Now guys, we hate to admit this, but this time of year our fantasies aren’t solely focused on the girls we are going to see over spring break.
Instead, we prefer to think about sweaty men in tight pants.
No, we’re not talking about ’80s night – we’re talking about fantasy baseball. Albert Pujols, 1B
For the first pick you should choose the obvious, the best player in baseball, 27-year-old Albert Pujols. Then, build around him.
Batting .331 in 2006, he launched a career-high 49 HR and a career-high 137 RBI, while striking out just 50 times in 535 at-bats.
All this happened while Pujols landed on the disabled list for the first time, lowering his at-bats and interrupting his rhythm.
Barring an injury, the 2005 National League Most Valuable Player will score well over 100 runs and swat about 50 long balls while batting at around .330.
Any true baseball fan should appreciate the fact that “Fat Albert” will steal about 10 bases, making him closer to a five-tool player, 90 feet at a time. Alfonso Soriano, OF Forget pure power hitters, Alfonso Soriano represents the real total package.
The newly-acquired center fielder for the Chicago Cubs joined the exclusive 40/40 club in 2006 after hitting 45 home runs and stealing 41 bags.
Oh, and if you’re wondering, Soriano is the only other national leaguer since Barry Bonds who joined this prestigious club in 1996.
And as far as we know, without the use of steroids.
Soriano shows no signs of slowing down, and he should be a top-5 pick in any league this season.
Jose Reyes, SS Another Dominican Republic native you cannot pass up is New York Mets shortstop, Jose Reyes.
The speedster stole a league-leading 64 bases last season, which is the most since Scott Podsednik in 2004.
Leading off for the Metropolitans, Reyes batted .300 with 122 runs scored, 19 home runs and 81 RBI.
This spring, Reyes leads the Mets in home runs with four and runs scored with 15. Reyes will go top-10, maybe even top-5 in the first round.
At age 23, Reyes is and will continue to be the real deal for some time to come. Robinson Cano, 2B Speaking of young’uns, New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano is a sure shot for all-around production as a middle round pick.
In just his second year in the league, Robby Cano batted .342 which was good for 3rd in the American League, one point behind teammate Derek Jeter.
Despite missing 6 weeks with an injured hamstring, Cano knocked in 78 RBIs and hit 15 home runs, batting ninth for most of the season.
Thats right, the third highest batting average in the American League belonged to a ninth-hole hitter.
Imagine that. Ryan Zimmerman, 3B Moving to the other side of the infield, Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman has the kind of skills package that has most fantasy owners drooling. At only 21 years old he stormed into his first full season in the bigs with 20 HR and 110 RBI.
Zimmerman quickly made a name for himself at the plate, smashing line drives and hitting .287; and on defense, diving all over the hot corner snagging scalding liners and gunning guys out at first.
Look for an increase in stats in all categories, as Zimmerman is a youngster who is very athletic (11 stolen bases in 2006) but also skilled.
His plate discipline will improve, meaning more walks, more power, better average and more runs. (He still managed to score 84 runs without much pop behind him in the batting order.)
Already a star, he could be a superstar by the end of the season. If you can draft him in the third round or later, you’d be stupid not to. Aaron Harang, SP If you spent the first several rounds loading up on offense, here’s a middle round pick to bolster your rotation.
Starting pitcher Aaron Harang of the Cincinnati Reds is ESPN.com Fantasy Baseball’s 12th ranked starting pitcher in 2007. “The Harangutan,” as he is affectionately known by some, has much to offer with his craftiness.
In 2006, he was in the top five in the NL in strikeouts, not to mention his tendency to throw more ground-ball outs than fly-balls; a bonus as flies have been known to carry all the way out of Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark.
It will be tough for him to match last year’s 16-win season as the Big Red Machine is missing gears in the form of big-time bats.
His 2006 earned run average (3.76) and Walks/Hits per Innings Pitched (1.27) aren’t great, but his 216 Ks (second only to Johan Santana) and only 56 walks make him a key pickup anywhere in the middle rounds.
Don’t expect these players to be around too long; but if you miss out, you can always draft the entire Yankees lineup instead.
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