Fantasy Baseball Player Rankings & Projections
2010 Third Base Preseason Preview
Alex Rodriguez
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Arod's numbers were down with
the injury last year, but they still ranked right there
with the rest of the pack. A healthy Arod should mean big
fantasy numbers in 2010. |
1. Alex Rodriguez - Yankees - 2010 Preview:
Yes he had basically career-lows in home runs, batting average and
RBI's the year after his steroid use was reported, but he was also
coming off an injury and didn't play until May 8th. So while there
is some risk with the aging Arod, he is still one of the best and
he will hit in arguably the best lineup in baseball, so the reward
easily offsets the risk. It would be tempting to believe youngster
Evan Longoria could pass him up, but they had practically the same
seasons in 2009, and Arod had 140 less at bats. In addition, Arod
continues to steal some bases (a rare commodity from third basemens)
with 14 in 2009 and could snatch 15 to 20 in 2010.
2009 Statistics:
.286 - 30 HR's - 100 RBI's - 78 Runs
2010 Projection: .294
- 36 HR's - 112 RBI's - 98 Runs
2. Evan Longoria - Rays - 2010 Preview:
The 24-year-old did not disappoint in his second season as a big-leaguer,
but didn't take a big enough step to displace Alex Rodriguez at
number one. He still is one of the few players who has .300, 40
home run potential, but it is still potential. The young Rays offense
did improve as expected and Longoria was able to produce strong
RBI and run totals (113 RBI's and 100 Runs). He added 44 doubles
and 9 stolen bases to his 2009 resume, but on the downside he continues
to show signs of an undisciplined hitter by walking 72 times and
striking out 140 times. When those number improve to more of a 80
walk, 120 strikeout hitter, you'll know his full potential has arrived.
2009 Statistics:
.281 - 33 HR's - 113 RBI's - 100 Runs
2010 Projection: .283
- 35 HR's - 112 RBI's - 104 Runs
3. Ryan Zimmerman - Nationals - 2010 Preview:
The 25-year-old talent came into his own in his fourth season of
play and nearly eclipsed the magical .300, 30 home run, 100 RBI,
100 run Fantasy-Stud mark. The only worry with Zimmerman is the
team he plays on. The Nationals patched together a decent offense
with such players as Adam Dunn, Cristian Guzmán, Iván
Rodríguez and Josh Willingham, but those names don't exactly
put chills down your spine. The fact is Zimmerman put up those numbers
in 2009 with a bad team, so it is very possible for him have a repeat
in 2010. He still has upside and if the Nationals can have some
young talent come through like shortstop Ian Desmond, there is hope
for Zimmerman to improve this season.
2009 Statistics:
.292 - 33 HR's - 106 RBI's - 110 Runs
2010 Projection: .288
- 35 HR's -112 RBI's - 110 Runs
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4. David Wright - Mets - 2010 Preview:
He should be the easy number two and arguably the number
one third basemen after the way he played from 2005 to 2008, but
his power numbers fell dramatically from 33 in 2009 to a measly
nine in 2009. The Mets offense was riddled with injuries such as
first baseman Carlos Delgado, shortstop Jose Reyes and center fielder
Carlos Beltran, so that could have played some role in the power
shortage, and the dimensions of new Citi Field might have contributed
as well. If you look at his numbers he really just wasn't seeing
the ball. He struck out a career-high 140 times while walking a
only 74 times. Those are Longoria-like numbers, but with only nine
home runs. Compare his numbers to his 2007 and 2008 season when
he averaged about 94 walks and 117 strikeouts and you can see how
poorly he played in 2009. What ever the reason was for his home
run drop, he simply cannot be looked at as a 30-30 candidate in
2010 and thus his rankings will take a hit. Expect him to make some
adjustments in the off season and his power numbers to rise, but
just don't expect much more than the 20 home run neighborhood.
2009 Statistics:
.307 - 10 HR's - 72 RBI's - 88 Runs
2010 Projection: .312
- 19 HR's - 90 RBI's - 110 Runs
5. Pablo Sandoval - Giants - 2010 Preview:
If you are a gambler, you may want to role the dice on 23-year-old
slugger Pablo Sandoval. He batted .345 with just 145 at bats in
his first season and followed it with a .330 batting average as
a full-time starter in 2009. One of the downsides to drafting any
San Francisco Giant has been their lousy offense, but it took a
step up in 2009 and they added some solid hitting veterans for the
2010 season including Aubrey Huff, Freddy Sánchez and Mark
DeRosa. Sandoval is the poor mans Albert Pujols. He can hit for
average and power and he doesn't strikeout that much (83 in '09).
He posted a .387 on-base-percentage in his second season, Pujols
was at .394 in his second full season. In addition, he had 44 doubles,
5 triples and 5 stolen bases.
2009 Statistics:
.330 - 25 HR's - 90 RBI's - 79 Runs.
2010 Projection: .329
- 30 HR's - 109 RBI's - 92 Runs.
