Fantasy Baseball 4.0: 1st Basemen Rankings

1. Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals, Draft Projection: Top 5

-If you need a description why he should be the number one player here you probably want to get out of your league now and avoid further embarrassment. In case you needed for convincing he hit 42 homers, and 118 RBIs in 2010, expect nothing different in 2011.

2. Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies, Draft Projection: 1^st Round

–       Had a career low strikeout rate in 2010 and if that keeps up he could make another serious run at MVP. However he also had a career low in homers and RBIs with 31 and 108 respectively. I wouldn’t look too much into that, he’s still the 2^nd best first basemen in the game.

3. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers, Draft Projection: 1^st Round

-He outhit every first basemen in the game last year with an average of .328 while adding a career high 38 home runs. Nothing’s changing in Detroit and nothing is changing in Cabrera’s game, bona fide first rounder.

4. Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds, Draft Projection: 1^st Round

-I love the reigning NL MVP as much as anyone, which is why I’m ranking him fourth. There’s no question that Votto is great but there is a question of how he’ll respond to the enormous contract the Reds signed him too. Don’t expect him to slow down, but he still has a couple years to be like the three guys in front of him.

5. Adrian Gonzalez, Boston Red Sox, Draft Projection: 2^nd Round

-The Red Sox aren’t paying this former 1^st overall draft pick to not have a huge season and Gonzalez should thrive in Boston’s lineup. An even bigger factor is that he is now playing in hitter friendly Fenway park, unlike the homerun killing stadium he’s been playing in down in San Diego.

6. Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins, Draft Projection: 2^nd Round

-He was having an MVP caliber season until a concussion knocked him out for the rest of the year shortly before the All-Star break. Use caution with Morneau but he’s shown the ability to bounce back from injuries before and if he stays healthy he could be the best bargain in fantasy baseball.

7. Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees, Draft Projection: 2^nd Round

-Teixeira is guaranteed to perform well in every category with the exception of batting average where he hits like minor leaguer. Still, there’s no doubting he’ll hit 30 homers with 100 RBIs especially in Yankee Stadium. Draft him in the 2^nd round and don’t feel bad about it.

8. Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers, Draft Projection: 3^rd Round

-He’s in a similar boat with Teixeira that 2010 was an amazing year outside of his batting average, and with the Brewers stacking up to make a run at the NL Central Prince will be a key part of the success at Miller Park. Especially with the lucrative deal he just signed look for one of the best seasons of his career but I still don’t believe he’s a vegetarian.

9. Kendry Morales, Los Angeles Angels, Draft Projection: 4^th Round

-Should be an amazing season for Morales as long as he doesn’t hit any walk off homeruns (too soon?). In all seriousness I think Morales is an extremely underrated commodity and will make whoever drafts him in the 4^th round or later very, very happy.

10. Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox, Draft Projection: 4^th Round

-Youkilis is a great fantasy player because he will get walked close to a million times and will probably have eligibility to play 1^st or 3^rd in most fantasy leagues. Versatility is huge in fantasy baseball and Youk has plenty of it, just don’t expect him to turn into his old self with Gonzalez taking away his job at first.

The Rest of the Pack

11. Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox, Draft Projection: 5^th Round

12. Adam Dunn, Chicago White Sox, Draft Projection: 5^th Round

13. Billy Butler, Kansas City Royals, Draft Projection: 6^th Round

14. Ike Davis, New York Mets, Draft Projection: 6^th Round

15. Gaby Sanchez, Florida Marlins, Draft Projection: 6^th Round

16. Michael Cuddyer, Minnesota Twins, Draft Projection: 7^th Round

17. Aubrey Huff, San Francisco Giants, Draft Projection: 7^th Round

18. Mitch Moreland, Texas Rangers, Draft Projection: 7^th Round

19. James Loney, Los Angeles Dodgers, Draft Projection: 8^th Round

20. Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves, Draft Projection: 8^th Round

21. Daric Barton, Oakland A’s, Draft Projection: 9^th Round

22. Matt LaPorta, Cleveland Indians, Draft Projection: 9^th Round

23. Garrett Jones, Pittsburgh Pirates, Draft Projection: 10^th Round

24. Carlos Pena, Chicago Cubs, Draft Projection: 10^th Round

25. Todd Helton, Colorado Rockies, Draft Projection: 10^th Round

26. Brandon Allen, Arizona Diamond Backs, Draft Projection: 11^th Round

27. Adam LaRoche, Washington Nationals, Draft Projection: 11^th Round

28. Brett Wallace, Houston Astros, Draft Projection: 11^th Round

29. Justin Smoak, Seattle Mariners, Draft Projection: 12^th Round

30. Kila Ka’aihue, Kansas City Royals, Draft Projection: 13^th Round