Some of you may have noticed, or even read about, the changes that have taken place for the L.A. Dodgers. With the struggles of Nomar, and the issues that they have had at third base, the Dodgers have moved Nomar to third. This also creates more playing time for the recently called up James Loney. This move has significant fantasy impact. Loney now becomes a player that should be on everyones radar in all formats.

The question is about Garciaparra. Most places that have offered fantasy advice has stated that this increases Nomar’s value. I can see that from a position eligibility standpoint, but that is about it. He still is not hitting the ball very well. In fact, he is 0 for 14 over his last three games. I also think that playing third base may increase his chances of injury again, and if you have errors as one of your categories, his fielding percentage will go down.

However, James Loney is a solid hitter that should be looked at very carefully. Since being called up, he has hit .500 with 3 homeruns and 12 RBI in 38 at bats. The current pace that he is on looks nothing like his normal stats in the minors. So far this year he has posted a .279 batting average with only 1 homerun this year in the minors. Baseball America had him ranked 44th in their top 100 rankings at the beginning of the year.

This will be an interesting situation to watch going forward.