Big Board: Baseball
By Brandon Funston, Yahoo! Sports Jan 15, 7:10 pm EST
Big Boards: Football | Baseball | Basketball | Hockey
The Big Board takes into consideration past returns, current performance and expected future gains in determining who should be included among the top 50 fantasy baseball players. Essentially, the Big Board is a cheat sheet designed for a fantasy owner who is planning to participate in a draft today. Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Baseball default scoring settings are used as the baseline for the Big Board, which is updated on a regular basis.
| Big Board 50: Baseball | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Player | Stock | Pvs. |
| 1 | Albert Pujols(notes), StL, 1B | High floor: .327/32/103/99/2 (’07) stands as his worst roto line | - |
| 2 | Hanley Ramirez(notes), Fla, SS | NL batting champ’s speed/power combo is unparalleled at SS | - |
| 3 | Alex Rodriguez(notes), NYY, 3B | Has delivered at least .285/30/100 for 12 consecutive seasons | - |
| 4 | Chase Utley(notes), Phi, 2B | 23 SBs in ’09 was career best and has .900+ OPS 5 straight years | - |
| 5 | Ryan Braun, Mil, OF | Averges for 1st 3 years are Pujols-lite: .308/34/106/99/16 | - |
| 6 | Evan Longoria(notes), TB, 3B | Has averaged 30 HR, 99 RBI in 1st 2 seasons and he’s only 24 | - |
| 7 | Prince Fielder(notes), Mil, 1B | OPS has topped 1.000 in 2 of past 3 seasons | - |
| 8 | Miguel Cabrera(notes), Det, 1B | Another consistency king: .879+ OPS for 6 consecutive seasons | - |
| 9 | Tim Lincecum(notes), SF, SP | 2 Cy Young awards in 1st 2 full seasons says it all | - |
| 10 | Joe Mauer(notes), Min, C | Assuming 20+ HR power sticks, he laps the rest of Catcher pack | - |
| 11 | Mark Teixeira(notes), NYY, 1B | Loved new Yankee Stadium (1.013 OPS vs. .882 road mark) | - |
| 12 | Justin Upton(notes), Ari, OF | I’m very bullish when a player goes .300/26/20 at age 22 | - |
| 13 | Matt Kemp(notes), LAD, OF | Criminal that he logged 361 ABs from bottom half of the order | - |
| 14 | Carl Crawford(notes), TB, OF | Has .800+ OPS and 46+ SB in 4 of past 5 seasons | - |
| 15 | Ryan Howard(notes), Phi, 1B | Early slumps are the rub—career .255 pre break, .303 post break | - |
| 16 | Ian Kinsler(notes), Tex, 2B | Uncommon 2B power/speed producer, but DL stints 4 straight years | - |
| 17 | David Wright(notes), NYM, 3B | Power dip not all on Citi Field—5 HR @ home, 5 on the road | - |
| 18 | Mark Reynolds(notes), Ari, 1/3 | 200 Ks, so what? 2-year averages of 36 HR, 100 RBI, 18 SB | - |
| 19 | Matt Holliday(notes), StL, OF | Got contact high from hitting after Pujols—1.023 OPS in STL | - |
| 20 | Troy Tulowitzki(notes), Col, SS | At 25, already has 2 .290+/24+/90+/100+ seasons under his belt | - |
| 21 | Jose Reyes, NYM, SS | You gamble on health because of .300/15/65/115/60 potential | - |
| 22 | Jacoby Ellsbury(notes), Bos, OF | Shift to LF viewed as way to preserve legs of ’09 SB king (70) | - |
| 23 | Zack Greinke(notes), KC, SP | AL Cy had 18 outings w/ at least 5 IP and 1 ER or less | - |
| 24 | Jimmy Rollins(notes), Phi, SS | Often a rollercoaster ride, but at least 20/30 in 3 of past 4 years | - |
| 25 | Grady Sizemore(notes), Cle, OF | Injuries ruined ’09, but was on pace for another 25/20, 100+ R | - |
| 26 | Victor Martinez(notes), Bos, C/1 | Better than ever in his 56-game Boston orientation (.912 OPS) | - |
| 27 | Joey Votto(notes), Cin, 1B | OPS (.981) was 4th among those with 450+ ABs in ’09 | - |
| 28 | Ichiro(notes), Sea, OF | Closest thing to a .300, 100 R, 30 SB guarantee in MLB | - |
| 29 | Felix Hernandez(notes), Sea, SP | 900+ career IP at age 23 and finally delivered on Cy talent in ’09 | - |
| 30 | Ryan Zimmerman(notes), Was, 3B | .300/30/100/100 potential nice if you don’t land a top 4 3B | - |
| 31 | Roy Halladay(notes), Phi, SP | Mr. Reliable should be even more bankable away from AL East | - |
| 32 | Kevin Youkilis(notes), Bos, 1/3 | Has logged a .950+ OPS in each of past 2 seasons | - |
| 33 | CC Sabathia(notes), NYY, SP | 9 straight seasons of 180+ IP; 3-year avg. of 18 W, 219 K, 3.08 ERA | - |
| 34 | Brandon Phillips(notes), Cin, 2B | 4-year avg: .276, 22 HR, 86 RBI, 83 R, 26 SB | - |
| 35 | Derek Jeter(notes), NYY, SS | Big value in guaranteed 5-cat contribution from SS position | - |
| 36 | Dustin Pedroia(notes), Bos, 2B | Nice feather in his fantasy cap: SS-eligibility coming soon | - |
| 37 | Robinson Cano(notes), NYY, 2B | Career .306 BA and led all MI last season with 75 XBH | - |
| 38 | Jason Bay(notes), NYM, OF | NYM nolineup not likely to be as lucrative as the Red Sox | - |
| 39 | Justin Morneau(notes), Min, 1B | 4-year average: .292, 30 HR, 118 RBI, 91 R | - |
| 40 | Pablo Sandoval(notes), SF, 1/3 | Panda was born to hit, and offseason weight loss only helps | - |
| 41 | Adam Lind(notes), Tor, OF | Has the pedigree to validate his monster ’09 breakout | - |
| 42 | Ben Zobrist(notes), TB, 2/S/O | OPS (.948) was the same as Mark Teixeira’s | - |
| 43 | Jayson Werth(notes), Phi, OF | Patience is his virtue: MLB-high 4.5 pitches per plate appearance | - |
| 44 | Justin Verlander(notes), Det, SP | MLB K king (269) also has 17+ Wins in 3 of past 4 seasons | - |
| 45 | Aaron Hill(notes), Tor, 2B | Hard to fully buy ’09, but 6th in Total Bases hard to luck into | - |
| 46 | Brian Roberts(notes), Bal, 2B | Count on .285, 30 SB, 100 R and consider the power gravy | - |
| 47 | Curtis Granderson(notes), NYY, OF | 30/20 game projects nicely atop No. 1 offensive lineup in MLB | - |
| 48 | Nick Markakis(notes), Bal, OF | Making name in roto for consistent quality rather than big upside | - |
| 49 | Josh Hamilton(notes), Tex, OF | Hamilton and Vlad 3-4 in lineup looks sweet if both stay healthy | - |
| 50 | Dan Haren(notes), Ari, SP | Always among top roto SP but, seriously, deal him by the AS break | - |
Updated Jan 15, 7:10 pm EST
