With multiple position flexibility that would make Mr. Roper growl, Pablo Sandoval is an intriguing name for 2009 fantasy baseball. For a guy that weighs in at 250 lbs., Pablo Sandoval sure is limber with eligibility at 3rd base, 1st base and catcher in most leagues. But if he’s eligible at catcher in your league, that’s the only position you really need to concern yourself with. So is this the lone reason why Pablo Sandoval is a sleeper for 2009 fantasy baseball? Is he only appealing because he’s at catcher?
Sorta. He’s shown the ability to hit a lot of line drives. If he could move his Winnebago-sized frame around a bit, he’d be on the verge of fantasy studliness. Even with his Rosie the Robot-type mobility, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get 35 doubles. He’s actually a .300 hitter. Weird, right? Not often, you see a tubby guy who can hit for average. (Somewhere in California, Tony Gwynn just shouted at his computer screen with a mouthful of corndog.) Sandoval can also hit with some power, though not as much as you might think considering his physique. Think about 14 home runs. So Sandoval is definitely someone to target, just don’t make a Blairing Mistake. (A Blairing Mistake is a new Fantasy Baseball Glossary term. Named after Blair from Facts of Life, it involves fooling yourself that a player is more attractive than they really are because their peer group is homelier. Usually found in the Catcher and Middle Infielder categories. “Drafting Dan Uggla in the 4th round was a Blairing Mistake on my part.”) Pablo Sandoval‘s a sleeper for the later rounds in your 2009 fantasy baseball draft. Just don’t reach and make a Blairing Mistake.
These top 20 catchers for 2009 fantasy baseball will be yawnstipating compared to the top 20 1st basemen or even top 20 shortstops, but you have to start somewhere, right? (That was rhetorical.) You can check out our other top 20 lists for 2009 fantasy baseball under 2009 Fantasy Baseball Rankings. I usually don’t draft a top catcher, instead I hold off until the later rounds and grab one of the late rounders. That doesn’t mean I’m going to start the top 20 catcher list at number twenty-one (Varitek? Oy vey.), cause some of youse like to gamble on a top catcher. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them draft Chris Snyder. Listed along with these catchers are my 2009 projections for each player. Feel free to also look at our 2009 fantasy baseball player rater. Anyway, here’s the top 20 catchers for 2009 fantasy baseball:
1. Brian McCann – This is the first tier of catchers. This tier goes from here to Doumit. I call this tier, “I won’t own one, but I hear they’re good.” This was the one top catcher I owned in 2008 and that was only because he seemed to be discounted compared to Joe Mauer and Victor Martinez. So my fantasy team with McCann must’ve have been the top performing offensive team I had, right? Nopers. The top catcher, McCann, still only gave you 68/23/87/.301. If he did that at 3rd base, you’d call him Melvin Mora. Zoinks! 2009 Projections: 75/25/95/.295
2. Geovany Soto – I have a personal bias against Mauer, but I’ll get to him. (9 HRs and 1 steal in 2008!?! Are you effin’ kidding me?) Seems to me that the current climate (outside of Chicago) about Soto is he was great in 2008, but that’s about all we can expect from him. He’s going to be 26 on opening day. He can’t get better? Actually, he can. 2009 Projections: 70/26/100/.280
3. Joe Mauer – Somewhere someone once wrote, “9 HRs and 1 steal in 2008!?! Are you effin’ kidding me?” I forget where I read that, but it’s eloquent, profound and other razzy words for eloquent and profound. Why are people drafting this dooode so early? For a .330 average? Shoot, lay off the Mark Reynolds-trans fat and you don’t need the Joe Mauer tasting-like-dust protein shake. 2009 Projections: 95/12/80/.320/3
4. Victor Martinez - I’m not drafting Victor Martinez on any teams, unless… Once again, and in caps — UNLESS he falls really far in a draft. He’s only going to be thirty-years-old during the 2009 season; I don’t think he’s done just yet. 2009 Projections: 65/18/95/.300
5. Russell Martin – Martin is featured in our Razzball glossary for the term, “Teabagger,” but otherwise Razzball doesn’t have much love for The Backstop Who Plays Near Eagle Rock. I don’t want to have anything to do with a catcher who gives you value because of some schmohawkian steals. You’d be surprised at how fast a 13/18 catcher can become a 12/7 catcher. You really want to draft Placido Polanco in the fourth round as your catcher? 2009 Projections: 95/15/70/.285/10
6. Ryan Doumit – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here to Biggie Molina. I call this tier, “The first catchers I could draft in any league.” I originally had Iannetta at number six then put Doumit here, then Iannetta then Shoppach then… Well, you get the idea. The next three catchers are all very close. Doumit is injury-prone, but so what? If he hits 17 home runs in 110 games and you can plug in someone else the other 50 games, you’re actually better off than having a subpar catcher for 160 games. Doumit’s injury history is actually how he ended up in front of Iannetta and Shoppach. It’s a plus in my mind. 2009 Projections: 60/17/70/.295/2
7. Chris Iannetta – Could easily finish 2009 in the top 3 of this top 20 list, which makes him so enticing. He would’ve been ranked a bit higher on this list if not for Yorvit Torrealba’s deal with the devil to lessen Iannetta’s fantasy value. 2009 Projections: 55/19/70/.265
8. Kelly Shoppach – The Indians have to play Martinez at 1st or DH, right? I think they do, but they might not. Here’s a scenario, V-Mart starts off slow and says he needs to be behind the plate to get going offensively. The Indians appease Martinez four times a week and Shoppach sits in 75% of the games. This may sound like death for Shoppach’s value, but I still think he could put up 15 home runs in that scenario. Remember, Shoppach was once a decent prospect. Hopefully, he gets even more at-bats. 2009 Projections: 50/18/60/.260
9. Mike Napoli – Bill James has Napoli hitting 31 home runs if he gets 449 at-bats. Well, that’s the catch, ain’t it? (Speaking of catch, has anyone ever seen Fishing with John? It’s one of the best TV shows ever. The episode where he goes ice fishing with Willem Dafoe is brilliant. But I digress.) Last year in 227 at-bats, Napoli’s numbers were 39/20/49/.273/7. With full-time catcher duties, he’s the number one catcher, right? No. His average isn’t going to be over .270 in 2009 and he’s not a full-time catcher. Also, if he were a full-time catcher in 2009, his average would really suffer. 2009 Projections: 55/23/65/.245/7
10. Bengie Molina – And onto the next tier of catchers. I like to call this tier, “Just punt and go with an upside pick like Salty, Teagarden or Flores.” 2009 Projections: 50/15/70/.275
11. Ramon Hernandez – Every time I convince myself Ramon Hernandez has one more big season left in him, my common sense steps in and talks about what a bloody moron I am. I’d consider grabbing Ramon Hernandez in some leagues, but the better move is grabbing a younger upside pick real late cough Clement cough 2009 Projections: 55/17/75/.260
12. Jorge Posada – Posada has the name attached to him that says 20 home runs and 85 runs. But he has a shoulder (barely) attached to him that says 12 home runs and a DL stint. Don’t get nostalgic. Posada’s not worth being drafted in ten team mixed leagues. If you’re drafting a catcher this far down the list, do yourself a favor, grab Salty or even Laird. 2009 Projections: 55/12/65/.270
13. Pablo Sandoval - And another tier begins. Let’s call this tier, “Guys that I wouldn’t mind having on my team. After all, it is just a catcher. Take a flier.” You get an extra catcher, because Sandoval might not be eligible at catcher in your league. If he is, you’re in luck because there’s going to be a 2009 Fantasy Baseball sleeper post about Sandoval shortly. 2009 Projections: 60/14/65/.300
14. Chris Snyder – A poor man’s Napoli. 2009 Projections: 55/18/70/.245
15. Jeff Clement – Huge 2009 fantasy sleeper right here. I may even devote a whole post to this guy. Maybe a few posts. Okay, maybe just this half of a paragraph. Last year in Triple-A, he went 40/14/43/.335 in only 173 at-bats. 173 at-bats! Okay, so he was abysmal when he was called up to the majors, but so what? He’s only 25 and he has catcher eligibility. I need to say more? 2009 Projections: 60/17/70/.250
16. Jarrod Saltamacchia – May not have the starting job in 2009, and he could still see 350 at-bats. He’ll probably be in a timeshare with Teagarden and he’ll steal at-bats from Blalock (or Blalock will pull a Kotchman and be out indefintely). Salty only feels like a guy who is a perennial bust. He’ll only be 24 for the majority of the 2009 season. 2009 Projections: 65/16/75/.265
17. Dioner Navarro – I think Navarro and Sandoval must workout together. They have the softball build without the upper body strength to tap the keg. 2009 Projections: 50/10/60/.285
18. Jesus Flores – If Snyder was a poor man’s Napoli, Flores is a poor man’s Snyder. What? Not impressed with that comparison? Okay, what if I called him a homeless man’s McCann? 2009 Projections: 50/14/65/.245
19. Yadier Molina – And here’s a new player tier made up of two schmohawks. This tier I call, “Guys who I would never have on my team.” Maybe I’m drunk on stupid, but I don’t buy the .300 average from Molina last year. Though he’s not quite the guy who hit .216 one year either. He is the guy that can’t break double figures in home runs. As The Count from Sesame Street would say, “Bleh!” 2009 Projections: 35/7/50/.270
20. A.J. Pierzynski - I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. If you’re drafting a catcher this late and you’re taking Pierzynski, you’re not trying hard enough. 2009 Projections: Yuck/Blah/I Feel Sick/.280
After the top 20 catchers for 2009 fantasy baseball, there’s a lot of names but three stand out:
Matt Wieters -Well, la di da. If it isn’t the pre-preseason AL Rookie of the Year candidate, Matt Wieters, who’s now under the shadow of The Almighty Zaun. I already went over Wieters 2009 fantasy outlook. With the addition of Zaun, Wieters is only worth a look in deep AL-Only leagues and keepers. In one year leagues, don’t bother or wait until Spring Training to see if Zaun is being used instead of Wieters or simply as a mentor. If Zaun’s his mentor and Wieters is the starter, then Wieters moves back up this list. Just don’t reach too far for him. For every Geovany Soto, there’s six grande Salty-Mochachinos. 2009 Projections: 50/17/60/.290 or the Minors
Gerald Laird – He’s actually more valuable than Yadier Molina. That’s right; I said it. I placed him at the back end of the catcher tier though to highlight him and because, similarly to Teagarden, there’s more risk involved with Laird. Yes, he’s the cream of the crap. 2009 Projections: 60/13/65/.270
Taylor Teagarden – I already went over a 2009 Teagarden fantasy outlook. Before you write off Teagarden for being behind Salty, remember these three things. 1) Salty could move to 1st, when Davis is filling in for a DL’d DH. 2) Teagarden has already impressed Rangers’ management, unlike Salty. 3) There’s no number three. If Teagarden leaves spring with the job, he moves up this list. So stay tuned! Or not! It’s your call really. 2009 Projections: 50/18/65/.265
The other day we went over our top 10 for 2009 fantasy baseball and today we fill out the top 20. Pretty neat, huh? What, you can’t handle the word neat? Whatevs. You’re wearing Jordache Jeans and your Mom calls you, “Pumpkie.” Deal with that! Next, we’ll go over the top twenty catchers and so on around the diamond as we look at our 2009 Fantasy Baseball rankings. This 2nd round was a real battle for me to commit to, taking by far the longest time. I had Utley as low as 17, Beltran was at every slot at one point. I’m happy with what I settled on, but I will say that I could see a serious argument made for a reshuffling of these names. By my estimation, there’s only two tiers in the 2nd round. Utley to Fielder then the last three players. In addition to these 2009 fantasy baseball rankings, we have our 2009 fantasy baseball player rater. It’s all here, ya’ll! Anyway, here’s the top 20 for 2009 fantasy baseball:
11. Mark Teixeira – I wouldn’t expect 40 home runs from Teixeira. He doesn’t seem capable of that outside of Arlington. Though he’s extremely trustworthy for a certain level of production and that’s what gets him in here at twelve. 2009 Projections: 110/35/125/.310
12. Tim Lincecum – After Santana, he’s about as good as a lock for a 3.00 ERA and 200 Ks as you’re going to find. With Sabathia’s move to the AL East, and the slight uncertainty of how he’ll adjust, Lincecum becomes the number two pitcher off the board. With a 2nd round pitcher, I want someone who has a good chance at being a top ten player at the end of the year and Lincecum’s that pitcher. For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t draft Lincecum because I don’t believe in taking pitchers this high. 2009 Projections: 17-8/3.00/1.18/210
13. Carlos Beltran – He’s a lock for 110/27/115/.275/22 with upside for a bit more. Again, this doesn’t feel like an exciting pick. You look at Josh Hamilton and he’s EXCITING! Caps and exclamation mark exciting. That’s real exciting. That’s screaming as you ran down the street with your pants around your ankles right after you lost your virginity exciting. I agree with you. A 2nd round pick of Josh Hamilton is the kind of pick that makes all the guys wanna be your friend and all the girls wanna date you. Well, don’t forget the lesson of Ronald Miller. A 2nd round pick of Hamilton could take you from “geek” status to “king” status to no status. 2009 Projections: 110/27/115/.275/22
14. Ian Kinsler - I really thought Kinsler would be later in the 2nd round, but his position coupled with his ability to go 20/20 has him ranked here. Though his average will come down from last year. 2009 Projections: 110/23/80/.280/25
15. Jimmy Rollins - Braid up your hair real tight to your skullz and think about this…. In an off year, where Rollins battled injuries and one of the worst slumps of his career, he hit 11 home runs and stole 47 bases — stole 47 bases out of 50 bases. Rollins should bounce back to 110+ Runs and 70+ RBIs. Let’s be conservative and say he hits only 5 extra home runs in 2009 and steals only 40. You STILL (caps for emphasis, not for the farsighted) want that from your shortstop. 2009 Projections: 115/16/75/.280/40
16. Prince Fielder – I’ve seen the big man falling into the third round of some drafts. Makes me feel like I need to clear something up. We’re drafting for 2009, not for what he did in 2008. Sure, Berkman had a great 2008, but he’s hardly just entering his prime. Yes, Fielder is the world’s fattest 24-year-old vegetarian and we should be worried about his general health when he’s in his 30s and needs a crane to get him to 1st base, but right now…. Binge on some Boca Burgers! 2009 Projections: 85/40/110/.285
17. Carlos Lee – And here’s the 2nd tier of the 2nd round. This tier goes from here to the end of the list. I call this last tier, “Their projections are variations of 100/32/100/.290/7.” A fluke injury derailed Carlos Lee from putting up the same stats he puts up every year. El Caballo isn’t ready for the glue factory just yet. 2009 Projections: 100/33/110/.300/7
18. Lance Berkman - Berkman fills up all the categories just like Carlos Lee. They’re like Crockett and Tubbs. If Crockett were a little more Tubby. 2009 Projections: 100/32/100/.300/7
19. Evan Longoria – A full season of Longoria has me very excited. The Rays love to run and Longoria can hit 30 home runs with ease. If you think David Wright is a top ten pick, Longoria’s definitely in the top twenty. Honestly, I feel like Longoria’s headed for the 1st round in 2010 (when we’re all driving around in flying cars). 2009 Projections: 85/30/110/.275/7
20. Alfonso Soriano – Al-So is somehow being underrated all of a sudden. Sure, he’s a Latin 33 but whatevs. 2009 Projections: 110/32/85/.275/15
After the top 20 for 2009 fantasy baseball, there’s lots of names, but two I want to specifically mention:
Matt Holliday – I already went over Holliday for 2009 fantasy. As I sorta said there, Holliday is not someone I would avoid completely. He’ll still have value and I could see him going as soon as 21st. He’s just not the 1st or 2nd rounder he was last year. 2009 Projections: 90/22/105/.310/12
Josh Hamilton – I’ve already gone over Hamilton being overrated. I’ve seen some fantasy baseball ‘perts rank Josh Hamilton as high as 8th overall. Are they expecting him to go 40/40? Cure the common cold? Invent square pancakes? We’re all rooting for Bubbles to stay on the straight and narrow, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to get nearly 100 RBIs by the All-Star Break again. He’s Carlos Lee, but more injury-prone. Call him Unhealth Lee. 2009 Projections: 95/30/110/.295/7
Derek Lowe and Kenshin Kawakami sign with the Atlanta Braves after they had already signed Javier Vazquez. Now all the Braves need is a #1 pitcher and they have a great staff. I guess the Braves decided if they weren’t going to sign a big name pitcher, they’d try their best to make Vazquez look better. It was one way to go. Jar-Jar Jurrjens had this to say, “Yousa signing is otay.” George Lucas wasn’t available to translate. Anyway, what do these two signings mean for 2009 fantasy baseball:
Derek Lowe - Lowe leaves the ideal NL West (Dodger, Petco, and AT&T Park plus those inept offenses) for the more offense-minded NL East. He posted four straight sub-4.000 ERAs for the Dodgers and seven straight years near 200 innings. His sinker still works — 60% GB% is about as good as anyone other than Brandon Webb. The move to the NL East will likely move his numbers up a bit but this is much better for his value than a return to the AL. Inch up the CHONE projections to about 4.00 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. He’s exactly the kind of pitcher you want as your number four starter. You know what you’re going to get and he balances the upside picks (Cueto) and the injury picks (Burnett) nicely. Just don’t do like the Braves and overpay for him.
Kenshin Kawakami - My first reaction to this signing was he sounded more like Hideki Irabu than Dice-K. So if you were to Blink like Gladwell, you’d stay away and not have to read on. East Windup Chronicle, which tells me everything I ever need to know about Japanese players, breaks Kawakami down. My translation of their translation is for you to expect Kuroda, but in a less favorable division and park. The sheer unknown of Kawakami is intriguing enough for me to take a flier on him in NL-Only leagues and deep mixed ones. Another more shallow and you’ll crack open your skull.
Can you believe it’s that time again? No, not 8:23 AM. It’s time for the 2009 fantasy baseball rankings. We begin our 2009 fantasy baseball rankings with the top 10 for 2009 fantasy baseball. Tomorrow we will cover the rest of the top twenty for 2009 fantasy baseball then we will go around the horn with a top 20 list for every position. All of these top 20 lists will live in the 2009 fantasy baseball rankings section. Some deeper positions will require a top 40 list. Listed along with this top ten for 2009 fantasy baseball list are my 2009 projections for each player. You know what else you can do if you’re feeling especially industrious (or if you know what industrious means)? Look at our 2009 fantasy baseball player rater. This top 10 list has me mentioning, amongst other things, where I see tiers starting and stopping. I like to look at tiers like this, if Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols are in the same tier, it doesn’t matter if one guy is ranked 1st and one guy is ranked 5th, they’re both very close. It comes down a bit to personal preference. Now, obviously, I would prefer the guy at number one better than the guy at five. This top 10 list is as of right now and could potentially change with a big injury or trade in spring training, so while it is the 2009 fantasy baseball gospel. Take it with a tablet of salt. Got it? Good. Anyway, here’s the top 10 for 2009 fantasy baseball:
1. Hanley Ramirez – I’m done fighting the man. I’ve given up. I’m going to take my medicine and admit that last year when I ranked Hanley 5th overall that I ranked him a bit too low. Part of what makes me a fantastic fantasy baseball ‘pert is my willingness to admit mistakes. Frankly, I’m still worried about Hanley’s shoulder and its propensity to give out on a swing and miss. But, and it’s a J. Lo-sized but, there’s no one who has done what Hanley has done the last three years even with this shoulder issue. Then throw in his position, and he’s the number one guy off the board. 2009 Projections: 125/37/80/.295/35
2. Jose Reyes – I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing Jose Reyes and I don’t care who you’re bringing. I love Reyes. There, I said. 60 steals and 15 home runs is exactly what you want from your shortstop. 2009 Projections: 125/15/70/.290/60
3. David Wright – Let’s be clear, I’m not a Mets fan. I watch them, but I have Direct TV so I watch everyone (preferably not the Pirates). David Wright came in first on this 2009 fantasy baseball player rater by a hair and I think there’s a case to be made for the first four guys on this top ten list to be number one. My biggest concern with Wright is how he derives a lot of his value from his steals and I think he’s more of a ten steal guy than a twenty steal guy. 2009 Projections: 110/33/120/.310/14
4. Albert Pujols – If you have the fourth pick overall and get “stuck” with POO-holes then you gotta love that. Pujols is about as steady as they come for production, apparently, with or without a working elbow tendon. As said in the David Wright blurb, the top four could all be number one in someone’s draft rankings, i.e., an argument could be made for any of them to be one overall. This is the end of the first tier of the first round. 2009 projections: 105/35/110/.335/5
5. Miguel Cabrera – So begins the 2nd tier of the first round. I call this tier, “I really hope I don’t have to pick 5th overall. This shizz gets dicey.” If you have the 6th pick, you’re getting a slightly lower echelon player. In the big picture, these guys are still top notch players and you shouldn’t complain… too much, at least. I say this is the second tier, because I don’t think a serious argument can be made that Miguel Cabrera should be number one overall. 2009 Projections: 100/39/125/.305
6. Grady Sizemore – Sizemore is as good a lock for 30/30 as anyone. His strikeouts are declining and BB/K is increasing. In 2009, his average should move in the right direction. The 5th Chapter of Akron’s Middle-Aged Bitties for Grady’s Babies approve this ranking. 2009 Projections: 110/37/85/.285/30
7. Ryan Braun – Something’s not kosher here. Ryan Braun exceeded my expectations, but somehow fell off everyone else’s radar. His 2008 92/37/106/.285/14 must’ve disappointed everyone who thought he was going to hit .320 every year. I warned everyone before last season started — repeatedly — Braun is not a .320 hitter. Though a guy that could hit 40 home runs and steal 15 bases is not someone you should underrate. 2009 Projections: 100/40/110/.280/15
8. Ryan Howard – Say what you will about his .250 average last year, but 45 home runs and a 140 RBIs go a real far way. Oh, and there’s the two year average of one steal/year. You can count on one finger how many players Bill James said will hit 50 home runs in 2009. The same finger you can flip to your detractors at your draft when you choose Howard ninth overall in 2009. 2009 Projections: 100/45/140/.265
9. Johan Santana – Unless Johan really falls and, by that, I mean early 3rd round, I won’t get him. I’ve placed him 10th because I can see him easily earning this value, but I’m not drafting him here. He’s the first player on this top ten list that I wouldn’t draft at the place where I ranked him. If that makes any sense… *SPOILER ALERT* If you don’t want to know how the top 20 for 2009 starts, stop reading here. If Utley is ready to start the 2009 season on Opening Day, I’d switch him from 11th overall to 10th and put Johan there. (BTW, If I had a pimped out car with a spoiler kit, I’d write SPOILER ALERT on the side in metallic paint. Cause that’s how I roll!) 2009 Projections: 18-6/2.95/1.12/210
10. Chase Utley – You know you don’t want this pick in any 2009 fantasy drafts. You’d prefer to grab Teixeira or Hamilton. You know what else? You smell like vagina. Last year, you didn’t want Pujols either. You talked about the risk involved and wanted the safe bet. You wanted Vlad or David Ortiz. How’d that turn out? Utley’s due back by 2009 Opening Day. I don’t doubt for one second Utley will work his hardest to be there. Maybe he has a small setback and is out until May. In 2007, Utley missed a month and still put up quality stats. I know it doesn’t feel like the safest pick, but you gotta trust Utley. He got you. 2009 Projections: 105/29/105/.295/10
