Almost here

With roughly one week to go before the season starts I thought it'd be a good opportunity to review some spring stand outs to see who might be for real this year. We do have to be careful looking at spring stats, but it's important to look at a few things when considering these stand outs: Are they returning from an injury? Are they fighting for a new starting job? Were these guys a highly touted prospect that might have been forgotten after a slow start to their career? Did they finish strong in the 2nd half of last season? These are just a few questions to consider when looking at players in the spring.

Adam Jones OF BAL - He was the prized prospect of the Eric Bedard trade and didn't have a great start to his career in BAL, but finished strong in the 2nd half and has built on that success this spring. With a .378 BA, 1 HR and 7 SBs, he's showing the talent that made him a coveted piece of the trade. He showed promise last year, but never really put it all together. I think he's primed for a mini break out this year and might threaten 20+ SBs with solid numbers across the board.

Kevin Gregg RP CHC - When he was traded to the Cubs this off season, it appeared that he was brought in to set up flamethrower Carlos Marmol. The problem this spring has been Marmol's lack of effectiveness. Gregg has been solid and appears to have done enough to possibly win the closer job. Pinella is supposed to choose this weekend, but either way Gregg should figure into the saves picture and can be had pretty late in most drafts. Don't sleep on this sleeper.

Chris Carpenter SP STL - For a 4 year stretch he was one of the best pitchers in the NL. After a couple of surgeries he's on his way back this spring. He's shown great control with only 4 walks in 19 innings. He also hasn't allowed an earned run while racking up 10 K's. If he can return to form this season, he could be the steal of draft since he's being taken in the late teen rounds of most 12 team leagues.

Jordan Zimmermann SP WAS - The "other" Zimmermann in WAS, Jordan has burst onto the scene with 20 K's in only 14 innings. He has also wrapped up the 5th spot in the National rotation and looks to possibly be this year's Edison Volquez. While I'm not ready to put him on that level, he is definitely worth a flyer late in most 12 team leagues, if anything for the strike out potential.

Ryan Howard 1b PHI - This might be an obvious one, but I wanted to point out the potential steal this guy could be. People are scared off from Howard because of his BA, but if he can raise his average to .270 he'll easily give you first round value. He's leading all players with 7 HRs and hitting a respectable .293 with 18 RBIs. I think he rebounds and is well worth a selection at the end of round 1 or beginning of round 2.