Although Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said that the term surgery has not been tossed around, Jacoby Ellsbury was placed on the DL yesterday and it could be a while before we see him again. Dr. Christopher Geary, head of Tufts Medical School in Boston, said that Ellsbury should miss anywhere from six to eight weeks - minimum. That timeframe would have him back in the Red Sox lineup between May 26th and June 9th, but as the doc said this is a minimum amount of time. 

Ellsbury of course is no stranger to seeing a minimum timeframe of an injury become a maximum timeframe. Two seasons ago he was criticized by media and at least one teammatefor his inability to come back from what turned out to be a broken rib on a collision with Adrian Beltre. Obviously this is a completely different injury, but nonetheless the team and Ellsbury will be receiving their share of questions from the media comparing the two scenarios. As Alex Speier points out in his article, the way this injury happened is very similar to what happened with Derek Jeter a few seasons ago in Toronto. Jeter took six weeks to recover and had a great season too. Time will tell how this one plays out.

For now though, Carl Crawford would appear to be the one player that gains the most from this whole turn of events. Crawford will start playing extended spring training games very shortly as a DH and make his way up from there. He would have likely been the Red Sox number six hitter if he were healthy out of the gates, but now could figure in as the team's leadoff hitter when he is ready. Here are some more weekend notes:  no comments

With Johan Santana and Stephen Strasburg facing off today, the player that in my mind had the most to prove was Santana. Strasburg is going to be nasty. He proved in September last year and that was the indiciation on Opening Day as well. His teammate Jordan Zimmermann came back just fine from the exact same rehab plan from the exact same surgery. Santana's situation has less precedent and did not come with a September showcase. So while Strasburg was dominant for a second outing in two tries, the bigger story here was Santana. 

Santana hit 90 MPH on just one occassion. It was a far cry from the 93 MPH he would average in his prime with Minnesota, but the results through 10 innings are favorable nonetheless. Santana has struck out 13 in just 10 innings - he struck out 4 in a row at one point today. He threw just 99 pitches, but it's important to note that Terry Collins let him come out for the sixth inning. Here are some other notes from around the league:
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The St. Louis Cardinals decided to let Albert Pujols walk in free agency and the move is paying off. The defending champions are off to a 2-0 start and their "great" first baseman is hitless in his new home.

Ok maybe I'm jumping the gun a little. Pujols lined out in his first Angels at-bat, but you can sense his impact to the culture and atmosphere around the whole Angels team. And the Cardinals are just a good team. I don't think anyone expects them to run away from the Brewers and Reds, but they have the right mix of veterans and youth to make another push toward the playoffs. Here are some other nuggets from the last 24 hours to consider.

• The man that played first base for the Angels last season was across the diamond for the first time in his career last night and made an error on a very routine play on his very first chance of the game. Mark Trumbo is just one of several Angels that could be a movable part throughout the season. What the team does to give Albert Callaspo (starter last year), Bobby Abreu (starter his whole career), and even Mike Trout (already raking one game into minor league season) at-bats will be interesting to see.
• Andre Ethier continued where he left off in Spring Training last night by belting two extra base hits. He is in a contract year and has said he wants to stay with the Dodgers. It will be the first test for the new ownership group. 
• For those managers that have a coin flip of a decision to make on who to start the wind will be blowing out today at Wrigley Field.
• J.P. Arencibia is back in the Blue Jays lineup after catching 16 inning on Opening Day. Not exactly shocking given that he had a day off inbetween. 
• The teams that are in the running for Roy Oswalt include the Cardinals, Angels, and Red Sox. The Red Sox would have money to spend according to Larry Lucchino. Signing Oswalt would enable the Sox to send Daniel Bard back to the bullpen where they know he can be successful and where they need someone that they know will be successful. Alfredo Aceves was valuable last year in long relief - who knows if he can handle the role the Red Sox have for him right now.
• Jorge De La Rosa threw a 45-pitch simulated game as he tries to make his comeback to the mound. 

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Seeing that the season is here and the top five players are almost consensus top five players, I decided to combine the top 5 into one post. 

Key Stats: 

• Jose Bautista has 97 home runs in the last two seasons. That is 18 more than the next best player in baseball (Albert Pujols). He retains third base eligibility in most leagues this season and he added batting average to his repertoire last season. 
• There's nothing like a get out of jail free card to radically change the value of a player. That's what happened to Ryan Braun in this off-season. The NL MVP will have the whole world watching as he deals with any potential questions in a potential slow start regarding PEDs and the departure of Prince Fielder. Fielder's departure won't be all bad news for Braun fantasy owners. Braun easily stole a career best 33 last season, and with less to lose by stealing this season and more walks likely coming his way that total could approach 40 this season. no comments

Key Stats: Troy Tulowitzki had an OPS over .900 last season - a feat no other shortstop acheived. It was the third consecutive season that Tulo had an OPS that season. The debate of Tulo versus Hanley Ramirez that was out in full force last year and non-existent (against Tulo) the year before is now completely in Tulo's favor. 

Skeptics Say: Tulo has seen his steals drop from 20 to 11 to 9 (with less steals in more at-bats last year). Also, there's a possibility that the pain in his elbow right now is more serious than the X-rays would indicate. Fantasy teams wish Tulo would just keep his mouth shut.  no comments

Key Stats: Robinson Cano has laid out consistent numbers for three straight years now. He has topped 100 runs, had an average over .300, at least 25 home runs, and at least 85 RBI (the last two seasons topping 100) during that time. In the three seasons that Cano has accomplished this, there have been just 8 other seasons by second basemen that they have scored more than 100 runs alone. 

Skeptics Say: Cano is sort of the guy that you don't want on your team. That's because the top 6 are clearly ahead of him (as we'll go over in the peer comparison) and the guys that are ranked in the same neighborhood as Cano are very close to him. 

Statistically, Cano does not steal bases. Obviously that's being a bit picky given how much of an elite player he is at the second base position with every other category, but stealing bases is something that many other players at the position do well. Realistically 7 out of the top 10 second basemen off the board will steal bases. Thus drafting Cano forces your hand a little when considering outfielders later in the draft.  no comments

Key Stats: Since 2006, Hanley Ramirez's first year in baseball (minus the 2 PA's in '05), he has averaged a .301 AVG, 22 HR, 103 R, 72 RBI and 36 steals. Toss out the 92 game 2011 season caused by injury, and his numbers turn into a .313 AVG,  25 HR, 112 R, 78 RBI and 39 steals. Hanley is an elite talent and depending on your skills preference is arguably the best shortstop in baseball. Of course Hanley isn't playing SS, this year, he's playing 3B, but he gets to keep SS eligibility in your league, so now he is that much more valuable.

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