Scott White

I don't have anything against prospects or the men who appraise them. In fact, I consider the assessment of prospects, the singling out players who might give your team that instant jolt off the waiver wire, a vitally important part of Fantasy.

But somebody needs to say something to calm down this Evan Longoria hype, and I'm taking it upon myself to do so.

I was going through the Fantasy Baseball mailbag Friday, like I do every day, when a couple of questions caught my attention, inspiring this entry. They so casually assumed success for Longoria -- like it was a given, like they weren't even making an assumption -- suggesting to me that this 22-year-old third baseman has firmly entrenched himself in the realm of irrational thought.

Let's get real, people.

"In my league, one of the owners has soured on Justin Verlander and offered him to me for Tim Lincecum. However, he asked that I include either Nick Markakis or Evan Longoria to complete the deal. What is Verlander worth?"
--Traci Hart

This e-mail looks casual. It looks harmless. It looks like it's in no way making a statement of any kind about Longoria. But look again. Traci's trading partner has offered him the choice of parting with either Markakis or Longoria, like they're equals, like they have the same potential to help his Fantasy team.

Uh, excuse me? At what point during Longoria's first 20 major-league at-bats did he do something to place himself on equal footing with Markakis -- a guy who was going as early as the fourth round in Fantasy drafts, who hit .300 with 23 home runs and 18 stolen bases as a 23-year-old last year and is on place for a .308-32-43 line early this year?

Don't get me wrong: Longoria hasn't done anything to disappoint yet, having hit .300 with a home run and a nice 4-to-5 walk-to-strikeout ratio. But 20 at-bats? I mean, he didn't hit 10 homers or go 20-for-20, which is about what it'd take for me to compare any rookie after 20 at-bats to a third-year player widely considered on the threshold of becoming a Fantasy stud.

So yeah, Traci. Make that deal. And don't hesitate to throw in Longoria, a likely free-agent pickup in mixed leagues a week ago, if your trading partner holds him in the same esteem as Markakis.

"I've been presented a unique opportunity to upgrade my pitching. I've been offered Brandon Webb and Troy Tulowitzki for Evan Longoria and Chien-Ming Wang. I think this trade looks good, seeing that Longoria just sits on my bench. What do you think?"
--Kevin Ferrell

Kevin here has the right idea, but the fact he needs to ask me suggests something is amiss in his assessment of Longoria.

Because we know the potential hangup isn't the Webb-for-Wang portion of the deal. Wang is a consistent winner for the Yankees and a worthwhile pitcher for Fantasy purposes, but he's not a perennial Cy Young candidate like Webb, who allows fewer hits and records far more strikeouts. Easy call there.

So then Kevin must wonder if Longoria is equal to Tulowitzki -- or, more accurately, if Longoria is so far ahead of Tulowitzki that the impact of trading Longoria for Tulowitzki is enough to negate the impact of acquiring Webb for Wang.

Which is crazy, obviously. Longoria, in terms of Fantasy appeal, still lags leaps and bounds behind Tulowitzki -- again, a fourth-round draft pick entering the season -- after only 20 at-bats. And I say that as a staunch non-believer in Tulowitzki, wary of his high strikeout rate and lack of a track record. Make that deal, Kevin, and don't think twice.

Look, I know Longoria is a terrific prospect with mountains of ability. Scouts and statisticians alike love him, and their praise has trickled down to Fantasy owners, who want to snag the next Albert Pujols or Ryan J. Braun. But assuming Longoria will have the first-year success of either of those guys is just a bad way to conduct your Fantasy team.

Remember when Chipper Jones began his career back in 1995? He had all the hype and praise, and he deserved it just like Longoria. He also had, by everyone's account, a fantastic rookie season, finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting to Hideo Nomo.

So what were his numbers? A .265 batting average with 23 home runs, which, if you think about it, is a lot like Adrian Beltre in terms of Fantasy usefulness.

I don't have anything against Longoria. I'm not calling him a chump, a tease, a bust or anything else remotely bad. I'm not saying you shouldn't own him in Fantasy or that he won't make a positive contribution to your team this year. But when considering the realm of possibilities for a superstar rookie -- from the bad (Alex Gordon) to the good (Jones) to the unreal (Braun) -- how likely, honestly, is Longoria to rate alongside Markakis and Tulowitzki by the end of this year?

That's all for now.