1. Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins
Only a healthy A-Rod can match him in the fantasy world. Ramirez hits for average (.301 last season), power (33 homers), steals bases (35), and led the majors in runs scored (125). For a shortstop, that's incredible.
2. Jose Reyes, New York Mets
By now, you know he can run. Reyes stole 56 bases last year, giving him 258 over the past four seasons combined. But he's starting to hit for a little bit more power as well. Reyes had a career-high 72 extra-base hits last season, including 16 homers.
3. Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia Phillies
He didn't match his MVP season of 2007. And it's worrisome that Rollins's home run total dropped from 30 in '07 to just 11 last season. But he was injured for a good part of the year. And the good news is that, as the old saying goes, speed doesn't slump. Rollins stolde a career-high 47 bases last season (and was caught stealing only three times.
4. Rafael Furcal, Los Angeles Dodgers
It looked like Furcal was on his way to a career year before a back injury wiped out most of his season. He only played in 36 games, but managed to hit .357 with five home runs and eight steals. If he stays healthy, Furcal should be among the best players in fantasy baseball. He's capable of hitting .300 with 15 home runs and 25 steals.
5. Stephen Drew, Arizona Diamondbacks
Drew was considered one of baseball's best prospects before he flopped in 2007. But last season, he showed why he was so hyped, hitting .291 with 21 homers. The 26-year-old Drew should gain more power as he gets older.
6. Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies
A couple of serious injuries (leg and hand) pretty much ruined Tulowitzki's 2008 season. But he did hit .327 with five homers, 30 RBIs, and 31 runs over the second half of the season. And the 24 year old hit 24 homers in 2007.
7. Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
Jeter has never had a lot of power, and he's no longer a threat to steal a ton of bases (just 11 steals last year). Still, he has hit .300 in each of the past four seasons. He'll drive in some runs, and could score 100 runs considering the Yankees' excellent lineup.
8. Mike Alives, Kansas City Royals
Aviles was outstanding as a rookie, coming up two months into the season and hitting .325 with 10 homers, 68 runs, 51 RBIs, and eight steals. Just beware: There's a reason some guys don't break into the majors until age 27, as Aviles did. Major league pitchers will find his weaknesses, and it will be up to him to adjust.
9. Michael Young, Texas Rangers
He only hit .284 last season. But Young hit .300 or beter in the five previous season -- at age 32, he's young enough to get back to that level. He also has double-digit steals each of the past two years, and double-digit homers in five of the past six seasons.
10. J.J. Hardy, Milwaukee Brewers
Hardy's power seems to be for real -- he hit 24 homers last season, and 26 in 2007. He'll hit for a good average and provide solid numbers in runs and RBIs.
11. Jhonny Peralta, Cleveland Indians
Peralta has very good power for shortstop, hitting 23 home runs last season and 21 in 2007. He strikes out too much to hit much better than last season's .276 average. But Peralta should get a good amount of RBI opportunities hitting in the middle of Cleveland's lineup.
12. Ryan Theriot, Chicago Cubs
He's not going to deliver any power (one home run last season). But Theriot gets on base, hits for a good average (.307 last season) and will steal some bases (22 last year, 28 in 2007).
13. Edgar Renteria, San Francisco Giants
Renteria was a big disappointment for the Detroit Tigers last season. But historically, he has much better when playing in the National League. Just two seasons ago, he hit .332 playing for the Atlanta Braves. But Renteria doesn't bring much speed anymore (just six steals last year).
14. Khalil Greene, St. Louis Cardinals
Greene is coming off a terrible season for the Padres (.213 with 10 home runs). But now that he doesn't have to play his home games in pitcher-friendly San Diego, things are looking up. In his career, Greene is a .266 hitter away from San Diego, and has averaged about 20 homers per 150 games. Moving to St. Louis should be great for his fantasy value.
15. Yunel Escobar, Atlanta Braves
Escobar is a solid hitter who could hit .300 with a little bit of luck. He just doesn't have a lot of power (10 homers last season) or speed (two steals).
16. Miguel Tejada, Houston Astros
Tejada will be 35 in May, and his skills are fading fast. He hit just 13 homers last season, a career-low in a full season. Just three of those came after the All-Star break.
17. Jason Bartlett, Tampa Bay Rays
Bartlett has a solid enough bat (.286 average last season) and decent speed (20 steals). But unfortunately, he doesn't deliver much in the way of power (one home run). And since he bats ninth for the Rays, Bartlett doesn't get a lot of chances for RBIs or runs.
18. Orlando Cabrera, Oakland A's
Cabrera can hit for a solid average (.281) and should score a good amount of runs hitting first or second for Oakland. But the A's don't attempt stolen bases very often, so Cabrera might not match last season's 19 steals.
19. Cristian Guzman, Washington Nationals
Guzman had a career year in 2008, hitting .316 with nine homers. But he's probably not good enough to match that average in 2009.
20. Jed Lowrie, Boston Red Sox
Lowrie might have played his way into a starting role in 2009. He hit only .258 as a part-time player last year and doesn't have a lot of speed or power. But hitting in the Boston lineup usually presents a lot of opportunities for RBIs and runs.
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