Imaginary Diamond

There is a little bit of everything in available in the offensive player pool this week. There’s a great option for prospect watchers in Toronto’s Adam Lind and raw power in St. Louis’ Ryan Ludwick and Seattle’s Richie Sexson. Speed and middle infield help are also available in doses with Washington’s Felipe Lopez and Houston’s Kazuo Matsui.

Personal feeling is that Lind ends up being the best of this bunch. He’s got all the tools to make a big splash early and grow into a star. Besides, don’t young, exciting players make it more fun to manage a fantasy team?

OF Ryan Ludwick, St. Louis Cardinals
Status: Streaking his way out of a platoon
Key Stats: 11 of 18 hits have gone for extra bases
What to Watch For: How platoon with Skip Schumaker plays out
Ludwick is a big boy with natural power and is getting the benefit of the doubt from manager Tony LaRussa, who is well known to play matchups and probabilities. The Cards’ outfield is surprisingly deep, but at-bats will still be there for Ludwick. Each of the four - Rick Ankiel, Chris Duncan, Ludwick and Skip Schumaker - can move around and play at least two outfield positions.

OF Carlos Quentin, Chicago White Sox
Status: Making the most of an early opportunity
Key Stats: .290/.174 home/road, .275/.143 vs. right/left
What to Watch For: Return of Jerry Owens, ability to fix troublesome splits
Quentin is healthy and producing in his first season with the White Sox, which could end up being a long-term problem when it comes to playing time. The reason? If things continue to go as they are now, Quentin will be an ideal platoon candidate. He hasn’t hit left-handed pitching and he hasn’t hit away from U.S. Cellular Field. When Jerry Owens returns, the White Sox outfield could get a lot more complicated.

2B/SS Felipe Lopez, Washington Nationals
Status: Steals threat
Key Stats: Has started 4 straight games
What to Watch For: How he pushes Cristian Guzman and Ronnie Belliard for playing time
Over the course of his up-and-down career, Lopez has flashed both above average power and top-notch speed. Problem is, he hasn’t put it together enough to consistently crack the Nationals’ starting lineup. This is a guy that hit 23 home runs with the Reds in 2005 and stole 44 bases between Cincinnati and Washington in 2006. Those abilities warrant your careful attention until his role is settled.

OF Adam Lind, Toronto Blue Jays
Status: Soon to be called up from Triple-A Syracuse
Key Stats: Hitting .370 at Syracuse
What to Watch For: How neck injury affects coming-out party
A starting job was opened for this stud prospect when angry Frank Thomas was released. He was hitting .370 at Triple-A Syracuse to earn the call-up, and he should have no trouble producing immediately. Lind is a recommendeded addition to all rosters, as his premium bat should yield a .300 batting average, 15 home runs and 60 RBIs the rest of the way.

SS Bobby Crosby, Oakland Athletics
Status: Healthy, for now, and producing
Key Stats: Ranks 3rd among shortstops with 15 RBIs
What to Watch For: His ability to stay on the field
You know what the warnings are with this guy, so don’t mortgage your team’s future on him. Not sure if that’s even possible, considering he’s available in about half of fantasy leagues. Crosby is doing a little bit of everything that the A’s organization is known for its players to do. He’s seeing pitches (3.92 per AB), hitting for extra bases (7 doubles) and producing in the clutch (.389 with RISP). The tangible product in roto leagues has been quality average (.310) and run production (14 runs, 15 RBI).

1B Richie Sexson, Seattle Mariners
Status: Flashing 40-home run power
Key Stats: Has 3 HRs in the last 4 games
What to Watch For: The long ball
Big Sexy may punish your batting average along the way, but he’ll probably out-homer every other player currently on the waiver wire in 10 and 12 team leagues. Sexson has a lot of 0-for-4 type days, so his presence in a fantasy lineup could be maddening. But, enough multi-homer games can make it worthwhile. Current, Sexson is hitting .217 with five homers (3 in the last 4 days) and 15 RBIs.

Kazuo Matsui, Houston Astros
Status: Back and off to a quick start
Key Stats: 6-for-15 with 6 runs, 4 RBIs, 2 SBs last 3 games
What to Watch For: Extended healthy stretch
Matsui is back in the Astros lineup (anal fissure) and hitting second between speedy Michael Bourn and red-hot Miguel Tejada. Matsui is a traditionally fast starter and has hit the ground running again in 2008. He’s hitting .333 in five games, including .400 with 6 runs, 4 RBI and 2 steals in his last three. Matsui is in a good position to score a ton of runs, and he uses his speed well enough to rack up 30 steals.