Cesar Izturis

Izturis still has a career because of his glove, not his bat and 2010 was no exception to his pathetic display at the plate (it's rare that a player posts a lower slugging percentage than on-base percentage given more than 500 plate appearances, but Izturis achieved that feat). The Orioles won't give him everyday at-bats with the acquisition of J.J. Hardy, and the cheap 20 steals he used to deliver withered away even before he was forced into a part-time role.

It is no secret that Izturis is in Baltimore for his glove, not his bat. Izturis swiped 12 bases in a season that was marred by missed time following an appendectomy. Deeper leagues could use Izturis as a stolen-base threat, but only at the cost of eating his poor batting average.

Izturis rewarded his fantasy owners with 24 stolen bases in 2008, one off his career high. Unfortunately, there's not much value beyond the steals. The Cardinals didn't ask him back, but the Orioles quickly signed him to a two-year deal. It makes a lot of sense for them, given the cast of thousands they tried out at shortstop last year, and the utter lack of a good shortstop prospect in the upper levels of their farm system.

Izturis could win the job as the starting shortstop for the Cardinals this spring after the departure of David Eckstein. He offers a good glove but little for fantasy purposes as he doesn't have much power or steal bases. While he makes decent contact, it's not enough to offset a poor walk rate, so his batting average is a big risk if he gets regular at-bats.

Izturis came back from Tommy John surgery in June, didn't hit much, got traded to the Cubs, didn't hit much, then missed the last month of the season with a hamstring injury. Assuming his hamstring is okay, Izturis will open the year as the team's starting shortstop thanks to his first-rate defensive skills. He’s capable of drawing an occasional walk and stealing a few bags, but he has no power, and doesn't make enough contact to make up for the lack of walks.

Izturis is tentatively scheduled to be out until the All-Star break due to his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Before the elbow injury, he spent most of the year trying to play through a painful back injury. Following the acquisition of Rafael Furcal, Izturis' future with the Dodgers is a little cloudy. The plan is to move Izturis to second base once he returns; that said, those plans were made before the Dodgers signed Nomar Garciaparra to play first base. Izturis is signed through 2007, so it's not just a case of letting him become a free agent at the end of the year. Look for a trade near the July deadline if Izturis comes back healthy.

Izturis established career highs in batting average, home runs, and RBI and tied his career high for stolen bases last season. He's worth drafting for the stolen bases in NL-only leagues but don't expect much help in any of the other categories.

Izturis could have won the NL gold glove at shortstop in 2003. A true defensive wizard, he unfortunately teamed with Alex Cora to form the weakest hitting middle infield in the big leagues. How many defensive replacements does a team need? His 10 steals provided his only roto value, and his utter lack of plate discipline was an absolute killer to the offense.

Izturis offers little speed, no power, no plate discipline, and little else of use to a fantasy player. About the best thing you can say is he's young and therefore may improve with age.