Fantasy

Jason Bay | Left Field

Season Predictions
AVG percentage: .271
OBP percentage : .363
SLG percentage: .500
HR: 26
RBI: 87
SB: 14

2010 Numbers: .259 | .347 | .402 | 6 HR | 47 RBI | 10 SB (95 G)

162 Game Averages: .278 | .374 | .508 | 30 HR | 105 RBI | 12 SB

Without question, first base is the deepest position for everyday players, and you should expect the top seven or eight first basemen to be drafted in the first two rounds of your 12-team league.

Some players on our list played 10-19 games at first base in 2010, which means the player may or may not qualify as a first baseman in your league. For example, Yahoo! leagues require a player to appear in at least ten games at that position in the previous year. Whereas for ESPN leagues, the requirement is 20-plus games.

Previously, The Fantasy Fix reviewed and gave projections for the 2011 Chicago White Sox rotation. Now, it's time to dive in and analyze the Sox positional players.

Middle relievers don’t get the glory that starters or closers do, especially in fantasy baseball, but they can lower your ERA and WHIP while adding to your strikeouts without taxing your maximum innings pitched too heavily. Plus, if their closer gets hurt or is ineffective, you suddenly have a cheap closer.

With Kendrys Morales still struggling to return to the field, you have to wonder what to expect from him in 2011.  Will he come back in April?  Will it not be until May?  Even once he returns, how many games per week will he be able to play?

So many questions, so few answers at this point.  I have reduced my projection for him down to 475 AB for the upcoming season, clearly dropping him down the rankings.  Let’s take a look at how far:

This is sort of like last minute Christmas shopping. Here is one final tip for you before you have your fantasy baseball league draft. Sorry but I can't stop you from picking a bunch of stiffs. What I can do is give you a few ideas as to which "sleepers" might be able to help your team in spite of your other draft picks.

Sleepers, sleepers, sleepers. Everyone has their own list of just who they think can come out of nowhere and carry your fantasy team to a championship.

All fantasy enthusiasts have their own definition of what a sleeper is. To me, a sleeper is someone who falls in drafts—not necessarily someone who is an unheard of player. Those no-names who become stars are few and far between. Players who will give you early round value, but are selected later in drafts, are the real key to success.

During the first decade of this millenium, Lance Berkman was a staple in any conversation about the best hitters in baseball.

Through almost 12 seasons in Houston he had become the face of the franchise, along with Roy Oswalt, and was a former member of the Killer Bs, taking Derek Bell’s place in 2000 alongside Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell.

In his first three full seasons, Berkman was 6th in Rookie of the Year voting and was a two-time All-Star:

Year in and year out, catcher has often been a talent-scarce position when it comes to fantasy baseball.

In 2011, that's not necessarily the case.

In my opinion, the top four fantasy catchers are head and shoulders above the rest of the competition, but there are plenty of options as you go deeper into the draft that can help (or, at least, won't hurt) your team.

Here are the top 15 catchers for 2011:

In our newest installment of the Draft Day Debate, we look at two of the top first basemen, Joey Votto and Adrian Gonzalez. 

Votto is coming off an MVP year while Gonzalez seems set for his best year yet as he enters the Red Sox offensive powerhouse. While undoubtedly fantasy owners will choose Albert Pujols first off the board and first for 1B, who will be the better pick as the second 1B to go? You decide...