Fantasy Baseball

Manny Ramirez brought his hair and wacky behavior to Tampa Bay. Did he bring his big bat along with him?

That is the million dollar question.

Things did not end well for Manny in Los Angeles. That has become his new M.O.. He played well enough when he played, hitting .311 with 32 runs, eight HRs and 40 RBI in 66 games, but he was either hurt or a distraction most of the time.

Mark Reynolds has always been an all-or-nothing type of hitter.

Even when he posted his 44 HR campaign in 2009, he managed to strikeout 38.6 percent of the time. He followed that up by hitting 32 HR and seeing his strikeout rate rise to 42.3 percent in 2010.

Yes, he did struggle with multiple injuries, but does that justify his poor season or is it just an excuse in an attempt to cover his obvious flaws?

Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one-by-one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

Yesterday, I made a bold statement that has caused an uproar from fellow fantasy baseball enthusiasts.

To a veteran brain surgeon, cutting open a skull and messing with an amygdala or a few ganglia isn’t as intimidating as it may be for everyone else. A rocket scientist could tell you, in his sleep, that perchlorate has nothing to do with your morning cup of coffee. And for Martha Stewart, whipping up the perfect pecan pie is about as challenging as preparing a pack of Ramen Noodles.

Third base hasn’t been one of the deeper positions in a while, and 2011 is no different.  There are a number of questions coming into the position including what David Wright will show up? The power hitter who was back last year, or the guy who hit ten homers in 2009? 

Will Jose Bautista get anywhere near 50 home runs again? Can Adrian Beltre produce at all if he isn’t playing for a contract? Will the Kung Fu Panda hit for any power? Can Mark Reynolds hit over .200? 

These are the players who I believe to be the top 20 fantasy baseball outfielders in the American League going into the 2011 season. 

Here are my other 2011 fantasy baseball rankings:

Top 50 Hitters

Top 35 Pitchers

Closer is a unique position in general, but it is especially so in keeper leagues.  With the uncertainty surrounding it from year-to-year, it is rarely worth locking them up (unless you are in a league that keeps a significant number of players).  If you have a young closer who has proven that they can do it year in and year out, then maybe, but otherwise you are generally picking with just the here and now in mind.  Remember that as you view these rankings:

These are who I believe to be the top 20 fantasy baseball outfielders in the National League going into the 2011 season. Keep in mind that these are only NL players. 

Here are my other 2011 fantasy baseball rankings:

Top 50 Hitters

Top 35 Pitchers

Last week we reviewed the sleeper that is Ryan Raburn (here).

The Reds were a popular sleeper pick in 2009. As it turns out, we were all just a year too early.

Cincinnati returns essentially the same lineup it ran out each day during its NL Central title run with a few new additions. Because many of the Reds' core players are young up-and-comers, we should see many of the players on the Reds roster skyrocket in fantasy value over the next few seasons.

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