Hanley Ramirez

The stolen base in Major League Baseball is sadly, a lost art. In an era that is slowly recovering from the aberration that was the "live ball era" (i.e. steroid era) and coming to grips that it all was just a sham, before this fad, was the art of the stolen base.

With a payroll that couldn’t even net a team two Alex Rodriguez’ (not that any team would even want one Alex Rodriguez), heading into Saturday April 11 games, the Florida Marlins lead the majors as the only undefeated team standing.

Where would you rank this player for fantasy baseball?

Player A: .297, 56 HR, 68 RBI, 113 R, 16 SB

This is a five-star player. He would have been the league leader in HR last season, and he can steal a base.

The only knock might be that RBI total; let's just say he believes in the Alfonso Soriano school of lineup construction.

Would he be better than this guy?

Player B: .301, 33 HR, 67 RBI, 125 R, 35 SB

The Phillies have won two World Series titles since 1883. The Florida Marlins have won two titles since 1993. The Marlins are a pesky team for the Phillies.

Whoops, I guess this is the danger of writing for public consumption—you run the risk of looking like an utter jackass. Even when you think you're taking the necessary precautions, every now and then, risk yanks your card.

Today is apparently 'every now and then.'