From the Windup is Matt Snyder's extended look at some aspect of America's pastime each Thursday.
I think we can all agree that it's far too early to start voting upon who the best 2009 players are when it's only the middle of May. That being said, there are certainly some shining stars at this point who deserve some props. Plus, Major League Baseball recently released their All-Star ballots for our voting pleasure -- we vote on who will start the All-Star Game. If that's not important, I don't know what is. Let's take a gander.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
He's only 21 years old. He's only 21 years old. Whenever you get frustrated that your future fantasy stud is struggling, it's important to take a breather and repeat those words. When I was 21, I think I spent my Wednesday nights playing Counter-Strike and eating bad pizza. Justin Upton, on the other hand, has to deal with expectations that he's the next Willie Mays. Whatever happened to the 27-year-old "breakout" rule? Suddenly it's six years younger?
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
Who would have thought that Dexter Fowler's five stolen base game wouldn't even last a week as the high steals game in 2009. Carl Crawford did him one better Sunday, taking six in as many chances. Crawford is now 17-17 in stolen base attempts this season. Lost in the shuffle was that his 4-4 day at the plate caused his average to rise all the way up to .317.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
In news that probably means a lot more to fantasy baseball players than real baseball fans -- with all due respect to the Pirates and their true fans -- Ryan Doumit is going to miss the next 8-10 weeks. He'll be undergoing wrist surgery and have some pins inserted. As fantasy owners, we must march on and look at how to replace the production of a very solid offensive catcher.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
Ichiro's hobbies include: Hitting baseballs, getting massages from manager Don Wakamatsu, and hitting more baseballs.
One nice way to put injury concerns to rest is by smashing a grand slam in your first game back. Ichiro, who missed the first week and a half due to fatigue and ulcer troubles, went 2-for-5 with the homer, four RBI and a stolen base against the Angels. But his stat line paled in comparison to another leadoff star.
For Ivan Rodriguez the World Baseball Classic has presented an opportunity for the veteran catcher to show major league teams that he's still capable of playing baseball. He's taken advantage of the chance so far, too, hitting .625 with two home runs and four RBI through Puerto Rico's first two games.
Pudge's performance has been enough to help him draw interest from a couple of teams, in particular, the team he helped lead to a World Series championship in 2003, the Florida Marlins. The only problem is that while the Marlins want Rodriguez, and Rodriguez would like to play for the Marlins, Pudge also wants to be the No. 1 guy. The Marlins would rather he split time.
Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through every major player on each team. Fantasy FanHouse is here to help with a quick once-over.
Meet the ... Most bizarre franchise in MLB history? While the Yankees plod along, spending trillions and winning every year, the four Marlin fans remaining in Miami have always been treated to a roller coaster of sorts: either the Marlins are kind of randomly breaking out as a contender or they're mid-firesale.
Last year was different though: the Marlins were supposed to stink, and yet, they didn't. This season, though, as a result of that success, there's a decent chance some of their players will be overvalued for fantasy purposes (hello, Dan Uggla) which might hurt their overall team value. Still, some young sleepers are there and certainly worth your consideration.
FanHouse positional rankings were compiled by averaging the individual rankings of each member of the Fantasy FanHouse staff.
What happens when a 24-year-old hits over .300 with 23 bombs, drives home 87 and even manages to swipe five bags? Well, in fantasy baseball he becomes known as a pretty solid young player. When he plays the most shallow position in fantasy leagues, though, he becomes fantasy gold. Brian McCann was that man last year, and he sits atop FanHouse's 2009 fantasy catcher rankings as a 25-year-old.
Ivan Rodriguez was the final, and some say most important, piece of the puzzle for the 2003 World Series champion Marlins. So it's no surprise that a certain longing for the good old days remains in Florida. The Marlins interest in "Pudge II" has been on again, off again for about a year now. If the price is right, a Rodriguez return could be on again. But they're only prepared to offer about a million dollars guaranteed to the man who was a central figure in a championship.
Oh how the mighty have fallen, or at least how the mighty have gotten old.
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Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
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Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through 
FanHouse positional rankings were compiled by averaging the individual rankings of each member of the Fantasy FanHouse staff. 
