1. David Wright, Mets- Wright is an early first rounder that is usually a 30/30 prospect. Though last year, his steal total dropped to 15, Owners should expect at least 20 this season. There is no downside either, considering that Wright has played at least 154 games in his first four years. In his first four years, he has also held an OPS above .910. I would take Wright somewhere in the middle of the first round, after Pujols, Ramirez, and Cabrera.
2. Kevin Youkilis, Boston- Power, Average, On Base Percentage, and OPS for the YOOK were all-time highs in 2008. There is no reason why we shouldn’t continue to see these numbers remain consistent. What is also impressive is that the Red Sox first baseman was able to match his .390 OBP from 2007. And boy does Youkillis love Fenway. 77 of his 115 RBIs came at the expense of Fenway and it’s Green Monster. The beauty? He is also third base eligible.
3. Alex Rodriguez, New York- If this position wasn’t so weak, I would have Alex Rodriguez rated a lot lower. despite his injury, he will still have some solid value. He most likely wont open opening day. What I love about this situation, is that if you are willing to take a chance, it could be well worth it. One month iinto the season, A-Rod could be back to himself, and you can either use that as trade bait, or keep him in your lineup. There will be a lot of decent replacements on the wire to start the season.
4. Evan Longoria, Rays-I’m not as hyped up as many with Evan Longoria, but there is still no doubt that he has top five talent at the position. In his rookie campaign, he hit .272 with 85 RBIs and27 dingers last season. If he gets full playing time (no doubt he will) and stays healthy, than it is safe to project somewhere around 110-120 RBIs and 35 dingers. What is scary about Longoria is his k/bb ratio. Longoria struck out 122 times in 2008, thats an average of a strikeout a game.
5. Aramis Ramirez, Cubs- Ramirez, year after year slugs with great power, while maintaining a pretty solid average. Since coming to Chicago, he has averaged 35 homers, 110 RBIs and 91 runs scored in 150 games played. Not too shaby. Last year was the first in a Chicago uniform that Ramirez’s OPS was below 9. I like Ramirez in the mid to late second round, because he starts the bridge between top notch and mid range third baseman.
6. Adrian Beltre, Seattle- Beltre always sneaks under the radar, but he always produces. Despite constant injuries last season, Beltre continued to perform. The last four years, he has remained fairly consistent. Despite a drop in RBIs last season, I dont think it is because of a decline in his ability. Seattle should have a better offense this season (at least you would hope), despite losing Raul Ibanez. Expect 25 homers and 90 RBIs for Beltre.
7. Chipper Jones, Atlanta- If we knew coming in that Chipper would have a healthy 2009, then his ranking would certainly be higher. Many fantasy owners felt last season that Chipper wouldn’t produce at a constant rate. But when he was in the lineup, Oh Boy! The Braves third baseman hit .364 when in the lineup, while tallying a monsterous 1.044 OPS. One thing is clear though. The chances of him repeating that performance are rare, and he hasn’t played more than 140 games since 2003.
8. Chris Davis, Texas- Want your version of Adam Dunn at third base? How about Chris Davis? Davis has shown a lot of potential in only a select amount of time in the league. Fantasy Analysts have him projected for anywhere in between 30 and 40 homers in 2009. All I have to say to that is why not? Davis hits righties just as good as lefties. Beyond his lack of expierience, Davis is a bit scary because of his lack of consistency. In August, Davis hit a major slump, hitting .228 with 34 of his 88 strikeouts coming in that month. The good news is that he drove in his most amount of runs in August (20) despite the slump. Davis is a good backup to take, because he can play first or third.
9. Ryan Zimmerman, Washington- After a dissapointing and injury plaqued year, it seems that Zimmerman will be back for 2009 to put together a 20 homer and 90 RBI performance for the Nationals. Having Adam Dunn and more experience from Lasting Millege and Elijah Dukes will help him in the lineup. I’m not convinced he is a starter in any league, because you don’t know what you are going to get from him. He stats remain mediocre, and his measley average often hurts you. Not bad as a backup though in mix leagues and a mid rounder in NL only leagues.
10. Garrett Atkins, Colorado- We have witnessed a steady decrease in production from Atkins the last few years. What seems to contribute to that dip is a constant increase in strike outs .Atkins will still put up solid numbers. I have a feeling he will get back above .300 with 20 dingers and 100 RBIs. The only fear is that he could lose time to Ian Stewart at third base.
11. Chone Figgins, Los Angeles Angels- It doesn’t seem like he will ever match his 2007 campaign, in which he hit .330 with 40 stolen bases. Figgins won’t give you any power, or drive in hardly any runs, but if he stays healthy he could offer 60 stolen bases. Figgins has only hit below .290 twice in his career.
12. Aubrey Huff, Baltimore- Like a lot of hitters on the lower half of list, Huff can generate a good balance of power and average. At first base or third base, this isn’t a bad bench pick. Last season Huff hit 32 bombs while putting up an impressive .912 OPS. Huff should produce similar numbers in 2009, but don’t expect 30 bombs and an average above .300
13. Edwin Encarnacion, Cincinatti- With Alex Rodriguez’s start to the season uncertain, why not take this kid who at 25 years old smacked 26 long balls and 68 RBIs. In his mid twenties, he will be in his power prime, no doubt about that. He has the talent to be a top ten third baseman, but he is falling to the 15th-20th round. Encarnacion will hurt your average, but will most likely move into the fifth spot of the lineup. What should also be noted is his walk total increase in 2008. He walked 23 more times than in 2007.
14. Jorge Cantu, Florida- More power at the bottom of the Rankings. Cantu slugged an unexpected 29 homers last season. Despite slugging 95 RBIs home, Cantu finds himself fighting for playing time alongside Dallas McPherson and Gaby Sanchez. Cantu, much like Davis, Atkins and say a Carlos Guillen are great to have in the bench role, because they can play first or third base. One thing is certain. When he gets over 150 games played, he puts up solid numbers (see 2005).
15. Alex Gordon, Kansas City- Like his teammate Billy Butler, he hasn’t put it all together yet, but the signs are there. He didn’t decline in numbers in 2008, which is a good sign that we should start to see an improvement in his swing. 25 homers and a solid .280 average isn’t out of question, but this is a flier pick that you might regret taking. With more protection in the Royal Lineup, I think he is well worth the chance. One thing he did well in 2008 was cutting down his strikeout, while learning to take more pitches. It jumped his OBP up 37 points.
16. Mark DeRosa, Cleveland-I’m not expecting DeRosa to smack 20 dingers yet again in 2009, but his combination of power and average are what puts him as high as twelve. He has hit in the .280s or higher since 2006, when he began playing full time. What makes him so valuable too is his ability to play all over the field. A valuable guy that for some reason, might be hanging around the waiver wire to start the season.
17. Mark Reynolds, Arizona- Reynolds is an interesting character because he produces so much power, that he is ultimately valuable. He does’nt get on base though. He led the league in strikouts, but he also produced 97 RBIs and 27 Homers in 2008. Chad Tracy will be back for 2008, so he could lose some time. Reynolds is often a fast starter, he hit 19 of his 27 homers before the all-star break. It is because of this that I believe he should be targeted to replace Alex Rodriguez.
18. Melvin Mora, Baltimore- As wierd as it sounds, Mora has been rather consistent the last four years. If he finds his groove early, Mora might surprise folks with another 20 homer/100 RBI performance. Not a bad choice as a bench player in late rounds. If he doesn’t go, keep an eye on him. He hits in streaks, like last august when he hit 8 homers and drove in 32.
19. Kevin Kouzmanoff, San Diego- Nothing more than .260-.270 with 20 homers is what you’re going to get from Kouzmanoff. His shoulder is out of wack, and he does not do a good job at all at getting on base, but with the last pick, he isn’t a bad guy to go with.
20. Pedro Sandoval, San Fransisco- Better get him now! Everyone is falling in love with Sandoval, who can play at multiple positions in 2009. Personally, after 40+ games I am not convinced. He doesn’t have experience in the majors or against top notch minor league talent, and he will post a bad OBP. There is some talent there, and if he does keep on pace according to last year’s performance, He’ll drive in close to 90 runners.
FanSided
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