Fantasy Baseball Back To Earth Players – Corner Infielders

Here's a look at some corner infielders who will have difficulty matching their 2009 numbers.

Casey Blake, Los Angeles Dodgers
Blake will be 37 in August. I'm just not sure how long he can continue to produce. Last year he had a line of .280-84-18-79-3. I just don't seem him reaching those marks again.

Russell Branyan, Cleveland Indians
Branyan clubbed 31 HRs for the Mariners last year. This year he'll likely be competing for at bats with Matt LaPorta and Travis Hafner.

Chone Figgins, Seattle Mariners
The problem I have with Figgins is where he signed. In Seattle he's likely going to hit second in the order. With Ichiro on base in front of him, the stolen base opportunities will be fewer. Plus, Seattle has fewer bats than the Angels did, meaning his run total would be hard to replicate.

Todd Helton, Colorado Rockies
He'll turn 37 in August and his back could flare up at any time. I just don't see how he musters up a .325-79-15-86-0 line again.

Derrek Lee, Chicago Cubs
I think Lee could be solid this year, but, at 34, a repeat seems unlikely. His 35 HRs were the most since 2005 and his 111 RBIs set a career high.

Mike Lowell, Boston Red Sox
He was nearly traded by the Sox. Unless he finds a new suitor, it's going to be hard to get ABs from Youk or Beltre.

Mark Reynolds, Arizona Diamondbacks
I still think he's a high-end starter, especially if you're using him at 3B. I just have a hard time believing that he'll be able to match either the HRs (44) or the SBs (24) he produced last year. I think more likely totals will be 35 HRs and 15 SBs. I know those are great numbers, but that is a 20 percent cut in HRs and a 38 percent cut in SBs.

Back to Earth Catchers