Links: Braun new No. 1, Morneau, Minor
February, 24, 2012
Feb 24
7:20
PM ET
By
David Schoenfield | ESPN.com
It's Friday, so here's one last list of links for the weekend.
- If you play fantasy baseball (or even if you don't), Eric Karabell has his updated top 100 fantasy players for 2012. The reason for the update? Ryan Braun is No. 1.
- ESPN Insider Dan Szymborski crunches some numbers to determine which pitchers are the best bets for fantasy breakout seasons. Can you say Brandon Morrow?
- Justin Morneau said he's not sure he can ever be 100 percent again. It's a sad thing to read, and we can only hope he somehow improves. Twins Daily reacts.
- Braves starter Mike Minor also made a few comments that made the news, suggesting maybe the Braves should trade him if he doesn't make the rotation. Franklin Rabon of Capitol Avenue Club thinks the comments aren't a big deal.
- Jason Wojciechowski lists his preferred Opening Day roster for the A's. Interesting that Jason would like to see Jarrod Parker and Brad Peacock begin the year in the minors. I'm sticking to my belief that the A's won't be as horrible as many are predicting.
- Is Dexter Fowler ready to take the next step? Let's see: Fowler turns 26 in March, he has 1,613 career plate appearances, he's basically been the same player for three seasons. I just don't see it. He's a good player, about major league average, and there's good value for the Rockies in that. But I don't see All-Star potential in his future.
- Here's what the Mariners' lineup should look like -- at least before spring training begins and Chone Figgins hits .187. (Wait, did I say that out loud?)
- Matt Kemp is dreaming of a 50-50 season.
- Dodger Thoughts' Jon Weisman examines the Dodgers' lineup and wonders if A.J. Ellis might make for a good No. 2 hitter. Hey, he does have a .376 OBP over the past two seasons. Yes, I mean A.J., not Jon.
- Max Marchi at Baseball Prospectus takes another look at catcher defense -- namely, the art of calling a good game. Do catchers really have the ability to improve their pitcher's performance?
- Mike Cameron, one of my favorite players ever (the only bobblehead on my desk at work is him), recently retired. Joe Posnanski stirred things up by suggesting Cameron was a better player than Jim Rice. Hey, Joe wrote it, not me.
- Finally, it’s just too easy to make fun of the Mets these days.
David Schoenfield | email
SweetSpot blogger- Senior writer of SweetSpot baseball blog
- Former deputy editor of Page 2
- Been with ESPN.com since 1995
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David Schoenfield
Schoenfield is a senior writer for ESPN.com and been with ESPN since 1995, having served as baseball editor and Page 2 senior editor. Follow Dave on Twitter: @dschoenfield and the SweetSpot blog on Facebook.
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