Two games represent exactly 1.2345679 percent of a Major League season, but you’ve just gotta take notice of what Florida Marlins third baseman Emilio Bonifacio has done in that amount of time. He leads the majors with three stolen bases, six hits and four runs scored and has even knocked in four runs. Bonifacio may or may not have a ton of staying power, but at this point, just go get him and think about that later.

Bonifacio is a speed threat who qualifies at second base and third base and hits leadoff for a productive offensive team, the type of player that must be added in all leagues. Maybe the kid doesn’t keep setting the world on first with his stick – his minor league numbers were good, not great – but Bonifacio is sure to keep running and wreaking havoc. Read more »

The time is nearing to buy up shares of Oakland A’s outfielder Carlos Gonzalez. The season numbers are still a little light to help a fantasy team, but there are plenty of reasons to think he’s turning it around. Gonzalez is one of the game’s best hitting prospects, and he’s showing a veteran’s poise in clutch situations.

The prototype for an A’s offensive player, Gonzalez came to Oakland in the preseason trade for right-hander Dan Haren. While other acquisitions Dana Eveland and Greg Smith have been more solid contributors in 2008, Gonzalez was the crown jewel of the deal. He has the body of a young Carlos Beltran and is an excellent five-tool athlete. Read more »

This may not be a story come tomorrow, as Boston Red Sox right-hander Justin Masterson is likely headed to Double-A Portland following Tuesday night’s game. But, we will see his name again this season or next, so get familiar with his game and what we might see from him in a prolonged stint in the majors.

He won his first career big league start with 6.1 strong innings in a win over Kansas City. He allowed three hits, three walks and one run and struck out five Royals. Read more »

In a surprising move, the Cincinnati Reds sent Josh Hamilton and his feel-good story to the Texas Rangers for pitching prospect Edinson Volquez over the winter. The decision has turned out to be a win-win for both clubs, with Hamilton hitting the cover off the ball in Arlington and Volquez leading the National League in ERA, even before his seven shutout innings against the Cubs on Wednesday afternoon.

Volquez garnered significantly less attention than teammate Johnny Cueto early, who burst onto the scene with an outstanding spring and a dominant first outing. Though Cueto has just a tad more upside, Volquez features a similar repertoire and is already growing into a frontline big-league starter. Read more »

To less hardcore baseball fans, the name Larry Walker doesn’t carry a lot of clout. If you didn’t see him play or hear numerous, numerous people rave about his immense abilities, his name blends in with a mass of other very good, non-Hall of Famers.

But if you do listen to all of that talk and can appreciate the fact that Walker had once-in-a-generation, five-tool ability, you can appreciate how gifted Texas Rangers center fielder Josh Hamilton is. The reason? Hamilton is raking to start the 2008 season, and he is collecting comparisons to Walker faster than he’s adding to his MLB-leading RBI count. Read more »

Boston Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury has just about put veteran backup Coco Crisp in his rearview mirror for good. He is in the same form now as when he burst onto the scene in 2007, igniting the Red Sox offense with an array of skills and carving out a huge piece of the team’s outfield time share.

First point in his favor over Crisp, Ellsbury is quickly becoming an adept leadoff man for the Sox. Look no further than his 12 walks and just four strikeouts in 43 at-bats to gauge that progress. For comparison’s sake, he had just eight walks and 15 strikeouts in 116 at-bats in his debut last season. The production results have been much the same; Ellsbury has scored 15 runs over the last 11 games, and Boston has been victorious 10 times over that stretch. Read more »