Submitted by TotalAccess on Fri, 03/13/2009 - 09:00
In anticipation of the draft for The Hazean’s 2009 fantasy baseball challenge, I decided to dabble in some preseason projections.
The problem with that thought, though, is that I really do not spend as much time working on my fantasy baseball knowledge as I do football. So I brought in some fantasy baseball muscle to compile these projections.
Aaron McCoy, fantasy baseball connoisseur and a co-worker of mine, offered his fantasy baseball expertise for these rankings. I have to say they are pretty impressive and I might even use them to draft my team this weekend.
I will be positing his projections, rankings and Big Board throughout the week, so make sure to come by and check them out. Feel free to offer your opinion on his rankings via the comments, and thank him for doing a great job with these.
Hit the jump for today’s rankings.
| Big Board Top 50 | Comments | |||||||||||||
| Hanley Ramirez | Five-tool player that still has not reached his full potential, should be on top of every board. | |||||||||||||
| Albert Pujols | Perhaps the best hitter in all of baseball, he evens adds double digit steal possiblity. | |||||||||||||
| Alex Rodriguez | The steroid controversy hurts his stock a bit, still a top player none the less. | |||||||||||||
| David Wright | A stud across the board, though he may never steal 30 bases again. | |||||||||||||
| Grady Sizemore | A 40/40 season is in his future, very near future. | |||||||||||||
| Jose Reyes | Will be amongst the league leaders in runs and stolen bases, plus offer double-digit home runs. | |||||||||||||
| Ryan Howard | A safe bet for 40+ home runs, plus he average will climb this year. | |||||||||||||
| Ryan Braun | A young hitter that continues to impress, could eclipse the 40 homerun mark this year. | |||||||||||||
| Miguel Cabrera | One of the best hitters in baseball look for at least 30/100/.300. | |||||||||||||
| Josh Hamilton | He will continue to improve and playing his home games at Rangers’ Ballpark doesn’t hurt. | |||||||||||||
| Johan Santana | His strikeouts were down but had a career year in ERA, will be dominate again in the NL. | |||||||||||||
| Manny Ramirez | The guy can flat out rake, but not sure where he will end up. | |||||||||||||
| Jimmy Rollins | Don’t think he will ever reach 30 homeruns again but he is still a great option at SS. | |||||||||||||
| Lance Berkman | A top fantasy option, but don’t expect him to reach 18 steals again. | |||||||||||||
| Tim Lincecum | He could supplant Santana as the number one pitcher at year’s end. | |||||||||||||
| Mark Teixera | The only reason he is this low is because of his poor career average in April and I am not sure how the New York media/fans will handle it. | |||||||||||||
| Chase Utley | Coming off hip surgery, I still think he is the top second baseman. | |||||||||||||
| Carlos Beltran | His power has been decling the past three years, but is still a solid outfielder. | |||||||||||||
| Ian Kinsler | If he can stay healthy he will be an elite player at any position. | |||||||||||||
| Matt Holliday | His move from Coors Field hurts his stock. | |||||||||||||
| Evan Longoria | Has incredible tools but may watch for a sophmore slump. | |||||||||||||
| Alfonso Soriano | Is still a top outfielder but he will never steal 40 bases again. | |||||||||||||
| Prince Fielder | He will find his power stroke again. | |||||||||||||
| Carlos Lee | Put up big numbers, in only 115 games last season. | |||||||||||||
| Jason Bay | Really resurrected his career last year, no reason to think he will stop now. | |||||||||||||
| Justin Morneau | A top player that is still in his prime | . | ||||||||||||
| Brandon Phillips | 30/30 guy that has 100 RBI potential if he continues to hit clean-up. | |||||||||||||
| Jake Peavy | A great pitcher that takes full advantage of pitching at PETCO Park. | |||||||||||||
| Adrian Gonzalez | His homeruns and RBI have steadily climbed over the past three years and he is just now entering his prime. | |||||||||||||
| Carlos Quentin | I am not completely sold on Quentin yet, but last years number cant be ignored. | |||||||||||||
| Matt Kemp | Perhaps the best athlete in the baseball and he is still learning the game. | |||||||||||||
| Nick Markakis | Unless you are an avid fantasy player or live in Maryland, you’ve probably never heard of Markakis, but he is quickly become an elite fantasy player. | |||||||||||||
| Kevin Youkilis | The Greek God of Walks is starting to develop his power stroke. | |||||||||||||
| Aramis Ramirez | A solid fantasy player but he is past his peak. | |||||||||||||
| Carl Crawford | This could be a perfect year to buy low on Crawford. | |||||||||||||
| C.C. Sabathia | The only reason he is this low is I question his mental toughness and one has to be mentally tough to pitch in pinstripes. | |||||||||||||
| Dustin Pedroia | I think last year’s power was an aberration rather than the norm, but still top second baseman | |||||||||||||
| David Ortiz | Will never be the Ortiz of old but is still a fine power threat. | |||||||||||||
| Cole Hamels | He an elite fantasy pitcher that will crack the 200 strikeout barrier. | |||||||||||||
| Shane Victorino | He is a solid fantasy player across the board. | |||||||||||||
| Brandon Webb | The most consistent pitcher in baseball. | |||||||||||||
| Jonathan Papelbon | His ERA has risen over the past three years but he is still the top closer in the leage. | |||||||||||||
| Brian Roberts | A top second baseman that offers 40+ steals. | |||||||||||||
| Jermaine Dye | A solid option that takes full advantage of his home turf, posting a .336 avg at US Cellular Field. | |||||||||||||
| Nate McClouth | Made a name for himself last season and I expect the same for 09′. | |||||||||||||
| Joe Mauer | Won his second batting title last season and that is why he is the top catcher in the league. | |||||||||||||
| Geovany Soto | Struggled in the second half of last season, if he can put it all together over the course of a full season he could become the top fantasy catcher. | |||||||||||||
| Roy Halladay | Has been an elite pitcher for the past four seasons and he had a career year in strikeouts. | |||||||||||||
| Dan Haren | A great fantasy pitcher that is still in his prime. | |||||||||||||
| Brad Lidge | An elite closer that offers 100+ strikeout potential. | |||||||||||||
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