Baseball America ranked Jay Bruce as its No. 1 prospect for much of the 2007 season. Many baseball people criticized the Reds for not keeping Bruce on the major league squad out of spring training. They thought that Bruce was ready for the major leagues. Well, after a debut for the ages, it appears that he was. Let’s just hope that you added him to your fantasy team.

What are your thoughts on Ryan Zimmerman? I drafted him with the thought of him being my starting 3B, but he’s been hurting me pretty badly.
--Alan, New York City, NY

After hearing that Zimmerman has a lot of pain in his shoulder, and it’s showing at the plate, I’d be hesitant to start him at all. His batting average has not been so great the last two years, he strikes out frequently (over 120 times the last two seasons), and he doesn’t walk too much. This might be a guy for you to sell when (if?) he gets on a hot streak. I’m not too big a fan of him.

Take your pick: Ryan Braun or Prince Fielder.
--Ashley, Milwaukee, WI

Let’s run through a comparison of the two for a 5x5 league. Braun’s batting average is probably going to be .290, while Fielder will be in the .270 range. Both will probably score around 85 runs and steal very few bases. For the remainder of the season, though, give me Fielder’s power stats over the slight advantage Braun has in batting average and stolen bases. In keeper leagues, it’s tough, but I’ll take Braun.

Jorge Posada returns soon for the Yankees. Do you take him or Victor Martinez for the rest of the season?
--Jeremy, Lebanon, TN

As strange as it sounds, let me have the guy coming off the disabled list. Martinez has had 44 games to hit his first home run of the year, but he hasn’t. His batting average has dropped from the .340s to .292 in just a matter of a few weeks. All of this could stem from his injured hamstrings, as the Indians are saying, but then again, maybe not. Posada, on the other hand, wasn’t really bothered behind the plate because of his injury. It was just his throwing that was afflicted.

When are you giving up on Nick Swisher?
--Aaron, Tucson, AZ

I am still going to be patient on Swisher, though, if you haven’t already, I’d bench him. He’s owned in probably one-third of all fantasy leagues out there, so you could stash him on your bench. The White Sox keep running him out there, and once the weather warms up in Chicago, he should start launching home runs once again. I think he finishes the year with a low-ish batting average of .240, but still knocks 25 out of the park. Yes, that means he’ll really be hitting well starting soon.

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