LaPorta has long been considered one of baseball’s hot prospects and he’s now going to get a chance to prove his worth as at least a semi-regular in Cleveland’s lineup. Those foundering fantasy players or even just those of you who like to see youth served when watching a baseball game should start to see more and more of La Porta’s contemporaries in the days and weeks to come.

Perhaps the only prospect viewed with more enthusiasm than La Porta heading into this season was Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Wieters. He’s a student of the game and he’s viewed by some as “Joe Mauer with power.” His demotion to AAA Norfolk should not be seen as the team saying Gregg Zaun and Chad Moeller are superior catchers by any stretch. The Orioles, probably smartly, hid him away in the minors for the first third to half of 2009 in an effort to save money down the line by preventing him from reaching Super-Two status – put simply, the right to go to salary arbitration four times rather than three before being eligible for full-blown free agency.

Wieters has not been blowing people away with his hitting in AAA so far. He injured a hamstring early and word from observers is that he’s not exactly getting great pitches to hit. Nonetheless, Zaun was aware when taking the job that his ultimate role would be as teacher to Wieters and most peg his arrival in the show at late this month or mid-June at the latest.

A similar story is being written in Atlanta where the mediocre Jo-Jo Reyes and the adapting Kenshin Kawakami currently inhabit the Braves’ starting rotation. Minor league phenom Tommy Hanson reportedly almost got “the call” when octegenarian Tom Glavine went on the shelf but the Braves chose to keep him on the farm for a few more starts. He threw his best game of the season last Thursday in shutting out Pawtucket. While he’s just 1-3 so far, he’s got an ERA of 1.69.

He was 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in the spring and he’s another guy who should reach the big leagues as soon as his avenues toward Super-Two status are exhausted – if not sooner.

Perhaps the strangest season opening demotion went to David Price, the hurler for the Tampa Bay Rays who was deemed good enough to close games in the World Series last October but not quite ready to start the season in the majors this year. He’s also on the Super-Two path, but unlike Baltimore and most likely Atlanta, Tampa has the guns to compete for the playoffs this season.

Even if they thought they could compete with the likes of the Yankees and the Red Sox without him for a couple months to start the season, the team’s 11-15, 4th place start should have changed that tune more quickly than it has. I can see keeping LaPorta, Wieters and Hanson on the farm to save some bucks. If Price is one of the organization’s best 10 or 11 pitchers – and I can’t believe he’s not, despite his inconsistent start in the minors - he shouldn’t be wasting innings away against minor league competition.

All four of these guys, however, will likely make the big club within the next month to six weeks. For fantasy players struggling to stay competitive in the early going, at least a couple will evoke memories of Hunter Pence and Ryan Braun as mid-season callups who can change your fortunes for the better.

CBSSports.com last month announced that it has launched an all-new version of its College Fantasy Football game, “continuing to be the only major fantasy sports service provider with a collegiate fantasy football game.”

CBSSports.com originally released the game in 2005. But the controversy this year is that for the first time, it will use real, individual player names rather than listing school and position, such as “FLORIDA QB” or “MICHIGAN RB”.

CBSSports.com is proceeding following the resolution of a lawsuit filed by the Major League Baseball Advanced Media, which had attempted to claim ownership of statistics generated by baseball players during games. MLB lost the case and the U.S. Supreme Court in June refused to hear its appeal.

CBSSports.com is the biggest organization charging forward, several other entities have either added college football-related fantasy information to their magazines and Web sites or plan to starting this season, according to a statement released by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA).

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