Baseball has had its mind-boggling issues in the past with drugs, steroids and bench-clearing brawls. But their latest opponent is a manifestation of their own skeptical brilliance. What would you say if someday soon someone were to get hit over the head with a bat, or even impaled by one? Back in the day, you would probably say I’m full of a certain substance and to aim my critique elsewhere. But there is no denying that the use of maple bats to promote home runs is a very dangerous endeavor and should be banned immediately. I mean, the bat snaps and spews shrapnel like a fragmentation grenade across the infield, and this even happens when a player makes contact with the sweet spot. It’s an unneeded spectacle that shouldn’t be happening. The league must go back to the safer bats that are made of ash, because they can’t afford a tragedy due to a love affair with the long ball. It’s not safe, it’s not right and most of all it’s just a game. Wake up Major League Baseball!

Sorry for my rant folks, but after watching games all weekend and seeing a virtual fireworks display of kindling in every contest, I had to say something.

The impending return of Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Chad Tracy (knee) next week poses a serious threat to the playing time of my main fantasy squeeze in Arizona third baseman Mark Reynolds. Over his last 10 games, Reynolds has hit a horrifying .189 with no home runs, three RBIs, four runs scored, one stolen base and 14 whiffs in 37 at-bats. On the season, his once elite OPS has plummeted to the depths of obscurity with a sickening .731 mark and his .225 average against left-handed hurlers is simply nauseating. In addition, he has hit a ghastly .232 with 37 strikeouts against right-handed pitchers and sports a .150 batting average away from the home confines of Chase Field. However, his propensity for consistent streakiness is a fluent trait for the 6-foot-1, 220-pound masher, so jumping ship two months into the season shouldn’t be an option yet. However, the growing health of Tracy is worrisome in regards to fantasy, simply due to the fact that they play the same position and that Tracy cranks a career .308 average off right-handers. Tracy has hit a paltry career .222 of southpaws, so Reynolds’ competition should only come when right-handers are on the mound, which unfortunately is a common occurrence. Also, Tracy has four years of experience under his belt and sports a career .288 average. Personally, I don’t think the Diamondbacks will pull the plug on Reynolds right away, but keeping a guy that’s hitting .230 with his last home run coming April 25 in the lineup is borderline insane. Monitor the situation closely.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been waiting for Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Alex Rios to dominate for a few years now, and I’m still waiting. Over his last 10 games, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound bluebird has hit .222 with one home run, one RBI, four runs scored, two stolen bases and 15 strikeouts in 45 at-bats. He seems to be impatient and terribly distracted at the plate. Plus, his current OPS (.774) is not even close to the mid-.800 numbers that he posted over his last two campaigns. In addition, with 37 strikeouts in 143 at-bats this season, he’s on a torrid pace to notch nearly 150 by the end of the year, something isn’t right. Also, he’s hitting .200 against left-handed pitching, which is 86 points lower than his career mark against southpaws (.286). Historically over his career, April (.309) and May (.304) are two of his best hitting months. This season he hit .306 in April, which is fine, but is now hitting an inexcusable .222 in May. My take is this, either he has some sort of hidden injury, or he’s trying way too hard to crank balls through the Rogers Centre roof into the Toronto skyline. Sooner or later, he will get spoken to, and the situation will get fixed. So until then, start him with confidence, and don’t forget he still steals a decent amount of bases, which is supported by four consecutive seasons with 14 or more swipes.

Keep a very close eye on Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Daniel Cabrera. On the season, the 6-foot-9, 269-pound flamethrower is 3-1 with 34 strikeouts, 24 walks, a 3.54 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP in 53 1/3 innings of work. In addition, he has limited opposing hackers to a staunch .206 batting average. I feel that “D-Cab” has finally turned the corner in his rollercoaster career. Most of his bumps have been due to his horrendous control, which he’s still trying to harness, but he does appear to be fine-tuning it pretty well. Over his last five starts, he has gone 3-1 with 23 strikeouts, 12 walks, a 2.45 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP in 36 2/3 innings. Cabrera has been the center of sleeper conversations since his first MLB pitch in 2004, and he’s still only a soon-to-be 27-year-old developing pitcher. I highly recommend Cabrera, because if this streak of quality starts is a hint that the best is yet to come, it’s time to hook a trailer up to him and enjoy the ride. He has the stuff to be one of the best pitchers in the game.

Rob McCarthy has played fantasy sports since the days of tediously transferring his daily points from the Boston Herald to a tattered notepad every morning.  He has been featured on Yahoo! Sports, FOX Sports and currently scribes for KFFL.com.  In addition, Rob is an avid fan of all Boston sports.

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