Mariners rookie pitcher Brandon Maurer is certainly one of the top surprises of the spring. The 2008 23rd-round pick came out of nowhere to win a spot in the team's rotation and will make his MLB debut Thursday opposite A's starting pitcher A.J. Griffin.
Maurer had quite the spring, going 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in seven appearances (four starts). He also struck out 25. I have no problem with Fantasy owners taking a flier on a potential sleeper like Maurer, especially since the 22-year-old could just be rounding into form after getting over some injury issues earlier in his career.
Though, I'm not so sure I would stick Maurer (owned 23 percent of leagues) into active lineups for Week 1 (March 31-April 7). His first start will be on the road and against an opponent that has a lot of powerful bats in its lineup. I think there's more to lose than gain by starting Maurer in mixed leagues Week 1.