It is getting to be that time of year again, when fantasy baseball should be a focus for anyone who actually wants to have a shot at winning their league.  Last season, I tried to keep you posted on prospects that would have an impact on the 2008 season.  This year, I will try to do the same, but I’m going to lean heavily on some other sites to bring even more information to the table.  This year’s first entry is about the 3400 club.  Hit the jump for more.

Tim Dierkes is known for the fine work he does over at MLBTradeRumors.com.  He recently passed me over for a Saturday night contributor slot, which is unfortunate for me but completely understandable (I’ll be watching your new guy, D.J. Blatter, closely Tim!).  No hard feelings on this end.  Tim also runs RotoAuthority.com, which is a site that we will be leading you to on a regular basis this season.

First up is Tim’s entry on the 3400Club.  He gives a list of players who threw over 3400 pitches last year.  The reseasoning behind this list is to show you the injury risk of these players.  Tim says that somewhere between 3 and 12 of the 19 pitchers listed will see significant Prior List time this season.  For those unfamiliar with the Prior List, it is how we refer to the DL.

When looking at this list, you will notice a lot of big name pitchers.  No one is saying that all of these guys should be avoided, or even any of them.  Tim is merely pointing out that there is a high risk involved.  I advise you to read through the comments on his entry, because some of them bring up some good points, like why Gallardo should perhaps not be on the list of players who spent time on the Prior List last year after throwing over 3400 pitches in 2007.

As of yet, I have not had time to fully digest this information and see how it relates to my current draft projections.  I can tell you that I would have avoided some of these guys even before reading this information, and this only helps to solidify some of my theories.  I will try to post some draft data soon.