Fantasy File

Position battles still brewing in camp

Matt Herges has just two career saves but will likely share closing duties in Los Angeles. Harry How/Allsport

By James Quintong, CNNSI.com

While we're all agonizing over our busted NCAA tournament brackets, it's time to continue preparing or conducting your fantasy draft. Remember, Opening Day is about two weeks away, just as March Madness comes to an end.

And while the season is approaching rapidly, there are still a number of starting jobs still up for grabs that are definitely worth watching. The contenders for these spots will likely come with a reduced price tag at your draft, but could become real bargains should someone take control later in the spring or in the first weeks of the season.

Here are a handful of notable position battles that are still brewing this spring. In some cases, there are notable leaders for the job, but in other cases, it's still wide open.

Rangers third base (Mike Lamb vs. Hank Blalock): Lamb did an adequate job at the hot corner after replacing Ken Caminiti in midseason. However, he didn't show much power to go along with a .306 average. Plus, his defense has made him a serious liability. Super prospect Blalock reminds many of George Brett, and he's been hitting like him this spring. It'll come down to the wire, but Blalock is the better long-term bet.

Red Sox second base (Jose Offerman vs. Rey Sanchez) Offerman's offensive numbers have fallen off considerably in recent years, and his defense is still as below average as ever. The veteran Sanchez is likely to take over the starting job, although he offers only a little bit of speed and a very empty .280-.290 average. Slide Offerman down your charts while Sanchez may be worth a couple of bucks.

Yankees right field (Shane Spencer vs. John Vander Wal): There appears to be a platoon situation at work here with the right-hand hitting Spencer and the lefty-swinging Vander Wal. Both have put up nice numbers in platoon roles in the past, and both are worth in the $5-8 range as a fourth or fifth outfielder. Plus, with Rondell White's injury history, both players will likely get time in left field as well.

Dodgers closer (Matt Herges vs. Paul Quantrill vs. Giovanni Carrara): The departure of Jeff Shaw opens up a huge hole in Los Angeles. For now, there appears to be a closer-by-committee in place led by Herges, who's been one of the best middle men, and Quantrill, an All-Star setup man in Toronto last year. Don't go overboard bidding on them thinking they'll get tons of saves, but they should go for a little more than a good setup man.

Dodgers shortstop (Alex Cora vs. Cesar Izturis): Cora's defense keeps him in the lineup while his bat kills many fantasy teams. However, Izturis, acquired with Quantrill this winter has been outstanding both with the glove and the bat, hitting .343 this spring. Izturis should be the guy and is worth looking at for decent average and steals numbers.

Cubs second base (Delino DeShields vs. Bobby Hill): DeShields' numbers were way down last year, thanks in part to a horrible start in Baltimore. He'll move back to the infield after being a glorified utility guy last year and could get a bunch of steals if he starts. However, the up-and-coming Hill has hit a couple of homers this spring and could take the job sooner rather than later.

Cubs center field (Corey Patterson vs. Roosevelt Brown): The highly touted Patterson has yet to produce during his stints in the majors but yet was guaranteed a starting job earlier this spring. However, he's hitting just .209 this spring. On the other hand, backup center fielder Brown has hit .367 with a team-leading 13 runs scored through Friday. Manager Don Baylor says Patterson's job may be in jeopardy. At this point, neither is worth a whole lot right now.

Expos third base (Fernando Tatis vs. Chris Truby): While Truby's trade from Houston opens up a spot for Morgan Ensberg (although Keith Ginter is still getting a look), Truby now walks into another third base situation in Montreal. Tatis is still recovering from knee surgery and probably won't be ready for Opening Day, so Truby should get the start and could grab the job if Tatis can't come through after the injury. Tatis is a more talented player overall than Truby, but he's finding his way out of the lineup with all of his problems.

Cardinals left field (Placido Polanco vs. So Taguchi): Polanco was an excellent utility player last year, showing off some great contact hitting throughout the season. That helped earn him a potential starting job in left field as Tony La Russa appears to have a more stable lineup with Tino Martinez and Albert Pujols anchoring the corners. He's hitting .433 this spring, fending off the challenge from Taguchi, Ichiro's teammate in Japan who's hitting just .143.

Reds right field (Ruben Mateo vs. Juan Encarnacion vs. Austin Kearns): Mateo and Encarnacion are among those unproven five-tool outfielder Cincinnati has stockpiled over the past years for some inexplicable reason. While the first two have stumbled at times in the majors, Austin Kearns was waiting for his turn to join the outfield. Kearns was taken ahead of teammate Adam Dunn in the 1998 draft but a wrist injury ended his 2001 season early. It's a matter of time before Kearns joins Dunn in the outfield, but for now, none of the three has deserved a spot, as they're all hitting below the Mendoza line.

Mariners catcher (Ben Davis vs. Dan Wilson): Wilson has been an average-to-above average fantasy catcher in Seattle, although he hasn't been anything remarkable recently. Davis has been a hotshot prospect who hasn't really developed into the major league star everyone expected. However, Davis appears to have the inside edge on the job, although he's still not worth more than a few bucks.

James Quintong is Fantasy Sports Producer at CNNSI.com.

 

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