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Man, what's with all the platoons?

Used to be, maybe no more than 10 years ago, managers had nine regulars in the AL, and eight regulars in the NL. The bench players were pinch hitters, pinch runners, utility players or merely backups. With the advancement and wide availability of baseball statistics (splits, batter-versus-pitcher matchups), and the acceptance (or dependence) of the managers who use them, some of today's managers play the matchups more than a Gold member on Date.com.

It does cause a certain Hit Parade writer strife as he tries to figure out who's playing and when, and at which position. After all, trying to read managers' minds can be a bit, well, challenging.

"So why don't you just chart out the platoons. Maybe that'll help you sort 'em out. Then you can just post the chart," says my editor. Genius. Too genius for me to think of it. Thank God for editors.

And so here's my first 2009 breakdown of MLB platoon situations, as best I can tell this early in the season. These are current platoons; things can change with injuries and call-ups. A few notes, though. First of all, I didn't include catchers because just about all of them are platoons. In fact, it's only noteworthy if they're not, and a good percentage of the "everyday" catchers are owned already in mixed leagues (guys such as Jason Kendall notwithstanding). Also, some teams don't have platoons, which is why none are listed. And finally, in the "Platoon" column, the player I expect to get the most at-bats is listed first.

Adam Lind, OF, Blue Jays: Sheesh, this guy is tearing it up. Do I think this is his breakout season? Well, lemme throw some numbers at you. 25: his age (just entering his prime). And .312, .313, .330, .299, .328: his year-by-year batting averages in the minors (from 2004 to 2008). I don't know if the power is for real just yet, but the batting average is. I think he'll maintain a .315 average this season.

Joey Votto, 1B, Reds: Ain't it funny when the player you want most is maybe the one player you don't have on any of your teams? OK, not really. But the thing I'm most impressed with about this lefty slugger is his ability to hit lefties. I mean, it's Mo Vaughn-ish, it's Jason Giambi-in-his-MVP-years-ish. He already has a 1.200 OPS against lefties this season, and that includes a homer off Oliver Perez, against whom lefties hit just .158 last season. The. Real. Deal.

Colby Rasmus, OF, Cardinals: I must admit I didn't expect much from young Mr. Rasmus this season -- and then I watched him play regularly. I really like the kid's approach at the plate. He has a pure, quick swing, and he rarely goes after bad pitches. If anything, he takes too many pitches, which is rare for a youngster. Yeah, I know he disappointed in Triple-A last season, but I'm taking the scout's perspective here: Rasmus looks like a future star, and I think we'll see enough of it this year to warrant mixed-league ownership.

Kazuo Matsui, 2B, Astros: He missed Wednesday's game. Innocent enough, right? Well, it wasn't a routine day off. His back is bothering him, and that's not a good sign. He missed 19 games because of that back last season, and it's hurting him already. Do you realize that since his rookie season with the Mets in 2004, Matsui has not played more than 104 games in a season? Twice he has played fewer than 90. As much as you like him, and you have reason to, he'd be a good sell-high guy if he gets back and has a good April.

Geovany Soto, C, Cubs: A catcher having right shoulder pain … am I concerned? Not particularly. As a Soto owner in many leagues, I hit this hard and heavy over the past week, and everything I've learned is that he's had shoulder pain before, and the Cubs usually have a good handle on it. This was slightly different, but the team quickly diagnosed it and worked on getting him back on the field. I think he avoids the DL this season, at least as it pertains to right shoulder problems.

Edgar Renteria, SS, Giants: I haven't seen a player seemingly age this fast since, well, Andruw Jones last season. Renteria's average fell from .332 to .270 last season, and after going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts Wednesday, he now is hitting .138 this season. I mean, he's 33, which is not old. Manager Bruce Bochy is already hinting the veteran might slide down to the dreaded 8-hole if he doesn't pick it up, and with youngsters ready for a shot waiting in the minors and Emmanuel Burris able to play shortstop, Renteria might not be long for the starting lineup.

Mixed: Elijah Dukes, Nationals. I have doubts as to whether he can stay healthy playing every day, but he's definitely worth a shot.

AL-only: Jerry Owens, White Sox. Kinda the no-brainer pickup of the week, but don't expect more than a handful of steals.

NL-only: David Eckstein, Padres. Yeah, I just went there. Hey, Eck will score runs playing every day and hitting second in the lineup, and he won't hurt you with his average.

There have been six games played at Rangers Ballpark so far this season, and 99 runs have already been scored. That's 16.5 runs per game, and there have been 27 homers (and one of them was by Chad Moeller!). Rangers Ballpark has always been the Coors Field of the AL, but this is ridiculous.

You can't forget about the good ol' runs-scored category, because not just sluggers and high-average hitters rack 'em up. Sometimes all it takes is a leadoff man who can get on base. Consider Marco Scutaro -- yeah, that Marco Scutaro -- is tied for third in the majors with 11 runs scored. He's right alongside Albert Pujols and Ian Kinsler, among others. Scutaro, who seems to have become a folk hero in Toronto, walks enough to make up for his sub-.300 batting average and has plenty of good hitters behind him to drive him home.

It's no secret that even today's higher-quality artificial turf can take more of a toll on a player's body than natural grass. Back and knee pain tend to be the most common ailments that can result when an everyday player has a long run of games on the fake stuff. Well, on Monday the Tampa Bay Rays began a stretch in which 16 of their 22 games are played on artificial turf. I wouldn't be surprised if a few everyday players are getting "routine days off" at the beginning of May.

If the spot hitting behind Manny Ramirez is called the "catbird seat," then James Loney and Andre Ethier are currently circling it like musical chairs. Ethier has 16 at-bats there, including a start at that spot Wednesday, while Loney has 12 at-bats there, including three consecutive starts there before Wednesday. Who knows what Joe Torre will do, but after seeing what we saw last year, we're rooting for Ethier.

The 2009 minor league season has barely begun, and already we've seen some pretty serious injuries to key prospects:

Aaron Cunningham, OF, A's: Cunningham suffered a separated shoulder in a home-plate collision (with, of all people, Jeff Clement). He's out at least a few weeks, but could miss much more than that, lessening his chances of a first-half call-up.

Logan Morrison, 1B, Marlins: The lefty slugger will miss the next 6 to 8 weeks after suffering a broken right wrist while playing with Double-A Jacksonville. He was unlikely to get more than a cup of coffee in 2009, and now he might not get even that.

Carlos Triunfel, SS, Mariners: Triunfel, a prospect I really like, suffered a serious leg injury that is currently being called a broken fibula. However, the injury was bad enough to have required surgery right away this week. He's out an extended period of time.

Since we're talking about platoons today, factor what hand opposing pitchers throw with a little less into your lineup-setting this early in the season. Managers tend to be careful with their starters' workloads for both youngsters and veterans, and you see fewer complete games than in the other months. That's why teams have crowded bullpens in April; they use the heck out of those relievers. So don't be scared to start your lefty hitter in a week he's facing three lefty pitchers. Those lefties might throw no more than 15 to 18 combined innings.

Brendan Roberts is a contributing writer/editor for ESPN Fantasy.