Fantasy

Traded as part of the deal that sent Dan Uggla to Atlanta, Omar Infante is a player who brings some intrigue to fantasy owners for 2011.

For owners in most formats, he will have eligibility at 2B, 3B and OF (in formats that require less than 20 games, he will also have SS eligibility), which instantly adds to his appeal. 

However, does he bring enough to the table offensively to make him a worthwhile choice?

Let’s take a look at his 2010 offensive production for the Atlanta Braves:

1. Robinson Cano, New York Yankees

2. Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers

3. Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox

4. Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies

5. Dan Uggla, Atlanta Braves

6. Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee Brewers

7. Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds

8. Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays

9. Kelly Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks

10. Martin Prado, Atlanta Braves*

11. Howie Kendrick, Los Angeles Angels

12. Brian Roberts, Baltimore Orioles

Now that football is finally over, the most exciting three months NOT during the baseball season have finally started.  The final transactions are taking place, depth charts are being finalized and pitching rotations are being sorted out. 

For now, though, let's have a look at the top 25 players that you will want on your fantasy team come April. 

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My friend Shawn came out to Los Angeles on a business trip and while he was on the Left Coast, we got together in Malibu for lunch at Dukes.

We sat in the barefoot bar area out on the deck overlooking the ocean.

He had never been to L.A. before, so I figured a few libations and some dolphins swimming by wouldn’t be a bad way to introduce him to the laid back lifestyle Southern California seems to thrust upon its (totally willing) inhabitants.

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.

Andrew McCutchen followed up his promising 2009 rookie campaign with 16 HRs, 33 steals and a .286 batting average last year for the Pirates.

We all know the argument between Albert Pujols and Hanley Ramirez, battling it out for the No. 1 and 2 spots in fantasy drafts around the world this year.  Can you really lose with either of those guys, though? 

But every fantasy baseball draft is also surrounded by some hype about who is going to be the new kid on the block. You never want to be behind the curve, but you also never want to overpay for a player when there’s value left on the table. 

When thinking of pitching rotations with a lot of depth, the Phillies, Red Sox and Giants are—rightfully so—the first teams to come to mind. However, one could argue that the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation is underrated and belongs in that discussion.

We have already covered a bunch of fantasy player projections for the upcoming 2011 season, and now I want to talk about one guy who I am a big fan of—Jordan Zimmermann.

(Yes, that’s TWO N’s at the end of his last name. Get it right, guys!)

Perhaps you’ve heard of Jhoulys Chacin, but judging by his 241st-ranked ADP in drafts this week on Mock Draft Central, I’m guessing you probably haven’t.

Chacin, Colorado’s young stud in the making, is only getting drafted in 48 percent of early mock drafts, quite possibly making him the deepest sleeper Baseball Professor has named yet.

Carlos Lee’s days of 30+ home run seem like a distant memory.

In fact, his HR totals have been in the decline since 2006:

2006: 37
2007: 32
2008: 28
2009: 26
2010: 24

While two dozen home runs are nothing to sneeze at, they are not the mark of an elite power hitter anymore. Lee will turn 35 in June, so a return to 30 HR territory seems unlikely.

His power wasn’t the only thing to go in 2010 for Carlos Lee. His streak of four consecutive .300+ seasons came to a crashing end.