Fantasy
Baseball |
- Albert Pujols
- Miguel Cabrera (He shouldn't be 3B eligible next year)
- Lance Berkman
- Justin Morneau
- Ryan Howard
- Adrian Gonzalez
- Prince Fielder
- Mark Teixeira
- Kevin Youklis
- Derrick Lee
Pujols remains #1 because he's simply the best there is. His numbers are gaudy and that AVG often goes overlooked.
Miguel Cabrera in enjoying a huge second half and is still only 25. He's still a first round pick as he'll likely finish with close to 115 RBI, 30 homers and a .300 AVG.
Lance Berkman probably doesn't steal 15-20 bags again next year, but his AVG has always been there as well as 30+ homers and 100+ RBI. He's the model of consistency.
Justin Morneau is good for 30 homers and unlike Howard and Fielder, has batted .320 and .300 in two of the last three seasons. His RBI totals of 130 and 111 over the last two years in addition to his 125 RBI pace this year, show that he can drive in just as many runs as other 1B. I'd rather have .300 - 90 - 30 - 120 from Morneau than .230 - 90 - 45 - 135 from Howard. Morneau, at 97 RBI, is only 7 behind Ryan Howard, the positional leader. At .309, he's third in AVG behind Pujols and Youklis.
Ryan Howard helps immensely in three categories. Let's get one thing straight: he kills you in AVG and like most 1B, doesn't help in SB. In other words, he's a three category player. Doesn't that resemble Ichiro? I think so. It just shows how most people value HR and RBI over R, SB and AVG. Unfortunately for them, all categories are equal in fantasy baseball.
Adrian Gonzalez has slowly improved in three consecutive seasons. Next year he'll be 27 and primed to have a career year. He could approach 40 if Petco allows such a thing.
Prince Fielder had a disappointing campaign in 2008, mostly because we were hoping for 50 homers again. He's young and has time to develop yet. With Ryan Braun batting next to him, he'll have some protection. With two of his first three seasons of .270 AVG, he's quickly approaching Ryan Howard territoty as a three-category hitter.
Mark Teixeira is approaching 30 and regardless of where he signs, his best years came in Texas. He'll be good for .300 - 30 - 110, but he hasn't topped 100 runs in three consecutive seasons. He's ranked below Fielder because Fielder has yet to reach his prime and could hit 40+ while Tex can't anymore.
We are probably looking at six 1B going in the second round next year. It's a matter of preferance amongst 1B's 3 - 8, but my rankings stand as is.
Lee and Youklis round out the top 10 and are clearly a step behind the others. Lee is steady and consistent while Youklis' career year is happening as we speak.
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Fantasy
Phenoms Article Schedule
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denotes FP+ Article |
Monday
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| Closer Report |
Contact Rate* |
Tuesday |
Minority Report - Pitchers
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RC 27* |
Wednesday |
Waiver Wednesday
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Strand Rate/Pseudo Sports Special* |
Thursday |
BABIP/ K Rate
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Isolated Power/Secondary AVG* |
Friday |
Minority Report - Hitters
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DIPS/ERC/Sabermetric Pitching Index* |
Saturday |
Warning Track Power |
Hitters Home/Road Splits* |
Sunday |
Disabled List Informer
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Pitchers Home/Road Splits* |
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