Typically, this would be where I insert some super-awesome quote written by Oliver Stone, just in order to make up for my totally lame title.. One problem: I couldn't find anything that was "family friendly" enough to slot into this post. Instead, how about we break down five different platoon situations that are emerging/have emerged in the early fantasy baseball season. If you've got a particular situation you want examined, hit us on the hip here.
Taylor Teagarden vs. Jarrod Saltalamacchia Thus far, Teagarden has gotten one start and managed the same number of hits in five at-bats. He's walked once and struck out once, and well, it's pretty obviously Salty's gig ... or is it???
PHOENIX -- The beauty of spring training is watching all the young players and trying to figure out which ones are going to be stars. In the quest to separate the hyped prospects from the ones who are legit, I've been polling scouts in the Cactus League to get some of their impressions.
The players who could make their presence felt in 2009 are after the jump.
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... Best offense in the league. The Rangers are going to score more runs than any other team, and they don't have an over-abundance of star-power. This means their position players are a veritable fantasy goldmine. On the flip-side, though, their pitching staff is atrocious, especially the starters. Needless to say, if you are picking a Texas Ranger on draft day, he'd probably better be on the offensive side of the board.
From now until the regular season begins, Fantasy Flings is where you'll find interesting story lines about your favorite teams from Spring Training. If there is a position battle, a nagging injury, a comeback story or a youngster making a surge for the "big club" we'll let you know the fantasy implications.
Los Angeles Angels It turns out the Angels only rented Mark Teixeira for a few months. Now it's time to find a replacement. Kendry Morales tore up the Dominican Winter League to the tune of a .404 batting average with eight home runs and 29 RBI in only 26 games. He's also 6-17 through six Spring Training games. Nobody expects, or even asks, Morales to fill Teixeira's shoes, but the Cuban defector could blast 18 to 20 home runs and bat upwards of .280 if given full-time at-bats. He's a great late round fantasy draft flier in mixed-leagues and should be grabbed in AL-only leagues of any depth.
The picture to your right is not of former Oriole Kris Benson throwing a pitch. He tried to wave goodbye to a friend and his arm just snapped back like that.
In baseball news you may have missed (because you could not possibly care about it), the former first pick in the 1996 draft and perennial bench-grimacer signed a minor league contract last Saturday with the Texas Rangers. He pitched two solid innings in the Rangers Wednesday opener. Huh.
Tonight's Dugout, alternately titled "Return of the Living Dead," is after the jump.
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.
Wondering which young players could have an impact in the majors this year? Let MLB FanHouse guide the way in Better Know a Prospect. In this edition we look at three players from the Texas system, arguably the very best in the game.
Elvis Andrus, SS: He can't even legally drink yet, but there's a chance Andrus could break camp as the Rangers' starting shortstop. His bat isn't fully developed -- he put up a .295/.350/.367 line last year at Double-A Frisco -- but he was young for the level and more power could come. More importantly, the glove is ready for the majors right now. Acquired in the Mark Teixeira trade two seasons ago, it's clear the Rangers are preparing for Andrus' arrival sooner rather than later. That's why they are moving Michael Young to third base. Joaquin Arias might start the year ahead of him on the depth chart, but the year probably won't end that way.
The Red Sox have been among the most active teams in free agency since the calendar turned to 2009, inking the likes of Takashi Saito, John Smoltz, Brad Penny, Rocco Baldelli and Mark Kotsay to deals in the new year. Those are good signings for an organization as deep as the Red Sox, but a major hole at catcher remains on the big league roster.
Boston has already signed Josh Bard to a non-guaranteed deal this winter, but unless it is willing to hand a significant portion of the catching duties to an untested backstop like Dusty Brown or George Kottaras, it is going to need another catcher.
Longtime backstop and team captain Jason Varitek is still a free agent, but, at least for now, the Red Sox seemed resolved to pursue other options in an effort to get younger behind the dish.
One of Dave Dombrowski's first decisions of the offseason was to move Brandon Inge back to third base, pushing Carlos Guillen to left field. The move made perfect sense: Inge is a Gold Glove-caliber fielder whereas Guillen played like he was wearing cement boots and using a frying pan for a glove.
All in all, it doesn't seem like too high of a price to pay for Laird, a capable starting catcher who hit .276 (92 OPS+) in 344 at-bats last season. He'll get the job done without being a complete blackhole and at least has the potential to be above average for his position. In Detroit's lineup, that's all they really need from their starting backstop.
Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2009.
When you're the Texas Rangers, and you have a grand total of one playoff win in 47 years of existence, there's little place to go but up. Thanks to GM Jon Daniels' dilligent work in the draft and in last year's Mark Teixeira and Eric Gagne deals, that's just the direction in which they're headed.
There are a lot of things to feel good about in Arlington these days, actually. The Rangers had the best offense in the American League last year and could conceivably be better in 2009. The farm system is overflowing with talent and almost certainly one of the five best in the game. There's even optimism about the return of Nolan Ryan as the team's president.
If you're looking for a club that could make a Rays-like rise in the near future, the Rangers might be the best candidate. The question isn't if, but when they make their presence felt, and the answer to that query will determine in part how aggressive Texas is this winter.
Typically, this would be where I insert some super-awesome quote written by Oliver Stone, just in order to make up for my totally lame title.. One problem: I couldn't find anything that was "family friendly" enough to slot into this post. Instead, how about we break down five different platoon situations that are emerging/have emerged in the early fantasy baseball season. If you've got a particular situation you want examined, hit us on the hip here. 
PHOENIX -- The beauty of spring training is watching all the young players and trying to figure out which ones are going to be stars. In the quest to separate the hyped prospects from the ones who are legit, I've been polling scouts in the Cactus League to get some of their impressions.
Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through 
From now until the regular season begins, 
The picture to your right is not of former Oriole 
FanHouse positional rankings were compiled by averaging the individual rankings of each member of the Fantasy FanHouse staff. 
Wondering which young players could have an impact in the majors this year? Let MLB FanHouse guide the way in 
The Red Sox have been among the most active teams in free agency since the calendar turned to 2009, inking the likes of 
One of 
Footprints in the Snow
