Road Dawg's 2009 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

[Road Dawg]

Everyone, fantasy baseball is just around the corner and it's never too early to prepare. I have crunched the numbers and put together, what I feel, is a comprehensive list of the 300 best fantasy baseball players for the upcoming season.

I have played fantasy baseball every year since 2001. I won titles in 2004, 2005, and 2007. I finished 2nd in 2003 and 2008. I'm not claiming to be an expert, but I think I can hold my own.

I'm putting this hear for you to do as you see fit: incorporate them, use them, rip them, ignore them.

I'd also like to hear your input on how far off base you think I am.

With that here are the top 25:

[Road Dawg]

1.Hanley Ramirez – Unreal production from the SS
2.Alex Rodriguez – If he would only steal bases again
3.Jose Reyes – Major league thief
4.Albert Pujols – A professional AB every time
5.David Wright – 30-30 threat
6.Grady Sizemore – Another power/ speed combo
7.Miguel Cabrera – Solid second half
8.Josh Hamilton – Unbelievable last season and only 27
9.Ryan Braun – Improving his contact rate
10.Ryan Howard – almost unmatched in power
11.Matt Holiday – Drop off now that he isn’t in Coors?
12.Mark Teixeira – Plugged into a potent Yankees lineup
13.Jimmy Rollins – swiped 47 bases last season
14.Lance Berkman – wouldn’t expect a repeat of last season
15.Johan Santana – handed the Mets bullpen 9 leads that they blew
16.Evan Longoria – needs to improve his BA
17.Ian Kinsler – solid MI contributor
18.Chase Utley – would be top 10 if not for the surgery
19.BJ Upton – a live bat and speed
20.Alfonso Soriano – capable of filling a stat sheet
21.Carlos Beltran – 30/30 and 100+ RBI/Runs if healthy
22.Dustin Pedroia – an offensive 2B in a good lineup
23.Manny Ramirez – ManRam can still rake
24.Prince Fielder – stole 3 bases last season
25.Justin Morneau – RBI by the bunches

[Road Dawg]

26. Tim Lincecum – won 18 for the Giants
27. Ichiro – safe bet for .300 and 40 SB
28. Carl Crawford – bit of an enigma
29. Carlos Lee – was putting up career power numbers last season
30. Carlos Quentin – if you can snag him in the 3rd round, be ecstatic
31. CC Sabathia – Yankees new ace
32. Jason Bay – 110 RBI certainly possible in Boston
33. Brandon Phillips – 2B production is always a plus
34. Cole Hamels – so good to be this young
35. Alex Rios – speed and power in its prime
36. Vlad Guerrero – health and age are an issue but he can still rake
37. Kevin Youkilis – 1B/3B production
38. Brian Roberts – SB fixture at 2B
39. David Ortiz – an injured wrist is never a good thing for a hitter
40. Jacoby Ellsbury – if power develops with that speed…
41. Brandon Webb - dependable
42. Matt Kemp – high K rate
43. Nick Markakis – budding all star
44. Roy Halladay – solid for years
45. Brian McCann – capable of being even better
46. Curtis Granderson – Average, power, speed, and run production
47. Adrian Gonzalez – his home park kills him
48. Russell Martin – AVG, HR, RBI, and SB all down in ‘08
49. Jake Peavy – if healthy, a top 5 SP
50. Aramis Ramirez – quietly productive

[Road Dawg]

51. Jonathan Papelbon – should be the first closer taken
52. Geovany Soto – NL ROY
53. Adam Dunn – DUNN SMASH, if you can take the hit in AVG, 40 HR
54. Shane Victorino – decent source of speed and pop
55. Joe Mauer – an offensive catcher is a good thing
56. Alexei Ramirez – MI power; qualifies at 2B, may start at SS
57. Magglio Ordonez – solid, productive OF
58. Dan Haren – will duplicate last season
59. Nate McLouth – came out of nowhere last season
60. Josh Beckett – over 5 K’s per BB issued
61. Corey Hart – going for a 3rd straight 20/20 season
62. Aubrey Huff – doesn’t have history on his side
63. Bobby Abreu – getting older but can still hit
64. Dan Uggla – his power numbers are no fluke
65. John Lackey – has to fully recover from a triceps injury
66. Francisco Rodriguez – don’t count on 62 saves, but 40+ for sure
67. Joey Votto - .297 with 24 HR’s
68. Roy Oswalt – Still an ace
69. Joe Nathan – 40 saves, 80K’s, rock solid
70. Brad Lidge – 41 saves, 92 K’s
71. Hunter Pence – fell off a bit from his ’07 campaign
72. Jay Bruce – could approach Braun type numbers
73. Cliff Lee – no way he duplicates… or does he?
74. Garrett Atkins – Trade risk
75. Derek Jeter – used to be a top 20 pick

[Road Dawg]

76. Stephen Drew – could be an elite by season’s end
77. Ervin Santana – 2008 was not a fluke
78. Victor Martinez – elbow injury robbed him
79. Ryan Ludwick – 37 HR’s from out of nowhere
80. Chipper Jones – Don’t expect 162 games, draft another option at 3B
81. Derrek Lee – solid as they come at 1B
82. Scott Kazmir – simply must pitch deeper into games
83. Mariano Rivera – should get more chances in ‘09
84. Jon Lester – 9-3 with a sub 3.00 ERA in the 2nd half
85. Francisco Liriano – 6-1, 2.73 ERA, 1.18 WHiP, .233 BAA post AS break
86. Jermaine Dye – still solid after all these years
87. Chris Davis – must improve his BA
88. Ryan Zimmerman - .283 and 14 HR’s is not the real Zimmerman
89. Edinson Volquez – 206 K’s in ‘08
90. Carlos Pena – 77 HR’s over the past 2 seasons
91. Felix Hernandez – still a top starter
92. Joakim Soria – 42 saves for KC
93. Rich Harden – can he make 30 starts?
94. Torii Hunter – good option in the mid rounds
95. Vernon Wells – quality 3rd or 4th OF
96. James Shields – the core of the Rays rotation
97. Troy Tulowitzki – injuries ruined his season
98. Dice – K – 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA; could easily win 20
99. Chad Billingsley – 201 K’s in ‘08
100. Chone Figgans – fell from .330 in ’07 to .276 in ‘08

[Road Dawg]

101. Carlos Zambrano - another possible 20 game winner
102. Carlos Delgado – can still hit them out
103. AJ Burnett – if healthy, primed for a career year in NY
104. Carlos Marmol – could dominate as a closer
105. Robinson Cano – hit over .300 in the 2nd half
106. Bobby Jenks – 2008 was an off year
107. Kerry Wood – looked natural as a closer
108. Johnny Damon – was a walking injury last season
109. Raul Ibanez – 3 straight 100+ RBI seasons
110. Michael Young – power has dropped dramatically
111. JJ Hardy – back to back solid seasons
112. Chris Young – can be a drag on the BA
113. Jonathan Broxton – closing this year for LA
114. Brad Hawpe – had a slow start to his 2008 season
115. Joba Chamberlain – tons of potential as a starter
116. Jhonny Peralta – 20+ HR’s the past 2 seasons
117. Yovani Gallardo – pitched well in Sept after healing
118. Rafael Furcal – a beast when healthy
119. Ben Sheets – usually gets little, nagging injuries
120. BJ Ryan – still solid as a closer
121. Ricky Nolasco – expect a bit of a regression
122. Jose Valverde – 47 and 44 saves the last 2 seasons
123. Matt Cain – 91 walks last season
124. Justin Verlander – What happened?
125. Adam Wainwright – sidelined for 2 months with a sprained finger

[Road Dawg]

126. Miguel Tejada – is the power gone for good?
127. Francisco Cordero – lost some command in ‘08
128. Howie Kendrick – hits for a decent average
129. James Loney – numbers will improve in his 2nd full season
130. Andre Ethier – 2nd half stud
131. Ryan Dempster – can he duplicate?
132. Pat Burrell – hopefully being in Tampa will help
133. Chris Young – P – solid if healthy
134. Ryan Doumit – bad defense but can hit
135. Jorge Cantu – finally settled, numbers are legit
136. Javier Vazquez – back in the NL
137. Erik Bedard – another health risk/ high reward
138. David Price – electrifying rookie will start this season
139. Rick Ankiel – Juice?
140. Carlos Gomez – 33 SB’s in ’08; could top 50 in ‘09
141. Brett Myers – 3.06 ERA post AS
142. Conor Jackson – good fall back 1B
143. Jorge Posada – recovering from shoulder surgery
144. Jayson Werth – 20/20 player on a good team
145. Mark DeRosa – the Swiss Army Knife of players
146. Edwin Encarnacion – solid hitter that’s going to improve
147. Matt Capps – considered a top 5 closer just one year ago
148. Aaron Harang – Innings eater
149. Zack Greinke – good for everything except wins
150. Derek Lowe – will win and put up a decent ERA in Atlanta

[Road Dawg]

151. Chien-Ming Wang – few K’s but wins
152. Adrian Beltre – consistent power source
153. Brian Wilson – a bit wild but will get better
154. Milton Bradley – a nut case, but produces
155. Max Scherzer – 66 K’s in 56 IP.
156. Brian Fuentes – all depends on if he closes
157. Kelly Johnson – expect a BA in the .270 range and 13 HR’s
158. Chris Iannetta – Coors Field
159. Matt Garza – said to have the best “stuff” on the Rays staff
160. Eric Byrnes – this guy was a round 2 pick last year
161. Brandon Morrow – enormous upside
162. Ted Lilly – should snag 15-17 wins
163. Mike Gonzalez – will he close for Atlanta?
164. Alex Gordon – Highly touted as a rookie, is this the year?
165. Nelson Cruz – hit .330 in 115 AB last season
166. Josh Johnson – could be his breakout year
167. Xavier Nady – he’s on the Yankees
168. Kevin Slowey – needs to be more consistent
169. Joey Devine – just needs chances in Oakland
170. John Danks – dropped his ERA from 5.50 to 3.32
171. Lastings Milledge – should threaten 20/20
172. Bengie Molina – 95 RBI on the Giants
173. Delmon Young – where did his power go?
174. Jered Weaver – only 26; 3rd or 4th starter at best
175. Hideki Matsui – good value if he stays healthy

[Road Dawg]

176. Matt Wieters – very high ceiling on this guy
177. Placido Polanco – very undervalued, but be patient grabbing him
178. Orlando Cabrera – quiet, yet solid
179. Jose Lopez – will the power repeat?
180. Mike Aviles – late bloomer who didn’t struggle
181. Huston Street – can he close in Denver?
182. Nick Swisher – where will he play?
183. Scott Baker – 11-4, 3.45 ERA, 141 K in ’08.
184. Justin Upton – 15 HR’s in his first season, most at any level
185. Carlos Guillen – 1B and 3B eligibility
186. Fausto Carmona – seriously regressed in ’08.
187. Adam Jones - .300, 20HR, 10 SB not out of the question
188. Jair Jurrens – the one bright spot for the Braves rotation in ‘08
189. Clayton Kershaw – needs to harness his control
190. Mike Napoli – streaky hitter
191. Ubaldo Jimenez – mid-level fantasy starter
192. Trevor Hoffman – better have a back-up option
193. John Maine – off-season shoulder surgery
194. Joe Saunders – few K’s but notches wins
195. JD Drew – brittle but deadly
196. Denard Span – could steal 30 bases
197. Chad Qualls – closer job is his to lose
198. Mark Reynolds – K’s a bunch
199. Troy Glaus – hit 27 HR’s and 99 RBI’s. He’s only 32.
200. Paul Konerko – hopefully will bounce back

[Road Dawg]

201. Kaz Matsui – good source of steals
202. Gil Meche – 14 wins for KC
203. Khalil Greene – personally, I think he’s a bum
204. Hank Blalock – please stay healthy
205. Juan Pierre – 40 steals is hard to ignore
206. Justin Duscherer – if he can be half as good, he’d be a steal
207. Shin-Soo Choo - .309, 14 HR’s after the AS break
208. Coco Crisp – serviceable but plays for KC
209. Rickie Weeks – MI sleeper
210. Kurt Suzuki – good first full campaign
211. Willy Taveras – 68 steals
212. Heath Bell – inside track for the closer role
213. Brad Ziegler – 39 scoreless IP to start his career
214. Ryan Theriot – source of BA and steals
215. Johnny Cueto – crazy good stuff but has command issues
216. Matt Lindstrom – closing for the Marlins
217. AJ Pierzynski – won’t hurt your stats
218. Gavin Floyd – won 17 in ’08
219. Chris Carpenter – had Tommy John surgery
220. Dioner Navarro – good 2nd catcher option
221. Jim Thome – aging but still has power
222. Adam LaRoche – if you need a 1B
223. Randy Johnson – going for 300 wins with the Giants
224. Phil Hughes – everything went wrong for him in ’08
225. Mike Pelfrey – still needs to develop some more

[Road Dawg]

226. Hiroki Kuroda – had a strong August and September
227. Mike Lowell – hip surgery makes him a gamble
228. Kelly Shoppach – good power but behind Victor Martinez
229. Jon Garland – only value is in wins
230. Adam Lind – could hit 20 bombs
231. Andy Pettitte – needs to get back on the juice
232. Billy Butler – found his stroke in the 2nd half
233. Fernando Rodney – if he closes, he’s on a short leash
234. Andy Sonnanstine – throws strikes and has a good D behind him
235. Wandy Rodriguez – good value pick late
236. Oliver Perez – will he sign with the Mets?
237. Josh Willingham – could top 30 HR’s
238. Ty Wigginton – 3 straight 20+ HR seasons
239. Cameron Maybin – risky pick but could hit big
240. Jeff Francis – sleeper pick that was hurt in ’08
241. Brad Penny – has issues with his shoulder
242. Edgar Renteria – your 2nd SS
243. Jason Bartlett – solid but unspectacular
244. Akinori Iwamura – steady at 2B, but won’t wow you
245. George Sherril – shouldn’t be closing but possible
246. JJ Putz – setting up K-Rod; value would jump if he were closing
247. Michael Cuddyer – won’t hurt you from the OF spot
248. Ken Griffey – if he DH's, he could stay healthy and productive
249. Pablo Sandoval – defensive limitations but he can hit
250. Mark Buehrle – double digit wins and sub 4 ERA past 2 seasons

[Road Dawg]

251. Bronson Arroyo – 200 IP each of the last 3 seasons
252. Fred Lewis – 81 runs and 21 SB’s in ’08
253. Melvin Mora – had a hot July and August to salvage his season
254. Aaron Cook – hard sinker helps him in Coors
255. Jason Kubel – if he could hit lefties, he’d have a career year
256. Mike Cameron – typical season is .250 with 20+ HR’s
257. Yunel Escobar – good late MI pick up
258. Ramon Hernandez – probably won’t catch more than 120 games
259. Orlando Hudson - .300 hitter who plays everyday
260. Jeremy Bonderman – can he bounce back and stay healthy?
261. Troy Percival – if he’s healthy, he gets it done
262. Jeff Clement – one of the top catching prospects
263. Jeff Francoeur – a real out machine
264. Chris Volstad – 6-4, 2.88 ERA in first big league season
265. Jose Arredondo – could take over for K-Rod as the Angels closer
266. Joel Zumaya – brings serious heat, but needs to close to have value
267. Armando Galarraga – gives up the long ball
268. Frank Francisco – great stuff; closing for the Rangers
269. Paul Maholm – Boring is the new interesting
270. Chris Perez – harness his control, and he’s a closer
271. Gerald Laird – solid backstop with a capable bat
272. Jeremy Hermida – is this the year he stays healthy and productive?
273. Chris Ray – had TJ surgery in 2007
274. Elijah Dukes – potential 30/30 if he gets his head straight
275. Kevin Kouzmanoff – lost some of his plate discipline

[Road Dawg]

276. Mike Jacobs – throw BA out the window
277. David DeJesus – safe pick that won’t hurt you
278. Kyle Lohse – sometimes you have to trust your eyes
279. Yadier Molina – primarily a defensive backstop
280. Jonathan Sanchez – starting this year; 157 K in 158 IP
281. Joel Hanrahan – Nationals closer
282. John Smoltz – hello Boston
283. Clay Bucholz – Colorado’s future closer
284. Chris Snyder – 20 HR’s is a real possibility
285. Jesus Flores - must show more patience at the plate
286. Freddy Sanchez – hit .346 after the break
287. Clint Barmes – late round “flier”
288. Tommy Hanson – very young and inexperienced
289. Dallas McPherson – 42 dingers at AAA
290. Jason Giambi – could still pop 25 HR’s
291. Jarrod Saltalamacchia – if you need a cather LATE
292. Scott Olsen – maturity issues
293. Ian Stewart – slugged over .600 at AAA
294. Andrew Miller – when he puts it together, look out
295. Jeremy Guthrie – criminal lack of run support
296. Taylor Teagarden – only if you HAVE to
297. Casey Kotchman – serviceable but inconsistent
298. Manny Corpas – has lost the closing job before
299. Manny Parra – value pick late
300. Asdrubal Cabrera – was horrible early; be wary