Losing The Good Phight.

The Philadelphia Phillies are one of baseball's most frustrating franchises as of late. Since a run of dominance that saw them make the postseason for 5 straight seasons (2007-11), including a World Series title and two straight WS appearances, the Phils have been mismanaged at every single level. They don't perform well on the field, they don't draft well, and they don't make smart trades or free agent signings. A rotten fish stinks from the head, but it appears the dorsal fin gets cut first: Ryne Sandberg, the Hall of Fame second baseman who has managed the Phillies since Charlie Manuel stepped down halfway through 2013, resigned this morning. Sandberg compiled a 119-159 record (.428 winning percentage) during his time at the helm, although the bulk of the blame for the dismal state of things in Philadelphia should be placed on GM Ruben Amaro Jr.

Courtesy Bill Streicher, USA Today Sports

It's not surprising to see Sandberg resign while Amaro Jr. remains in power. The field manager is often the first person to take on the role of sacrificial lamb when a team is going badly, while the general manager gets more rope as the architect of the roster. While this makes absolutely no sense, it's simply the way of the baseball world. But how much can Sandberg or anybody do with a lineup that still bats Ryan Howard fourth? What do you do with a rotation that hosts Cole Hamels and four belly-itchers? Seriously, you could replace the entire Phillies outfield with mannequins wearing gloves and nobody would notice a difference. They're even trying their level best to ship their closer (the much-maligned Jonathan Papelbon) out of town when he's one of the few pitchers on the roster with an ERA below 4. Their farm system, outside of Aaron Nola and J.P. Crawford, is scorched earth. This is a team without direction or reinforcements. There is little to look forward to in the Phillies' future.

None of this, mind you, is Sandberg's fault. He is simply an extension of the front office, just like every other manager in the game. He's handed 25 players at the beginning of the year and told to draw every ounce of talent out of them. That much is under his control: the manager is really supposed to balance personalities, to make sure the clubhouse stays loose. Chemistry between teammates has become a vital part of successful franchises, and successful managers should perpetuate a mentality that every player is important, respected and treated fairly. In this regard, Sandberg's failures are myriad and troubling: his clashes last season with longtime Philadelphia shortstop Jimmy Rollins (now of the Los Angeles Dodgers) brought to light the tension between Sandberg and his players; his decision to have outfielder Jeff Francoeur throw 45 pitches in a blowout loss to the Orioles last week drew harsh criticisms from second baseman Chase Utley, among others; his tendency to leave pitchers in too long has been an overall point of contention. It's upsetting when a manager calls out his own players, something Sandberg did with extreme prejudice during his time in Philadelphia. Simply put, he was thrown into a bad situation, and all he did was make things worse.

That being said, Amaro Jr. is still the biggest detriment to the Phillies. His trade demands for Hamels and Cliff Lee over the past few years have been incorrigible. His comments about the discrepancy between Rollins and team legend Mike Schmidt's batting averages when the former tied the latter for the franchise's all-time hit record were dumbfounding. It's no secret that the Phillies are one of the least analytically-inclined teams in the game, but if your GM doesn't understand the correlation between hits and at-bats, he isn't even fit to watch a major league team, much less run one. Amaro Jr. is in the last year of his contract, and with the imminent regime change (rumors have been flying that Andy MacPhail will be replacing Pat Gillick as team president soon), it seems very likely that Ruben will be jobless come 2016. I'm not saying that this will immediately improve the sorry state of the team, but it would be the definition of "addition by subtraction".

Buy Me Some Peanuts And Computer Hacks.

I have to say, for as well acquainted as I am with baseball history, I don't think anything quite like this has happened before: the St. Louis Cardinals, or at least certain employees within the organization, are currently under investigation by the FBI for last year's hacking of the Houston Astros' database. The database, named Ground Control, was compromised last summer when trade discussions, scouting reports and other internal communications were released on the Internet, many of which described GM Jeff Luhnow's (who had worked in a similar capacity with the Cards before his tenure in Houston) machinations during his massive rebuild of the team.

While little has been confirmed in terms of the main suspect(s), it's been speculated that the culprit(s) carried out the hack to get back at Luhnow. This would make a little more sense if the Astros were still in the same division as the Cardinals, but they jumped from the NL Central to the AL West almost a full calendar year before Luhnow joined the team. There's further speculation that the hack, regardless of who carried it out, was also in retaliation for Luhnow supposedly taking "proprietary information" with him from St. Louis. Luhnow, for his part, has yet to comment on the investigation.

Courtesy Sports Talk Florida

Whatever the motivation, this is a huge blemish on an otherwise immaculate franchise. The Cardinals, both on and off the field, have been the game's most respected team over the past decade: they won 2 World Series in that span, played for the pennant 6 times (including the last 4 seasons), and did so both with and without the legendary Albert Pujols. They draft well, develop those draftees efficiently, and turn them into major league All-Stars and MVP candidates. So why undertake such a destructive action against another team? Why kick the Astros when they're down, as they were at the time of the leak? This goes beyond disgruntled employees or basic pettiness; this is a clear, organizational act of aggression. It's a truly ugly incident, one that will undoubtedly tarnish the reputation of everyone involved.

Dave Cameron pointed out on Twitter the shift in perception of the Astros, especially in light of this investigation:

A year ago, Astros were terrible team, botched draft, didn’t protect their servers. Now? Good team, right about Aiken, robbery victims.

— David Cameron (@DCameronFG) June 16, 2015

If those who perpetuated the hack were trying to destroy Luhnow, it appears that they've done quite the opposite. Like Cameron said, the Astros are actually contending ahead of schedule, and Luhnow's much-ballyhooed process seems to finally be paying dividends. In other words, he's starting to deliver on his promise, turning the team in Houston into a reasonable facsimile of the one he constructed in St. Louis.

It's likely that we won't get many details on the identities of the hackers anytime soon, if ever. Major League Baseball can always choose to handle the matter clandestinely once the federal investigation concludes, although if previous scandals are any indication, we'll know the names soon enough. If it turns out that current GM John Mozeliak, owner Bill DeWitt Jr. or any other executive had knowledge of the hack or, worse, approved the actions of those who did the deed, heads are sure to roll with a rapidity we haven't seen since Rickey on the basepaths. Either way, this is corporate espionage of a caliber we've never seen in the game, and baseball must make an example out of the person(s) responsible.

Let Them Play, Straight Or Gay.

Tradition is vitally important to everyone. Regardless of where your spiritual beliefs lie, you undoubtedly hold some activities or customs sacred. Plenty of cultures are set in their ways, with most adherents raised to perpetuate those conventions forever. It's difficult to think of another institution, though, that holds on so dearly to its past, or views it with such reverence, as Major League Baseball. No other sport has been so resistant to change, be it technological (instant replay, social media presence, etc.) or cultural (diversification has long been a prominent issue). While holding fast to outdated concepts can be reassuring or comfortable, change is as crucial to growth as tradition.

Therein lies baseball's biggest problem: their complete and utter aversion to change. Both the NFL and NBA have embraced the cocky swagger of their biggest stars; in fact, they've shrewdly marketed those athletes to great effect. Whether or not you like them, it's impossible to be a sports fan and remain unaware of every move LeBron James, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning make. They are eminently in the face of every sports fan on earth, something that can't be said about any baseball player outside of Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez (for completely different reasons). You can throw Mike Trout, Andrew McCutchen and Clayton Kershaw in that category, but even those three aren't instantly recognizable to everyone. Although the sport is more profitable than ever before, it still struggles to keep pace with those other leagues in terms of popularity. It seems silly to even have this discussion, because the solution is so glaringly obvious: give baseball some attitude. Becoming more "urban", to turn a phrase, is not a bad thing. Racial and ethnic diversity has only strengthened the appeal of basketball and football, and turned them into athletic monoliths. Baseball players want the freedom to express themselves to the same extent. There's no harm in letting them do so.

Understandably, the same sport that blackballed Jim Bouton hasn't come very far in the intervening decades since Ball Four pulled back the curtain for baseball fans. The culture surrounding the game is still mired in relative secrecy, players forced to tone down their personality for the sake of playing the game "the right way". This is seemingly nothing more than pandering to older fans, those who still remember the supposed good old days when ballplayers were viewed as demigods, instead of the sleazy, sexist jerks they are in actuality. I'm not saying players today are completely unscrupulous (as their past counterparts truly were), because many of them are clean-cut, respectable men. Still, even current players try to curb the enthusiasm of their peers: how many times has Carlos Gomez been beaned for supposedly admiring a long home run?

Beyond allowing players to express themselves with on-field celebrations, an even more sensitive scenario has arisen. Billy Bean (the former player and openly gay man, not the current Athletics GM/human trafficker) was hired by Major League Baseball last July as an "ambassador for inclusion", in the hopes of making the sport more friendly and appealing to LGBTQ people. To his credit, one of his first acts was going around to all 30 clubhouses during Spring Training, speaking on the merits of acceptance and compassion to 750 men who seemingly know nothing about either. For all the good Bean has done and continues to do, players like Torii Hunter (a staunchly religious player who has expressed his homophobia on multiple occasions) and Daniel Murphy (who explicitly said he "disagree[s] with the lifestyle" after Bean spoke to his Mets comrades) appear to have missed the point, undercutting his hard work. Keep in mind, this is the sport that didn't allow African Americans to play with white athletes for 70-something years. Members of the LGBTQ community, it stands to reason, face an even steeper uphill battle. Who will be the gender-fluid Jackie Robinson? Will there ever be a gay Larry Doby? Which person will be the first to break through, and as importantly, which executive for which team will be the one to take the plunge? Branch Rickey is almost as celebrated as the man who took a chance on Robinson, and their story of triumph against racial prejudice is well-known. But in this era, when sexual assault and harassment has turned into a monstrously prevalent issue, baseball seems to be dragging its feet. Admittedly, it's the NFL that has been rocked by abuse scandals more recently, but that only gives MLB every reason to jump out in front and show the world that it's the socially progressive association it's been making itself out to be for years.

That brings up another point: the cognitive dissonance on display in baseball is almost laughable. The higher-ups tout their game as the sport of inclusion, while simultaneously doing everything they can to dispel that notion. Unless I've missed something, and inclusion now means "accepting of everybody as long as they're male, Christian and straight". As little as they've done to make the product on the field more diverse, even less has happened in front offices. Ignoring the fact that only two managers (Lloyd McClendon and Fredi Gonzalez of the Mariners and Braves, respectively) are not white males, most teams have few to no minority or female executives, and even MLB's central office has seen a precipitous drop recently in the same areas. For baseball to truly be inclusive, they need to include everybody. Again, this seems simple enough to an ignorant blogger, so it would stand to reason that people far smarter than me feel the same way. That only makes the relative lack of diversity more confounding.

In all fairness, The Institute of Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) points out that baseball does a fairly good job of hiring women and minorities. Even considering that, though, the sport's employment figures for those groups fall well short of the number of white males. If baseball is truly going to be the sport that most supports racial and gender equality, they've still got a ways to go. People like Bean have voices that need to be heard, and it's high time we as sports fans listen.

Thoughts On Baseball's Greatest Villain, or Another Hastily Written A-Rod Think Piece.

He's as polarizing a ballplayer as Pete Rose, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, firmly entrenched in the upper echelon of baseball's most horrendous offenders while somehow maintaining a vocal (if not numerically strong) support base. He's vain to a fault, seemingly unconcerned with the increasingly negative way he's viewed in the public eye. He's a cheater, using banned substances well after they were outlawed. He's a sideshow, always bringing a maelstrom of articles and blog posts (like the one you're reading now) with every move he makes. We have a certain expectation by now, and he never fails to meet it, rueful though he/we may be about it. In spite of all of this, he's one of the greatest players in the game's history by the numbers, though certainly not by reputation. You can't predict baseball, but you can predict Alex Rodriguez.

I can't tell if he's looking at a fly ball or the uphill PR battle he knows he can't win.

You've heard this story before. You've heard it more times than you can even remember, and you've damn sure heard it more times than you ever wanted. Sadly, the debate raging over Rodriguez's place among the all-time greats is one that promises to continue to burn. With his pinch-hit homer last night against the Red Sox, he finally tied Willie Mays for 4th place all-time on the home run list at 660. This should have been cause for wild celebrations across the baseball world. There should have been a sudden boom of babies named A-Rod. Men were supposed to cheer until hoarse, women were supposed to cry until dehydrated, and children were supposed to be in rapt awe of their hero, their champion, their favorite baseball player. So where is the fawning, the adoration, the sheer excitement? Where are the gushing tributes on ESPN and MLB/YES Networks? Do I really have to tell you why this isn't the seminal occasion it would be had he done all of this legitimately, the proverbial "right way"?

No, the most intriguing part of A-Rod's ascent is whether or not the Yankees will pay out the $6 million he's due as per that ridiculous contract. They'll claim he violated the terms of the deal by way of his steroid usage, and that argument may carry more weight in front of an arbitration panel than you may think. Yes, the team is contractually obligated. Sure, they knew what they were getting themselves into when they offered that massively misguided pact to a player coming off another MVP-winning season back in 2007. Of course, nobody could have foretold Rodriguez's rapid fall from grace (unless, you know, you realized that giving a 32 year old athlete a 10-year deal would MAYBE not play out so well in its entirety). But does cheating your way to the top justify the benefits that come with such a position? As we know quite well by this point, most people would say it does not.

This could have been another reverential moment in the history of a franchise chock full of them, but it will now serve as an embarrassing display of excess, the world's richest sports team and the world's richest baseball player arguing over what amounts to a rounding error for both. It will stand as the moment that the problems caused by the Steroid Era finally came to a head, with baseball's last prominent juicer trying to clear his name and make his money while everything burns around him. It seems like there's no upper limit to Rodriguez's ability to infuriate everyone who knows his crimes, his self-serving ways perpetuating themselves to no end. While he's assumed the humble, team-player persona in 2015, that doesn't erase the grandiose arrogance and flagrant disregarding of the game's written and unwritten rules he demonstrated in the 15 years (and possibly longer) prior to now. This is a tremendous historical event, and nobody cares purely because of who's involved.

Even though the person involved is apparently some kind of telekinetic wizard? That has to count for something...

It's easy to say that Rodriguez should be ashamed of himself, that he shouldn't accept the money even if the Steinbrenners simultaneously slip into senility and offer it up willingly. In all fairness, there are some who wonder if he truly deserves to keep playing the bad guy, a role he seemed ill-suited for even 5 years ago. "How long can this unrelenting flagellation go on?", you may ask. Well, Rose is still waiting for his reinstatement, 26 years after being banned. Shoeless Joe Jackson, who by all accounts didn't earnestly participate in the Black Sox Scandal in 1919, still remains outside of baseball's good standing nearly a century later. We as baseball fans may forgive to an extent, but we don't forget. Bonds and Clemens won't make it into the Hall of Fame in their lifetimes, if at all, and we really only have speculation and visual "proof" that they took steroids. We have an admission AND several failed tests for A-Rod. His money is in the bank, his numbers eternally carved into the all-time lists. But make no mistake, Alex Rodriguez will never escape the denigration of public opinion. As he continues to inch up those lists (just 54 more until he ties Babe Ruth!), it will only intensify, the jeering of those who once clamored for his mammoth blasts rising towards a crescendo that will be sustained for decades. And he has nobody to blame but the doe-eyed monster staring back at him in the mirror.

So give him the money. Give him what he's owed, because he IS due at least that much. Buster Olney of ESPN put it best when he said this, shortly after Rodriguez's suspension for his involvement in the Biogenesis mess was announced in July 2013:

A-Rod is Charles Foster Kane of Citizen Kane as he nears the end of his baseball life: In his castle, surrounded by riches, without allies.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 25, 2013

Really, what harm is there in paying the man? What he gains in monetary value, he's lost in fan perception, a blow much more damaging than anything financial. Alex Rodriguez had a chance to be baseball's golden god, the man deserving of the "greatest of all time" title. Now, he's little more than a punchline. A well-compensated punchline, at least.

TBF's Fantastically Kontrived Fantasy Korner - April 21th

Let's dive right into today's FKFK the same way we always do.

Buy Buy Buy - Alfredo Simon, SP, Detroit Tigers
If I told you 3 years ago that in the 2015 season, the Tigers rotation would be led by a right-handed power pitcher with a strong fastball, you'd have probably laughed and said "No way, Justin Verlander will be pitching for another team by then." Well, idiot from 3 years ago, I hate to tell you this, but not only is JV still in Detroit, but we aren't talking about him. An offseason acquisition from the Reds, Simon, 33, had a renaissance year in 2014, pitching to a 3.44 ERA (4.33 FIP) in 196 1/3 innings, his first season as a starter since 2011. He won't ever be a big strikeout hurler, as the 7.67 K/9 he posted back in 2012 still represents a career high, and the low BABIP is also a sign that regression is due, but if he can continue to limit walks at a 0.87 clip per 9, that will go a long way towards keeping the ERA and FIP roughly in line with each other. While his fastball has dropped this season from 94 MPH to 92, Simon's pinpoint control normally helps him avoid getting into too many jams. He's never posted any particularly overwhelming numbers until last season, and even those put him in the "acceptable" fantasy tier rather than the "must-draft" tier. Still, until the blowup comes to pass, he can add a lot of value to your team. Never thought those words would be uttered about an erstwhile murderer.

Sell Em If You Got Em - Mike Zunino, C, Seattle Mariners
Nobody expects a lot of fantasy-relevant numbers to come out of any backstop, but if you're one of the hundreds of people that saw 22 homers next to Zunino's name last year (while somehow ignoring the .199 average), you may have the wool pulled a little too tightly over your eyes. While the 24 year old certainly provides a ton of power from a position not known for it, the rest of Zunino's counting stats suffer mightily even when compared to other catchers. In 196 career games over the last 3 years, he's managed a .261 OBP and a .364 SLG. When you're struggling to break the .650 mark in OPS, you're simply unqualified to face major league pitching, even if you can call for it with aplomb. In fact, it's likely that Zunino still has the starting job in Seattle due to the lack of depth behind him: Jesus Montero is still in Triple-A fending off snide remarks about his weight, and Jesus Sucre is a make-believe person with 69 plate appearance over the last 2 years. Just because the Mariners can't afford to let him go doesn't mean you should needlessly cling to him, though. Jason Castro of the Astros is available in 90 percent of Yahoo leagues, and is an eminently better hitter.

Hurlers In The Stream - Dan Haren, SP, Miami Marlins
Haren is one of the more well-traveled pitchers in today's game: since 2010, he's been traded from the Diamondbacks to the Angels, played for the Nationals and Dodgers one year apiece, and then shipped to the Marlins during this past offseason. Haren, 34, has managed to stay steadily employed despite a sharp dropoff in the velocity of his fastball; this is likely due to the heavier reliance on his splitter, which he's throwing more frequently as the miles come off his other pitches. In spite of that, Haren remains a relatively competent major league-caliber starter, and the team he's facing tonight in Philadelphia more closely resembles a disinterested Little League squad than an MLB one. While Chase Utley might give him the fits, there's no other reason to believe this matchup won't end in Haren's favor.

Minor League Korner - Addison Russell, SS/2B, Chicago Cubs
We're kinda cheating here, but nobody's actually reading these posts, so does it even matter? If a fantasy expert gets something wrong and nobody's around to call him on it, was he ever really incorrect? The most recent in a long line of Cubs prospects making their debut in the hopes of turning the big league club around, Russell may have the most upside of them all. A middle infielder with power is a beautiful sight to behold, and the 21 year old has that in spades. He can run and field beautifully, but unless you're playing in a defense league (and let's face it, you probably don't), that isn't going to help you. What will help you if you're a Russell owner is him playing half of his games in the Friendliest of Confines: with the wind blowing out, most hits coming off of Russell's bat should find some part of the ivy at Wrigley Field if nothing else. Slotting him ahead of Kris Bryant in the lineup should also give Russell a boost, as it'll become much harder for pitchers to pitch around him. The future continues to get brighter in Chicago, another nonsensical sentiment.

TBF's Fantastically Kontrived Fantasy Korner - April 20th

Welcome back, fantasy owners and disinterested jerks alike! Hope you all managed to get through the weekend relatively unscathed, and that my "expert" advice has already helped you reach new, imaginary heights. Here we go with week 2 of said advice, in week 3 of the actual MLB season.

Buy Buy Buy - Carlos Rodon, SP/RP, Chicago White Sox
Not to be outdone by their crosstown NL counterparts who called up their own uber-prospect this past weekend (maybe you've heard of him? Kid named Bryant??), the floundering ChiSox are finally promoting Rodon, the third pick in last year's draft and, by all accounts, an absolute force on the bump. While indicative of nothing, Rodon, 22, notched a K/9 of 13.4 in 34 1/3 innings last season, going straight from Single- to Triple-A without missing a beat. He held opponents to a .215 batting average in that same span, which is a lot lower than it may sound (remember, minor leaguers routinely hit over .300). The best news is that you don't need to fret about making space for him in your rotation, because he's slated to start his major league career in the bullpen a la future rotation mate Chris Sale. This way, Rodon won't get too much mileage on his arm before becoming a starter full-time, increasing the likelihood that he and that disgusting slider will last longer through the fatigue of the baseball season. The future looks bright in Chicago, a sentence that hasn't been uttered in decades.

Sell Em If You Got Em - Russell Martin, C, Toronto Blue Jays
It was a nice feel-good moment when Martin, a Montreal native (if only that city had a baseball team...), signed with Canada's only baseball team this offseason, but the jingoism can only go so far. Nobody expected Martin, 32, to replicate the .402 OBP he provided during his final campaign with the Pirates, but he's gotten off to an extremely slow start to begin this season. He's currently sporting a .623 OPS, and I know, small sample sizes, blah blah blah, but the Jays didn't give him $82 million to hit like a Molina (Yadier excluded). Martin's pitch framing abilities are his strongest assets, to be clear, so he isn't expected to be the offensive sparkplug in a lineup that also houses Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and offseason acquisition Josh Donaldson. Still, a .129 average is ugly no matter how many games have been played to this point. If Martin doesn't get things going soon, you may want to start fielding offers for him on the low end.

Hurlers In The Stream - Anthony DeSclafani, SP, Cincinnati Reds
The linchpin of the Mat Latos trade, DeSclafani was highly touted with both Toronto and Miami before finally making Cincinnati's Opening Day roster this year. He doesn't throw a lot of strikeouts, nor does he prevent baserunners at an impressive rate. What DeSclafani does best, though, is mix his pinpoint command with a fastball that has become his calling card. He issues very few walks, which will be crucial against a Brewers team looking for offense anywhere it can be found. The 25 year old recently added a curveball to his repertoire, and while its efficacy is undetermined as of yet, a solid curve helps cross up a lot of hitters, especially if thrown unexpectedly. The Reds haven't gotten off to the best start, but they could still play saboteur early on and kick the flailing Brewers while they're down. DeSclafani would definitely go a long way to that end.

TBF's Current Standing - After starting the season in 5th place, I beat Zach, the 4th place team, which caused the two of us to flip in the standings. I'm still looking up at three very strong teams, and will be facing the first-place team this week, but I'm confident that my roster will eventually garner me a playoff spot. In our league, 6 teams make the playoffs out of 10, so as long as I can stay above 7th, your favorite writer (I'm assuming) will have another chance to do some real damage come September.

TBF's Fantastically Kontrived Fantasy Korner - April 17th

We've finally reached the end of our first week!! That's right, you fantasy owners are on your own for the weekend. Before that, let's take a look at some guys who could help you get through to Monday (and close out your matchup in style).

Buy Buy Buy - Kris Bryant, 3B, Chicago Cubs
You had to know this one was coming. As expected by every single person on the planet, the Cubs have recalled Bryant from Triple-A to make his major league debut today. The 23 year old has absolutely monstrous power, and you've probably stopped reading this already, haven't you? There's honestly no need for me to explain anything about this kid, but just as a reminder, here's what he provided across Double- and Triple-A last season: .325/.438/.661, 43 homers, 325 total bases, and a dazzling smile. He tore through Spring Training, but was sent back to the minors to work on his defense. Apparently, his defense improved so swiftly that it only took juuuuust enough time to ensure that the Cubs will control Bryant through 2021 instead of 2020. Coincidence? You be the judge. While you'll need to expect a ton of strikeouts to go with all the extra-base hits, is that really going to stop you from making a play for him? If you own him, you're not selling. If he's a free agent in your league, you're playing in a league with absolute morons, including you. God (or Theo Epstein) said, "Let there be light-tower power", and He saw that it was damn good.

Sell Em If You Got Em - Tim Beckham, 2B, Tampa Bay Rays
It feels kinda crummy to advise selling Beckham (on the slim chance he's actually owned in your league), since the former first overall draft pick has had a very difficult road to the majors. Beckham, 25, had a cup of coffee back in 2013, but this is his first year starting at the keystone after the trade that sent Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar to Oakland. While he's performed at an acceptable rate through the first handful of games, he's already struck out 9 times in 21 at-bats. He doesn't walk much either, which will kill you in OBP. Is the power worth it? Considering that he's never hit more than 6 homers in a season (and that was back in Triple-A during the 2012 season), I'd have to say no. Beckham has the speed and potential to steal 15 bags in the bigs, but he hasn't swiped a single base yet. In fact, he's only stolen 18 total since the 2013 season began. I know that keeping him off your roster may seem like a given, but you'd be surprised how deep some leagues are. There isn't a league deep enough to justify having Beckham as your second baseman, though...except MLB, I suppose.

Hurlers In The Stream - Drew Hutchison, SP, Toronto Blue Jays
He may not have the same nominal recognition of rotation mates Mark Buehrle, R.A. Dickey or Marcus Stroman, but Hutchison is as vital a cog in the Blue Jays as any of those pitchers. In 184 2/3 innings last season, the 24 year old had a strong left-on-base percentage of 71.2. That's going to be crucial as the Jays take on the Braves at home. While the Atlanta crew has gotten off to a scorching offensive start, something few anticipated, it isn't sustainable: guys like Nick Markakis, Cameron Maybin and (gulp) Alberto Callaspo aren't slugging machines, but they all have the ability to put the ball in play and beat it out. Therefore, having a guy like Hutchison on the bump makes a lot of sense as far as holding the running game. If he mixes his offspeed stuff in more frequently, as he's done in small samples this year, it should be enough to cross up a depleted lineup like the one coming to the Great White North from the South.

Weekend Warrior - Billy Butler, DH, Oakland Athletics
For the first time in his career, Butler will play on the Royals' home field, Kauffman Stadium, as a visitor after signing with the A's this past offseason. Although Kauffman is murder on right-handed sluggers, Butler's OPS is almost 90 points higher there than on the road, .851 to .767. He's off to a fairly hot start this season, something that could boost his chances of having a big weekend. This part is purely sentimental, but he turns 29 tomorrow, and players often reach back and try a little harder on their cake day. I'm not saying you should expect Country Breakfast to steal 5 bases over the course of this series, but a couple of long balls and some timely hits should be in the pipeline for the big man's return to the Midwest.