Fantasy Baseball Player Rankings & Projections

2009 Top Twenty Preseason Preview

 

Hanley Ramirez

Though there are a lot of solid shortstops, only Ramirez and Reyes are studs and that makes the shortstop postion one of the toughest postions and thus the all-around play of Hanley Ramirez gives him the overall #1 spot in fantasy baseball.

1. Hanley Ramirez - Marlins - 2009 Preview:

The 25-year-old 30-30 member and 20-50 member has proven himself as an fantasy stud. He clearly outplayed Reyes for the second straight season. Combine that with the fall of Jimmy Rollins and Troy Tolowitzki and the Ramirez's value suddenly ascends. There are plenty of good shortstops in '09, but only 2 great fantasy to start the season and that makes it one of the most important to fill and will likely make Ramirez the #1 player in fantasy baseball.

2008 Statistics: .301 - 33 HR's - 67 RBI's - 125 Runs

2009 Projection: .307 - 32 HR's - 75 RBI's - 126 Runs

 

2. Alex Rodriguez - Yankees - 2009 Preview:

Well, if you go by the every other year theory of Alex Rodriguez, this is his season for a big year. Adding Tex to the lineup should also help Arod whether he bats before or after him. His 35 home runs where still second behind Ryan Braun (he qualified as a fantasy third basemen) and Arod missed a chunk of games with an injury, so even an average Arod is the best at third base. He was also second in stolen bases with 18. Expect Arod's numbers to go up across the board.

2008 Statistics: .302 - 35 HR's - 103 RBI's - 104 Runs

2009 Projection: .312 - 44 HR's - 128 RBI's - 121 Runs

 

3. Jose Reyes - Mets - 2009 Preview:

If you are in a points league or a roto league where triples count, Reyes inches closer to Ramirez, but in 5x5, Ramirez is the man. He rebounded after a off year in '07 and returned as a dominating fantasy player by hitting 16 home runs, 19 triples, 37 doubles and stealing 56 bases. It the right style of league those are MVP numbers. Expect more of the same and a likely up tick in stolen bases in 2009.

2008 Statistics: .297 - 16 HR's - 68 RBI's - 113 Runs

2009 Projection: .295 - 15 HR's - 67 RBI's - 118 Runs

 

4. Albert Pujols - Cardinals - 2009 Preview:

As expected, Pujols came back from his injury and shined in 2008. He finished second in batting with a .357 average and one his second National League MVP. He continues to have great inside numbers with 44 doubles, 104 walks and only 54 strikeouts and he even added 7 stolen bases in '08. Pujols is in his prime at 29 and with a lifetime .334 batting average and a shade under 40 home runs per season average he is the easy #1 pick again at first base.

2008 Statistics: .357 - 37 HR's - 116 RBI's - 100 Runs

2009 Projection: .341 - 38 HR's - 118 RBI's - 101 Runs

 

5. David Wright - Mets - 2009 Preview:

He is probably still the best all-around third basemen in baseball, though his stolen bases went down to just 15 from 34 in '07. He should get back up to 20 stolen bases in '09 along with his normal 40 doubles and very good 94 to 118 walk-to-strikeout ratio. He is everything you need for a fantasy stud, especially in roto leagues. His numbers are consistent and that makes him an safe top five pick in any fantasy baseball league format.

2008 Statistics: .302 - 33 HR's - 124 RBI's - 115 Runs

2009 Projection: .311 - 31 HR's - 116 RBI's - 116 Runs

 

6. Ryan Braun - Brewers - 2009 Preview:

If it were not for the end season collapse of the entire Brewer offense, including and especially Braun, we we not have such a tough choice for who to put at the #1 slot for outfielders. But with Matt Holliday leaving the friendly confines of Colorado and moving to the average offense of Oakland, Grady Sizemore's low average, Josh Hamilton's risk factor, Carlos Beltran's lack of upside, and the question marks about Manny Ramirez's attitude, age and team, it simply leaves Braun as the unblemished outfielder, and thus #1. At just 25 Braun can still get better, he passed the "sophomore slump" test with flying colors, he is still playing in a good offense and in a good hitter's park, and 7 triples, 39 doubles and 14 stolen bases to go along with his 37 home runs makes him a good case to be the #1 outfielder in fantasy baseball.

2008 Statistics: .285 - 37 HR's - 106 RBI's - 92 Runs

2009 Projection: .297 - 38 HR's - 115 RBI's - 102 Runs

 

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7. Grady Sizemore - Indians - 2009 Preview:

He still has all the tools for the perfect fantasy outfielder, speed, power, youth and a proven record, but his batting average keeps falling (.289 in '05, .290 in '06, .277 in '07 and .268 in '08) and this simply keeps him out of the race race for the preseason #1 ranked outfielder. The good news is Sizemore had his first 30-30 season with career highs in both home runs (33) and stolen bases (38). He also smacked 5 triples, 39 doubles and 98 walks, though he did strikeout 130 times. If he could become a hitter, you would have the #1 outfielder and the best news is he is just 26 and could possibly do that. Expect an improvement, but .300 maybe a few years away for Sizemore.

2008 Statistics: .268 - 33 HR's - 90 RBI's - 101 Runs

2009 Projection: .280 - 32 HR's - 91 RBI's - 110 Runs

 

8. Chase Utley - Phillies - 2009 Preview:

He is once again the easy #1 second basemen in fantasy baseball, even though his off-season surgey drops him from the 3 or 4 spot. He was off to a MVP start to the season, but tailed off in the second half, partly due to injury. Utley's inside numbers are again strong, hitting 41 doubles, 4 triples, and stealing 14 bases. The Phillies still have a strong offense and if Utley can bat over .300, his numbers will improve a notch across the board. Keep an eye on Spring Training news to see how his rehab is going.

2008 Statistics: .292 - 33 HR's - 104 RBI's - 113 Runs

2009 Projection: .303 - 31 HR's - 105 RBI's - 114 Runs