Finally, pitchers and catchers have reported to spring training, and that means we will have spring training games to talk about in a few weeks. Well, one of those weeks I will be in Dublin, Ireland, but plan to have my laptop with me to stay on top of things. I am going with my brother for 5 days and 4 nights of jumping from one Irish bar to another the week of March 12th.

I have it on good word that John Sickels will be posting his Top 100 Prospect Rankings for the first time ever this Friday over at Minor League Ball. I, for one, am looking forward to his rankings.

Anyway, there was some interesting news reported yesterday, and probably the biggest news was Albert Pujols reporting to Angels camp in Tempe, Arizona. Well, at least that's what some of the networks want you to believe. Seriously, it isn't news that Pujols reported to camp. It is news if he did NOT report to camp. Or that he was caught driving under the influence, or hanging out with some hookers. That would be news. But to report that he made it to spring training on time, is, well, expected, and NOT news.

The real big news story of the day was speculation that Mariano Rivera has decided what he is going to do after the 2012 season, the last year of his contract with the Yankees. What we don't know is what his decision is. This news is important for keeper league owners who currently own, or can draft, either Rafael Soriano or David Robertson on draft day, as they are the two most likely candidates to replace Mo as the Yankees closer in 2013.

More fantasy baseball thoughts after the jump:

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ESPN's Buster Olney does a great job linking to the baseball beat writers every day, and today he linked to an article about Alvarez with this intro:

Pedro Alvarez worked out in Nashville this winter, and when I was there last week, others talked glowingly about his physical condition and indicated they think he's ready for what will be a very big year for him.

I am not sure who "others" are, but this is a needed first step for Alvarez to regaining the confidence of manager Clint Hurdle and Pirates fans. He has the potential to outperform his ADP of 236.03, but will need a solid spring. He could be the key to pushing the Pirates over .500 for the first time in many years. Here's more from Bill Brink's article in Sunday's Pittsburg Post Gazette:

Alvarez, the second overall draft pick in 2008, spent the offseason in Newport Beach, Calif., where his agent, Scott Boras, owns a workout facility. He focused on flexibility and agility rather than strength or reps in the batting cage and appeared in good shape at PirateFest.

"We've been really encouraged by what Pedro's doing this offseason," assistant general manager Kyle Stark said. "Both in terms of how he looks, how he feels, the confidence. He's a part of this and can contribute significantly to what we're doing. I think the reports are that he's in a good place mentally and physically."

I am looking forward to seeing how Alvarez looks early in 2012.

More fantasy baseball thoughts after the jump:

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Does anyone listen to SiriusXM Radio's fantasy station? I was listening to it on Thursday afternoon and there was a commerical where former Mets GM Steve Phillips was pushing fantasy baseball advice. How does one go from being the GM of the Mets to pushing fantasy baseball advice? Most former GMs get jobs as a scout or assistant to the GM in other organizations, or talking baseball on ESPN or the MLB channel. Phillips did work for ESPN till he found himself chasing interns.

There is nothing wrong with providing fantasy baseball advice, because I do it here. But, I am not a former GM.

Speaking of the Mets, former ace Johan Santana threw 25 pitches off a mound yesterday and said he felt great afterward. That sounds good, but I want to know how he feels today, and in his next throwing session. ESPN's Tim Kurkjian reported last night that he was told my "Mets people" that getting 100-125 innings from Santana this season would be a bonus. I am of the opinion that he won't make more than 15-20 starts this season. Its ashame what shoulder injuries do to pitchers.

More fantasy baseball thoughts after the jump:

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As I stated in my previous post, I completed a trade with the #16 team in the league, sending all my even numbered picks to him for his odd. I'm still drafting between rounds 31-40, I just no longer have to log in every round. If you have the first or last pick in a snake draft I suggest approaching the owner on the opposite end about a similar swap, it allows you to create a more balanced roster as you only have to wait as many selections as there are teams, rather than waiting for two whole rounds to snake. I entered round 20 a little worn down, I was drafting there right around the holidays so I was distracted and caught up in all the madness. I'm going to trade minor leaguer for major leaguer from here on out. I'm convinced I'll have a surprisingly deep farm system by the time I'm done, I hope the bench is adequate with reserves and while I'm content with the starting roster I recognize there are a few areas to upgrade.

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Much hyped Cuban outfield prospect Yoenis Cespedes finally signed yesterday with the Oakland A's. Who saw that coming? Let me get this right. They trade a young, pretty good starting pitcher for 4 prospects, and trade their closer for a few more, and now they go out and sign Yoenis Cespedes for 4 years and $36 million? I am not sure what Billy Beane is up to, but you have to give him some credit for outbidding several other trams with deeper pockets. Do you start to wonder if this was his plan all along?

I heard the A's Director of Player Personnel, Billy Owens, interviewed on SiriusXM's Inside Pitch show on my ride home last evening, and Owens stated that they see Cespedes as a center fielder. Interesting for sure. One thing that bothered me in the interview was that he repeatedly said that the team felt Cespedes was worth the "gamble". Why not use "investment" instead?

Reactions to the Cespedes signing after the jump:

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Twenty rounds into my dynasty draft and I'm already feeling fatigued. Doing a satellite draft is not easy, especially when it seems like you're never in front of a comp when it's your turn. It's much simpler when you sit down and know the next 3 hours are all about baseball, getting alerts when you're just waking up, eating dinner, or getting ready for bed, make the selection process bothersome at times. But there's no crying in fantasy baseball right? My list of target players has dwindled fast but I'm staying course trying to find the best combination of immediate production and youth. I added some veteran bats last time around which will help me competitive in 2012. As long as I draft 2013 ready talent I should have an easy transition. My pitching corps is thin, as is my list of impact prospects and I'll need to start focusing on that in the coming set. I may reach for reserves but it all plays into the strategy of finding high ceiling-impact prospects in the latter part of the draft while everyone else tries to scrape together a sufficient bench.

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Over at Halos Heaven, The Limey, whoever that is, introduced the idea of a Mike Trout and Bryce Harper swap. While that deal makes sense from a baseball stand point, and it certainly does if you read his argument, I immediately started thinking about who I'd rather have in dynasty. In the early parts of a currently on going dynasty draft, I passed on Mike Stanton with a second first-round pick in order to grab Evan Longoria and follow that up with Bryce Harper, at least that was my intention. My plan almost worked, as Harper went three selections before mine. I then turned to what I believe to be the next best thing by drafting Mike Trout. He doesn't have Harper's power but he does have the build and projectable strength to cast visions of 20+ home runs. What he does have for a fact is superior speed making him a potential five category threat in roto. Harper could be seen as that as well, though I believe Trout will consistently hit for a higher average. But it begs the question, if it came down to Harper and Trout, who would you choose and why?

While the rest of the world was watching the Super Bowl, I was gearing up for what I expect to be multiple fantasy baseball championships. This particular 16 team, H2H league I am in offers quite the keeper quandary. The scoring is below, as is the list of players that could be deemed keeper worthy. You'll see that I have some pretty studly players to choose from and I must narrow it down to 3 keepers with no draft pick penalty. I have a good idea on who I plan on keeping but it's always good to get a second, third, and maybe a fourth opinion. This league has an interesting "graduation" rule where we are allowed to keep 2 bonus keepers who exceed rookie limits for two seasons there after. Those two bonus keepers for me are Carlos Santana and Daniel Hudson. They will exhaust bonus keeper eligibility after this season and then the question becomes will I keep them as regulars? Obviously that answer is a no as of now, but it is worth noting. And before you ask, yes, this roster resulted in a championship, first place from beginning to end. #Humblebrag

Please leave a comment with the 3 players you would keep. Thanks!

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