Sizemore making the Grady

We take our look at Fantasy outfielders every Thursday. All stats and notes are through games of Wednesday, June 22.

Grady Sizemore stepped into the spotlight late in the summer and became an instant fan favorite, delivering a pair of clutch game-winning hits. The 22-year-old was a key piece in a deal that sent Bartolo Colon to the Montreal Expos back in 2002. He is finally major-league ready and has the tools to help out in AL-only Rotisserie leagues in a variety of categories. Sizemore is a fantastic keeper prospect and a decent middle-round selection in most formats.

That came straight out of the 2005 CBS SportsLine.com Fantasy Baseball preview magazine. Readers are quick to point out when we missed the mark on a player, so when we get one right, excuse us if we take the opportunity to gloat ... just for a minute.

Sizemore's place in Cleveland's outfield was far from a guarantee when the Indians broke camp back in March. Third baseman Casey Blake was moving into the outfield to make room for Aaron Boone (all .200-7-24-25 of him) and the consistently hamstrung Juan Gonzalez was signed in the offseason to play right field. That left three spots for four players with Coco Crisp also in the mix and with Jody Gerut returning after a knee injury, manager Eric Wedge had decisions to make regarding playing time.

But, as my wise old grandmother always said, things happen for a reason.

With the exception of one less-than-memorable at-bat, Gonzalez has been out all season with -- what else -- a hamstring problem. Gerut just recently returned from his rehabilitation and Blake was hitting less than .200 for most of the first three months of the season, leaving ample opportunity for Sizemore to prove us right.

Heading into this weekend's series against the Reds, Sizemore is on pace for .306-13-74-83, not bad considering he had only 138 major league at-bats under his belt coming into the season. The sweet-swinging lefty is the most-added outfielder in CBS SportsLine.com Fantasy leagues and is now owned by 66 percent of teams. That's still too low, even in mixed leagues.

Not only is Sizemore swinging a hot bat (he has a 12-game hitting streak), but he's also running a little bit, swiping eight bags to this point. Granted, that's not a huge number, but every steal is a valuable commodity, especially in AL-only formats.

The moral of this story? First, if Sizemore is available in your league (especially keeper leagues), grab him now before the word gets out. He's getting better and better and is in no jeopardy of losing at-bats to any of the other Cleveland outfielders at this point. Secondly, it turns out we know what we are talking about ... most of the time.

News, notes and anecdotes

• The New York Post reports Yankees owner George Steinbrenner wants to deal for Mark Kotsay. However, the A's and Kotsay are talking about a two-year extension, and the Cubs also want him and have better prospects to offer than the Yankees. The Cubs are interested in acquiring Kotsay and shifting Corey Patterson to left field. In early discussions with the Yankees, the A's wanted No. 1 pitching prospect Philip Hughes and INF Eric Duncan for Kotsay. The question is, does Kotsay make the Yankees better? Slightly I suppose, but Bernie Williams hasn't been getting hammered by the Devil Rays this week. Can Kotsay pitch?
• The Angels placed Steve Finley on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday due to a strained right shoulder. The move is retroactive to June 21. It marks the first time in eight seasons that Finley will spend time no the disabled list. Manager Mike Scioscia will use Chone Figgins in center field and have Jeff DaVanon and Juan Rivera splitting time as the designated hitter.

• The Rocky Mountain News reports Gabe Kapler is trying to negotiate a buyout of his Japanese League contract so he can return to the Red Sox prior to the end of the season. On an unrelated note, Jay Payton has started to grumble about his lack of playing time in Boston. What did he expect with Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon and Trot Nixon healthy and returning from a world championship run? Payton might be worth owning if he gets traded to a team that will play him every day or if one of Boston's big three gets hurt. The bottom line? I've spent too much time and space here on both of these players combined from a Fantasy standpoint.
• Aubrey Huff, who left Wednesday's game at the Yankees in the fifth inning due to a bruised right knee, is considered day to day. Huff has had a tough year to this point (.253-4-35-24) and has watched Damon Hollins and now Jonny Gomes taking full advantage of their opportunities. Huff, who is also eligible at first basem third base and designated hitter in most leagues, might be trade bait come the deadline, even more reason to pick up either Gomes or Hollins right now.
• Magglio Ordonez, on the disabled list since April 13 with a hernia, is close to being sent to the minors on a rehab assignment. "I know he wants to come back as quickly as possible, but I think 20 to 30 at-bats is probably what he needs," said manager Alan Trammell. Trammell noted he wanted Ordonez to be 100 percent healthy and ready to play the field, not just designated hitter. "When we get him back, we want him to play," the manager said

Bleacher Banter

Dean Chau from San Jose, Calif.: I play in a 10-man, mixed keeper league with weekly lineups and I have an abundance of middle-tier outfielders. I fill my utility spot with an outfielder, so I can use four per week. I have Jason Bay, Jose Guillen, Andruw Jones, Sammy Sosa and Ken Griffey Jr. I picked up Griffey while Sosa was on the DL, and he turned red hot (but is now cooling off). Now I’m having a hard time deciding who I should start. What are your suggestions?

P.M.: Bay, Guillen and Jones should occupy three of the spots for the forseeable future. Jones leads the majors with 21 homers and Guillen and Bay are both hitting over .300 with a combined 28 homers and 77 RBI. The decision is between Griffey and Sosa (wow, how the mighty have fallen). You're much more likely to catch lightning in a bottle in a given week with Griffey. Sosa has even less value in league that penalize strikeouts.

You can e-mail your Fantasy Baseball outfield questions to Eric Mack at bleacher@commissioner.com. Be sure to put Attn: Outfielders in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware, due to the large volume of submissions received, we cannot guarantee personal responses or answers to all questions.