IS ANYONE SURPRISED WHO TOPS THE LIST?
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photo courtesy of AP
again...Rankings were determined using a matrix involving:
Projected Fantasy Rankings in a 5x5 roto
Dynasty LeagueKeeper Value
Position Scarcity
Value to current MLB team
Baseball America Prospects
Mr Resentments personal bias
10. Starlin Castro. Chicago Cubs SS only one other shortstop in the history of baseball has more hits before turning 22 and that is Alex Rodriguez. Already considered a premiere fantasy baseball SS coming off a .307 22 SB and 10 HR year, this could be one of baseball's elite SS for the next 15 years.
9b. Carlos Santana. Cleveland Indians C powerhitting left handed hitter smashed 27 bombs last season to go a long with 35 doubles. A proven major league commodity he is already the no. 2 ranked catcher on the offensive side. Talks of him moving to 1B will have his value plummet so enjoy his fantasy ranking now while its at its peak. Only a career .244 hitter then again he is a 25 year old catcher.
9a. Matt Wieters. Baltimore Orioles C has already logged over 1400 plate appearances at the age of 25. His power numbers doubled last year as he ended with 22 HR and 28 doubles. The 6 foot 5 inch switch hitting Catcher is poised for a breakout season and gets the nod over Santana because he is not a defensive liability and there has been no talk of him moving out from behind the plate.
8b. Jerry Sands. LA Dodgers OF/1B going out on a limb with this one but built like a linebacker Sands has proven he can rake minor league pitching, as he was one of two minor leaguers with over 35 HR in 2010. In his brief time up last year he stuggled. He needs to learn the strikezone and find an everyday position. Will probably be in the Minors the majority of this year we will probably have to wait the following season for a breakout year from Sands. Potential middle of the order bat.
Courtesy of AP
8a. Brett Lawrie. Toronto Blue Jays 3B at the tender age of 22 he has most fantasy owners drooling over his potential. While its uncertain how he will hold up in his first full season the slice we saw last year showed he is a probable star for seasons to come. He had 44 hits in 150 ABs last season with 9 of them being bombs. A 5 tool player at 3B he should be a perenial All Star for years to come. Weakness: He is no Scott Rolen over at 3B but has plenty of time to develop
7. Andrew McCutchen. Pittsburgh Pirates OF Coming off a 20/20 2011 season, one of only 12 MLB guys to to do so, he could have a chance at going 30/30 this season. This guy is a category filler. Good for 90 rbi's 90 BB and 90 runs scored makes Cutch an all be it sneaky, top 30 fantasy perfomer. A .259 hitter last year due to a dismal second half that will have to be improved.
6. Stephen Strausburg. Washington Nationals P Facing a innings limit yet again this season caps his worth, but if you are in a keeper league there is not to many guys more valuable for the coming seasons. Still only 6 major league starts under his belt after Tommy John the Nationals are certainly going to be careful with the flamethrower. A career record of 6-4 but that doesn't tell the whole story. A under 1 WHIP for his career a long with a much higher than one K an inning makes this arm very valuable.
5. Bryce Harper. Washington Nationals OF 19 years old, he is the Lebron of Baseball. The greatest thing ever before he has done anything. That horrible magazine Sports Illustrated dubbed him The Chosen One, when he was in High School. Many regard him as the no. 1 prospect at the minor league level, his manager Davey Johnson hopes he can make the Bigs out of Spring Training. Tremendous power he had 17 bombs at the age of 18 in minor leagues. Many scouts see him being the best player in the game within 5 seasons.
4. Felix Hernandez. Seattle Mariners P Can you believe he is still only 25 years old? He has the been the ace up in Seattle for 5 years, winning a Cy Young in his 5th full season and finishing second in '09. If he pitched for a good team he would certainly be looking at over a 100 career wins already, he will have to settle for 85 going into the season. Averaging over 210 K's a season with a 3.20 ERA we are looking at one of the best rhp in the history of game.
3. Giancarlo Stanton. Miami Marlins OF 22 years old and already one of the most feared hitters in the game. 56 HR career bombs already. He hit .262 overall last year but at such a young age for a power guy batting average is an after thought. Sure he strikesout a lot, but he is on his way to being a 40 plus home run guy sooner rather than later. 40 bombs a year for 15 years you do the math. Potential Hall of Famer.
2. Justin Upton. Arizona Diamondbacks OF Due to the fact I think the Dbacks will win the west I could see Upton finishing in the top 3 in the MVP voting this season. 31 HR with 21 SB and a .289 last year gave everyone a taste of what the much better Upton brother can do. 90 career bombs and almost 300 rbi's this 5 tool player has everything going for him. Already a premiere RF in the baseball he is just now set to enter his prime power years. He could be a consistant top 10 in the MVP voting for the next decade.
1. Clayton Kershaw. LA Dodgers P the 23 year old LHP and current Cy Young gets the top spot on my top 25. A career 2.88 ERA he nearly struck out 250 batters last season. With all the talk about Strausburgh, Kershaw flew under the radar of many up until last season ...of course. Kershaw has more than 40 wins more than Straus in his career, a lead that seems insurmountable for Stephen to ever catch him . A .98 whip last season helped him go 21-5 for the dreadful Dodgers last season, which made him one of the most valuable players in all of baseball. Many feel he is the top fantasy pitcher in baseball going into this season. We are looking at the next Sandy Koufax right now. If baseball is ever going to see a 300 win pitcher again this could be the guy.
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