PLAYERS TO WATCH IN SPRING TRAINING:

Are pitchers and hitters healthy? Which young players are getting playing time and doing the most with it? Where are players batting in the lineup? Beyond that, little can and should be derived from the Spring Training box scores. Here is a rundown of our musings thus far:

Jay Bruce, OF, CIN

He is being given an opportunity to win be the center field job. . . and he is making the most of it. If you haven't heard, Bruce was Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year in 2008. The Reds have plenty of competition for the job, with Corey PAtterson brought in to compete with Hopper and Freel. While the latter two are more suited for super-sub duty, Patterson represents a serious obstacle to Bruce's playing time, meaning he may start in the minors. Keep a close eye on this battle as Jay Bruce is a big-time prospect and the reason the Reds could trade Josh Hamilton for pitching. Speaking of which. . .

Josh Hamilton, OF, TEX

He is hitting cleanup in Texas’s lineup. With Kinsler and Michael young hitting ahead of him, the Rangers have certainly put Hamilton in a position to succeed. They gave up one of their best young pitchers to get him, so keep an eye on his success (or failures) at the cleanup spot as that would greatly boost his value in ’08.

Albert Pujols, 1B, STL

Those of you with picks 4, 5 or 6 should be following Pujols closely. Do you want to pass on a healthy Ryan Howard for Pujols and his balky elbow? FBJ isn’t sold either way on it. This will be an ongoing development throughout spring training and perhaps the make or break decision for fantasy owners in 2008.

Delmon Young, OF, MIN

Where will he hit? We love the idea of DY hitting 3rd between Mauer and Morneau. No player has benefitted from that protection more than Cuddyer who consistently faced left-handers brought in to face Mauer and left in to face Morneau. More likely though, DY will hit 5th or 6th after Morneau. Keep an eye on this situation as Gardenhire experiments with replacing Hunter’s batting spot.

Brandon Phillips, 2B, CIN

Still hitting cleanup in the Reds lineup. Phillips became a fantasy star in 07 and remains in the cleanup spot behind Griffey. He is the Reds’ most popular player and will remain so in 08.

Gary Sheffield, OF/DH, DET

The Sheff is hitting 3rd once again, ahead of Ordonez, Cabrera, et al. That says a lot about the respect he gets around the league and the health of his shoulder as well. Sheff continues to be undervalued, but you can never count him out. He’s in a great spot on a great lineup, so feel good drafting him behind the major outfielders.

PLAYERS WHO HAD DOWN YEARS IN ’07 TO KEEP AN EYE ON

Travis Hafner, Jason Bay, Derrek Lee, Vernon Wells.

If any of these players can show they’re healthy, they could be major boosts to your team. All four were drafted in the top 5 rounds and performed well under their expected levels of production. If you believe that ’07 was a fluke, then these players will be undervalued come draft day. Keep an eye on all these players, particularly in the power department. If any of these players are hitting the ball hard in the spring, it may be a sign that he is 100% healthy and a return to form is likely.

YOUNG PLAYERS GIVEN FULL-TIME JOBS WITH BUST-OUT POTENTIAL

Jason Botts, Michael Bourn, Conor Jackson, Jeff Baker/Jason Nix

With young players being pressed into full-time duty, the question is always whether the player is up for the challenge. Watch all these players this spring to see how they handle everyday duty. Bourn could provide big-time steals and Botts big time power. Meanwhile Jackson is Arizona’s 1B of the future after a decent ’07 (15 homers and 60 rbis in 130 games) while Nix and Baker battle it out for the 2B in Colorado, a battle which could bear serious fruit for fantasy teams in ‘08.