BP tossers are getting plenty of work in Arizona and Florida (USAT)

You're down to your final $20 and five spots. After purchasing several players early on, you've bide your time, waiting patiently for that special sleeper destined to propel you to fantasy greatness. His name is called. The clock begins. Bids ping-pong across your screen. Should you max out? ...

On this week's nail-biting program, Brad Evans and Scott Pianowski detailed the strategic beauty that are auction drafts. Our dynamic fantasy duo will also previewed the NL East: Will Gincarlo Stanton launch 40 homers? Is mid-round snoozer Kris Medlen a top-20 SP? Is beefed up Bryce Harper overpriced? We also expressed our stance on Felix Hernandez's tricky elbow and, of course, attempt to solve your draft day dilemmas.

Too busy making those last second arrangements for Oscar night? No worries. Listen to the replays below:

LISTEN TO HOUR 1 HERE (MLB)

LISTEN TO HOUR 2 HERE (MLB)

Super Soph (USAT)Today's collection of February nuggets is brought to you by the Letter H. Settle in, settlers.

Mike Trout and Bryce Harper might wind up being linked for their entire careers; at least we all should be hoping for that. A Magic-Bird type of run, shaped for the diamond, would be a blast to watch.

[Baseball 2013 from Yahoo! Fantasy Sports: Join a league today!]

With that general theme in mind, let's take a second and note the physical similarity to the players entering their post-ROY seasons. We've already had a talk about Trout's bulked-up physique in The Arcade (Andy Behrens blogged about it here, and I touched on it briefly here); now we'll check in with Harper.

The Washington wonderland reported to spring training more than ready for his close up, checking in at 230 pounds. That's nearly a 20-pound gain from the weight Harper played at last year. Here's more on Harper's gym work, courtesy of James Wagner and the Washington Post:

Harper built his body as big and strong as he could during the winter, an offseason activity he has made a mission since high school. He loses weight quickly; playing baseball nearly everyday for the next eight months, especially the hell-bent way Harper does, can do that to a body. By the end of spring training, Harper figures he will lose 10 pounds.

Since mid-November, when he started lifting again, Harper set his alarm for 4:50 a.m. four times a week, was up by 5 and was at Soder’s training facility in Las Vegas by 5:30 to join a group of minor league and major league players. The intense, non-stop workouts last between 90 minutes and two hours, a little longer on leg days. His older brother, Bryan, 23, a Nationals minor league pitcher, accompanied him.

“It gives me a good time to relax and hang out and clear my mind,” Harper said. “Lifting and stuff really helps me clear my mind. I love it.”

The Nationals wanted to move Harper out of center field as soon as possible, to prevent the mental and physical wear and tear on his muscular body. That was part of the reason for the late-November trade for Denard Span, the type of leadoff hitter and center fielder the Nationals have long coveted. But to Harper it didn’t matter where he was going to play, he was going to show up to camp at 230 pounds even if he was the everyday center fielder.

Okay, we're not talking about the biggest story of the season here – it's been a slow news week. But there are two positive takeaways to consider in this piece: I like the idea of Harper being on a corner outfield spot (in theory, that means less chances for mayhem), and I also like seeing that he plans to lose about 10 pounds from baseball activities over the next month or so. Don't lose any of that flexibility, killer.

Employee No. 8 (USAT)

The new assignment on the Shuffle Up clipboard is the forwards, the men who drive so much of the fantasy equation. We're looking at the basic Yahoo! scoring categories here (goals, assists, power-play points, shots on goal, plus-minus, penalty minutes) and we're trying to project how they'll play out from this point forward. Position flexibility and scarcity also counts a small amount; in theory, it's a tie-breaker between similar commodities.

[Baseball 2013 from Yahoo! Fantasy Sports: Join a league today!]

What's happened to this point is merely an audition; this list is not intended to merely stand as a list of stat leaders. In every Shuffle Up, some will find the list too reactive while others will feel it's not reactive enough. Everyone has a different perspective, and I welcome you to share your ice angles in the comments.

My own commentary will follow later in the day, and I reserve the right to tweak this list as the day goes along. Also please note that anyone currently carrying an IR tag is ineligible for the list; sorry about that, Franzen Youth.

To the board:

Mike Trout (USAT Images)Each spring, we encounter stories about players who've gained or lost 10 to 30 pounds. And no matter which direction these dudes move on the weight chart, the fantasy community usually gets excited. We're either thinking, "He's huge! Best shape of his life! Breakout!" or it's, "Cat-quick! Best shape of his life! Career year!"

Generally speaking, we just really like change.

[Baseball 2013 from Yahoo! Fantasy Sports: Join a league today!]

One of this year's gainers is 21-year-old Mike Trout, the guy who ranked as last season's most valuable fantasy commodity. Trout's fantasy value in 2012 was, of course, largely tied to his speed. The kid swiped 49 bags in only 54 attempts, plus he scored 129 runs in just 139 games. Thus, his increased mass seems notable, maybe even troubling. This from the L.A. Times...

Mike Trout assures you he is not fat.

Yes, the 21-year-old outfielder reported to spring training at 241 pounds, about 10 to 15 pounds more than he weighed in 2012 and five pounds heavier than slugger Albert Pujols, who checked in at 236.

[...]

But most of the added weight is muscle — Trout's body fat is 9% — and he expects to lose about 10 pounds during camp, which would put him right around the weight he finished last season at, 230 pounds.

Trout is actually listed by the team at 210, which led to reports that he actually put on as much as 30 pounds. The point is, there's now more Mike Trout in the world, which can't be a bad thing.

Unless his speed is compromised. That wouldn't help anyone.

King James in middle of MVP debate (USAT)

Over his past seven games leading into the All-Star break, LeBron James has averaged 32.0 ppg while shooting a ridiculous 68.9 percent from the field (80-for-116), becoming the first player in NBA history to score at least 30 points with at least a 60.0 FG% in six straight games (it would have been seven if not for a miss late in Thursday’s win in Oklahoma City). He’s attempted his regular amount of shots at the rim over this span (6.8) compared to his season numbers (6.7, which ranks third in the league behind only Greg Monroe and Nikola Pekovic), but he’s made an insane 89.1 percent of his shots from in close during this stretch – James should be considered the best finisher in the NBA right now (thanks in no small part to Dwight Howard’s health). Among all players who’ve averaged at least 6.0 attempts at the rim, no one is within five percentage points from James’ 78.8 mark. The only player in the league who’s shot better at the rim in a meaningful sample is Al Horford, who’s attempted 4.9 shots per game and has a 79.3 percent mark, but James has bested him in four of the past five years. While that’s impressive, LBJ has also shot a scorching 53.8 percent (14-for-26) from three-point land over this epic seven-game span, as his play has gone next level.

James opened the season scoring 20 points or more in 33 straight games, which is the second most in NBA history (he also had scored 20 points or more in seven straight All-Star games, which is a league record, until he was held to just 19 points Sunday night). He hasn’t fouled out of a game since 2008. Among the top-20 in FG%, only one other player (Tony Parker) averages at least 1.0 3pt other than James, who’s 56.5 FG% ranks sixth despite attempting 3.4 three-pointers per game. Kevin Durant has been the better fantasy property this year, although this has been James’ most valuable fantasy season of his career, and he’s now comfortably ahead of Durant when it comes to PER. So considering defense, who would you vote for league MVP over the first half of the season?

Here’s Kyrie Irving doing work in the Rising Stars Challenge. There was a lot more where that came from too, as he and Brandon Knight really competed at times in an otherwise exhibition event.

Here’s a pretty sick Blake Griffin dunk.

Adam Eaton (Getty Images)

If we were coming off a typical major league season in terms of rookie production, then I'd use my introductory paragraphs today to caution you against an over-reliance on first-year players. I'd recommend that you avoid the pitfalls of prospect hoarding — that you view these kids as trade chips, not as key contributors.

But of course we're not coming off a typical season. In 2012, Mike Trout finished atop the overall fantasy ranks despite spending the first month of the season with the Salt Lake Bees. Bryce Harper, at age 19, gave the Nats a 22-homer, 18-steal campaign while scoring 98 runs and hitting .270/.340/.477.

There's no reason to think that 2013 will produce another Trout or Harper, obviously, so fantasy drafters shouldn't expect any rookie to carry their fake teams. However, I'm also not gonna tell you that you shouldn't quietly hope for a monster season from one of the new arrivals.

[Baseball 2013 from Yahoo! Fantasy Sports: Join a league today!]

Today, we're ranking the prospect class for short-term fantasy impact, looking only at the year ahead. REPEAT: We're looking only at the year ahead. If you're hoping to draft the nucleus of your 2015 title winning team this spring, then you'll want to work from a different list. But if you're planning for 2013 — as most of you should be — then here are a dozen names to target, in the order I'd draft 'em...

Hunter Pence was better at speeches than hitting (USAT)

The Giants improbably won their second World Series over the past three years in 2012, once again riding strong pitching and terrific defense in the postseason. They did so despite being down 2-0 against the Reds while heading to play the next three games in Cincinnati and then down 3-1 against the Cardinals in the NLCS, only to outscore their opponents 36-7 over the next seven games – all wins. San Francisco became champs while hitting by far the fewest home runs in major league baseball, although that had plenty to do with AT&T Park, which had the lowest HR Park Factor (0.522) of any stadium since 2002.

The Giants somehow won the World Series despite Tim Lincecum finishing with a 5.18 ERA, losing their closer (Brian Wilson) for the year, once again getting nothing out of Freddy Sanchez, Aubrey Huff posting a .192/.326/.282 line, Pablo Sandoval missing 50+ games and also disappointing while playing, Brandon Belt not even coming close to breaking out like hoped (he didn’t hit his fifth homer of the year until September 4 - his first of the year against a right-hander), Hunter Pence batting .219/.287/.384 over 219 at-bats after SF traded for him and losing Melky Cabrera, who was leading the league in batting at the time, to a season-ending PED suspension. Moreover, the Giants spent $38.1 million on Aaron Rowand, Wilson, Sanchez and Huff last year. The entire A’s payroll was $52,873,000.

[Also: Ryan Braun again in middle of PED storm]

Of course, plenty of other things went right, and most teams need some luck to win a championship, which the Giants undoubtedly had during their October run. Barry Zito saved possibly his two best starts since joining SF for the most important times, shutting out the Cardinals over 7.2 innings in St. Louis during an elimination game and beating Justin Verlander in Game 1 of the World Series in a matchup that Vegas pegged the Tigers as nearly 3-1 favorites (about as big as any single baseball game ever gets). Yes, the same Zito who threw this pitch last season. Marco Scutaro hit .500 in the NLCS, and after having 12 homers over 396 regular season at-bats, Sandoval hit six in 66 postseason ABs, including three over his first three at-bats in the World Series. And then there was this.

While the Giants stood pat during the offseason, with their only major moves re-signing their own players, the Dodgers sure look formidable. Arizona could be sneaky good too. This division should be hard fought, and despite SF being the defending champs, Los Angeles may enter 2013 as the favorites in the National League West.

Felix Hernandez has plenty of fan support, if not offensive support(Getty)This week, we continue our series of MLB fantasy previews, wherein we consider 5-6 key questions surrounding each team. Baseball is coming, gamers. Pitchers and catchers report soon. Fantasy owners report immediately...

The Mariners are the Imodium A-D of MLB - nothing makes the runs dry up like Seattle. What, you expected a serious discourse about the biggest offensive joke in baseball over the last half decade? Sorry, but toilet humor is an appropriate way to start this forum considering this offense has been last in the AL in runs scored four straight seasons, and second-to-last five seasons ago.

The Mariners looked to turn the tide of offensive ineptitude this offseason, sticking their noses in the middle of the Josh Hamilton bidding, but ultimately settling for cheaper help via trades (Michael Morse and Kendrys Morales). In addition, the team made the decision to move in the fences at Safeco Field, a notorious pitcher's haven. The biggest change will be in left-center, where the gap will be moved 17 feet closer. It's likely that Safeco Field will still be a tough place to hit (can't move that marine layer), but it was clear that many in the youthful M's lineup last season were suffering a crisis of confidence at home, where the team hit .220 as a unit. And if closer fences improve their player's psyche, it'll be worth it.

[Also: Ryan Braun again in middle of PED storm]

If it's not obvious by now, offense dominates our M's Pressing Questions for '13 …