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As you probably know, we just went over the top 10 for 2011 fantasy baseball and today we give you… Hint: it’s in the title of the post. Oh, forget it. Here’s our top 20 for 2011 fantasy baseball. And by our top 20 for 2011 fantasy baseball, I mean mine. But our sounds more official. The second round is the hardest to peg. That’s just a fact, Black Jack Mulligan. There just ain’t a way around it. Next we’ll go over the top 20 catchers for 2011 fantasy baseball then top 20 1st basemen and so on and so forth as we do onto our 2011 fantasy baseball rankings as you would want them done onto you. In the top 10, I battled with maybe one or two spots, but this top 20 that I gave birth to was a true labor of love that required a C-section as I battled with myself on just about every spot. I’m pleased with what I settled on, but I could see an argument made to reshuffle some of these players. As always, tiers are mentioned and my 2011 fantasy baseball projections. Anyway, here’s the top 20 for 2011 fantasy baseball:

11. Mark Teixeira – This is a new tier.  This tier goes from here to Holliday.  I call this tier, “Most will disagree with this tier being above the next tier.”  When I sit down with my team on March 30th right before the season starts, I like to see a bunch of sure things from my early round selections. Is a healthy CarGo or Josh Hamilton more valuable and exciting than Mark Teixeira? Oh, hells yeah. There’s no doubt about that. Te(i)x also averages over a 150 games per season for his career. Last year, he had a terrible season and he was injured. He also hit 33 home runs with 113 Runs and 108 RBIs while only missing 4 games. He broke his toe at the end of August and still only missed 4 games all year. He had the 8th most home runs for all players last year, the 11th most RBIs, the 2nd most Runs IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES. (Caps for emphasis, not aesthetics.) This was in a down year for Tex. Well, I’ve said my peace. 2011 Projections: 105/35/115/.280

12. Matt Kemp – A total off year in 2010. That’s clear. He still hit 28 home runs and stole 19 bases. Sure, he hit .249, but he’s a career .285 hitter and his BABIP shows he was horribly unlucky last year. Yes, his Ks went up, but what happens when someone is unlucky? They press and start swinging at more pitches outside the strike zone. At 26-years-old for the majority of 2011, now is not the time to give up on Kemp. 2011 Projections: 100/30/105/.285/22

13. Matt Holliday – To me, Holliday is the Te(i)x of the outfield. There’s more exciting names, but I don’t really want exciting in the first two rounds of a draft. I want a steady performer I can count on to play every day and get his stats. 25+ home runs, 10 steals, .310+ average, 100+ RBIs, 90+ Runs — every year. That’s nice to bank on. 2011 Projections: 95/27/105/.310/10

14. Ryan Zimmerman – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Crawford. I call this tier, “I’m trying to avoid taking a 3rd baseman late. And there’s Crawford on the Sawx.” Sure, Pablo Sandoval looks like a beach ball but you want to rely on his bounce back? Mark Reynolds isn’t terrible, but he can hit .220 — in a good year. You want Chone Figgins? Rhetorical! Of course you don’t. Oh, I know! You want Beltre right after he signs a contract. Mmm-hmm. Follow me, young Razzball reader, and take a 3rd baseman in the 2nd round if you don’t leave the first with one. As for Zimmerman, 26 years old with 30 home run power, some sneaky speed and in the heart of a lineup that could surprise (a little, at least). 2011 Projections: 90/32/100/.285/5

15. Alex Rodriguez – Seems like without his cousin’s help, A-Rod can’t stay healthy for a full season. Still hasn’t hit below 30 home runs and he had 125 RBIs last year. Not a bad guy to have at 3rd base. Sandwiched into the Yankees lineup, I can probably drive in a 100 RBIs. In The Stadium They Built Next To The House That Ruth Built, I can probably hit 20 home runs. Is having, say, Ryan Howard and A-Rod as exciting as having Tulo and Josh Hamilton with your first two picks? Probably not, but it feels a lot safer. (A-Rod is right below Zimmerman even though his projections look better because of his age and recent health.) 2011 Projections: 90/32/110/.280/7

16. Ryan Howard – Last year, two guys hit 40 home runs.  8 players stole 40+ bases.  As I continually beat into your heads, the days of wine, roses and 40 home run hitters are gone.  If you want a guy that can steal 40 bases *cough* Carl Crawford *cough*, go for it but I want a guy who can hit 40+ home runs in the first round.   2011 Projections:  85/38/100/.265

17. Carl Crawford – It’s no secret that I’m coming from the place that if a player can hit 25+ home runs, he’s more valuable than a guy that can steal 25+ bases, but when a guy can hit 15+ home runs and steal 45+ bases, it’s valuable. There’s really no arguing with that.  I mean, you can argue with it, but you can also argue that the earth is flat, so, you know, you’re kinda crazy. Now go put on your potato sack and wander into traffic talking about the conspiracy of the rich.  2011 Projections: 100/16/110/.305/45

18. Carlos Gonzalez – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Hamilton. I call this tier, “Some people are having an easy time drafting these guys, I’m not.” Last year was a dream season. He swung at 37% of pitches outside the strike zone, the league average is 29.3%. He hacked at 52.2% of total pitches, league average is 45.6%. He took nearly no walks. With a .384 BABIP, everything dropped in for him. Let’s add the last four sentences together. Everything he was hitting was falling in, so he just kept hacking away. Now what happens if the balls don’t drop in? It won’t be pretty. The only thing that’s stopping me from dropping him any further is his speed and home park. Though I still can’t see myself drafting CarGo this year. 2011 Projections: 90/24/95/.285/20

19. Robinson Cano – I kinda don’t mind Cano as much as some of the guys in this tier, but it’s hard for me to pay for his career year in 2010. The average will be high again, the power will be around 25 home runs, the steals will be nearly non-existent… It’s solid, but it’s that much better than Uggla? Yeah, I said it. 2011 Projections: 100/27/100/.310/3

20. Josh Hamilton – Ugh, someone get me out of this tier. I loved, loved, loved Hamilton last year when he was being drafted in the 6th round. I told everyone to draft him last year, but he’s not a 1st or 2nd rounder. My man just can’t stay healthy. Have you forgotten 2009 already? He only hit 10 home runs in 89 games. Ten home runs in 89 games is not good.  Because Hamilton really is crazy talented, I’m willing to look at him in the 2nd round while someone else is drafting him. 2011 Projections: 85/27/100/.305/7