Catcher Rankings

1. Mike Napoli

2. Brian McCann

3. Carlos Santana

4. Buster Posey

5. Joe Mauer

6. Matt Wieters

7. Miguel Montero

8. Alex Avila

9. Yadier Molina

10. Wilson Ramos

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Andy Pettitte Returns to the New York Yankees

The Yankees have made another move to strengthen their starting pitching. On a staff built around ace CC Sabathia and sophomore-pitcher Michael Pineda, the Yankees have their strongest rotation since the early 2000's.

The rest of the rotation includes Hiroki Kuroda, Ivan Nova, and Phil Hughes/Freddy Garcia. At age 39, Andy Pettitte has joined the party! Pettitte signed a one-year $2.5 million minor league deal. If he makes the team out of spring training, he gets the $2.5 million contract.

Pettitte last pitched in 2010 as a member of the Yankees. He had one of his best seasons in years, going 11-3 with a 3.28 ERA. Lifetime, he is 240-138 with a 3.88 ERA.

I expect the Pettitte to gain a starting spot. Phil Hughes may be traded as a result.

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3B Rankings

1. Jose Bautista- He proved everyone wrong last year. He is no fluke.

2. Adrian Beltre- He hit 32 homers with a .296 average last year. He is in a hitter friendly park with lineup protection.

3. Pablo Sandoval- Has a good average with decent power.

4. Evan Longoria- I am ranking him a little lower than most mainly because of a bad year, injury issues, and inconsistency.

5. Ryan Zimmerman

6. Michael Young- He hit .338 last year yet received no hype. He's a steal in drafts.

7. Aramis Ramirez

8. Alex Rodriguez- He's not ending up on any of my teams unless he drops far.

9. Brett Lawrie- I'd rather get a top 6 option than deal with Lawrie's uncertain future.

10. Kevin Youkilis- I don't think he is done. 

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2B rankings

1. Robinson Cano

2. Dustin Pedroia

3. Brandon Phillips

4. Ben Zobrist

5. Ian Kinsler

6. Rickie Weeks

7. Dan Uggla

8. Howie Kendrick

9. Chase Utley

10. Ryan Roberts

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RANKINGS TIME: SS

It's that time of the year again! Time to dust of your keyboards and prepare for your drafts. Some like ESPN. Others Yahoo. CBS. Everyone seems to like different rankings. After looking at all the options available, I have come to my own conclusions.

Here are my SS rankings:

1. Troy Tulowitzki- Great power and average. Definitely worth a first round pick. Outside of the big four (Kemp, Braun, Cabrera, and Pujols), Tulo is the safest option at the scarcest position.

2. Hanley Ramirez- He had a bad year last year, but he should be motivated now that the Miami Marlins have improved. Expect 25 homers and 30 steals. However, the average will probably be in the .280s, not .300s.

3. Jimmy Rollins- He is the reason why I like to take a shortstop early. Rollins is good, but he always scares me. In a particularly shallow SS pool, I have Rollins as the third best short stop. He provides more pop than guys like Reyes and Andrus, but steals similar numbers of bases as Andrus.

4. Starlin Castro- Everyone seems to forget that he's been good the last two seasons. He doesn't have as much power as Rollins, but he hits for a higher average. Expect around 15 homers and 20 steals and a .290-.310 average.

5. Jose Reyes- I cannot justify taking him in any of my drafts. I've seen him take as high as ten overall. That's ridiculous. He's a great player, but his hamstrings are as weak as his former team the Mets. If he drops to the fourth, take him. But otherwise, it's not worth the risk.

6. JJ Hardy- Rarely does a shortstop become a source of great power. Last season in only 129 games, Hardy hit 30 homers. It was the highest slugging season of his career (.491). The power isn't a fluke either. He has hit 24 and 26 homers in seasons as well.

7. Elvis Andrus- His average has fluctuated, but he does bring a lot of speed. Also, he's durable. Andrus has played 145, 148, and 150 games respectively in his last three seasons.

8. Asdrubal Cabrera- I don't buy his power surge last year. He hit 25 homers, but 15 of them according to ESPN were classified as "just enough" to get over the wall. Expect those homers to be doubles, which makes them useless.

9. Jhonny Peralta- Decent power and average. If you wait on shortstop, grab Peralta.

10. Erik Aybar- He'll give you low double-digits in homers and at least 20 steals.

11. Dee Gordon- Could be the next Elvis Andrus.

12. Alexei Ramirez- Consistent but not great. He is not top ten.

13. Derek Jeter- This ranking hurts me as a Yankees fan. I love Jeter, but he is not and will not be on any of my teams. He gives no power and his average is fluctuating. In addition, expect a decrease in stolen base attempts.

14. Emilio Bonifacio- Good speed. Has multiple positional eligibility at third base and outfield. 

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Philadelphia Phillies sign free agent pitcher Joel Pineiro

The Philadelphia Phillies added a little more depth to their rotation. They signed free agent pitcher Joel Pineiro. On a rotation that features Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, and Cole Hamels, Joel Pineiro is not that flashy. The deal is reported to be for a single year, and the salary is unknown.

Pineiro has a career ERA of 4.41 and WHIP of 1.35. Last season, he had a 5.13 ERA and 1.51 ERA. Pineiro probably won't make the starting rotation, but he could see work out of the bullpen as a long reliever. In case of injury, the Phillies also have a solid pitcher to slot in now.

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Tampa Bay Rays Make a Sneaky Good Signing

The Rays are one of the best teams at managing their payroll and outperforming expectations. By signing Luke Scott, they continue this trend They do this by developing high quality position players and pitchers through their farm system. As well they have signed undervalued free agents. These "lottery ticket" type signings usually don't work out, but when they do, they are great.

They signed former Baltimore Oriole Luke Scott to a one year $5 million deal. The deal also includes a $6 million team option for 2013 with a $1 million buyout.

Scott hit 23, 25, and 27 homers respectively from 2008-2010. Scott's best season came in 2010. He hit 27 homers with a .284 average. Last year was a below average year for Scott; he hit 9 homers in 64 games. His batting average was also the lowest of his career at .220.

Luke Scott is not a flashy player, but he certainly can be a good hitter. The Rays bought the right lottery ticket. From a fantasy aspect, Scott has the potential to be effective if he has outfield eligibility in deep leagues. A few years ago he provided me with some homers to help me win a roto league. From both a real world and fantasy aspect, it is worth keeping an eye on Scott.

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