I just noticed ESPN's latest fantasy baseball rankings and, while not to much has changed since their last update, a major shocker to me was Josh Johnson. He has plummeted to number 76 amidst concerns about his recovery from a shoulder injury that cost him the last 3 weeks of his 2010 season. Many fantasy players, myself included, see Johnson as a potential Cy Young contender this year. I have searched around and failed to find anything more concrete about his current health. This is something to monitor closely in a couple of weeks when pitchers and catchers report for the opening of spring training.
Johnson had Tommy John surgery in August of 2007 and made it back to the majors in July of 2008. While he has had no issues since, it is worth noting that many pitchers have been out much longer after Tommy John surgery. While Johnson, coming off his second consecutive all star season and his first career era crown, could be a great number one fantasy starter, I would not draft him as my top starter until we know more. For any of you with extremely early fantasy drafts, you would be very smart to move Johnson down your draft board. There are just too many pitchers with less to worry about at this time. Stay tuned....................
As an update, mlb.com is reporting that Johnson is fully recovered and has already thrown a handful of bullpen sessions in Florida. However, I think fantasy owners may still want to monitor JJ closely. There is no doubt that this guy is as talented as any pitcher in baseball but he has to throw 200 innings in a season before I can put him in the category of elite. You can check out more from mlb.com here.
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