Key Stats: Just take a look at the what they’re saying section, and you get the idea of where Michael Young’s value comes into play. Depending on the type of league he could be eligible at three different infield positions. There isn’t a player that should be taken ahead of Young that plays that many positions.  Going back to 2002, Young has never been placed on the disabled list. That is the biggest reason why he is the only third base eligible player to be ranked in the top 100 for six straight seasons.

Skeptics Say:  Maybe he’s never been on the DL, but studies show that he is human. He will be 35 this season. None of his numbers are really troubling in terms of Young heading toward a downward trend other than the home run production. That said, if he continues to hit for average and just hit in the Rangers lineup, it won’t matter in the grand scheme of a fantasy season. no comments

Reigning NL MVP Ryan Braun will get to start the season on Opening Day after all. Braun had been going 28th overall on average at Mock Draft Central, but now will undoubtedly be getting picked in the top five after his first ever 30 home run and 30 stolen base season. 

Braun won the appeal on a 2-1 vote at arbitration. More details can be found at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel who broke the story. 

While this news is huge for teams that were going to be forced into a tough decision on whether or not to keep Braun, it is also important for other players. Players that stand to gain the most from this include Corey Hart, Rickie Weeks, and Nyjer Morgan who have a little pressure lifted from their shoulders in trying to replace not just Braun but also Prince Fielder. Perhaps Morgan's value could even take a little dive as he will be less aggressive on the base paths with Braun being on the field in the Brewers first 50 games. 

I have Braun ranked fourth behind Miguel Cabrera, Albert Pujols, and Matt Kemp. It will be interesting to see in the coming days and weeks whether or not this story gets another chapter to it or it just simply becomes a footnote. 
 

Key Stats: Brandon Phillips has been ranked as one of the 110 best players in fantasy baseball for five straight seasons according to the Yahoo rankings. Most recently he was ranked 37^th this last season as he contributed in all five of the major categories. He was 9^th in home runs, 7^th in steals, 5^th in RBI, 5^th in runs, and 3^rd in batting average among second basemen. When you draft this guy you are drafting dependability and a chance for help in every category.

Skeptics Say: Phillips’ line drive rate was significantly higher last season (about 4%) than it had been from 2008 through 2010. As a result his batting average was 29 points higher than it had been during that stretch of time. Bill James is one person that does not believe Phillips can sustain a high average as he projects that he will hit .279 next season. I agree with James. no comments

Second base is one of the thinner fantasy positions in 2012, but the position has several young players who could take a step forward.

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Key Stats: Elvis Andrus finished tied for 9^th in batting average, 7^th in OBP, and 13 in OPS among shortstops last season. Where he gets drafted should depend on if your league is progressive or traditional in the stat categories.

Skeptics Say: As the OPS above would indicate, Andrus does not get very many hits for extra base hits. Last season was actually a vast improvement compared to 2010. Andrus went from only 18 extra base hits to 35 extra base hits in almost the exact same number of at-bats. Still – 35 extra base hits is nothing when you consider that some of the players being taken off the board when he is jumping off the board could get 35 home runs. And when you look at his run in the playoffs (one double in 68 at-bats) all the growth from the regular season is easy to ignore. no comments

Paul McCartney's Yesterday was voted to be the best pop song of all time by Rolling Stone. The line "Yesterday... love was such an easy game to play. Now I need a place to hide away. Oh, I believe in yesterday." can be applied to baseball. There are dozens of guys that played the game with such ease one year, then fell flat on their face the next, and I would guess wish they were right back to where they were when things were going right. Using McCartney's ballad as inspiration, we take a look at those guys and try to figure out what is in store next for them.

Choo made a splash with the Indians first in 2008. Through 94 games he blasted 14 HR, batted .309. He followed that with 20/20 seasons in 09 and 10 while batting .300 in each. His WAR through those three years was 14.1, which was 19th best in baseball in that 3 year span. 

Key Stats: What a difference protection in the lineup makes... Pence was having a solid all-around year before a July trade freed him from the quad A squad in Houston. The power numbers were down slightly, only 11 HR's and a .163 ISO (his lowest ever) through 100 games with the Astros, but once he reached the city of Brotherly Love he was a new man, equaling his HR's to that point and producing a .234 ISO and a .954 OPS in 54 games down the stretch. We can't say the ballpark played a factor last year as according to statcorner.com both Citizens Bank Park and Minute Maid Park are extremely favorable to the long ball off right handed bats.

I just finished talking draft prep, bounce-back candidates and more with Brett Talley of The Fantasy Fix. You can check out the audio here. no comments