Pablo Sandoval - SF

Don’t make too much out of the “Camp Panda” weight-loss regime.  It was never meant to be a rigorous program where you saw Sandoval enter camp at a lean 200 pounds.  It was a behavioral discipline – a “don’t eat 2 large pizzas by yourself” program.  No, seriously.  The guy likes to eat.  Look beyond the weight – he’s a pure hitter.  He swings at everything, which is a good and bad quality.  He’s certainly prone to strikeouts thereby making the .330 average vulnerable, but he’s also awfully hard for pitchers to manage.  His power is legitimate, and don’t worry about the weight –worry about his plate discipline.

Risk Level: Medium Low – Although it’s possible, it would be a tremendous disappointment to see him hit below .300 and 20 HRs.  We’ll take our chances on a .315-85-25-85 season.

Ben Zobrist - TB

As we noted in our player rankings section, Zobrist’s 2009 performance shouldn’t have come as that much of a surprise.  He displayed similar power and speed ratios in the past and it just seemed to be a situation of needing more playing time at the Major League level.  Although his minor league numbers didn’t really foreshadow his power explosion, his .400+ OBP appears real.

Risk Level: Medium – Potential owners aren’t really looking for Zobrist to build upon last year’s breakout, they just want similar numbers.  As long as the Rays stay committed to getting him at-bats, he’ll have a good shot at another 25 HR-15 SB season.

Casey McGehee - MIL

McGehee was merely an afterthought when the Brewers claimed him off of waivers from the Cubs.  Milwaukee had top prospect Mat Gamel waiting in the wings, so McGehee appeared destined for a utility role.  However, as the season wore on, McGehee showed his offensive prowess and eventually landed at a surprising line of .301-16-66 over 355 ABs (1 HR/22 ABs).  Now, with Mat Gamel suffering a shoulder injury, McGehee will enter the season as the starting third baseman.  Throw in a little extra value if his 22 games at second base give him middle infield eligibility in your league.

Risk Level: High – After hitting 55 homeruns in 2577 minor league at-bats (1 HR/47 ABs), his 2009 power surge seemed to come out of the blue.  McGehee has to stay healthy and avoid prolonged slumps to keep Gamel from nipping at his heels.