American League Batters

Worth the Money

Carl Crawford – Tampa Bay Rays – Crawford is entering his 9th year of professional baseball and is coming off one of his best seasons in 2009.  He finished with a batting average of .305 and 60 stolen bases.  Crawford is worth the money mainly based on how many steals he has in a season.  He has had 5 seasons where he stole over 50 bases.  To win in a Rotisserie style scoring league, stolen bases are a number 1 category that you need to be a contender in your fantasy league.

Robinson Cano – New York Yankees – Fantasy owners have been waiting for a year like Robinson Cano had in 2009.  He exploded to hit .320, 103 runs, 25 HR’s, and 85 RBI’s.  In 2010, the Yankees have added another weapon to their lineup in Curtis Granderson so Cano will continue to get good pitches to hit.  This will result in a better 2010 fantasy baseball season.

Chone Figgins – Seattle Mariners – As I said with Carl Crawford, stolen bases are a big category to win in fantasy baseball.  Figgins has been an overlooked player in many fantasy leagues but he is always among the leaders in SB’s.  Last year he finished with 42 and now he is teamed up with Ichiro Suzuki which should provide him with a lot more stolen base opportunities as well as should score more runs which is why fantasy owners should keep him on their roster.

Nick Markakis – Baltimore Orioles – Going into every fantasy season, I always stay away from Nick Markakis and looking back at my drafts I have no idea why.  He isn’t on a very good team but continues to put up big fantasy numbers.  He is a consistent .300 hitter who will hit 20 HR’s and 100 RBI’s.  As he gets older he has become a much smarter hitter and should put up some good fantasy numbers for his loyal followers.

Not Worth the Money

Bobby Abreu – Los Angeles Angels – Abreu has had a very good career as a .300 hitter.  In the 2010 season he will be 36 years old which could hurt his production.  Right now he is projected as a #2 fantasy outfielder.  In my rankings he would be at the end of the #2 outfielders and maybe even a top #3 fantasy outfielder.

Hideki Matsui – Los Angeles Angels – Matsui didn’t have a great 2009 fantasy season but did have a great World Series against the Phillies.  He won the World Series MVP award which could raise his fantasy stock among fantasy owners.  I am not going to be fooled heading into the 2010 season.  He has changed teams going to the west coast.  Matsui was helped with the short porch in right field and now in the Angles stadium there are longer fences.  Last year he was hurt a lot and is getting old.  He doesn’t bring much to a fantasy roster except for power and come interleague play he is worth nothing in NL stadiums.

Ichiro Suzuki – Seattle Mariners – I really enjoy watching Ichiro play the game of baseball so it hurts me to put him in this category but I think his numbers are going to start to slip.  He is a well rounded fantasy player who will get some HR’s, SB’s, and a lot of runs but nothing outstanding for 2010.  If you can get him in the mid-20′s then he is worth the money but I think fantasy owners are going to spend a lot more on him going into the 2010 fantasy baseball season.

Aaron Hill – Toronto Blue Jays – Hill had a great 2009 season, finishing with a .286 batting average and career highs in hits (195), runs (103), HR’s (36), and RBI’s (108).  After going over that stat line you probably question why fantasy owners would not be drooling over Aaron Hill.  He was one of the best 2nd basemen in the MLB but he needs to prove it to me in the first half of the season until I will buy into him.  From 2005-2008 he had a total of 28 HR’s and his next highest HR total was 17 in a season.  A lot of fantasy owners may jump on his bandwagon but I’m selling on Aaron Hill.

Under the Radar Keepers

Ben Zobrist -  Tampa Bay Rays – Zobrist brings a lot to a fantasy baseball team.  Last year he came from out of nowhere to have a great season.  This year he won’t be so sneaky and fantasy owners will be looking to pick him up or anxious to keep him.  Besides the great stats that he put up last season he is eligible at 2nd, SS, OF, and Utility.

Adam Lind – Toronto Blue Jays – Like Ben Zobrist, he went undrafted in many  fantasy leagues in 2009.  But despite being under the radar he was crushing balls on a daily bases.  He finished with a .305 batting average, 35 HR’s, and 114 RBI’s as a first year player.  This year his numbers may drop a bit because pitchers will know where he is in the Blue Jays lineup.  I still like him as a keeper for your fantasy team.

Rajai Davis – Oakland A’s – Davis had his best year as an MLB player in 2009.  I know that they signed Coco Crisp and have a lot of OF depth but the way that Davis ended the season last year should give him the opportunity in Spring Training to the the starting center fielder.  He will help you in the stolen bases category even if for some reason he starts on the bench.

Nelson Cruz – Texas Rangers – I don’t know if Cruz could be considered a sleeper heading into the 2010 fantasy season due to the splash he created last season.  Cruz is a big and powerful hitter who smashed 33 HR’s last season.  Playing in Texas will only help his numbers so I expect him to have another good year for the Rangers.

Julio Borbon – Texas Rangers - He didn’t have much playing time until the last quarter of the year.  In the little amount of playing time he produced some good fantasy numbers.  In 157 AB’s he hit .312 and 19 SB’s.  Those will be the two main categories when deciding on Julio Borbon.  He will bring great speed to your fantasy lineup.

Minor Leagues

Chris C. Carter – Oakland A’s – Carter is entering Spring Training looking to be on the opening day roster.  If he can open the season on the A’s roster he could bring a lot to a fantasy lineup.  He could be eligible at 1st base and outfield but one thing that we do know is that he will bring a lot of power.

Brett Wallace – Toronto Blue Jays – Wallace who was traded this off-season to Toronto from Oakland is looking to start at 3rd base on the opening day roster.  Mid-season last year the Blue Jays traded away Scott Rolen so there will be an opening for Wallace to play his way in.  They do have Edwin Encarnacion which could hurt his 2010 fantasy stock but he is more of a future player to keep your eye on.

Carlos Santana – Cleveland Indians – Santana is a big reason why the Indians were able to trade away Victor Martinez last year before the trading deadline.  Santana is a well rounded hitter who can hit for average, power, and can drive in runs.  Keep your eye on Santana this season even if he doesn’t start on the opening day roster in 2010.

American League Pitchers >>>