Fantasy Baseball Preview - 2B

Because of the shortage of time between now and opening day, we at NQTC decided to roll with a position by position preview as opposed to going team by team. 2B preview is up today - look for the 3B preview on Tuesday. And just so we're clear - this is not a list of the top seven guys at the position but rather seven guys I felt like writing about - that's just how I roll.




1. Chase Utley 2B Phillies - Far away the best offensive 2B in baseball, Utley is somewhat of a ? this season, as no one is really sure when he will be able to return from off-season hip surgery. The three time All Star has been saying that he might be ready by opening day if he is able to avoid any setbacks, but a late April/mid May return is more likely. Even with Utley missing a month of ABs, the case can be made for him to be the first 2B selected off the board - in 2007 when he played in only 132 games, he still put up a line of 104 R, 22 HR, 103 RBI, 9 SB, and a .332 AVG.



2. Ian Kinsler 2B Rangers - If Kinsler doesn't get hurt last season, there's a good chance he finishes the year in the top 10 overall players in fantasy. At 26, he's just now hitting his prime and as long he can stay healthy, should be one of a top performer in baseball for years to come. He plays in a great ballpark and is surrounded by plenty of mashers in the lineup, and while Texas most likely won't contend in the AL West due to their lack of pitching, they should have no issue scoring runs. The only knock on Kinsler is that he has never played more than 130 games in a season, and he also seemed to wear down after the All Star break. If he can find a way to stay healthy and stay productive throughout the season, a 30 HR 30 SB season is definitely possible.



3. Dustin Pedroia 2B Red Sox - The 2008 AL MVP is on the rise in fantasy drafts, and rightly so. With a line of 118 R, 17 HR, 83 RBI, 20 SB and a .326 average, Pedroia is without a doubt a five tool guy - providing significant production in all five standard categories. The only question being asked about Boston's newest sensation is whether or not he can do it again, and considering that his average draft position on mockdraftcentral.com is 25, most people seem to think that he can. It scares me a little to use a late 2nd/early 3rd round pick on someone coming off a career year, as I really don't think that there is any room for improvement in his numbers, but even if he comes close to matching his stat line from last season, he should still be able to back up his draft position.


4. Brandon Phillips 2B Reds - If there was any way for Phillips to boost his average back up to even the .276 mark he hit in 2006, you would be looking at a fantasy goldmine at 2B. His .262 lifetime average is the only thing holding Phillips back from being considered one of the top all around fantasy players in the game. Hitting cleanup, he doesn't score as many runs as other SB thieves do, but should provide you with about 25 HR and 80-85 RBI, and when you add the 25-30 SBs - that ain't half bad. Again, his average could hurt you, but as long as you're not expecting anything over .265, you shouldn't be disappointed with his overall production.



5. Dan Uggla 2B Marlins - Mr. Thuggla is a three category beast , averaging 100+ Runs, 30 HR and 90 RBI over the past three seasons. Like Phillips, Uggla's average will hurt you, but owners will have no problem looking past that as long as the NL All Star 2B continues to rake. Personally, I don't want anything to do with Uggla, as his 1st half/2nd half splits in 2008 were pretty horrendous, and unless you can send him off to another owner after the break, I would be quite concerned that a repeat performance might be in store.



6. Alexei Ramirez 2B White Sox - The Cuban Missile was a fantasy monster last season, putting up a line of 65 R, 21 HR, 77 RBI, 13 SB, and a .290 avg in only 136 games. However, when you take a closer look at his numbers, he only walked 18 times in 480 AB, meaning it would be almost impossible for him to maintain his .290 average unless he significantly improved his BB rate. Depending on where he bats in the lineup, Ramirez should be able to match all of his other numbers from 2008, but I wouldn't be looking for any large jumps in his HR or RBI totals.



7. Jose Lopez 2B Mariners - SLEEPER ALERT. Lopez had a phenomenal year at the plate last season, posting a line of 80 R, 17 HR, 89 RBI, 6 SB, and a .297 average. At 25, there's still plenty of room for improvement, and considering that Lopez isn't getting selected until the latter half of most drafts, he could be a major steal in 2009. In 2007, Lopez had a great first half of the season but struggled mightily after the All Star break. After finally putting together a productive full season in 2008 though, it looks like Lopez may be climbing the fantasy charts. If you miss out on the top 2B early in the draft, the once highly touted prospect should definitely be on your radar.

Fantasy Baseball Preview - 1B

Because of the shortage of time between now and opening day, we at NQTC decided to roll with a position by position preview as opposed to going team by team. Hope you enjoy, and please - no more Rich Hill/Felix Pie jokes....

1B preview is up first. Just so you know, this is not a list of the top seven guys at the position but rather seven guys I felt like writing about. Look for the 2B preview on Friday....


1. Albert Pujols 1B Cardinals - What can I tell you about the St. Louis 1B that you don't already know. He is flat out the best offensive 1B in baseball - the guy has never scored less than 99 runs, hit less than 32 HR, drove in less than 103 RBI, and hit lower than .314 in a season. Unlike last year where there was some speculation that he would be shutdown mid season because of his elbow, Pujols will be completely healthy come opening day after having off season surgery to resolve the issue. If you want to nitpick, the only knock on El Hombre is the lack of support surrounding him in the lineup, but people have been saying that for years and it's clearly never impacted his numbers.

2. Ryan Howard 1B Philies - The former MVP has averaged over 50 HRs the past three seasons, and there is no reason to believe he won't continue that trend in 2009. He has also led the majors in RBI two out of the past three seasons, and in 2007 when he finished 4th, he had 136 - not too shabby at all. Howard's draft position varies somewhat depending on your draft strategy and league type. In roto leagues, I personally would not take him until the latter half of the 1st round/early 2nd round as you don't want to target someone who is going to literally kill you in a category (avg). In H2H leagues though, he could be considered a top 5 pick.



3. Miguel Cabrera 1B Tigers - After getting off to a horrible start in his first season with Detorit, Big Mig was still able to put up a line of 85 R, 37 HR, 127 RBI, and a .292 average thanks to a monster 2nd half. Seems like the four time all star has been around forever, but he's actually only 25, and as sick as it is, his best years are surely ahead of him. He put up career highs in HR and RBI last season, and it would not be surprising to see these totals increase again in 2009. Cabrera is without a doubt a first round pick this season - his ADP on Mockdraftcentral.com is 7.3, which seems about right, but if hes 3B eligible in your league, I could see reaching for him as high as fourth or fifth overall.

4. Adrian Gonzalez 1B Padres - Since 2006, his totals in runs, HRs, and RBIs have gone up every year, and while I don't know if we'll see that happen again this season, I would surely take last years 103 R, 36 HR, 119 RBI, and .279 average. Gonzalez usually gets taken in the late 3rd/early 4th rounds of drafts - since January 31st on MDC, he has been taken as high as 21 and as late as 50. It really depends on your personal preference with Gonzo, but he has been raking in the WBC, and at the age of 27, is in the prime of his career.

5. Prince Fielder 1B Brewers - Similar to Miguel Cabrera, Fielder got off to a horrendous start in 2008, hitting only four HRs in each of the first two months of the season. I'm not really sure what to expect out of Fielder this year - if you take a look at his stats over the past three seasons, his 2006 and 2008 seasons look a lot alike, where his 50-HR 2007 clearly stands out and at this point should be considered somewhat of a fluke. Fielder is still young (he turns 25 in May) so he still has plenty of room for improvement, but his K rate was slightly up and his BB rate slightly down - two signs that don't point to a turnaround in production. I would project Fielder for similar numbers to last season, with a few more HRs and RBI.



6. Joey Votto 1B Reds - The 25 year old Votto might be a couple of years away from showing his true potential, but should still put up solid fantasy stats in 2009. He put up a line of 69 R, 24 HR, 84 RBI, 7 SB, and a .297 average last season , and considering that he started off sharing time at 1B with Scott Hatteberg and got most of his AB hitting 7th, that line is fairly impressive. He will most likely be hitting 3rd for Cinci this year behind Willy Taveras and Jay Bruce. Taveras had an OBP of .308 last season, and Bruce was not much better at .314, so a lot of Votto's value depends on how the speedy Willy T and potential-oozing Bruce produce in front of him.



7. Derek Lee 1B Cubs - There is not a whole lot of upside that comes with drafting Lee in 2009, as he seems to be way past his prime. After crushing 46 HRs in 2005, Lee hit 22 HRs in 2007 and 20 in 2008, so you should look for that 20 or so HR trend to continue this season, a total that isn't very sexy when compared with the other studly 1B. While he may be lacking potential for a monster season, Lee is extremely safe and reliable - in addition to those 20 or so HRs, you can definitely expect 85-90 Runs and 85-90 RBI, in addition to an average around .30o. Lee's average draft position on MDC is 73rd overall, and I can't really see taking him before then.

Fantasy Baseball Preview - Baltimore Orioles

Due to popular demand, The Bad Guy is back for the 2009 MLB season (cue my entrance music). I'll be bringing you a fantasy relevant preview for every team, starting with the AL and finishing up with the NL. Each preview will feature studs, sleepers, busts and all kinds of other information that is sure to give you a (Razor's) edge up on the competition.


First up - The Baltimore Orioles.


While the Orioles don't really bring much to the table in terms of contending for a World Series title, they do feature a bunch of guys that are fantasy relevant. OF Nick Markakis and 2B Brian Roberts are both fantasy studs that are sure to be taken in the 3rd or 4th round of your drafts. Veteran 1B Aubrey Huff finished with a monster line last season - 96 R, 32 HR, 108 RBI, 4 SB, and a .304 average but still doesn't get much love from fantasy owners. C Matt Wieters is the talk of the fantasy town, even though there's a good chance he won't be on the opening day roster. SP Jeremy Guthrie is the only Baltimore pitcher worth talking about, and even he really wont be able to help you out all that much.



OF Nick Markakis has become a name fantasy owners have grown accustomed to over the past couple of years, especially after his breakout 2007 season - 97 R, 23 HR, 112 RBI, 18 SB, and .300 average. He was drafted real early last season, but was considered somewhat of a disappointment after hitting three less homers, 25 less RBI, and stealing eight less bases then he did the previous season. However, after seeing his BB totals go up again for a 3rd straight season (43 in '06, 61 in '07 and 99 in '08) , Markakis seems ready to finally take his game to the next level. The 18 steals might not be there, but if he can snag 10 bases again while scoring 100 runs, hitting 25-28 HR, and getting back up to 100 RBI, all while hitting .300 +, there should be plenty of happy Markakis owners at the end of the season.




2B Brian Roberts is a name Cubs fans are familiar with, as he was heavily rumored to be coming over to the North side last season before talks fell through. If you take a look at his stats over the past three seasons, you'll see that the 5'9'' speedster is as consistent as they come - You know you're getting 100+ runs, 10 HRs, 55 RBI, 40-50 steals, and a .290+ average. There is still a chance that Roberts is traded before opening day, as he and the Orioles have had a hard time agreeing to terms on the four year deal that the 2B covets. If anything, a trade to another ballclub would only increase Roberts' value.



We at NQTC witnessed many miraculous comebacks in 2008 - Britney Spears, New Kids on the Block, Kurt Warner - but there was no greater comeback then the comeback of 1B Aubrey Huff. The former stud put up some sick numbers back in 2003 and 2004 when he was with Tampa Bay, but was a complete afterthought from 2005-2007. However in 2008, Huff was back to his old 90 run, 30 HR, 100 RBI, .300+ average ways. At 32, he still has plenty left in the tank and because he isn't fantasy sexy, Huff tends to drop real late in drafts. If you miss out on the big names early on, you could do a lot worse then to take a chance on tough Aubrey Huff.



C Matt Wieters is the sleeper of all sleepers - there isn't one fantasy site out there that has yet to write about this guy. Wieters is not expected to be up in the bigs by opening day, but should be called up by mid-June at the latest, and if his minor league stats are any indication, should be raking at the next level in no time. The catcher position is fairly deep this year, so you shouldn't reach for him over the big names (unless you're in a keeper league). According to RotoAuthority.com, Wieters is currently being drafted in the 11th round of drafts, which is more or less where you want to target him.




SP Jeremy Guthrie doesn't really deserve this paragraph, but the O's pitching staff is so weak that he's simply all there is to talk about. Guthrie is decent in terms of ERA and Whip, but he doesn't get wins and he doesn't strike anyone out. I really wouldn't target him until real late, if it all, in your drafts - I'm talking like the 23rd/24th round in 12 team leagues. The O's bullpen is also a mess - I highly doubt any one player gets more then 10-15 saves on this team. When all is said and done, I would highly recommend staying away from any Baltimore pitcher on draft day.


Next up on Wednesday - The Boston Red Sox....