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Spring Training Player Notes and Fantasy Advice from former Yankee and current scout Mike Pagliarulo, from www.DugoutCentral.com.  

Rays starting pitcher James Shields looked very good against the Twins on Tuesday. His pitches looked good as he threw a fastball, changeup and a breaking pitch (resembling a slider). His pitches had good movement both in and out of the pitching zone. The right-hander made some nice adjustments between innings to his pitching mechanics, allowing him to get right back on track when he couldn't repeat his arm slot. Shields pitched aggressively and attacked the strike zone early with first pitch strikes. What I liked most was the fact he kept his composure when he struggled. He had good pitch execution and good boy language throughout his outing. He didn't panic and didn't make any major changes - minor adjustments were all that was needed. Shields should continue to improve in 2008 and will give the Rays a chance to win almost every time out. Fantasy advice: Shields was impressive in 2007, going 12-8 with a 3.85 ERA (117 ERA+), 1.107 WHIP and 184 strikeouts. He had a 5:1 strikeout to walk ratio. Look for continued improvement in 2008. Fifteen wins with a 3.50 ERA isn't out of the question for the 26-year-old.

While Shields looked good, Twins starter Livan Hernandez continued to look bad. His fastball topped out at 86, and he isn't fooling hitters with his offspeed stuff - curve, slider and changeup. Fantasy advice: no, no, no.

I'm not sure what the game plan is for Francisco Liriano. Is it to build up his arm strength and stamina (the right choice) or use pitch sequences as if it's the regular season to beat a Spring Training opponent? In Liriano's second outing, he threw his fastball, curve, slider and changeup. He threw the second hitter of the game, Kevin Youkilis, a curve ball on the first pitch. In his three innings against the Sox, he threw as many off-speed pitches as he did fastballs. Liriano topped off at 89 mph on the gun, so perhaps more focus should be given to building up his arm strength. Liriano didn't look nearly as good as Boston's Clay Buchholz. Liriano's arm-slot generated greater differentials between ideal and actual mechanics. Fantasy advice: watch his next two appearances. If he's not getting the gun reading up to the low nineties, start to drop him a few rounds in your pre-draft rankings.

Matt Garza was impressive during his recent outing against the Red Sox. His was one of the best performances we've seen so far in Spring Training. He used a fastball that showed life and was between 92 and 95 mph. He also used a slider, changeup and a curve. Garza was able to establish his fastball early in the game, and he did a good job of keeping the ball down. It's always good to see a hard thrower airing out the fastball to get in game-ready shape, as opposed to being worried about his Spring Training stats. On the flip side, it's disheartening, as with Liriano, to see a hard thrower worrying about pitch sequences this time of year. One glitch Garza might have is his trouble keeping the ball down when he's pitching from the stretch, but that could just take a minor adjustment. Fantasy advice: If Garza isn't selected in your draft (a good possibility), he's someone to follow at the very beginning of the season. If he's effective in his first couple of starts, pick him up and drop some of the trash on your roster. Someone will already begin to smell after a week of the regular season.

Bartolo Colon pitched yesterday against the Rays and Garza and looked the same as he did last year - and that's not good. Despite what you might be reading from other sites ("Colon Wows Sox Brass"), his pitching mechanics are as poor as last year. His mechanics are poor because he's fat. With the extra weight in his gut, he has trouble finishing over his front side and will tend to fall off to the side or re-coil. And that promotes shoulder stress. Even if he pitches well initially, he's a very high risk for injury. Fat guys watch; they don't play. Fantasy advice: Don't waste a draft pick on him. If he is a free agent and has a couple of nice starts early on, pick him up and try to trade him ASAP.

Kyle Snyder threw the ball well. He was able to use all his pitches, and his mechanics looked very good. He was smooth and balanced over the rubber, even when there were runners on base. Snyder didn't rush and stayed within himself. The Red Sox can count on Snyder as a long man out of the pen and spot starter, allowing Tito to keep the bullpen intact. Snyder was a valuable asset to the Sox in 2007 and looks good so far this year. Fantasy advice: Good for a team planning on being in the playoff hunt; no value for your fantasy team.