JENKS IN TROUBLE?
White Sox closer Bobby Jenks is regarded as one of the hardest throwing pitchers in baseball. Posting 41 saves in 2006 to go along with an All-Star appearance, he seemed a lock to remain a solid closing option in 2007. That is until he struggled in Spring Training. Now The Chicago Tribune is revealing that, "Jenks struggled for his third consecutive appearance...Jenks had been nagged by shoulder stiffness, but his velocity has been in the low 90s &madsh; a significant drop from his high-90 range of the past two seasons." People may remember that Ozzie Guillen was very critical of Jenks early in the 2006 season, which led to some speculating that Jenks could be removed from the closer's role. While Jenks kept the job, it is quite alarming that he has lost so much velocity. Keep in mind that the White Sox do have Mike MacDougal in their bullpen, who has experience closing and is a strikeout pitcher to boot.
PETTITE HURTING
The New York Yankees knew that starting pitcher Andy Pettite came with more injury baggage than when he originally left the team after the 2003 season. Health has already become an issue with the southpaw as The New York Post is reporting that Pettite will "likely miss his next start Friday with a new physical concern: back spasms." The aging starter is naturally optimistic, stating, "I usually heal up pretty quick." While this does not appear to be a serious ailment by any means, it is not encouraging either. Pettite has pitched 200-plus innings the last two seasons, but has been bothered by a balky back throughout the later part of his career. Pettite stands to see a lot of wins with that Yankee lineup, but fantasy owners should expect his overall numbers to suffer a bit since he is no longer pitching in the friendly confines of the National League.
FREDDY NOT READY
Were the Philadelphia Phillies hornswaggled by the Chicago White Sox? Chicago GM Ken Williams and Philly GM Pat Gillick are good friends who have a history of trading with one another. So not likely. Still, what's up with Phillies starting pitcher Freddy Garcia, acquired in an off-season trade? The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that Garcia "left Wednesday night's game against Toronto after one inning. His fastball barely hit 85 mph...the pitcher pointed to the area where his biceps connects to his shoulder and said he was feeling soreness in the area." Turns out it's mild tendonitis, according to a team report. Garcia is hopeful he will be ready for the start of the season. But the team is prepared to slot Jon Lieber — you know, the guy that has been rumored to be on his way out of Philly for a few weeks now — into the rotation. Many folks were expecting Garcia to put up pretty good numbers with a move to the National League and that potent lineup providing tons of run support. But if his fastball is tracking in the mid-80s, then he's not worthy of a fantasy roster spot.
PHENOM INTERRUPTED
The Arizona Diamondbacks' lineup is filled with up-and-coming hitters, one of the most revered being outfielder Carlos Quentin. The talented 24-year-old has a small labrum tear in his left shoulder and The Arizona Republic revealed, "The next six to seven days will be crucial in determining whether starting right fielder Carlos Quentin is ready to play on Opening Day or starts the season on the disabled list." With infielders Stephen Drew, Chad Tracy and Conor Jackson, along with outfielders Chris Young and Quentin, the Diamondbacks were pretty excited entering the 2007 season with such a solid, young core. Some had even projected a possible ceiling of 30 homers, 100 runs and 100 RBI for Quentin in 2007. The Lineup doesn't buy the hype, but Quentin does have pop. This story is worth monitoring in the next few days to see how much this injury slows Quentin.
PODS PAIN FREE
Fantasy owners everywhere fawned over White Sox outfielder Scott Podsednik last spring. He was fresh off a great regular season and a World Series championship. This year's drafts have Podsednik sliding to the later rounds, probably due to his poor 2006 average (.261) and his drop in stolen bases from 59 to 40. All that may change as The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that, "It didn't take a triple in the intrasquad game Tuesday — or hearing manager Ozzie Guillen declare that he's ready — for White Sox outfielder Scott Podsednik to know he's on schedule to be a starter on Opening Day. Waking up pain-free the day after he made his spring debut last week was all the evidence he needed." During fantasy drafts last year, Podsednik was going in the early portion of middle rounds. This year, he's been taken as a middle-to-late round pick. He's better than that and is capable enough to swap 50-60 bases easy.




