FANTASY MAILBAG

	It's been a slow year for catchers, but a big year for Geovany Soto. Icon SMI
	REACT: Send Gary your Fantasy Baseball questions Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Make your case:

I've been trying to find a good catcher and I noticed Cubs C Geovany Soto ($5,300,000). What do you think of him?
-Nik, California

He's very interesting, Nik. Soto wasn't much of a prospect until he really got into shape and lost a lot of weight before the 2007 season. He tore up the minor leagues last season, and he hasn't stopped hitting everything since reaching the majors. There's always a small part of me that's worried about young guys who come out of nowhere. But at least right now, it looks like Soto is the real deal and one of the top five catchers in fantasy baseball.

I need an outfielder and money isn't a problem. Should I get Diamondbacks OF Chris Young ($5,900,000), Diamondbacks OF Justin Upton ($5,350,000), Yankees OF Bobby Abreu ($7,300,000), or Twins OF Delmon Young ($5,600,000)?
-Henry, Massachusetts

It's a tough call Henry, but I think you have to go with Chris Young or Abreu. In the short term, I'd stick with Young for now. But I think you'll see Abreu heat up soon, especially once Alex Rodriguez returns to the lineup next week.

Who is the best player in fantasy baseball?
-Jonathan, Maryland

When he's healthy Jonathan, that would be Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez ($9,800,000), who is the best baseball player in the world right now. A-Rod is set to return from his leg injury Tuesday. Aside from A-Rod, I'd say Phillies 2B Chase Utley ($7,800,000) is Number 2.

Is Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols ($7,500,000) a good pick at first base?
-Rashad, Iowa

Sure he is Rashad. Pujols is a heck of a hitter, one of the top three in baseball. The only concern is that he's playing through an elbow injury that could get worse. Of course, If it gets worse the Cardinals will put Pujols on the disabled list. Until then, Pujols is right there with Astros 1B Lance Berkman ($7,100,000), Red Sox 1B David Ortiz ($8,300,000), and Cubs 1B Derrek Lee ($6,600,000) as baseball's best first basemen. He's just fine to have in your lineup.

Should I keep Red Sox OF Manny Ramirez ($7,700,000) on my team?
-Alex, Massachusetts

Sure Alex. Manny might be one of the worst defensive outfielders ever, but defense doesn't count in fantasy baseball. What's important is that he's one of the most consistently great hitters of all-time. And that's because he's one of the hardest-working players of all-time. He just works on hitting non-stop.

WHY DON'T YOU ANSWER MY QUESTIONS!!!!!?
-Matt, Maryland

I do sometimes, Matt. You were in the basketball mailbag a couple of times. Like I always say, there are hundreds of questions every week, and I'm just one Wizard. I answer as many as I can, but I can't get to all of them.

What's wrong with Dodgers SS Rafael Furcal ($5,750,000) and Phillies OF Pat Burrell ($6,300,000)? They have the most points in fantasy baseball, but they only got 8 this week.
-Billy, Illinois

Well Billy, it was a tough break with Furcal. The Dodgers placed him on the disabled list with a back injury on Tuesday, after fantasy lineups were already set. So since he didn't play, he didn't get points. As far as Burrell goes, he's still playing pretty well. But he's just not as ridiculously on fire as he was in April. Like I said a couple of weeks ago, he can't be expected to stay hot all season.

Should I keep Rockies OF Matt Holliday ($8,600,000)? If no, who should I take: Pirates OF Xavier Nady ($4,400,000) or Rangers OF Josh Hamilton ($5,250,000)?
-Tyler, New York

I would hang on to Holliday if I were you, Tyler. He's been heating up a little of late. But if you want to free up a little bit of money, Hamilton is almost as good. Nady is a lot like Pat Burrell. He started off really hot, but he's a veteran who has never had an All-Star season. Guys like that almost always cool off.

Gary, do you think I should stick with Phillies 2B Chase Utley ($7,800,000) or will he fall apart soon?
-Will, Montana

Chase Utley? THE Chase Utley? I don't think so, Will. Utley just hits everything hard. And with that sweet left-handed swing, I definitely don't see him falling apart. He'll probably slow down a little bit at some points and won't end up leading the majors in home runs. But I thought Utley would have won National League MVP last season if he didn't get hurt. And I think if he stays healthy, he'll win the award in 2008.

Is Rays OF Gabe Gross the best outfielder for $2,900,000?
-Alex, Florida

I think you can do better than that, Alex. White Sox OF Carlos Quentin ($2,800,000) is probably the best of the outfielders at that price. Nationals OF Lastings Milledge ($2,700,000) and Braves OF Mark Kotsay ($2,600,000) are also good options because, unlike Gross, they play pretty much every game. And he's out for a month with a broken thumb, but when he comes back you should keep an eye on Pirates OF Ryan Doumit ($2,900,000), who is actually playing catcher most days for the Pirates.

I've noticed some guys like Rockies RP Luis Vizcaino, Cubs RP Kerry Wood and Red Sox SP Josh Beckett wear these ropes around their neck. Some of them wear a lot, like Vizcaino who has about ten. And some wear just one, like Kerry Wood. Why do they wear these? Is it superstition, for show, or does it help them in some way?
-Steven, New Jersey

Good questions Steven. I'm not 100 percent sure about Wood's necklace, but I know Beckett's and Vizcaino's are special necklaces made out of graphite. They're supposed to make your blood flow through your veins more easily and therefore relax and loosen your muscles. And for pitchers, having loose and relaxed muscles throughout your body is a major key. (If you ever see golfers wearing copper bracelets, it's the same kind of technology.) I have no idea if they actually work, but apparently Vizcaino thinks they do. That dude wears about 90 necklaces around his neck.

Braves SP John Smoltz ($8,300,000) is on the DL right now and says when he comes back, he will go to the bullpen. Will he be a staring pitcher or relief pitcher in the game, and should I pick him up?
-Jacob, Georgia

You're right Jacob, Smoltz is about 10 days away from returning. And players don't switch positions at all in our game, so he'll be a starting pitcher for the rest of the season. Unfortunately, the move to the bullpen makes Smoltz a much riskier option for fantasy leagues. He won't pitch nearly as many innings, and will rarely get wins. I think he'll step in as Atlanta's closer, but maybe not right away. If he is getting saves, he could still be decent. But I don't think I'd take a chance on him right now.

Who is a better choice at the moment: Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis ($6,000,000), who is really good right now, or Astros 1B Lance Berkman ($7,100,000), who is usually consistent?
-Mark, New Jersey

Oh, I don't think you'll find a hotter hitter in baseball right now than Berkman, Mark. Youkilis is good, but Berkman is just better.

I have a problem. Should I get Marlins 2B Dan Uggla ($7,000,000) or Phillies 2B Chase Utley ($7,800,000) as my second baseman? Before you say that I should get Utley hands down, Uggla is coming off of a two-homer game! HELP!!
-Dan, Ohio

Utley hands down... Just kidding Dan. But Utley is still my choice. I will say that when Uggla is red hot right now. But he also has a history of being really streaky. And that's the problem with streaky guys. You can add them to your team, but you have no idea when their hot streak is going to end. For instance, last season Uggla got hot and hit .307 in May. Then he hit just .241 in June. On the other hand, while Utley has an occasional bad week (nobody's perfect in the big leagues), he's usually either good or great every week. Uggla is sometimes great, and sometimes terrible. I would say Uggla is the second-best second baseman right now, but Utley is still Number 1 in my book.

Should I pick up Rays SP James Shields ($7,900,000) or Dodgers SP Brad Penny ($7,700,000)?
-JR, North Carolina

I'd go with Shields, JR. He's one of baseballs most underrated players. He always throws a lot of innings, and rarely gets rocked. Penny, on the other hand, looks great at times, and absolutely awful at other times. He's just too inconsistent right now compared to Shields.

Dude, you totally need to start believing the Red Sox. THEY ROCK!
-Kyle, North Carolina

If the Red Sox rock Kyle, then why is Red Sox RP Hideki Okajima giving up game-winning grand slams to Orioles OF Jay Payton? I believe it is the Orioles who actually rock. Orioles Magic, feel it happen!

Is Twins OF Carlos Gomez ($4,500,000) a good pick because of his stolen base ability?
-Thomas, South Dakota

I think so, Thomas. Stolen bases are a big part of fantasy baseball, and Gomez steals a bunch. He also seems to be getting more comfortable at the plate, and is pushing his batting average up towards .300. He has even been hitting for a little bit of power, something a lot of speedsters can't do. Young players like Gomez are prone to going through slumps. But for that price, Gomez is a fine addition to your team.

Do National League pitchers get points for their hitting?
-Joel, Pennsylvania

Nope, sorry Joel. And sorry to Diamondbacks SP Micah Owings ($4,900,000). Owings might be hitting .370 at the plate this season and .345 for his career, but you only get his pitching stats (which, with a 5-1 record and 3.81 ERA, aren't too shabby).

Should I pick players on a winning team, or go with the players making the most points?
-Garrett, California

It doesn't actually matter if a fantasy player is on a winning team in real life, Garrett. But the way it works out is: Since the best fantasy players are the ones with the best statistics, they help their teams win more games. And as far as pitchers go, a good pitcher on a good team is likely to get more wins (which are worth 10 points in SIKIDS.com fantasy baseball) than a pitcher who is just as good but on a bad team.

YOU TOLD ME TIGERS OF CURTIS GRANDERSON ($7,400,000) WAS GOOD TO GO. THEN HE WENT 0 FOR THE LAST WHATEVER!!!!!! What's up with that?
-Daniel, Washington

Sorry Daniel. The Fantasy Wizard can't actually see the future, but I am almost always right when it comes to predicting it. Unfortunately, this is one of the rare times that I was wrong. Granderson came out on fire after returning from his injury, but then he hit a slump. It's strange because usually guys come out slumping after an early season injury, then heat up. Granderson did it backwards. It's just one of those bad breaks for fantasy owners.