Sunday 3/6 Player Notes from Rotoworld

Josh Fogg pitched two scoreless innings against Minnesota yesterday, setting down the final six batters he faced. ''He threw the ball pretty decent,'' Pittsburgh manager Lloyd McClendon said. ''I thought he had some good changeups, commanded the fastball pretty well. I was very pleased.'' Fogg had a disappointing 2004 season, but did post a 3.42 ERA in the second half. He is slated to be the Pirates' fourth starter.

--Some day this guy is going to be good.

Darrell May was perfect for two innings against the Giants today. Although May was dropped from the Padres' 40-man roster, he's almost certain to be the Padres' fifth starter. A decent spring would make him a sleeper.

--A $1 sleeper in a great pitchers’ park.

Jose Valverde was tagged for five runs in two-thirds of an inning today. Valverde walked two and gave up three hits, including Carl Everett's grand slam. The early reports were good, but he still has some work to do in order to show that he's overcome his partially torn labrum.

--I still don’t like his throwing motion.

Dontrelle Willis, who gave up six runs in his start against the University of Miami, bounced back today with four scoreless innings against the Cardinals. Willis got into trouble in third, but with the bases loaded, left fielder Miguel Cabrera made a nice catch on Albert Pujols' liner. He struck out one and walked none, though he did hit David Eckstein.

--Eckstein probably deserved it.

Terrmel Sledge hit a two-run homer and singled in a third run after replacing Jose Guillen in right field today. It's unclear whether Sledge has any real chance of winning a spot in the Opening Day lineup. Still, it's worth drafting him and hoping that he'll play regularly later on. Endy Chavez isn't likely to get that much better and Nick Johnson remains a health risk.

--I assume he’ll be kept.

Roy Oswalt retired all six batters he faced today against the Braves. He struck out Roosevelt Brown to conclude the outing. ''When you have a special arm, you can see it,'' manager Phil Garner said, ''It's just quicker than anybody else's. He was surprisingly sharp, I would think, for his first outing.''

--He’ll be expensive. But probably worth it. We should consider him.

Aaron Miles suffered a sprained MCL Friday while trying to turn a double play. Friend and former minor league teammate Willie Harris slid cleanly into Miles. The Colorado medical staff does not believe Miles' ligament is torn, but he is expected to be out several days. Manager Clint Hurdle said the team would know more today.

--This is important in re: Luis Gonzalez.

David Bell (back) said he expects to be ready for the season opener April 4. Bell is under doctors orders not to play until March 24, but believes he can get ready to play in the 11 days following that. Given Bell's history with back problems, we're still not convinced that Placido Polanco's won't be the Opening Day third baseman.

--I guess we’ve got to keep him.

Jose Reyes went 2-for-4 and stole third base twice yesterday. We're doing our fair share of knocking on wood, but this is starting to get exciting for those of us who own Reyes in keeper leagues.

--George has to extend him.