Alex Gonzalez

Gonzalez performed in 2004 similar to his career, hitting for power at times - seven home runs in 285 at-bats -- without a batting average or an ounce of discipline. At age 31, his trademark defense looks to be slipping, something that may ultimately force him into a reserve role. He has little fantasy value as a regular and virtually none as bench player. Nevertheless, the Devil Rays signed him late in the off-season and intend to use him as their starting third baseman for at least the 2005 season.

Gonzalez did most of what he usually does in 2003 -- fail to get on base, hit for a little power and play pretty good defense (his major gaffe in the notorious eighth inning of NLCS, Game 6, aside). The problem for roto owners is that Gonzalez no longer runs much -- just three steals in 2003 and five in 2002, and that made his .228 batting average (God forbid that you're in a league where strikeouts count against you) especially hard to absorb. He did hit 20 home runs, and at age 31 he should be good for at least that many in 2004, but unless he hits closer to .260, it's just not worth the damage. Incidentally, Gonzalez is in the final year of his contract if you believe in that angle.

From a fantasy perspective, Gonzalez had always been a decent choice if you can stomach the hit to your batting average because he provided some speed and pop from the shortstop position. But last season, Gonzalez hardly ran at all, and at age 30, that trend may continue. Without the speed, Gonzalez is essentially a bad hitter with 15-20 home run power, and given his tendency to swing at bad pitches, we don't see him improving in 2003.