1) Unprofessional E-mail Address – You need a clean, basic, and professional e-mail address (ex. jasonwuerfel@x.com).  Personally, I read every e-mail, but for many (including your potential non-baseball employers), sending an e-mail from an address such as “mrbigshot@x.com” or “bigpimpin@x.com,” shines a negative light on you and your resume.

2) Unprofessional Writing – Your e-mail is a job application and the way you write is a direct reflection of your makeup and intelligence.  Keep it simple, write in complete sentences, and make an honest attempt at correct punctuation.  Writing a quick, scribbled e-mail that looks more like a text message makes you look like you don’t care.

3) Impersonal/Mass E-mail – Make your e-mail personal – mention the contact person by name, mention the name of the team, and make it look like you did a little research.  If you choose to send an e-mail to multiple teams at once (not advised), be sure to use BCC (Blind Carbon Copy).  Sending a mass e-mail to 50+ indy clubs is a big turn off.

4) Resume – Do not attach a resume – it probably won’t get opened.  If you want to include a bit of your background, make it as brief as possible.  Include the basic info such as height, weight, hit/throw, 60 yard dash time, and a couple of key stats from the highest level of baseball you’ve played (not required – your stats will be verified before the tryout anyway).  If you make it too long, it won’t be read, and never include high school stats, awards, or references.  The only references you should include should be from pro scouts.  College coaches are bad references because of their emotional attachment to ex-players.

5) Statistical Honesty -DO NOT LIE ABOUT YOUR STATS.  It takes me less than ten seconds to verify all your information.  Lying about your stats is an extremely poor reflection on your character and a mistake that is very difficult to overcome.

6) Injury Information – If you missed time with an injury, just say: “I missed most of my senior year due to injury.”  Do not say, “I missed most of my senior year due to a major hamstring tear.”  If you get a pro contract, you’ll need to pass a physical anyway, and offering too much injury information can taint how you’re perceived at a tryout before you even show up.  It also makes it look like you’re making excuses for yourself, which is never good.

7) Phone Calls – Do not pester pro teams will phone calls, you’re not going to talk your way onto a professional roster.  If you have questions about upcoming tryouts, e-mail is the best avenue.  Repetitive phone calls do not make you look persistent, they make you look like you’re difficult.

Being Argumentative, Rude, or Forceful – If someone from an indy club takes the time to respond to one of your e-mails and you want to follow-up, be polite and respectful.  Unless you have significant pro experience, the vast majority of indy clubs will not sign you sight unseen.  Every year I get return e-mails from players without pro experience who expect to be signed on the spot and are upset that I suggested they attend one of my tryouts (see below).

9) Poor Self-Evaluation – Be honest and realistic about your ability.  Look yourself in the mirror – people who work in pro baseball are good at their jobs, they find talent, and if they’re not banging down your door, you are a tryout player.   If you’re contacting pro teams and they’re not contacting you, do not be insulted when they ask you to go to a tryout.

10) Mom/Dad – Never (ever ever ever ever) allow your parents to contact professional baseball teams on your behalf.  In fact, don’t let mom and dad contact McDonald‘s on your behalf.  Having been through “difficult parent” scenarios on almost a yearly basis, there is nothing that raises a bigger red flag than a parent contacting me on behalf of their son.  It brings up the following assumptions:  the parent is going to be demanding and the player is going to be soft (among other things).

Conclusion – If you’ve managed to set up your tryouts, contact the teams involved, and avoid the missteps mentioned above, make sure to check out Part 2, where I’ll lay out the biggest mistakes players make at the tryouts themselves.

Gio Gonzalez is on the trade block and, as if Billy Beane was divinely inspired by Brad Pitt’s performance in Moneyball, he’s trying to trade like it’s 1999 (or whenever that book came out, cue “Lazy Song” music).

And while anyone with eyes and a high school level grasp of statistics can tell you that Gonzalez’s career 4.4 BB/9 is an enormous red flag, teams are still begging Beane to take their top prospects in exchange for the 26-year old left-hander.

In true bizzaro-world fashion, the Washington National have stepped up as a possible suitor for Gio’s services.  Here’s why trading Gonzalez to the NL East power(less)house would be a MLB fan’s dream.

Don’t look now, but with the Marlins new shopping spree (on the tab of the taxpayers of Miami-Dade) and the Nationals (eventual) prospect emergence, the NL East is shaping up to be quite a dogfight.  The Phillies and Braves and still ahead of the pack, but the Mets will always have deep pockets and the Nationals can only draft #1 overall for so long before they break .500 (right?).  If the NL East wasn’t already must-watch drama, here are a few more moves that would put it over the top:

1.  Nationals trade for Gio Gonzalez – With a rotation of Strasburg, Zimmerman, Gonzalez, cross your fingers on Chien-Ming Wang, and hand it off to a solid bullpen headlined by Drew Storen, and you have a chance to be worth watching on a nightly basis.

2.  Marlins sign Yoenis Cespedes – If you haven’t heard of the Cuban defector with the Kenny Powers-like hip-hop inspired highlight video, he’s the real deal, and he’s hitting the market as soon as he gains residency in the Dominican Republic.  Putting Cespedes in the middle of the Marlins’ lineup is a better move than Pujols cause he’s younger, cheaper, plays a premium position, and allows the Marlins to keep Gaby Sanchez in the lineup.

3.  The Braves trade Prado and Jurrjens – Just the thought should make Braves’ fans break into a sweat, and yet the rumors are both guys are on the block. Why would you consider moving Jurrjens, a legit top-of-the-rotation guy, and Prado, a super utility man who can actually hit?  Sure, both guys were dinged up last year, but they don’t hit the free agent market until 2014.  If the Braves move these guys, they drop 4-6 wins.

4.  The other shoe drops in Philly – Not a “move” per se, but after resigning Jimmy Rollins, the Phillies aren’t getting any younger, and you can only keep the same guys on the field for so long without seeing a natural decline.  We aren’t in the steroid era anymore, players in their 30s are going to see a natural digression in their skills, and nearly ever player in Philly is starting to creep into the 32+ range.

Oliver has the ability to pitch in the big leagues,
without question. I do not know how people came to the notion that he is a
future front of the rotation starter. His fastball is his best pitch. He throws
it around 94mph and can turn up the heat and get it around 97. From the left
hand side, this kind of heat is not seen every day. His fastball alone gives
him a good shot of becoming a major league pitcher. To be a big league starter
it is essentially a requirement that the pitcher can throw 3 at least average pitches.

Oliver’s secondary offerings are not nearly as
impressive as his fastball. He throws a change-up and a slider. The change-up
is light-years behind where it should be. In the brief amount of time that he
has spent with the Tigers, the change-up has been inconsistent at best, and
only average when it is on. The slider, on the other hand, is an impressive
pitch. He has the ability to throw it at the right speed and it has almost
ideal break… if there is such thing. There is one thing that gets in the way of
the slider becoming a true plus pitch: control. It would be hard to believe that
he knows where it is headed when he lets go. This lack of control is a complete
deal breaker for Oliver. If he can gain control, he will become an outstanding
major league pitcher. With the assortment of pitches that he offers, control
will ultimately determine what type of pitcher he will come.

Let’s say, for conversation sake, that he is able to
develop control. Furthermore, let’s also say that his change-up can become an
average pitch. We are talking about a left hander with two above average
pitches and a third pitch rating as average. In this perfect world scenario,
Oliver is a reliable starter. On most teams, he would rate as a2nd or 3^rd
starter and even lower in a good rotation. I do not believe that he has shown
anything to believe that he will become this perfect world pitcher.

Realistically, Oliver is a late innings reliever. In
order for him to become a starter, he would have to improve his command by
leaps and bounds while developing a change-up. The Tigers are not known for
being patient with young players and Oliver is already 23 (23 in Detroit is
equal to 26 in other organizations). A move to the bullpen would allow him to
forget about his change-up and rely more heavily on his dominant fastball. I
highly recommend that the Tigers give up on making him a starter and put him in
their bullpen, sooner than later. As for the rest of the baseball world, wake
up and smell the coffee.

            Team                        Conference        Record

 It is quite obvious that things have changed drastically since the beginning of the season as far as the college rankings are concerned. Last time I came out with these rankings, TCU was ranked number one and they have fallen ten places before conference play all the way down to number 11. Vanderbilt has taken over as the new number 1 in the country with a record of 22-3 as their squad continues to represent the Southeastern Conference well.

 The Southeastern Conference is actually well represented throughout the Top 25 College Rankings as they have placed three teams in the top 5 including #1Vanderbilt, #3South Carolina, and #4Florida. Other conferences are also well represented throughout these rankings, but there does not seem to be too many surprises as far as the top teams are concerned. The Big 12 has placed Texas, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma all in the top 10. Also, probably not much of a surprise to anyone, the PAC-10 is well represented with UCLA, Arizona, California, and Stanford. However, UCLA came into the season ranked number 2 and has fallen all the way back to number 20. The Atlantic Coast Conference is represented by powerhouse baseball schools such as Georgia Tech, Clemson, North Carolina, and Florida State.

 Teams from all of these conferences have spent the first part of the year traveling and competing against competition from all over the country and with schools they might not be too familiar with. Now it’s time to get into conference play, which is the true beginning of fighting for a championship. Teams have just finished up their second week of conference play but there is still much more to go. Check back for in conference updates!

The San Francisco Giants have been given top spot because of their World Series victory. Right now they are the team to beat. This would be the case even if they traded their whole team away. Texas was not afforded the same spot in the AL simply because they did what every team could do,–and that includes amateur teams–lose.

1. San Francisco Giants- A World Series championship is all the explanation they need to be in top spot. The Giants have promise otherwise. Starting pitchers Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner will all start the year under the age of 27. That usually means their best years are still ahead of them. Add to that Rookie of the Year winner, catcher Buster Posey (24)  and the Giants should be competitive for the foreseeable future.

2. Philadelphia Phillies- Last season the Phillies starting rotation was one of the best. It featured Cy Young award winner Roy Halladay as well as a couple other front end starters, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hammels. They added highly desired starter Cliff Lee in the offseasn and should be a favorite based on pitching alone. Injuries to Dominic Brown and Chase Utley will hurt, but there are other bats capable of stepping up. Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Placido Polanco to name a few.

3. Milwaukee Brewers- Sticking with the trend of pitching, the Brewers made sure they had just that this offseason. They traded for Shaun Marcum and former Cy Young award winner Zack Greinke. That gives them three–including Yovani Gallardo–top notch starters in a Central division that isn’t particularly strong. Add power hitters Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder and the Brewers are as good a bet as any to take the division crown.

4. Atlanta Braves- The Braves have a lot of talent on their roster, and coming up through their minor league system. According to the Baseball Prospect Handbook, the Braves have the second best farm system. Depth is always important for teams when adversity strikes. The Braves won 91 games last season and could even improve this season. Adding second baseman Dan Uggla to a lineup that already features 2010 Rookie of the Year finalist Jason Heyward (18 home runs) and Brian McCann (21 homeruns in 2010).

5. Colorado Rockies- The Rockies have a dynamic young pitching staff headed by Ubaldo Jiminez (19 wins 2.88 ERA in 2010) and great young hitters in shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez. Once the season starts, the Giants lose their automatic spot in top position and could very easily be replaced by the Colorado Rockies.

6. Cincinnati Reds- The reigning division champions will more than likely see some regression this season, especially from their pitching staff. Any regression first baseman Joey Votto has though could be made up by outfielder Jay Bruce who has been improving every season. The NL Central is going to be a tight 4 team race this season, with the Reds in the thick of it.

7. St. Louis Cardinals- Initially the Cardinals were ranked higher, but losing their staff ace Adam Wainwright for the season to Tommy John surgery will be difficult to overcome. A healthy season from Chris Carpenter and a monster season from future hall of famer Albert Pujols will help them overcome it.

8. Chicago Cubs- The Cubs are hoping the former Tampa Rays they have picked up–starting pitcher Matt Garza and first baseman Carlos Pena–help them return to the winning side. A switch from the AL East to the NL central could see Garza put up some gaudy numbers.

9. LA Dodgers- The Dodgers are looking to bounce back under new manager Don Mattingly. They boast a pitching staff that is second to only the Giants in the division, led by 22 year old Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw had a very impressive season in 2010, with a 2.91 ERA and 212 strikeouts it is scary to think his numbers could be even better this season.

10. San Diego Padres- The Padres had a breakout season last year and fell just short of a return to the playoffs. Any chances of building on that success dwindled when they traded first basemen Adrian Gonzalez to the Boston Red Sox. The Padres got a good return for him, but none of these players will be impact players this season.

11. Florida Marlins- Always riddled with talent but never with payroll the Marlins traded second baseman and 30 homerun man Dan Uggla to the Atlanta Braves. They still have talented hitters in their line-up, including shortstop Hanley Ramirez. Big things are even expected of sophomore right fielder Mike Stanton. The Marlins, however, have a long way to go to reach the Braves and Phillies.

12.Washington Nationals- The Nationals have a lot of upside, but not a lot has changed since last season. They did lose Adam Dunn, but they have replaced him nicely with Jayson Werth. Stephen Strasburg won’t make an appearance this season–he underwent Tommy John surgery–but he should be back next season, just in time for some more of the Nationals talent pool to come through. This year will be a learning year for the Nationals and better than a 4th place finish shouldn’t be expected.

13. Pittsburgh Pirates- The Pirates haven’t had a winning season since Barry Bonds played in the organization. That was 1992,  18 seasons ago. There is no reason to expect that run of futility to end this season. The Pirates lost 105 games last season and the outlook this year is still bleak. Andrew McCutchen could be on the verge of a breakout season. A success for this team is to avoid losing 100 games.

14. New York Mets- Nothing has gone right for the Mets the last few seasons. This year hasn’t started any differently. There have been mixed reports on Johan Santana’s surgically repaired shoulder, but the Mets will need more than a healthy Santana to contend this year. There is still a lot of talent on their roster, Jose Reyes, David Wright, Carlos Beltran and Jason Bay to name a few. A return to their previous career norms could change the Mets from 5th in the division to 3rd, maybe even a chance at a Wild Card berth. That is a long shot though. Realistically, some of these players may be traded by seasons end.

15. Arizona Diamondbacks- Pretty bleak outlook for the Diamondbacks once again.

16. Houston Astros- Finishing ahead of one team in the NL would be a success for the talent deprived Astros.

These rankings will be unique in a couple senses. One, they will only look at one league at a time. And two, the top three teams will represent the three divisions. After all, those are the teams that will make the playoffs in the end. This is the American League edition of the power rankings. The National League rankings will be available when you check back here next Monday.

After the preseason rankings, the American League rankings will appear on the last Monday of the month and the National League power rankings will appear on the first Monday of the month. Stay tuned, enjoy and as always feel free to comment!

1. Boston Red Sox- Take an injury depleted team that still managed to win 89 games and you are bound to see an improvement. Add to that an elite power bat in first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and a complete all around left fielder in Carl Crawford and you have one of the best offensive teams in the game that can certainly hold their own defensively. Still not convinced? Extra reliever depth in Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler make it hard to distinguish a strength for this team, as they are strong in many aspects. Is a 100 win season too high of an expectation?

2. Minnesota Twins- I have had the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins in this spot, and have ultimately decided on the Twins due to track record. Manager Ron Gardenhire just knows how to get it done. Perhaps the best managed team in the league with the most underrated starting rotation, the Twins seem to win despite always being counted out. I am not making the mistake of counting the Twins out this season.

3. Oakland Athletics- Oakland addressed its offensive needs nicely this offseason, adding a pair of outfielders with something to prove in Josh Willingham and David DeJesus and a proven DH in Hideki Matsui. Last season the A’s won 81 games on the strength of their starting rotation–they posted the best ERA in the league–and there is no reason that won’t continue in 2011. A few extra runs will go a long way in returning GM Billy Beane’s club to the post season.

4. Tampa Bay Rays- It is no secret the Rays lost a lot of pieces to their 96 win, 2010 puzzle. For most of their losses however they have an answer. They even signed Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon as insurance just in case their answers aren’t as quick to perform. Jeremy Hellickson could even be better than the departing Matt Garza. Relief pitching  is where the real questions are, and this will make or break the Rays. If they can turn some of their minor league pitching talent into bullpen relief, then the Wild Card and 92-94 wins is a possibility.

5. New York Yankees- The Yankees can’t fall too far down any list. Cliff Lee chose not to sign with the Yankees because they are too old. All you need to do is look at the left side of their infield, a 36-year-old Derek Jeter and a 35-year-old Alex Rodriguez. Sure, A-Rod can still put up decent numbers and they do have Robinson Cano (29 HR, 109 RBIs and .319 average in 2010) and Mark Teixeira (33 HR and 108 RBIs), but beyond CC Sabathia they have big question marks in the starting rotation.

6. Texas Rangers- Last year’s American League Champions will miss the services of Cliff Lee. Centre fielder Josh Hamilton was superb in 2010, but he is too injury prone to expect to duplicate that. As a result, the Rangers will be unable to match last season’s 90 wins and a world series berth. The Adrian Beltre contract (6 years $96 million) may end up hurting the Rangers.

7. Detroit Tigers- The Tigers added Victor Martinez to protect Miguel Cabrera in the lineup, and with a healthy Magglio Ordonez getting on base before them the Tigers will have a very strong middle of their batting order. The starting rotation looks like it could be as good as any in the division, but it isn’t without question marks. Team defense also is somewhat dubious.

8. Chicago White Sox- The addition of Adam Dunn makes the White Sox lineup pretty impressive. On the pitching front, they lost a couple key relievers in JJ Putz and Bobby Jenks but still have good bullpen depth. Their starting rotation lacks a top end guy, although Jake Peavy is having a strong spring campaign and could once again be the dominating Cy Young-caliber pitcher he was in San Diago. If that happens, expect the White Sox to rise in the rankings.

9. Toronto Blue Jays- The Blue Jays’ reality is the curse of the AL East. They could easily challenge for the Central and West divisions, but must contend with perennial big boys in Boston, New York and Tampa Bay. The Jays have a well-balanced team with no real weaknesses. They ran away with the league lead in home runs last season (with 257) and have a lot of promising talent in their young pitching staff. The additions of Jon Rauch, Octavio Dotel and Frank Francisco add some much-needed bullpen depth.

10. LA Angels- The Angels weakness last season was on the offensive end. A mended leg for  first baseman Kendry Morales (34 HR, 108 RBIs and a .306 average in 2009) and the addition of Vernon Wells could help fix these weaknesses. The top of their rotation is strong–headed by Jered Weaver, Dan Haren and Ervin Santana–but the other two spots in the rotation are sketchy at best. How much would you trust Fernando Rodney as your closer?

11. Baltimore Orioles- The Orioles revamped their infield and now can battle any team with their bats. New to the infield are power bats Mark Reynolds (third base) and Derek Lee (first base) along with shortstop JJ Hardy. A breakout year from catcher Matt Wieters is also due to come eventually. Pitching on the other hand is going to be a major concern. They do have some young pitching talent in their system and a decent bullpen, so all is not lost. It may take a few more years to crack the top teams in the AL East.

12. Clevland Indians- The Tribe could easily be in the 13th or 14th slot as well. They are in rebuilding mode, although they do have some talent to work with. Catcher Carlos Santana had a good start to his career before suffering a knee injury. The 24 year old has a lot of upside just like 25 year old starting pitcher Justin Masterson.

13. Seattle Mariners- The M’s had the best starting pitcher duo in the Majors the beginning of last season. One (Felix Hernandez) went on to win his first Cy Young award while the other (Cliff Lee) was traded to the Rangers and led them to the World Series. This season King Felix is returning, and Right fielder Ichiro Suzuki will get over 200 hits.

14. Kansas City Royals- The Royals have a promising farm system with a lot of talent that should be mature and make the team competitive in a few years. Unfortunately these are rankings for the upcoming season and first baseman Billy Buttler will have to wait for the bats within the system to develop to have protection in the lineup. They traded two of their best players away in the offseason–David DeJesus and Zack Greinke–and will be hard pressed to come close to the 67 wins they had last season.

It’s a lot more difficult to choose the team that really comes together. Last season it was the Cincinnati Reds, a couple seasons before it was the Tampa Bay Rays, and just before that was the Colorado Rockies. These are usually young teams who finally develop some consistency. Dark horse teams are difficult to predict and if you do it correctly you look like a genius. In my attempt to look like a baseball Nostradamus, I offer my dark horse candidates from each league:

Oakland Athletics

The A’s had a productive offseason, revamping their outfield. They traded for outfielders David DeJesus of the Kansas City Royals and Josh Willingham of the Washington Nationals. Both players are in similar situations, both are 31 years old and coming from teams that have been less than competitive over the past several seasons. They should still be able to put up good numbers, plus they should be motivated by a team that actually has a chance to win in the American League West.

The line-up will also get a boost with veteran—and former World Series MVP—Hideki Matsui. Matsui won’t put up the numbers he put up as a New York Yankee, but he did well as an LA Angel last season, certainly better than Jack Cust, the player he replaces at designated hitter. These additions improve Oakland’s offense, which was their biggest offseason need.

On the pitching side, the Athletics had the best starting-rotation ERA in the league at 3.47. That was even better than the team across the bay in San Francisco which just proved pitching wins championships. Returning to Oakland’s starting rotation are Dallas Braden, Brett Anderson, Gio Gonzalez and Trevor Cahill. Bob Geren’s club improved its bullpen, adding relievers Grant Balfour from the Tampa Bay Rays and Brian Fuentes from the Minnesota Twins.

In order to make the playoffs, the Oakland A’s will need to improve their offense, maintain their pitching and hope for some regression from the Texas Rangers. All are very likely scenarios.

Milwaukee Brewers

There was no problem scoring runs in Milwaukee last season. The Brewers produced the fourth-highest run total in the National League while hitting the second-most home runs. All this happened when they had less than stellar years from stars Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun. Both players should have bounce-back seasons, while the Prince should have a monster season in hopes of getting a big contract next year.

The area where the Brewers had a real problem last season was in pitching, specifically the starting rotation. They added two 2010 opening day starters via trade this offseason, Shaun Marcum of the Toronto Blue Jays and Zack Greinke of the Kansas City Royals. Marcum isn’t a number one but he will be a great number three pitcher behind Greinke and Yovani Gallardo. Greinke is only two years removed from a Cy Young season, being on a competitive team in the National League could help him improve upon the 2.16 ERA he had in 2009. Given the Brewers offense, he sould easily improve upon his career high of 16 wins. Zack should also be motivated by a change of scenery.

With a monster year from Prince Fielder on the horizon, a return to Cy Young form from Zack Greinke and additional improvements to the Brewers rotation, manager Ron Roenicke can look forward to an NL Central title.

With weeks 2 and 3 complete now, the college baseball season is well underway. There have been some great highlights for some teams this season, while other teams are having their troubles getting off to the right start. Some players and teams are putting up very impressive numbers already, while some teams that people usually expect to play well are having a rough time picking up victories. If you have not been totally keeping up with the young college season so far, here are some things that have been worth noting over the past two weeks.

 Perhaps the most noteworthy player of this past week is right handed pitcher Trevor Bauer. A star pitcher at UCLA, this young man has an explosive fastball and a sharp curveball. In fact, Bauer would probably have no problem being the ace on most teams throughout the nation; however, he has Garrett Cole in front of him, who many people feel could be one of the top three picks in the draft this coming June. So Bauer settles for his spot as a Saturday starter. No matter what day this guy starts though, no one can ignore the numbers he put up this past week against Nebraska. Bauer pushed his way through 10 innings of work where he struck out 17 Huskers on 129 pitches. The pitch count was high, especially for Bauer making only his third start of the season. However, the worst part of the whole thing was that the Bruins lost in the end! They dropped the game 2-1. The Bruins have started the season 7-2 with a struggling offense and a team batting average of .257.

 Next, I will move on to one of those teams I spoke of earlier that usually have a ton of success throughout the season but are off to a little bit of a slow start this year. The Miami Hurricanes dropped their first series this past weekend which included a one-hit loss against the Florida Gators on Saturday. Even though the Canes have lost only one series out of their first three, they are averaging only 4.2 runs per game. They are having serious problems hitting the baseball as an overall team in fact. Their team batting average is a quite depressing .227.

 However, not all teams are off to rough starts. In fact, Oklahoma is rolling! They have started the season with a record of 13-0 and show no signs of slowing down. This past weekend they picked up a 5-3 victory over Cal as Garrett Buechele went 3-4 with two RBI on the day. Also, I know that some people who run this web site have Big 10 connections so I suppose I could make a comment or two on some of their teams and their recent success. The Big 10 showed some muscle this past week as teams went 4-1 against some major schools from powerhouse conferences. Minnesota defeated Washington State 2-0, Indiana beat Tennessee 6-3, Iowa won out over Mississippi State 7-6, and finally Penn State split a double header with NC State as they dropped the first game but won the night game 9-4. I grudgingly tip my cap to the Big 10 Conference for their work this past week.

Although the season is only three weeks old, there has been much going on and week 4 is right around the corner. Stay tuned as I will continue to bring the top players and teams from college baseball to the Five Tool Prospects community.

Fantasy Baseball is fast approaching, so it’s time for my annual article for the fantasy-challenged.  Fantasy Baseball is only difficult to those who choose to ignore the basic, fundamental laws of probability.  Which is why the #1 rule is – draft Albert Pujols.  For the record, these rules helped me to a 2nd place finish in the 20-member Battle of the Blogs fantasy league last season (I got totally hosed in the championship, damn you Chone Figgins!).

Rule #1 – Draft Albert Pujols

Pujols become the only player in history last year to hit .300 with 30 HR and 100 RBI in each of his first ten seasons.  I probably don’t have to list some of the really, really good ball players that fell short of this accomplishment, seeing as it was everyone, but for the record, that includes Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby, etc.  All of which had at least one down year during their Hall of Fame careers – “The Machine,” on the other hand, has never known a down year, and just by drafting him you’ve increased your odds of winning your fantasy league by 30%.  If you can’t get Pujols, obey the offensively consistent with your first pick and…

Rule #2 – Pick the Ballpark as well as the Player

This means do not, under any circumstances, unless no other choice is available, pick hitters that play in Seattle or San Diego (be wary of Dodger Stadium, Citi Field, AT&T Park).  You can’t hit there – just ask Adrian Beltre, Chone Figgins, Ryan Ludwick, and countless others.  On the other hand, do weigh your picks heavily on those who get to hit in blooper-ball meccas like Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, and, to a lesser extent, Coors (the reverse is true for pitchers).  Why isn’t Coors number one on this list?  Because all the other parks in their division are pitcher’s parks.  Catchers with a little pop in a small park are especially attractive – case in point, Miguel Olivo did wonders for me behind the plate last year with the next to last pick in the draft, but with his move to Seattle this year, he isn’t worth more than a mid-season waiver claim if your catcher goes down.  On the flip side, go after the players who are transitioning from a pitcher’s park to a hitter’s park – Dan Uggla‘s move to Atlanta and Adrian Gonzalez‘s move to Boston will undoubtedly increase both players fantasy value.

Rule #3 – Don’t Draft Players on Crappy Teams, Claim them on Waivers

People who chase Neil Walker, Jose Tabata, Pedro Alvarez early in the draft will lose their leagues, guaranteed.  These are good players, who will put up solid numbers, but their team is going to stink, period.  Pick less talented players on better teams for the simple fact that they will have more runners on in front of them and better players to drive them in behind them – and runs and RBI count in just about all fantasy leagues.  As was the case with the aforementioned Pirate trio last year, crappy teams will have young bucks coming up midway through the season looking to make a name for themselves about the time the guys who started the season with the big club are hating their lives.  I got Tabata on waivers last year and he was awesome for me down the stretch.

Rule #4 – Obey the Law of Averages, and Don’t Panic!

Without some sabermetric mumbo-jumbo getting you all confused – don’t draft players too high who had a career year in 2010 and look to steal players who had career lows in 2010.  Players who have consistent careers and experience an anomaly year, either good, bad, injured, or otherwise, will trend back to their 162-game average the year after.  Players such as Nate McLouth of Atlanta, Curtis Granderson of the Yankees, and Rick Porcello of the Tigers will be available in the mid to late rounds (count in Kung Fu Panda, too, despite hitting at AT&T Park).  The second part of this rule is don’t panic when your players don’t have an amazing April.  My example from my team last year is Wandy Rodriguez, who went 3-10 with a 6+ ERA in the first half and came back with a 8-2 record and 2.11 ERA in the second half.  No matter the first half of the season, established, veteran players will trend toward their 162-game averages in the second half.  If you flip a coins ten times, you could get ten heads, but if you flip a coin a million times, you’ll get closer to 50/50.  In other words, heads will always be a .500 hitter no matter how many times tails comes up in a row.

Rule #5 – Draft Multi-Dimensional Players

Do not chase saves too early – a lot of leagues have gone from saves to saves + holds, which makes it easier to find these players on the waiver wire, and the roles of relief pitchers change so much during the summer there will always be a gem to find on the wire.  You have to draft hitters & pitchers that will help you in the most categories possible.  Look for position players who pull in 10-15 stolen bases along with power numbers and don’t fall in love with the 30 HR guys that never walk – a multi-dimensional player, like a Shane Victorino, can get you a walk and stolen base even during a slump.  As for starting pitchers, guys who give up the least amount of BBs and HRs will be more consistent keeping the ERA down and strikeout pitchers can get you 8-9 Ks even when they get blown up.

Bonus Rule – Watch the Transactions, Know the Prospects

This is especially true with saves – there will always be a five-ten closers get hurt at some point during the season and boom – you just increased the fantasy value of the set-up ten-fold.  The fantasy owner who is on top of injuries will be on top of the players/prospects who fill in for those injuries.  This is also why knowing the prospects will put you over the top late in the season – last year with Madison Bumgarner, it wasn’t a matter of if he will do well in the big leagues, it was just a matter of when he will get called up.  I claimed him as soon as I could get to a computer and he helped carry my pitching staff down the stretch.  Likewise, when Hong-Chih Quo, hurt for a good portion of 2010, came off the DL, I picked him up without the slightest hesitation.  He loaded me up with holds and K/9, etc.