The All-Brittle team

Having players like Chipper "Day to Day" Jones on my teams got me thinking-who are the players at each position who just can't seem to stay healthy? I bet you could come up with a pretty good lineup. I reviewed the cheatsheets on rotowire.com and created a lineup. I omitted pitchers (Chris Carpenter) because they are too numerous to mention(Ben Sheets):

1B-Nick Johnson-he's healthy and hitting .350, so I hope I don't jinx him. He is a very good hitter with, as rotowire describes him, "A gypsy curse on his head." Broke his leg in 2006 and missed all of 2007. His long awaited comeback was cut short last year after 109 at bats when he broke his wrist. Here's hoping 2009 is his lucky year! Honorable mention to Chad Tracy.

2B-Rickie Weeks-remember when he was a prized rookie in 2005 at age 22? Since then he's missed chunks of time for surgery to repair ligaments on his thumb and wrist, both in separate years. Already this year he collided with J.J. Hardy and suffered a concussion. Second base is one of the more durable positions, but Weeks makes the lineup here.

3B-Chipper Jones-I could list all of his assorted aches and pains causing him to miss time over the years, but I think there's a maximum number of characters I can type, so I'll leave that alone.

SS-Nomar Garciaparra-part of the holy trinity of AL shortstops, along with Jeter and ARod. These days, he literally can't run out a grounder with out something popping or pulling. I added him to one of my teams with Stephen Drew went on the DL and that actually happened the day after I picked him up!

C-Doumit-catcher is another position like second base where it was more difficult to find a worthy player. I finally settled on Doumit, who has had 7 of 9 seasons cut short by injuries between the majors and minors. Wait, he's out two months this season. make that 8/10.

OF-Milton Bradley-see Chipper Jones, then add a temper so scary that even when he's healthy he's often ejected and/or suspended. Actually tore his ACL one year in San Diego when his first base coach tried to restrain him during an argument.

OF-J.D. Drew-may even miss more time than Chipper, which is quite an accomplishment.

OF-Griffey-how many career home runs would he have right now if he didn't miss so much time? Still a sure-fire Hall of Famer.

Honorable mention to Jim Edmonds and Rondell White, both no longer active.

Diamonds In The Rough-Weekly Update

Here are the top ten batters who are owned in 5% or fewer of Yahoo leagues:

1. Cuddyer-off to a 211/286/263 start, but has started every game and is talented.

2.Chad Tracy-308/286/538 with a home run. Like many of the players on this list, he plays for a team that flies under the radar (there aren't any Yankees or Red Sox on this list) and he has battled injuries, so he hasn't been able to display what he's capable of.

3.Nick Johnson-357/400/429 with four runs scored. Similar history to Tracy.

4.Ishikawa-308/308/462 is in line with his minor league record, even a bit below. Just needed a shot and is getting one now.

5.Ben Francisco-only batting 143, but has started every game. He will produce with regular at bats and hopefully the Indians will remain patient.

6.A. Cabrera-same as his teammate Francisco. He probably has a longer leash sicne he plays 2B.

7.N. Morgan-new to the list. If you need steals, he could be the next Bonifacio. A speedy 300 hitter in the minors, then hit 294 in 160 at bats for the Bucs in 2008. Hitting 316 and has started four of five games.

8.Fowler-no at bats the first two games, then gets a start and belts a homer. That earned him another start and he went 2-4 and he's now sporting a nifty 375/500/750 line. When an elite prospect heats up, he's a good bet for an increase in playing time.

9.Cody Ross-also new to the list. Hit 260 and slugged 488 last year and i capable of producing even better numbers. Is only 1-15 so far, so a good day will help keep him in the lineup, where it's probably just a matter of time before he heats up.

10.Andy LaRoche-slumping even worse than Ross. Has so much potential and plays a key position. The Pirates will likely give him a longer leash than most teams, so he could prove to be a great bargain if he comes close to his potential.

Some others worth keeping an eye on:
Byrd-OF-Tex-3%
Garciaparra-3%
Chavez-3BOak-2%
Callaspo-2B,SS-KC-1%

Just need playing time:
Brandon Wood-1%
Seth Smith-OF-Col-1%
Moss-OF-Pitt-1%
Prado-1%
Keppinger-3B,SS-Hou-1%

Here's a chart and how players on my list have fared so far:

			4-Apr	11-Apr
Baker	C	Flor	4	6
Ishikawa	1B	SF	4	5
Johnson, Nick	1B	Wash	2	2
Tracy	1B	Ariz	1	3
Prado	1B,2B,3B	Atl	1	1
Cabrera, A.	2B,SS	Clev	3	3
Bonifiacio	2B	Flor	2	69
Rolen	3B	Tor	4	11
LaRoche, Andy	3B	Pitt	2	2
Wood	3B, SS	Ana	2	1
Garciaparra	1B,3B,SS	Oak	2	3
Francisco	OF	Clev	3	2
Fowler	OF	Col	2	3
Cuddyer	OF	Minn	2	2
Morgan, N.	OF	Pitt		5
Ross	OF	Flor		5

Feel free to comment and ask questions. I welcome all input and will respond quickly!