. Could he also fall flat on his face? Indeed.
7	91	Dan Uggla	FLA	2B	9	18	Down
Uggla posted a career high strike-out rate last year, striking out nearly one third of the time. Thankfully, he also improved upon his walk rate, negating much of the increase. Uggla’s BA is going to kill you, as he’s bound to come in somewhere between .250 and .260. You’re either going to have to punt batting average, or draft a low-HR-high-AVG player in a typical power position. If you can get 20HR and a good AVG out of a player like that, you’ll have two players with about 50 HR between them, to go with a .280 AVG. That’s not bad, and you’ll probably be getting your money’s worth.
8	109	Robinson Cano	NYY	2B	7	18	Up
Robbie started off terribly last year, and playing in the stacked Yankees line-up will definitely help his counting stats. Most of Cano’s value will come from his AVG, or how often he gets on base. Throw Cano’s .270 AVG of 2008 out the window, and remember he used to hit .340.
9	118	Howie Kendrick	LAA	2B	7	17
Kendrick will get hurt, but the kid can hit. He’s in a good line-up and he’s approaching the age when things start to click. Kendrick’s a good boom/bust but Anaheim is stacked in youngins that can play the MI positions.
10	126	Placido Polanco	DET	2B	6	17	Down
Polanco is boring, but Detroit will be improved. Polanco doesn’t do the sexy things, but he hits for average and scores runs. A safety pick that brings about 10 HR, 10SB, a Boatload of Runs and RBI and a .300+ average. People will draft the guys after Polanco before him, because their ceiling is higher – If you want a safe pick though, Polanco’s your man. Nice pick here for ESPN.
11	143	Jose Lopez	SEA	2B	5	16
Lopez has been raking all spring, and a repeat of last year’s numbers seems a very safe bet. Can Lopez step up and reach the 20 HR mark? I’m banking on yes. Lopez’s average will drop but the power numbers should go up. He is in a fairly terrible offense though, so whether or not he brings elite R & RBI is still in question.
12	159	Mike Aviles	KC	2B/SS	4	15	Down
I’m not an Aviles fan, and I think this is still too high. I love the Royals this year, but Aviles is a bit old to be a rookie in my book.
13	175	Mark DeRosa	CLE	2B/3B/OF	3	14
DeRosa started out as a fairly sexy pick, and has returned to where he probably should be valued. He had a career year last year, and while I wouldn’t expect a complete repeat – there’s still good value here.
14	185	Rickie Weeks	MIL	2B	2	13
It’s Rickie’s last shot, and I think he goes hog-wild on the basepaths. Alcides Escobar is breathing down the neck of whomever falters in the infield. Rickie Weeks and the next couple guys showcase the benefits of waiting on a second baseman and then grabbing a couple high-risk players and hoping one pans out.
15	187	Kelly Johnson	ATL	2B	2	13
Kelly Johnson does what he does and does it well. He’s not spectacular, nor does he play in an incredible line-up, but he still has value. The .5 BB:K ratio isn’t awful, but he could cut down on his 20+ percent K Rate. BABIP says expect a downturn in AVG. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him up the ante on last years 12HR. 15Ish? 17?
16	196	Felipe Lopez	ARI	2B	1	13	Up
My favourite sleeper this year. Lopez should be hitting near the top of that stacked Diamondback line-up. The deal with Lopez is he only plays when he wants to, so his stats tend to lie. Remember, it was only 2 years ago that Lopez stole 44 Bases.
17	222	Freddy Sanchez	PIT	2B	1	12	Down
The Pirates are improving but Sanchez’s value is based on his batting average. If you can predict BA, then you can go ahead and rank Sanchez wherever you please. If he hits .330 again, he’ll be a steal. The improvement in the Pirates give Sanchez a bit of lee-way, as he could well score 90-95 Runs.
18	223	Orlando Hudson	LAD	2B	1	12
Hudson and the Dodgers. I’d move him up. He’ll be in a great line-up and I’m starting to think he bats early in the line-up rather than late in it. With Kemp, Manny and Loney behind him he’s just gotta get on base. I’d take him over Sanchez any day.
19	253	Kazuo Matsui	HOU	2B	$-	12
Matsui is starting to get up there in age but he stole 20 bases in under 400 AB in 2008. Matsui’s nearly .300 average last year, made him a steal. He probably won’t repeat the average, but a slight increase in steals if he plays a full season is very realistic. The possibility of 30SB to go with a .280 AVG is pretty appealing at this point.
20	258	Mark Ellis	OAK	2B	$-	11
Ellis had a very solid year last year, and Oakland has went out and re-loaded this off-season. With the maturation of Travis Buck, Daric Barton and the addition of Matt Holliday, and Jason Giambi; Oakland should be a very solid offense. Expect Ellis to quietly put up solid numbers.
21	268	Akinori Iwamura	TAM	2B	$-	10
He’ll put up damn near 100 runs to go with a solid batting average. You get what you pay for.
22	294	Mike Fontenot	CHC	2B	$-	9
Fontenot should get the job, but Aaron Miles is right there. If either of these two can get to 550AB, they’re in a good enough offense to outperform their draft spot. Pick 300 seems about right for the higher-upside Fontenot.
23	295	Clint Barmes	COL	2B/SS	$-	8	Down
I’m not a Barmes fan, mainly because I love Ian Stewart so. You could do worse at this point, but this tier of second basemen is very deep.
24	299	Asdrubal Cabrera	CLE	2B/SS	$-	9	Up
I’m high on Cabrera, and Cleveland in general. I wouldn’t have any problem putting Cabrera in Aviles spot, but anyone from 15 to 5 Dollars has the possibility to preform.
25	323	Aaron Hill	TOR	2B	$-	8
Aaron Hill is a steal at this point if he plays all year. Post Concussion Syndrome is a bitch, though. The Jays have a solid, yet not spectacular, offense. Hill will probably outperform his peers.
26	334	Luis Castillo	NYM	2B	$-	7	Down
He has the second base job, but I wouldn’t touch him with a 10 foot pole. At this point, the speed has gone and while he may have a resurgence in a decent Mets line-up, I wouldn’t expect too much.
27	378	Emmanuel Burriss	SF	2B/SS	$-	6
Speed, Speed, Speed, Kelly Fransden. Burriss needs to find a spot to play to be valuable. He’s definitely worth a late round flyer based on speed alone. Same goes for Velez. The Giants are going to have to manufacture runs this year, which means speed on the basepaths.
28	394	Maicer Izturis	LAA	2B/SS	$-	6
I’m not sure how Maicer falls into this spot with the Kendrick Ranking. Maybe he’s a solid fill-in, maybe he only gets 300 AB.
29	413	Anderson Hernandez	WAS	2B	$-	5
Hernandez is someone I’d take over the previous few guys. He’s got the starting gig in a good Nats line-up and he’ll steal bases even if he gets caught. The power wont be there, but at this point what can you expect. Most of the Robots have him coming in at .250, but I’d expect more in the range of the high-.260s, low-.270s and there’s always the chance of him maturing faster than expected.
30	424	Chris Getz	CHW	2B	$-	6	Up
Getz has been compared to Pedroia, at least in stature. I’m not certain as to why Getz has fallen so far in these rankings, but he definitely deserves to be higher in a good-line up that hits in a solid park. I bet he comes closer to 10 dollars than 6 dollars.
31	427	Ronnie Belliard	WAS	2B/3B/1B	$-	4	Down
Boring, and no place to play….yet. With his versatility, he’ll eventually find a place to play.
32	429	Blake DeWitt	LAD	2B/3B	$-	4	Down
Poor DeWitt. Blake’s got third, and Hudson was brought in to play second. The outfield is also packed. Someone’s gotta get hurt for DeWitt to produce.
33	460	Kevin Frandsen	SF	2B	$-	3
Boring, really boring. It’s hard to hype up Frandsen when you’re praying for Burriss or Velez to take his spot.
34	467	Aaron Miles	CHC	2B/SS	$-	3
Fontenot gets the job, but if you’re in a league this deep it makes sense to bet on Miles getting the job. Fontenot has some faults, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Miles snag the job
35	473	Nick Punto	MIN	2B/SS	$-	3
Punto was hurt a lot by the signing of Crede but like Belliard, he has all sorts of versatility. I think Punto out preforms the previous couple guys all the way up to Chris Getz.
36	479	Jeff Baker	COL	2B/1B	$-	2
If Helton goes down as expected, Baker will find a place to play. Otherwise, Barmes, Stewart, Tulu, and Atkins will fill the infield spots.
37	488	Brendan Ryan	STL	2B/SS	$-	1
We’re getting into very boring land, and I’d much rather take a risky pick with this selection but 1 dollar is fair.
38	523	Brendan Harris	MIN	2B/SS/3B	$-	1
A starting gig and maturation should get Harris at least to a few bucks. He’s a steal this late.
39	526	Marco Scutaro	TOR	2B/SS/3B	$-	1	Up
Full time starter, in a decent offense is worth more than a buck. His average isn’t so awful that he’ll hurt you.
40	529	Eugenio Velez	SF	2B	$-	1	Up
Ditto Emmanuel Burriss.
41	548	Alexi Casilla	MIN	2B	$-	1	Way Up
Really, this is what’s up? Casilla is a beast, and I adore the man. What the hell is ESPN thinking? .280 AVG with 25-30SB and you’re ranking him 41st? I have him in the top 10!
42	683	Ronny Cedeno	SEA	2B/SS	$-	1
43	704	Ray Durham	FA	2B	$-	$-
44	719	Adam Kennedy	TAM	2B	$-	$-
45	722	Mark Grudzielanek	FA	2B	$-	$-
46	730	Mark Loretta	LAD	2B	$-	$-
47	738	Adrian Cardenas	OAK	2B	$-	$-
48	739	Joe Inglett	TOR	2B/OF	$-	$-
49	745	Alberto Callaspo	KC	2B	$-	$-	Up
I have trouble believing that Teahan can stick at 2nd.
50	746	Edgar Gonzalez	SD	2B	$-	$-

Here’s the problem: ESPN released new rankings, and has people floating around all over the field but failed to mention the two guys that seem like a lock at second base.

Skip Schumaker – St. Louis Cardinals: Skip is a dirty dirty man, and has faired very well at second base.  While he only hit 8 HR, he went for 87R and 8 SB while batting above .300.  Right now, he looks like a glamorized Aki Iwamura, but just wait — he’ll be a top-10 2nd basemen.

Mark Teahan – Kansas City Royals: Teahan looked half-decent at the WBC playing third, and he’s got a great arm.  However, playing second base for the Royals has been a chore.  He keeps committing errors, and Collaspo is a fine replacement.  In a perfect fantasy world, Teahan would get enough bats at 2nd Base to gain eligibility and then return to the outfield.  His bat makes him roster-able as a second basemen, but not particularly an outfielder.

Matt Antonelli – San Diego Padres: Antonelli slept through the majority of the 2008 season, waking up occasionally to strike out.  However, this is still the uber-prospect who made 2007 his bitch.  Maybe he makes the big club out of camp, but he’ll probably spend some time down in the minors now that the Padres got the super-talented David Eckstein.  I’d still rather have Antonelli over the Joe Inglett’s of the world.

The Phillies Situation – Marcus Giles, WHAT? and Eric Bruntlett: Bruntlett is penciled in at every conceivable spot on the Phillies depth chart.  If Utley misses serious time, one of these two gents could actually have some value.  Marcus Giles? Yah, he’s in camp.  He used to be very good too, so if you’re in a deep deep league — take a flyer, maybe.

German Duran – Texas Rangers: There’s some upside here, but he only gets a shot if Kinsler hurts himself, which is guarenteed.  25 Games, it is.  If Kinsler ever goes down permenantly, Duran should be nabbed up in deeper leagues.

Eric Young Jr. – Colorado Rockies: He killed Arizona fall league pitching, and has been taking some practice at second base — maybe worth a shot.  If he gets a job in the outfield or at second, he’ll steal some.

Gordon Beckham – Chicago White Sox: As of today, Tuesday March 17th, Gordon Beckham is listed atop the White Sox depth chart at second base.  AWESOME.  Beckham was drafted last year, 8th overall and is just a wee lil child.  Anyways, if he starts he’s good enough, as raw as he is, to ball out.  It’ll be a roller-coaster ride though.  White Sox manager, Ozzie Guillen seems to think that Beckham shouldn’t be used as a UTIL man under any circumstances — which is stellar for Beckham’s development and his keeper league prospects.

Angel Berroa – New York Yankees: Here’s the deal, Cano had an MRI yesterday and it revealed bursitis of the shoulder.  This is not good, and there’s a good chance it’ll flare up again throughout the season.  Those little bursae sacs are bastards, and if Cano can’t go or Jeter gets hurt, Berroa steps in.  In that Yankee line-up, anyone can be successful.