1. David Wright, New York Mets
With Alex Rodriguez out fo the first month or two of the season, Wright takes the top spot among fantasy third basemen. He has four straight .300 batting average, 100-RBI seasons, as well as two straight years of 30 homers and 100 runs. Now if only he'd get back to stealing bases. After swiping 34 bags in 2007, Wright stole only 15 last season.
2. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
Longoria took the league by storm in 2008. Last season's A.L. Rookie of the Year had 27 home runs and 85 RBIs despite spending one-third of the season in the minors. Too many strikeouts is Longoria's only flaw. He K'd 122 times last season. Striking out so often will keep him from hitting for a high batting average (.272 last year).
3. Chipper Jones, Atlanta Braves
Chipper is a hitting machine -- when he's healthy. The Braves vet hit an amazing .364 last season. But he missed 34 games due to injury, and had nagging injury problems all season. He'll be 37 in late April, so those health issues aren't likely to disappear.
4. Aramis Ramirez, Chicago Cubs
Ramirez is consistently great every season. He has 25 home runs in each of his past six seasons, and 100 RBIs in five of those six seasons. There's no reason he shouldn't do more of the same this year.
5. Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees
Perhaps you heard something about this dude over the past month or so. All that steroid controversy shouldn't effect his on-the-field performance (even if it does make him very hard to root for). But Rodriguez will be out until at least early May after surgery on his hip. Plus, he might take a little while to get into the groove after missing out on spring training. Of course, when he's healthy, no one ins fantasy baseball is better.
6. Aubrey Huff, Baltimore Orioles
Huff was simply a monster last year, hitting .304 with 32 homers and 108 RBIs last season. He's only 32 years old, and should put up more big numbers as Baltimore's DH this season.
7. Garrett Atkins, Colorado Rockies
Atkins has good power (21 home runs last year) and does a nice job producing runs (99 RBIs). Plus, he gets a big boost from playing his home games in hitter-friendly Colorado.
8. Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals
Once considered the best prospect in baseball, the 25-year-old Gordon showed signs of breaking out last season. His 52 extra-base hits despite missing 28 games last season is a good sign. But Gordon must hit left-handers better (.234 with just one home runs last season).
9. Jorge Cantu, Florida Marlins
After spending three seasons as a part-time player, Cantu returned to his 2005 All-Star form. He stepped into a full-time role for the Marlins and hit .277 with 29 homers and 95 RBIs. His bat has never really been a problem (teams have hesitated to play him because of a weak glove), so Cantu should continue to produce.
10. Adrian Beltre, Seattle Mariners
Beltre put up solid numbers (.266, 25 home runs, 77 RBIs) despite playing through a wrist injury last season. If he's 100 percent, he could have a 30-HR season.
11. Chone Figgins, Los Angeles Angels
Figgins certainly isn't going to deliver power (four homers combined the past two seasons). And he's dealt with a ton of injuries over the past two years. But Figgins will rack up the stolen bases. And, if he stays healthy, he's capable of scoring 100 runs hitting at the top of the Angels lineup.
12. Edwin Encarnacion, Cincinnati Reds
Encarnacion started to show some promising power last season, hitting a career-high 26 homers. He's still only 26 years old, so he has the potential to keep growing as a power hitter. He just needs to improev on last year's .251 average.
13. Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals
Zimmerman should be healthy after an injury-filled 2008, and he now has power hitter Adam Dunn to help him out in the Nationals' lineup. He still hasn't developed great power, but Zimmerman is capable of strong numbers across the board when healthy.
14. Melvin Mora, Baltimore Orioles
Thanks to a monstrous second half (.376, 12 homers, 56 RBIs in 48 games), Mora was one of just six third basemen to drive in 100 runs last season. He's 37 years old, so you can't count on another outstanding year. But Mora should at least put up solid numbers in 2009.
15. Hank Blalock, Texas Rangers
Blalock continues to show promise at the plate when healthy. He hit .337 with eight homers and 23 RBIs in 24 games last September. But the problem is, he's rarely healthy. He missed 104 games in 2007, and 97 last year.
16. Mike Lowell, Boston Red Sox
Lowell was solid last season, hitting .273 with 17 home runs and 73 RBIs despite missing one-third of the season because of injuries. He might have a tough time staying healthy at age 35. But Lowell is more than capable of producing when healthy in Boston's lineup.
17. Troy Glaus, St. Louis Cardinals
Glaus stayed healthy last season and delivered very good numbers, hitting 27 home runs with 99 RBIs. It's just that, at age 32 and with a long history of injuries, he can't be counted on to stay healthy.
18. Carlos Guillen, Detroit Tigers
Guillen will become Detroit's everyday leftfielder this season. He isn't a great power hitter, but could hit 20 homers, steal 10 bases, and get a lot of RBI opportunities in the Tigers' stacked lineup.
19. Kevin Kouzmanoff, San Diego Padres
Kouzmanoff was solid in his second full season, hitting 23 homers and driving in 84 runs. The only problem is that he's stuck playing for the Padres, who have baseball's most pitcher-friendly ballpark. And Kouzmanoff doesn't get a lot of help in San Diego's weak lineup.
20. Joe Crede, Minnesota Twins
Crede still has 30-home run power, as he hit 17 despite missing 65 games last season. The question is whether he can ever stay healthy again. Back problems have forced Crede to miss 180 games over the past two seasons.
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