Hank Blalock

[DSheppard]

is going to extended spring training early next week and planning to come back on the weekend... to 1b.

"When Hank Blalock returns from the disabled list this week, he will do so as a full-time first baseman. Blalock made the decision on his own after watching how the team was performing. He began working at first Sunday morning, and will continue to do so this week in Arizona in extended spring training games. "I'm not doing anything to benefit myself here," Blalock said. "It's a new position for me so I'm not sure how I'll do over there. Just watching the guys play and how well we've been playing lately, it crossed my mind a couple of days ago.""

Very very strange. Moving blalock to keep super sub ramon vazquez and his career .674 ops in the lineup is really stupid. Its been thought for a while young may be moved to third this offseason, but elvis andrus isnt ready yet so no need to move people around now... Rangers are on a roll and this seems like an odd move.

Not really fantasy relevant given any value blalock has is at 3b, but yeah...

[quitesanemax]

Having Blalock on my team, I decided that I'd like to get the opinion of Chris Neault (The Disabled LIst Informer) on this one. Here was his reply to me...

For the Rangers, this is a questionable move, because they have Chris Davis absolutely tearing up AA pitching to the tune of of a .340/.384/.607 with 10 home runs. A successful stop at AAA, and they could bring him up to man first. Why risk having Blalock injure himself further, even though he would be playing a less physically demanding first base position?

I think Blalock realizes that the rigors of playing third base will likely aggravate his tender left hamstring, and he simply wants to play.

Playing third base requires frequent, forceful hip extension from a squatting position in order to dive for hard-hit balls towards the line and towards the hole.

To dive to either side (especially towards the line) requires forceful hip extension. The hamstrings are powerful hip extensors. In addition, to make long throws across the diamond, he will have to plant on the left leg and use the hamstrings to extend the hip and to stabilize and help decelerate the pelvis during and after release of the ball....

Getting a player an extra position is fantasy relevant. I hope the Rangers don't put him in there too soon because they believe first base is easier to play, and then he reinjures his hamstring. If he can get over these injuries, I think he will have a monster year.