Fish brooms

Update - 2:15 p.m.: The sweep is complete. Marlins win, 6-4.

The Florida Marlins look well on their way to the season's first sweep.

Emilio Bonifacio continues to look like the leadoff man manager Freddie Gonzalez envisioned. In the third, Bonifacio singled, stole second and forced an errant throw leaving him at third base. John Baker singled him home. Then Florida busted it open in the 5th with a three run double from Dan Uggla.

It's 5-2 Florida over Washington in the 6th. Jim Thome said yesterday that championships aren't won in April, but these feisty Marlins look primed to play ball in 2009.

Tigers go to bat for automaker

General Motors might not have the resources to back Major League Baseball teams, but the Detroit Tigers are doing their best to back GM.

This season, fans will see the General Motors name on the fountain along with logos for Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC. Underneath GM's name, a sign reads: "The Detroit Tigers support our automakers."

Intersting gesture. The Tigers probably didn't have anyone to fill the ad space around the ballpark anyway. It would be interesting to hear some comments from the the team and GM on this arrangement. Free advertising is likely unprecedented at the ballpark, except for special interests like fundraisers and grassroots benefits.
aq

Can't catch a break

Update - 1:20 p.m. 4/8/09: Redmond might be headed for the DL. His status will be updated sometime today.

4/7/09: As expected, Twins backup catcher Mike Redmond missed Tuesday night's game with a pulled groin. Third stringer Jose Morales started in a 6-5 come-from-behind walk-off Twins win. Morales struck out in all three of his at bats.

Fantasy Impact: Redmond and Morales are fairly productive for catchers. Redmond owns a career .292 average while Morales hit over .300 his last two seasons in Triple-A. Neither of them, however, has been tested on a full-time basis at the MLB level. Avoid Minnesota catchers until Mauer can return. His unknown status leaves us to believe it will be a while.

White Sox rotation question marks

Jose Contreras gets set to return as the White Sox fourth starter on Friday after rupturing his achilles ankle midway through last season. Bartolo Colon will be the White Sox fifth starter.

Contreras and Colon combined to shut out Arizona at Chase Field on Saturday afternoon, marking the final exhibition contest for the White Sox. Colon fanned six and gave up three hits over five innings, while Contreras started and allowed one hit in four innings.

Saturday's contest had a little bit more of a Major League atmosphere in comparison to Cactus League contests, where the tandem had been roughed up as recently as last Monday against the Angels. But their combined performance gave the White Sox confidence that this tandem would be productive as long as they were healthy.

"They've got to work, but I believe they're going to be healthy all year long," said Guillen, who doesn't plan to skip any starters, even if an off-day gives him the chance.

"Bartolo and Jose's last outing, I think they turned it up a notch. That was very encouraging," White Sox general manager Ken Williams said. "They are still in what would amount to their fourth week of Spring Training, so there are going to be a couple of starts where they are going to have to grow and get their pitch counts up and you may see Ozzie go out there a little earlier than normal. They are going to grow into a major force on this team. They are not the average four or five guys in a rotation."

That's true, most teams have much different-looking back-end-of-the-rotation guys. Often those slots get filled by younger guys trying to break into a rotation. The Sox went the other way, hoping veterans can round out the staff behind Mark Buehrle and two youngsters in Gavid Floyd and John Danks. It's an odd pairing at the back end, and if it works the Sox will look like geniuses.

Fantasy Impact: We're leaving these two on the waiver wire for now, but if one of them gets hot, he's likely gone before you can grab him. If you must indulge, Colon's the bigger injury risk at this point in his career. Pick up Contreras.

Peter who?

An interesting piece from Rick Maese in the Baltimore Sun regarding owner Peter Angelos's role with the team. The Orioles owner seems to be very aloof, to a major fault. Orioles star outfielder Nick Markakis barely has a relationship with the man.

Markakis had never met the Orioles owner before this week. In fact, neither had most players in the clubhouse.

"I'd never even seen a picture of him," reliever George Sherrill said.

The Orioles' exciting Opening Day win over the New York Yankees on Monday was packed with drama and at least a couple of onfield shockers. But there were two things that surprised me most, both revelations from the postgame clubhouse:

1. To players, Angelos has been little more than a signature on a paycheck.

2. They wish he was much more.

This is going to sound like heresy in some corners of the Orioles kingdom, but could it be possible Angelos plays too small a role in his empire?

No one's suggesting we revisit the days when important baseball decisions were made by people who learned the game from the backs of baseball cards. But there has been a push to get Angelos more involved with the players. One game into the season, in fact, it's already a successful movement.

That's beyond weird. This can't help team morale.

Fontenot starting vs. lefties

The Cubs started second baseman Mike Fontenot against Astros left-hander Wandy Rodriguez despite the presence of switch-hitting second baseman Aaron Miles on the bench.

We'll give him an opportunity here early in the season and see how he does," manager Lou Piniella said. "I like the idea of having some left-handed hitting against left-handed pitching. … I think it makes the pitcher work both sides of the plate. Maybe as the season goes on, we'll have a little more left-handed hitting from time to time against certain left-handers."

Fantasy Impact: This doesn't mean Fontenot will always be the lefty bat in the Cubs order against lefties, but it's a nice vote of confidence from Piniella in his pint-sized second baseman. Fontenot went 0-4 on the night in a 3-2, 10-inning Astros win. Expect him to continue to get the bulk of the time at second base, but against dynamic southpaws, he'll likely sit.

Cubs lose Soto for a few days

The Cubs may be without starting catcher Geovany Soto for a few days. He felt pain in his throwing shoulder while gunning down Kaz Matsui on a steal attempt in the third inning of the Astros 3-2 win over the Cubs Tuesday night.

"I kind of over-exposed my shoulder a little bit," Soto said. "There was a little discomfort in my shoulder. I felt some weakness in it, and I felt I didn't have a shot if somebody else [tried to steal]. I need to keep up my exercises, and we'll see how it is in a couple days."

Soto said he had the same problem in Spring Training and doesn't expect to miss much time.

"You never know," he said when asked how long he'd be sidelined. "I just have to stay on top of my exercises, and I'll be all right in a couple days. As long as I stay in good shape and do my exercises, it won't happen again all year."

Fantasy Impact: Koyie Hill is Soto's backup this year. He beat out Paul Bako for maybe one start each week to spell Soto. That means he's a true backup catcher unexpected to pay dividends in fantasy baseball. Hill did hit 17 homers at Triple-A Iowa last year, which is very impressive considering the accident that nearly ended his baseball career.

Ryan blows save; Downs up for Jays?

Toronto closer B.J. Ryan blew his first save opportunity of the season, coughing up a home run to the Tiger's Brandon Inge in the ninth. Fortunately for Ryan, the Blue Jays rallied for a run in the bottom of the inning to earn their closer a win.

Fantasy Impact: Cue Scott Downs? Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston says Downs is waiting in the wing if Ryan falters. He got that much closer tonight.

Franklin named "Closer For a Day"

Had the Cardinals entered a save situation Tuesday night, Tony La Russa would have turned to Ryan Franklin for his closer, not Jason Motte. Motte, the Cardinals rookie closer, blew his first opportunity at a save on Monday, giving up 4 runs in the ninth. La Russa said Franklin would go Tuesday because Motte threw 29 pitches in the loss.

So before the second game of a four-game series Tuesday, manager Tony La Russa planned to give the hard-throwing right-hander a day off.

Ryan Franklin, who had 17 saves last year while the Cardinals struggled to find a replacement for Jason Isringhausen, was the likely choice to close Tuesday.

Fantasy Impact: The high pitch count certainly has merit, and Franklin never got a chance to close with the Cardinals whipping the Pirates, 9-3. Motte should be back in the closer role on Wednesday. If he's not, then something's up.

Phat Albert

Albert Pujols is bouncing back nicely from offseason elbow surgery. He's 5-7 on the season after belting a home run and going 2-3 for the Cardinals in a 9-3 win over Pittsburgh.

Fantasy Impact: Hanley Ramirez is the most valuable player in fantasy baseball heading into this year, but nobody is better in a one-off at bat than Pujols. He hit .357 with an elbow that needed surgery last season. That's insane.

No Molson

Rogers Centre had it's liquor license revoked after unruly behavior during the Blue Jays' opening night. That meant no alcohol sales for tonight's game against Detroit.

The clubhouses were cleared of booze, too, after the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario suspended the liquor license at Rogers Centre for three dates because of past infractions.

The panel cited five broken rules at baseball and football games and concerts dating to the Canadian Football League championship game in 2007. The stadium will also be dry on April 21 when Toronto plays Texas, and for a CFL game on Aug. 1.

The hype surrounding Chris Dickerson

Dusty Baker isn't going to bat left-handed-hitting Chris Dickerson against tough lefty pitchers. That's why Dickerson sat in the season opening loss to Johan Santana and the Mets. Dickerson is still one of Baker's favorites, however, and the Reds manager expects big numbers.

“I don’t think he knows exactly what he can do yet,” Baker said. “I know exactly what he’s capable of doing. In my mind he’s capable of 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases. … If you look at talent, that’s why I told him what I told him. He has the talent, in my mind, to have been here before now.”

Dickerson, drafted by the Reds in the 16th round of the 2003 draft, reached the majors for the first time last August. He took the roster spot vacated after the Reds traded Adam Dunn to Arizona, then hit .304 in 102 at-bats.

Fantasy Impact: How often does a part-time player hit 20 homers? It's been done before. Plenty of platoons have produced good fantasy numbers. It's the reason guys like Matt Stairs are even on the radar in most years. Do not, however, allow Dusty Baker to sway your fantasy decision-making. Dickerson only batted .260 in Triple-A last year and struck out over 100 times in 349 at bats. That's not quite Mark Reynolds territory, but it's not that far off, really. He's a decent talent who turns 27 this week. He's due for some breakout moments, but we'll expect something more modest than what Baker is looking for. Maybe 15 homers and 20 steals with another .260 average.

Debating what's good defense

The Tampa Bay Rays rose to the top of the American League in 2008 in part because of their outstanding defense. Matthew Leach of MLB.com takes a look at MLB teams recent infatuation with analyzing defense, and the statistical information involved.

When it comes to assessing and predicting pitchers, we're getting closer too. The predictive value of strikeouts is clear and well-known. The once revolutionary notion of defense-independent pitching statistics has taken some hold.

But defense remains, in many quarters, a mystery. Fielding percentage is clearly outmoded, but even the numbers that seemed so compelling a few years ago -- such as zone rating and range factor -- have been exposed as limited. Defense is the frontier, and it's not just observers who are trying to figure it out. Teams are. "I think people are putting more resources into it," said Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak. "There's a very healthy debate on how you actually capture it." ">MLB.com's Matthew Leach takes a look at defensive analysis in 2009, which more teams are actively addressing

2009 Fantasy Baseball Utility Player Forecast

Updated 4/7/09 -- A list of the top players with probable multiple-position availability for the 2009 season. They are graded out with either an A-grade of excellent value, a B-grade of good value or a C-grade of passing value. Positions are also graded individually.

A-grade players should be starters on every team, and should provide the highest of impacts at most of their positions. Players that earn a B-grade should provide value at or above the value of the better players at their positions. C-grade players will get you by, but you're better off owning a player entrenched at any of their positions who will likely provide better numbers.

($ players are sleepers whose stats can vary wildly due to a lack of time in the majors, injury issues or significantly different roles with new teams)

A
Miguel Cabrera, 1B(A+)/3B(A+) - DET
Kevin Youkilis, 1B(A-)/3B(A) - BOS
($)Alexei Ramirez, 2B(A-)/SS(A)/OF(B-) - CHW

B
Adam Dunn, 1B(B+)/OF(B+) - WAS
Garrett Atkins, 1B(B)/3B(B+) - COL
Victor Martinez, C(B+)/1B (B-) - CLE
($)Chad Tracy, 1B(B)/3B (B+) - ARZ
($)Chris Davis, 1B(B)/3B(B) - TEX
($)Jorge Cantu, 1B(B-)/3B(B) - FLA
Russell Martin, C(A)/3B(C+)
Chone Figgins, 2B(B+)/3B(B)
Aubrey Huff, 1B(B)/3B(B+)
($)Mike Aviles, 2B(B)/SS(B+)
($)Pablo Sandoval, C(A-)/1B(B-)/3B(B-) - SF
Mark DeRosa, 2B(B+)/3B(B-)/OF(C) - CLE
Carlos Guillen, 1B(B-)/3B(B) - DET
($)Chase Headley, 3B(B-)/OF(C+) - SD
Mark Teahen, 1B(C)/2B(B)/3B(C+)/OF(C-) - KC
($)Ian Stewart, 2B(B-)/3B(B-)/OF(C+) - COL
Jose Lopez, 2B(B)/1B(C) - SEA
Casey Blake, 1B(C+)/3B(B-) - LAD
($)Hank Blalock, 1B(C+)/3B(B-) - TEX
($)Felipe Lopez, 2B(B-)/3B(C+)/SS(B)/OF(C-) - ARZ

C
($)Conor Jackson, 1B(C)/OF(C) - ARZ
Asdrubal Cabrera, 2B(C+)/SS(C+) - CLE
Ty Wigginton, 3B(C)/OF(C-) - BAL
Marco Scutaro, 2B(C)/3B(C-)/SS(C+) - OAK
Clint Barmes, 2B(C+)/3B(C-)/SS(C+) - COL
($)Jed Lowrie, SS(C+)/3B(C-) - BOS
Skip Schumaker, 2B(C)/OF(C-) - STL

Rockies second base platoon

The Colorado Rockies appear headed for a second base platoon until either Clint Barmes or Ian Stewart emerges as the every day starter. Stewart got the nod over Barmes on opening day.

"Obviously that's what (Hurdle) thought was the best lineup to win. I would like to be in there, but that's just the competitor that I am," Barmes said. "I understand that this is about what's best for the team. Nothing will change my attitude. I will be a professional."

Barmes was the first example of Hurdle's plan to play his best lineup every day, no matter the setting. The choice of Stewart surprised some players, but none spoke out publicly.

Hurdle had math on his side: Stewart's numbers against starter Brandon Webb (2-for-6) were better than Barmes' (6-for-26).

"We have laid it all out. If it's about their ego, it's the wrong thing," Hurdle said. "If they have any questions, they can come in and we will talk about it. You want every one of your players to want to play."

Fantasy Impact: Stewart batted .293 and slugged .524 with a high on base percentage in the minors. He's got a ton more upside than Barmes, who still produces acceptable fantasy numbers for his position. Ideally, you want to own Stewart, but you might be waiting for every day at bats. The good news is the Rockies might eventually try him in the outfield this season.

Double double

Felipe Lopez and Tony Clark each hit home runs from both sides of the plate on opening day, the first time that's ever been done by two players on the same team.

Houston has no problem (economically speaking)

Despite the recession, Houston fans came out in record numbers for opening day willing to spend.

No quivering for Qualls owners

The Diamondbacks bullpen looks very strong out of the gate with Tony Pena and Chad Qualls mowing down the Rockies bats in the eigth and ninth innings. Pena struck out two of the four batters he faced while Chad Qualls pitched a perfect ninth.

"Over my whole career, I've never had the chance to be the guy," Qualls said. "In Houston, with (Brad) Lidge, I kind of filled in here and there. But I never got, 'OK, you're the closer.' And that's my goal, to go out and prove to everyone that I can close."

Fantasy Impact: Qualls leaves little to be desired. He's a pitcher who's never posted an ERA above 3.76, with a career mark at 3.27. His WHIP climbed above 1.3 in 2007, which is the worst of his career. Overall his career WHIP of 1.202 is very solid. Qualls strikes out just under a batter per inning, and he's an experienced MLB pitcher, meaning he's poised to become a solid closer.

Izturis is good, for a day

CC Sabathia got rocked in Baltimore in his first start as a Yankee, giving up six earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. He didn't strike out a single Orioles batter. But what was most shocking in the 10-5 Baltimore beat-down of New York was Cesar Izturis belting his first, and perhaps his only home run of the season.

Fantasy Impact: Here's hoping you started Izturis. He might not hit another one this season. Izturis owned 12 home runs in 3,165 previous MLB at bats. In 2008 he homered once, the first time he went deep since 2006.

Motte can't mop up the Pirates

Cardinals closer Jason Motte blows his first save opportunity of 2009, giving up four runs in the ninth as the Cardinals fall to Pittsburgh, 6-4.

Fantasy Impact: Motte did have the Pirates down to their last strike before the wheels fell off. Then he proceeded to give up four runs for a 36.00 ERA. If this keeps up, Ryan Franklin is the heir apparent to the job in St. Louis.