AGRI Biz

Manny Ramirez is one of the premier right-handed sluggers of all-time.  No one is going to question that fact.  However, he’ll turn 38-years-old in May and is coming off a season where he was suspended for 50-games.  So how much could we expect him to have left in the tank? Before we get to that, let’s look at how he performed last season: 352 At Bats .290 Batting Average (102 Hits) 19 ...

Jose Reyes’ thyroid problem throws a huge wrench into fantasy owners’ plans for their upcoming draft.  Not only does he have a known problem, but the time frame for his potential return is wide open.  According to Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News (click here for the article), “Reyes cannot have any physical exertion for the next two to eight weeks." If that were not enough, once he returns to ...

Let’s continue to look at late round options turning our attention to shortstop.  Two of the options late in your draft we’ve already discussed in great detail, so I’m not going to rehash them here, but if you are curious, you can click the links to get the details on them Everth Cabrera   and Alcides Escobar. After those two, are there really any other options that fantasy owners should be ...

By now we’ve all heard about the injury to Joe Nathan, which has the potential to end his 2010 campaign before it even begins.  According to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minnesota Star-Tribune (click here for the full article): “While surgery certainly looks to be imminent, Nathan will take two weeks to let the swelling in the area subside. He’ll work with the trainers to strengthen the muscles around the ...

Acquired in the deal that sent George Sherrill to Los Angeles, Josh Bell appeared on the precipice of a Major League job heading into 2010 before the Orioles signed both Garrett Atkins and Miguel Tejada.  Now, just an injury away of getting an opportunity, Bell should certainly still be on the radars of fantasy baseball owners.   2009 Statistics (Split between Two Double-A Teams) 448 At Bats .295 Batting Average (132 Hits) ...

Rain wreaked havoc out in Arizona, but that didn’t limit the number of interesting storylines. Catching battles, injury returns breakouts, and more. What else can you ask for? Jeremy Bonderman is a pitcher with a lot of eyes on him. We’ve all heard about the potential, but he’s never seemed to put it all together. Throw in last year’s injury, and you really have no clue what you are going ...

The spring games continue, as do the intriguing position battles.  Could Wade Davis’ grasp on the fifth starter spot fade?  Could Ike Davis force his way into the Mets’ 1B mix?  Let’s look at these stories and all the rest: Wade Davis struggled in his spring debut, giving up one run on two hits and three walks, striking out one over 1.2 innings.  It’s just one outing, but the battle for the fifth ...

Since signing with the White Sox out of Cuba, Alexei Ramirez has been a player on the radar of fantasy owners.  His rookie campaign started off slowly, but by year’s end he was thought of as a potential stud.  How could a 20/20 threat out of a middle infield position not be?  Unfortunately, he took a small step back across the board in 2009, posting the following line: 542 At Bats ...

As the spring games roll on, the focus is going to shift greatly to the pitchers, where there are quite a few interesting battles brewing.  Let’s take a look at how things played out in today’s games:   The Yankees-Rays game was full of young pitchers with varying results. The Rays’ duo of David Price (1.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 K) and Jeremy Hellickson (1.1 IP, 0 R, ...

The Florida Marlins opted not to sign a veteran first baseman to fill their need, so they will instead turn within the organization to plug the hole.  The most likely player to open the season is Gaby Sanchez, the team's 2005 fourth-round draft pick.  The question fantasy owners have to ask is, does he have the potential to make an impact in 2010? He spent the bulk of the 2009 season at ...