Marlins getting ugly

Dan Uggla and Hanley Ramirez got into it in the Marlins clubhouse Wednesday night. Uggla was apparently upset with Ramirez's lack of effort due to injuries that have been slowing him of late. Uggla also slugged his 25th homer, making him the first NL second baseman to hit at least 25 home runs in each of his first four seasons.

Fantasy Impact: Both players are fantasy assets, but both probably have underachieved a bit in 2009. Ramirez's .355 average can win him a batting title, but his 19 home runs are a touch below what fantasy owners were looking for. He's on pace for 100 RBI, but middle-of-the-order guys usually knock in more.

Uggla's sub .250 average is nothing special, but it wasn't exactly unexpected. He's a relatively early draft pick or keeper due to his pop at second, but a number of players broke out in 2009, including the Blue Jays' Aaron Hill and Rays' Ben Zobrist. Second base is no longer a position of offensive scarcity, meaning Uggla's value declines.

Wringing hands over Hanley

Hanley Ramirez owners have to be breathing a sigh of relief. The 95-mph fastball that hit him on his wright wrist did not cause a break. Eric Karabell says there's nothing to worry about, maybe. He doesn't like Hanley's slow start, and he's non-committal regarding what it means for the season.

Ramirez, 25, comes off his first 30/30 season, and has a career .307 batting average, so expectations are obviously sky-high. He has three stolen bases, but has also been caught stealing the same number of times. It's still early, but if you used the first pick on the guy, you expected he'd be among the leaders on ESPN's Player Rater. Currently Ramirez is No. 93, and not in the top five among shortstops (behind Jason Bartlett, Michael Young, Derek Jeter, Marco Scutaro and Asdrubal Cabrera). The last thing the slumping Marlins, and fantasy owners, need is an injury.

With no apparent broken bones, Ramirez might miss a few games, and this potentially large story shouldn't be a big deal. Then again, we've seen what wrist injuries have done to power hitters in the recent past, notably the production of Hideki Matsui and Derrek Lee. Ramirez is much younger and more talented -- he was, after all, the first player taken in most drafts -- but any decrease in power is going to affect a whole lot of fantasy owners. As it is, Ramirez is someone who was being watched to start with, and an injury can't help.

Fantasy Impact: Let's actually take a stab at the signifcance of all this. If the wrist is ok and heals quickly, there's no reason to think Ramirez is going to have a sub-standard season. He's slumped in the past. In fact, he slumped for about a month after last season's All-Star game and still put up some of the best numbers of his career. That included 125 runs, the most of any player in the big leagues in 2008. While he's got more pressure on him hitting in the middle of the Marlins order, Ramirez is only 25 years old, meaning the best years of his career are in front of him, not behind him in the most likely case. That means this year should be as good or better than last year, and if it's not, it's still going to be a good year for a shortstop in most regards. Don't freak. Ramirez is a star.

In good hands with Hanley

Fantasy owners will love Hanley Ramirez's production in the heart of the Marlins order this year. After notching just 59, 81 and 67 RBI in his first three seasons in the big leagues, Ramirez tallied five on opening day, thanks to a grand slam home run.

Fantasy Impact: He's the best offensive player in baseball, and his value at shortstop is that much more. Emilio Bonifacio and Cameron Maybin might do more of the running in Florida, but Ramirez is capable of turning in elite numbers in every offensive category in 2009.

Welcome back, Chad Tracy

Chad Tracy, one of Spitting Seeds' sleepers for 2009, made a huge impact on opening day. Hitting fourth in the Diamondbacks lineup, the third baseman smacked him first home run of the year, going 3-4 with two runs and two RBI. He was actually outdone by teammates Felipe Lopez and Tony Clark, who each hit two homers.

Fantasy Impact: In some leagues, it's just nine more starts for Tracy at third to become eligible at the position. He's fully recovered from knee surgery, so we're expecting big things. Lopez is an intriguing sleeper with multiple-position eligibility. He hit 23 homers to go along with a .291 average in 2005, but he's streaky at times, and by streaky we mean slump-prone. Clark will fill in for Tracy at times or when Tracy is in for Mark Reynolds at third. Hey, if both guys mash homers like this, Reynolds might be sitting more and more.