Young Oakland A’s slugger Chris Carter ‘has a chance to be a great all-around hitter,’ A’s assistant general manager David Forst told the Oakland Tribune. Carter is vying for a spot on the A’s 25-man roster, but is more likely to be shipped back down to Triple-A Sacramento for more seasoning. Still, mediocre Daric Barton and oft-injured Eric Chavez are the only two guys standing in Carter’s way for a full-time job. By season’s end, we like his odds of being called up for good. Read more »

Chicago White Sox outfielder Carlos Quentin says he has just ‘general soreness’ in his left foot, according to the Chicago Tribune. Quentin was slowed by plantar fasciitis in his left foot last season and, to his credit, managed to hit 21 home runs in just 99 games.

Quentin is an OPS machine and a legitimate 40-home run hitter when he’s healthy, but the fact is, health has never been a slam dunk for him. Even at the tail end of his breakout 2008 campaign, Quentin managed to smash a bat against his right wrist and land on the disabled list. Read more »

We were surprised to see the results of a Yahoo! Sports poll, in which fantasy owners had to choose: Chicago White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham or Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen. Surprisingly, 56 percent of the 2,975 voters went with McCutchen over Beckham.

The results are particularly stunning in the aftermath of ESPN.com fantasy columnist Jason Grey’s statement that Beckham will be fantasy’s “next big thing.” SB Nation goes a step further with a comparison of Beckham to Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley. Read more »

We will be rolling out plenty of 2010 fantasy baseball coverage in the coming days, weeks and months, but let’s start right here with player-by-player profiles of our rough top 100 preseason rankings. Stay tuned to the site for more player profiles, draft kit information, rankings, sleepers, busts, etc. as Spring Training approaches.

Jake Peavy, SP, Chicago White Sox
Overview: 28-year-old right-hander looking to re-claim his place among fantasy’s best pitchers … is in his first full season with the White Sox, where he went 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA in 3 starts last season … is as hungry as he’s been in his career, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, but embarks on a full season in a hitter’s park … when healthy, is a Cy Young candidate and one of baseball’s top strikeout artists.
2009 numbers: 9-6, 3.45 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 110 strikeouts in 101.2 IP
Key splits and trends: Missed time with an ankle injury and an elbow injury after getting hit with a line drive in a minor league rehab start … gave up at least 3 runs in each of his first 5 starts and finished the month of April with a 5.74 ERA … went 7-1 over his final 8 starts, including a 3-0 mark with the White Sox.
Strengths: Is a premium source of strikeouts and ratios … has swing-and-miss stuff and consistently ranks among the Major League’s most difficult pitchers to hit … finally lands on a team that will provide decent run support.
Weaknesses: Unknowns count as strikes against him, most notably the transition to the American League and how he’ll fare in a hitter’s park.
Bold prediction for 2010: Handles the AL just fine and finishes in the top five of Cy Young balloting.

The Chicago White Sox are redefining themselves this season after sluggers Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye left town. Manager Ozzie Guillen has transformed his lineup into one with an emphasis on speed, versatility and fundamentals. Enter second-year second baseman Gordon Beckham, who has all the skills to perfectly set the table and make the offense go.

Beckham, a college and minor league shortstop, is making his second defensive transition in as many seasons. All of his Major League action came at third base last season, when he hit .270 with 14 HRs, 63 RBIs and 7 SBs in 103 games. The move to the middle infield is perfect for his fantasy game, which is heavy on contact and run production and light on power. Read more »

We will be rolling out plenty of 2010 fantasy baseball coverage in the coming days, weeks and months, but let’s start right here with player-by-player profiles of our rough top 100 preseason rankings. Stay tuned to the site for more player profiles, draft kit information, rankings, sleepers, busts, etc. as Spring Training approaches.

Gordon Beckham, 3B, Chicago White Sox
Overview: Second-year player drawing favorable comparisons for the way he plays the game and goes about his business … a 2008 first-round pick, played in just 59 minor league games before reaching the big leagues … is penciled in as the White Sox’ starting second baseman, a good fit for his fantasy game.
2009 numbers: .270 avg., 14 HRs, 63 RBIs, 58 runs, 7 SBs in 103 games
Key splits and trends: Compiled 43 extra-base hits and a .460 slugging percentage in 378 at-bats … showed he had the chops to be a big-time RBI guy, hitting .323 with runners in scoring position and .348 with RISP and 2 outs … was streaky, starting the year in a 10-for-58 slump and ending it by going 15-for-69.
Strengths: Is a big league hitter, through and through … hits with runners in scoring position and can hit for both power and average … steals enough bases to make a sound contribution … calls hitter friendly U.S. Cellular Field home.
Weaknesses: Fact he has no glaring strength is a weakness … would ideally develop 25-home run power, but that’s a season (or more) away.
Bold prediction for 2010: Beckham has a successful sophomore campaign, but fails to break the 20 HR mark.

Status: Heating up after a cold start
Basics: .263 AVG, 3 HRs, 16 RBIs in 28 games
Key Stats: Hitting .343 (23-for-67) with 15 RBIs in last 20 games
What to Watch For: Power development
Other Notes: Has the look and demeanor of a star; hasn’t been overwhelmed by Major League pitching, even with just 59 Minor League games under his belt … good numbers to note are his .429 average with runners in scoring position and his .556 average with runners in scoring position and 2 outs … it’s a tiny sample size, but those numbers reveal a guy who gets better in tough situations
Verdict: Is hitting now and has a high ceiling; add immediately, especially in keeper leagues

Base stealers play a valuable role in all fantasy leagues. And the more bases your light-hitting, fleet-footed hitter can steal, the less concerned you are about the eye sores in his home run and RBI columns. Re-enter Chicago White Sox outfielder Scott Podsednik, a fantasy force in the early 21st century who is swinging a hot bat and tearing up the base paths in the twilight of his career.

Podsednik is benefitting from the absence of regular left fielder Carlos Quentin, who is eligible to come off the disabled list as soon as today. Podsednik figures to keep getting regular at-bats, seeing as manager Ozzie Guillen will do anything he can to get that stagnant offense going, but pay attention to exactly what Quentin’s return from the DL means. Read more »

Chicago White Sox third baseman Josh Fields has some room to grow as a hitter and some things to prove before he is worthy of fantasy ownership. Well, he’s killed a couple of birds with one stone in the early part of the season, getting off to a good start and impressing manager Ozzie Guillen enough to move up from No. 9 in the team’s lineup to No. 2.

That is significant news for Fields, who has shown enough patience at the plate to warrant a move to the heart of Chicago’s order. Guillen even talked about Fields getting an opportunity to hit leadoff against left-handed pitchers following the demotion of struggling center fielder Dewayne Wise from the role. Read more »

We’re all for reading into what organizational people are saying about their own and where the good vibes are. But, we have to draw a line and realize when a “crying wolf” scenario unfolds. In this particular Chicago Sun-Times story, White Sox bench coach Joey Cora is dishing far too much praise for all of it to be taken seriously.

The center of Cora’s admiration is third baseman Josh Fields, who has been working on his defense with Cora in Florida. But, the story goes on to give high praise to second baseman Alexei Ramirez, third baseman Dayan Viciedo and first baseman Paul Konerko. Read more »