2011 Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft

It is that time of the year where football is coming to an end and our attention now needs to change to fantasy baseball.  Come March, there will be an abundance of fantasy baseball drafts and I am starting early to help your brain transition from fantasy football to fantasy baseball.  Each week I will add a new round of draft picks.  Feel free to comment on my draft picks and let me know what you think….

Round 1

1. Hanley Ramirez, SS, Florida Marlins

The best player going into this fantasy baseball season is definitely Albert Pujols.  The thing that hurts his fantasy draft stock this year in my 2011 mock draft is that there are a lot of big time first basemen that can be picked up later on.  The reason I go with Hanley Ramirez number one overall is that there are not many shortstops that produce his kind of numbers.  He hits for power, steals bases, drives in runs, and scores many runs.  Troy Tulowitzki is about the only other SS that comes close the Ramirez’s numbers.

2010 Stats: Avg. .300, 21 HR, 76 RBI, 92 Runs, 32 SB’s

2. Albert Pujols, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals

The second pick in your fantasy baseball draft may be the easiest this year.  If someone like me picks Hanley Ramirez then it’s a no brainer you go with Pujols and if the first pick is Albert Pujols then you have to go with Ramirez.  Pujols does not need much discussion about because he is the best player in the game and may be the best hitter in baseball history.

2010 Stats: Avg. .312, 42 HR, 118 RBI, 115 Runs, 14 SB’s

3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Detroit Tigers

Cabrera has been getting better every year he has been in the league.   He has hit over 30 HR’s in 6 of his 8 MLB seasons and also hit for a great average as a power hitter, which is hard to come by.  Last year he had a career year for his overall stats and I expect him to have the same production in 2011.

2010 Stats: Avg. .328, 38 HR, 126 RBI, 111 Runs, 3 SB’s

4. Carl Crawford, OF, Boston Red Sox

Carl Crawford has been one of the best fantasy outfielders in the last few seasons.  In a rotisserie league, one of the biggest categories that I try to win the stolen base category.  Crawford is one of the best at the art of stealing bases.  In his 9 seasons of MLB experience he has had 7 seasons when he has stolen over 40 bases.  Along with the stolen base category, he can hit for average, drive in runs, score runs, and even hit close to 20 home runs.  Now in Boston, with a short left field fence he could look at even more home runs and maybe a higher average.

2010 Stats: Avg. .307, 19 HR, 90 RBI, 110 Runs, 47 SB’s

5. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, Boston Red Sox

Adrian Gonzalez has produced extraordinary numbers in San Diego’s pitcher friendly park and now he is playing in Fenway Park.  Fenway is a lefty friendly park, with a short left field fence.  Gonzalez is a very good opposite field hitter so the green monster should also be very appealing to him.

2010 Stats: Avg. .298, 31 HR, 101 RBI, 87 Runs

6. Robinson Cano, 2B, New York Yankees

The battle between the top second basemen is between Robinson Cano and Chase Utley.  Utley ended up missing a large part of the season last year and Cano had a career year in 2010.

2010 Stats: Avg. .319, 29 HR, 109 RBI, 103 Runs, 3 SB’s

7. Evan Longoria, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays

Longoria was drafted in 2006 and made his way to the majors very quick.  Since he has been up with the Tampa Bay Rays, he has done nothing but put up big numbers.  He has produced over 20 HR’s, and over 85 RBI’s in his three professional seasons.  Last year, he also showed some speed on the bases with 15 stolen bases.

2010 Stats: Avg. .294, 22 HR, 104 RBI, 96 Runs, 15 SB’s

8. Joey Votto, 1B, Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds won the National League Central Division for the first time since 1995.  Joey Votto was a major reason for the turn around.  He won the National League MVP for the monster numbers that he put up.  Everyone knew that he was capable of his 2010 stat line it was just a matter of time for it to show.  He has overcome a lot of adversity and I believe he will be a force in the NL for many years to come.

2010 Stats: Avg. .324, 37 HR, 113 RBI, 106 Runs, 16 SB’s

9. Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Colorado Rockies

I have seen a few fantasy baseball mock drafts have Troy Tulowitzki in the top 5.  I think that is a little too high but I definitely can understand the reason he would be drafted so high.  It goes along with my explanation for drafting Hanley Ramirez number one overall.  The reason I have him slipping a little is that he has missed a decent amount of games over his last three seasons, so that scares me but his numbers don’t lie and position scarcity helps him go in the first round of most fantasy baseball drafts.

2010 Stats: Avg. .315, 27 HR, 95 RBI, 89 Runs, 11 SB’s

10. Ryan Braun, OF, Milwaukee Brewers

Although outfield depth is an easier position to come by, Ryan Braun is one of my favorite fantasy players in the past three years.  He has played in over 150 games, driven in over 100 runs in each of the last three seasons, and hit over 30 HR’s in 3 out 4 seasons.  You could call him Mr. Consistency and that is a huge factor in my fantasy baseball drafts.

2010 Stats: Avg. .309, 25 HR, 103 RBI, 101 Runs, 14 SB’s