No matter what the people say, I'm gonna draft you anyway
You are my Outfielder, I can't let go
Even if Virgil starts a fight, try 'til I set him right
You are my Outfielder, I can't let go
Even if you're out for weeks, you can put it all on me
You are my Outfielder, I can't let go
I can't, I can't let you go

This past Sunday, Grady Sizemore passed a checkup and is on target to be ready for Opening Day after undergoing microfracture surgery in June. Unstable cartilage was found in Sizemore's left knee and small holes were drilled into his knee cap to stimulate cartilage growth. This is a major operation and I do not recommend that you draft Grady Sizemore. I repeat, do not draft Grady Sizemore. I probably will though.

Sizemore has burned me two years in a row, but I've never been one to take advice from George W. Bush. I've sworn off Sizemore too many times to count after what he did to me last year, but I can already sense my fond feelings for him rushing back to me. I didn't learn from history so I'm doomed to repeat it. Don't follow me into the dark abyss of injury and frustration.

Tony LaRussa loves him some veteran players. Enter "Fat Elvis" and his sore back, strained groin, hyper-extended knee and the 24 other Day-to-Day injuries listed on his Injury Tool page. I did not embellish or exaggerate, there are 27 listings for DTD injuries. I think I just heard Justin Morneau laughing in the background. Lance Berkman couldn't stay healthy while standing on First Base for the Houston Astros. This is the Cardinals Left Fielder.

The "Big Puma" will get most of the starts against Righties and will platoon against Lefties. The switch-hitting Berkman hasn't hit LHP well the past two seasons: .208 AVG with 8 HR in 216 At Bats. Last season was the first time, since the year 2000, that Lance didn't hit at least 21 HR. He hit 14 round-trippers between 85 games with the Astros and 37 games with the Yankees. It's fair to say the soon-to-be 35-year old is in decline mode.

2011 Projection .251 AVG, 12 HR, 53 Runs, 59 RBI, 1 SB (400 AB)

400 At Bats is an optimistic projection. I'd rather project stats for a player based on potential, rather than take a stab at guessing how many fly balls he can shag before his leg falls off. If I were to guess, I'd say he logs 358 At Bats. That single Stolen Base was borne out of pity. I don't think the Cardinals should be sending him off to the races. That's just asking for trouble. The kind of trouble you'll be asking for if you draft "Fat Elvis".

Is this about fantasy baseball or just an excuse for me to post one of my all-time favorite songs to play when I enter a bar? Both! Torii Hunter was caught stealing so much in 2010 they stopped sending him. The days of Hunter stealing 18 to 23 bases have passed us by. Check out the edited screen grab, four steals in the last four months of the season and zero in the last two. Ouch. Remember that when trying to collect five or six 20-SB players in your auction drafts.

It's finally official. The Boston Red Sox have traded for Adrian Gonzalez. The deal sends Casey Kelly (RHP), Anthony Rizzo (1B) and Reymond Fuentes (OF) to the Padres. Some reports have a player-to-be-named-later included in the trade. The biggest news here is that I can no longer call Adrian, "Gonz Solo", because he's actually going to have people on base when he hits moon shots. I'm kind of bummed out, Kevin Youkilis would have made a good "Youkbacca" to Adrian's "Gonz Solo". Gonzalez has already won over the hearts of millions with his quote aimed at the Evil Empire, “I’m very excited to be in Boston and ready to beat the Yanks”. Alright, enough Star Wars reference, let's take a look at Adrian's potential for the 2011 fantasy baseball season.

The Nationals inked Jayson Werth to a 7-year, $126 million contract today. I could go on and on about how their money could have been better spent, but my concern has more to do with Jayson's fantasy potential now that he is in Washington. Make the jump for a little chatter, a projection and a Jayson Werth-less joke or two.

While we hold our breath and wait for Adrian Gonzalez to pass his physical, sign a long-term contract with the Red Sox and leave San Diego, let's take a quick look at someone who is headed to San Diego. Aaron Harang will return to his hometown after signing a one-year deal with the Padres. Harangatang has been monkeying around in Cincinnati the past three years, but there is hope for him to find fantasy relevance once again. Let's take a quick look at Harang's recent production and future prospects.

Unless Dustin Ackley falls flat on his face during Spring Training, he will start at Second Base for Seattle. The Mariners traded Jose Lopez to the Rockies for a few baseball cards, a sack of marbles, cough Petey RHP Chaz Roe, the 32nd overall pick in the 2005 draft. If they didn't make the trade, Lopez would have been non-tendered and released anyway. The Mariners are basically handing the starting job to their prized prospect.

Kenny Williams is gittin' er dunn. Today, the White Sox GM signed Adam Dunn and TNA wrestling sensation, A.J Pierzynski.

Dunn will move to the American League, leaving behind Nationals Park for the cozy confines of U.S. Cellular Field. The "Big Donkey" wasn't getting much protection in the Washington lineup (Michael Morse anyone?), which is the likely cause of pitchers throwing less strikes at him in 2010. Dunn's Zone% dropped 4% to 41.4% last season. Moving into Chicago's lineup should help him see better pitches and get back to the 40 HR plateau we were so accustomed to seeing him reach in the past.

So much for the Tyler Flowers era in Chicago. The Sox have brought back Michael Barrett's punching bag, AJP. The most hated player in baseball will look to bounce back from a down year that seen him hit .270 with 9 HR. Pierzynski's two-year deal will keep Tyler Flowers, the White Sox catching prospect, in AAA (likely). Flowers did regress at the plate in 2010, hitting .220 and striking out in 35% of his At Bats. A 35% K% in AAA is pretty fugly.

We'll see if Kenny can sign Paul Konerko and talk him or Dunn into DH'ing.

Miguel Tejada is going back to Cali. Will I draft him? I don't think so.

The Giants have replaced Edgar Renteria and Juan Uribe with Miguel Tejada by signing him to a one-year, $6.5 million contract. These days Tejada is more known for lying about his age and  (allegedly) hanging out with Jose Canseco in bathroom stalls than his bat. Ridiculously early ADP reports at MDC have Tejada listed as the 14th Shortstop off the draft board (pick 168), so it's no secret that Tejada isn't a starter in standard formats anymore. I just used this post as an excuse to use the " Going Back to Cali" title and post a projection.

2011 Projection: .274 AVG, 14 HR, 74 Runs, 75 RBI, 2 SB

Javier Vázquez will return to the National League after signing a one-year deal with the Marlins. Javier will look to rebound from his ugly season in New York and lock up a multi-year deal, similar to what Adrian Beltre did in Boston. Here's the sad thing about Javier's 2010 season, he posted a 1.40 WHIP while sporting the best BABIP of his career. His bouts with wildness seemed to be solved in June and July, but resurfaced during the last two months of the season. Finally, Javier lost over 2 mph on his fastball and never showed signs of regaining the lost velocity (April 89.0 mph, May 89.0 mph, June 88.9 mph, July 88.8 mph, August 88.2 mph and September 88.5 mph). It's safe to say that I will not be messing with Javier Vázquez in 2011 fantasy drafts.

Jon Garland will stay in the NL West after signing with the Dodgers. We all know the story with Judy, you're getting low strikeout totals and pedestrian ratios. He actually hurts your team in leagues that use a Innings Pitched cap. Garland will be useful only in terms of NL-Only leagues and H2H streaming. Enjoy those games against San Diego.

Juan Uribe signed a three-year deal with the Dodgers today. Bad news for Ryan Theriot as Uribe is expected to play most games at Second Base. We should know what to expect from Uribe these days, .250-.260 AVG, 20 HR and 70-80 RBI.

Tsuyohi Nishioka could play Second Base (or Shortstop) for the Twinkies if the two sides can negotiate a contract. Nishioka is a 26-year old switch hitter who played for Team Japan in the 2006 World Baseball Classic and 2008 Bejing Olympics. During the WBC, Bobby Valentine said Nishi was one of the cornerstones of the team. He tried pulling an Ichiro in 2007 by using only his first name on his jersey, but went back to his full name in 2008. Nishi can hit for Average, get On Base, has a little pop in his bat and can steal bases (although he's not particularly fast). If he fills O-Dog's No.2 slot in the lineup, he will be useful. The only problem, he has a history of injuries.

Neftali Feliz could be moved into the starting rotation if the Rangers do not re-sign Cliff Lee. This would be very interesting if it happened. I'm assuming Neftali would have to rely on his Changeup more often if he started, he used his Fastball 82.8% of the time last season (Justin Masterson led the majors with a 78.1% usage rate). Neftali's Changeup was slightly below average, but that won't stop the young hurler from being dominant. Neftali's Fastball and Curveball are great and he limits Walks, Home Runs and Line Drives while striking out a ton of hitters. 

Zack Duke was claimed by the Diamondbacks. I'm assuming he will fill the back end of their rotation. I think the only reason he was claimed was because he is a Lefty. There is no fantasy value here, moving on.

Justin Morneau says he's working out and going about his normal routines now. About damn time. The guy played his last game on July 7th. A slight knee from John McDonald should not have knocked out a 6'4 233 lb First Baseman for five months. MLB clips are not available on Youtube, but this Bob Sapp video is a good reenactment of what happened to Morneau. I won't be able to bring myself to draft this guy again, he goes down faster than Superhead. Morneau's injury tool page is littered with all types of bumps and bruises: a hand contusion, elbow strain and bone spurs, a fractured face, bruised lung, knee contusion, thigh strain, inner ear infection, lower back stress fracture, upper back soreness, infectious disease and the John McDonald flying knee to the dome.

Kazuo Matsui and Aki Iwamura went back to Japan.