Fantasy Baseball Advice

Went over the catchers, 1st basemen, 2nd basemen and shortstops and top 20 3rd basemen for 2010.  Guess what’s next!  No, not pitchers.  Read the title, man.  With the top 20 outfielders, a pattern emerges.  Steroids can be tested for, but Red Bull can’t.  There were only 6 outfielders to hit 30 homers and 2 of them were probably used at a corner infidel spot instead of the outfield.  There were 14 outfielders who stole 30 bases.  This speed renaissance is teaching Ron LeFlore how to smile again.  Since outfield is a deep position, I’m going to turn this one to 40.  Anyway, here’s the top 20 outfielders for 2010 fantasy baseball and how they compare to where I originally ranked them:

1. Carlos Gonzalez – In the preseason, I wrote a sleeper post for him, put him in my cheap alternatives post and told you he can make mayonnaise out of sea urchin*.  (*I may not have said the last one.)  Did I push you hard enough to draft him?  I hope so.  Let’s bask in a season that was for the ages before we talk about how he’s going to be overrated next season.  Shoot, that bask didn’t last long.  Preseason Rank #37, 2010 Projections:  85/18/70/.275/20, Final Numbers: 111/34/117/.336/26

2. Carl Crawford – It’s the Carlos and Carl show!  Crawford didn’t hurt you in homers like many other players who provide the majority of their value with steals.  Still, push comes to shove and shove comes to ‘Stop touching me,’ I think Crawford’s overrated.  I want 40/20, not 20/40.  Oh, well, those days might be behind us, unless Braun or J-Upside can get their shizz together or A-Rod’s cousin accidentally bumps into someone with a needle.  Preseason Rank #5, 2010 Projections:  110/14/65/.290/50, Final Numbers:  110/19/90/.307/47

3. Josh Hamilton – In the preseason, I ranked him way above most ‘perts, if not all.  Here’s what I said then, “Never to be one to resist a talented guy who just had a tough year, I couldn’t stop myself from putting Hamilton higher than most ‘perts.  Is Hamilton still injury prone?  Dur, of course.  He’s still only 28 entering the 2010 season and he has big time talent.”  And that’s me quoting me!  Preseason Rank #14, 2010 Projections:  85/28/100/.275/7, Final Numbers:  95/32/100/.359/8

4. Jose Bautista -  Went over him in my top 20 3rd basemen for 2010 fantasy baseball post.

5. Ryan Braun – Did Braun ruin your team this year?  No, he just couldn’t be relied on to carry it either.  Overall, it was a disappointing year for first round picks:  Utley, A-Rod, Braun, Te(i)x, Kemp, Fielder and Howard.  Preseason Rank #1, 2010 Projections:  110/37/120/.305/17, Final Numbers:  101/25/103/.304/14

6. Juan Pierre – I agree that all the steals help, but when there’s a lot of steals available all over the league, they mean less.  The ESPN Player Rater just puts too much emphasis on steals, so, yes, this ranking doesn’t make that much sense.  Preseason Rank #40, 2010 Projections:  95/1/40/.300/45, Final Numbers:  96/1/47/.275/68

7. Matt Holliday – You can say what you want. (This is a free country in 49 of 50 states.  Damn you, South Dakota!)  You can say Holliday went for stretches where you didn’t want to own him and no stretches where he really carried your team.  I agree, but he’s the prototypical roto player where you just put him in there, forget about him and, at the end of the season, you have nice numbers in four categories and decent enough steals.  Preseason Rank #3, 2010 Projections:  105/28/115/.320/15, Final Numbers:  95/28/103/.312/9

8. Alex Rios – On June 1st, I told you to sell Rios.  Before that, he had 11 homers in two months.  After the sell, he had 10 homers in 4 months.  Before the sell, he had 16 steals.  In 4 months after, he had 18 steals.  .312 average before, .272 average after.  Yes, Rios was a huge performer for the year, but, in the final 4 months, he was just above average.  Sorry, I’m still bitter.  Preseason Rank #26, 2010 Projections:  85/19/70/.275/22, Final Numbers:  89/21/88/.284/34

9. Ichiro Suzuki – This is one of those instances when I don’t buy into the rankings that ESPN is giving me.  Ichiro murdered you in three categories (Runs, HRs and RBIs), was great in steals (which are abundant) and was good in average.  It’s a’ight.  Preseason Rank #11, 2010 Projections:  100/10/55/.330/25, Final Numbers:  74/6/43/.315/42

10. Shin-Soo Choo – He really is the younger, Korean Torii Hunter.  He’s settled into this nice groove where he gives you exactly what you expect to see and that’s 20/20.  Preseason Rank #20, 2010 Projections:  90/18/100/.285/20, Final Numbers:  81/22/90/.300/22

11. Jayson Werth – Werth will be one of the most talked about value changes in fantasy next year depending on where he ends up.  I have this sinking feeling that he’s going to the Padres.  Or maybe the M’s will kill another hitter’s value.  Or maybe the Rays will replace Crawford with Werth.  One of the more compelling things I’m following.  Along with the new Real World/Road Rules Challenge.  Where’s CT and Tina?!  As for this year, Werth gave you more or less what can be expected of him.  No more, a little less.  Preseason Rank #9, 2010 Projections:  85/30/100/.270/18, Final Numbers:  106/27/85/.296/13

12. Vladimir Guerrero – Hello, Shoddy Knees, my old friend.  I’ve come to own you in fantasy again.  And it worked out, so there’s that.  Vlad was one of those players that I didn’t plan on owning in any leagues, but he was going for so ridiculously cheap in my drafts, I couldn’t help myself.  Thank you, Vlad the ’97 Impala.  Preseason Rank #1 for Utility Players, 2010 Projections:  70/26/95/.290/3, Final Numbers:  83/29/115/.300/4

13. Hunter Pence – This season, give or take a few homers and steals, will probably be what you’re going to get from Pence for the next three years.  It’s good, valuable, worthwhile, yadda².  But I don’t think you’re ever going to get 1st round value from him.  No 35+ homers, no .330 average, no elite Runs and RBIs because the Astros aren’t very good with no sign of that clearing any time soon.  Preseason Rank #34, 2010 Projections:  85/30/100/.295/15, Final Numbers:  93/25/91/.282/18

14. Angel Pagan – Only completely out of nowhere outfielder to crack the top 20.  Actually, that’s pretty impressive since I rank about 90 to 100 outfielders.  Would’ve been more impressive if you ranked Pagan. Thanks for clarifying, random italicized voice.  Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers:  80/11/69/.290/37

15. Krispie Young – In the preseason, I said, “If Krispie hits a third of his infield pop-ups for homers next year, he’ll hit 40.  And if I were 30 years old in 1760, I’d think Martha Washington was hot.” And that’s me quoting me!  Preseason Rank #61, 2010 Projections:  60/20/75/.245/15, Final Numbers:  94/27/91/.257/28

16. Andrew McCutchen – Before the season ended, I was watching The Dread Pirate and thinking to myself, “This is a guy who is going to go 20/40 soon and be a top 5 overall fantasy player.  And I’m getting hungry.  Mmm…I could go for some Chipotle.  I’m gonna ask for more rice though.  I want to eat half my burrito and use the other half for a pillow when the food coma hits.  Wait, just because I was thinking this doesn’t mean I need to write it.”  Preseason Rank #35, 2010 Projections:  90/15/60/.280/30, Final Numbers:  94/16/56/.286/33

17. Corey Hart – Here’s another guy in midst of this season that I told you to sell.  I’m not going to break down his pre- and post-Sell numbers, but I’m sure I came out on top again since he trailed off in the 2nd half.  I feel like Hart might actually be underrated a tad next year because I’m not sure people fully trust him.  I think 2010 is close to repeatable.  Some less average and homers and a few more steals.  Preseason Rank #45, 2010 Projections:  75/20/80/.260/17, Final Numbers:  91/31/102/.283/7

18. Brett Gardner – I left Gardner unranked last year because when I ranked players in January, he didn’t have a full-time job.  The Yankee outfield was crowded and there’s was talk of a platoon.  Once Gardner got the job, I wrote about him in March as a cheap source of steals.  I don’t say this to defend myself, I’m trying to avoid the Random Razzball Commenter, “Grey sux!!!  Long live Matthew Berry!!!  Oh, and while I’m here, would you keep Gardner for 2011?”  Preseason Unranked, 2010 Projections:  75/4/38/.266/36, Final Numbers:  97/5/47/.277/47

19. Rajai Davis – Enter the SAGNOF portion of our program, which will be continued in the next post about the top 40 outfielders.  This is also where me and the ESPN Player Rater have major disagreements.  Steals are everywhere nowadays.  Steals are the new bacon.  I just got a steal and the season ended weeks ago.  I lost a sock in the dryer but pulled out 3 steals.  So, I think homers should be weighted higher than steals, which would move guys like Rajai down, but here we are.  Preseason Rank #40, 2010 Projections:  80/4/40/.290/50, Final Numbers:  66/5/52/.284/50

20. Aubrey Huff – Went over him in the top 20 1st basemen for 2010 fantasy baseball post.

Catchers, 1st basemen, 2nd basemen and top 20 shortstops for 2010 have been accounted for.  Up now, the top 20 3rd basemen for 2010 fantasy baseball.   Lots of surprises in the top 20 for 3rd basemen.  In the top 3, two guys that weren’t drafted in the first 10 rounds with the 1st guy not being drafted in the first 20 rounds.  Heroes of 2009, Mini-Donkey and Kung Fu Panda, which sounds like an anime cartoon that has a 75% chance of giving you a seizure, did give you the fits.  Then when you get to around the halfway mark, the drop off is precipitous.  Also, to recap, this final ranking is from ESPN Player Rater with my comments.  The Player Rater allows me to be impartial while looking at how I ranked them in the preseason.  Anyway, here’s the top 20 3rd basemen for 2010 fantasy baseball and how they compare to where I originally ranked them:

1. Jose Bautista – He had 59 homers in four previous seasons combined.  That was in 570 extra games.  No wonder some people were calling Jose Bah-test-him.  (Never heard anyone actually call him this, but they should’ve been.)  This is the most improbable 50 homer season since Brady Anderson, who was aided by Luke Perry’s sideburns.  How awesome would it have been if McGwire was Bautista’s hitting coach this year?  Would’ve been like when a face wrestler suddenly is recruited by a heel manager.  Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers:  109/54/124/.260/9

2. David Wright – At this point, I think it’s fair to say you’re never getting 35 homers from Wright as long as he calls Metco home.  At least you didn’t get another 10 homer season, or as Ralph Kiner calls it, ‘What my Mommy hits.’  Preseason Rank #3, 2010 Projections:  100/25/110/.300/17, Final Numbers:  87/29/103/.283/19

3. Adrian Beltre – I didn’t look this up because Google requires me to open a new tab, but Beltre has to have Boras as his agent, right?  Speaking of heel managers, Boras is the ultimate heel agent.  He would be Bob Sugar in Jerry Maguire.  If you get the sense I’m annoyed by these top guys, I am.  Bautista had no business having that season and Beltre is El Senator, as Rudy dubbed him.  Because Beltre campaigns every 6 years, making promises he doesn’t live up to once under contract.  Preseason Rank #14, 2010 Projections:  70/24/80/.275/10, Final Numbers:  84/28/102/.321/2

4. Evan Longoria – If you would’ve told me before the season started that Longoria would get 15 steals, I would’ve been over the moon, or whatever that old-timey expression is.  Though I would’ve expected those steals to be paired with 35 homers.  Someone not only stole his New Era cap but also his power.  Preseason Rank #2, 2010 Projections:  100/36/115/.280/10, Final Numbers:  96/22/104/.294/15

5. Ryan Zimmerman – Seems like his career is following the two steps forward, one step back Electric Slide approach.  In fairness, it was due to some thigh tightness in April and missing the last two weeks that caused Zimmerman to fall just short of projections.  I have to say, for a top guy, he kinda bored me for stretches.  Particularly, the 2 homer, .245 month of June and a zero homer month of September.  Preseason Rank #4, 2010 Projections:  105/30/110/.295/5, Final Numbers:  85/25/85/.307/4

6. Alex Rodriguez – It’s going to be surprisingly difficult to rank A-Rod next year for the first time in 15 years.  He seems to have settled into a solid, yet unspectacular option at 3rd base.  His lineup doesn’t hurt his Runs and RBIs, but the huge homer totals and steals have vanished along with his cousin.  Preseason Rank #1, 2010 Projections:  110/36/120/.310/15, Final Numbers:  74/30/125/.270/4

7. Michael Young – I feel like I’m in countdown waiting for this guy to get old, or, rather, show his age.  I know that any season now he’s going to go from 20+ homers to 15 homers and become tough to own at a high production spot in fantasy lineups.  In 2010, it was not yet that year.  Check in again in 2011.  Preseason Rank #10, 2010 Projections:  75/14/90/.315/10, Final Numbers:  99/21/91/.284/4

8. Martin Prado – Went over him in the top 20 1st basemen for 2010 post.

9. Casey McGehee – Went over him in the top 20 2nd basemen for 2010 post.

10. Kevin Youkilis – Went over him in the top 20 1st basemen for 2010 post.

11. Michael Cuddyer – Went over him in the top 20 1st basemen for 2010 post.

12. Scott Rolen – In the first half of 2010, Rolen was a Rolex.  In the 2nd half, he turned out to be a Rolecks.  Preseason Unranked Final Numbers:  66/20/83/.285/1

13. Omar Infante – Went over him in the top 20 2nd basemen for 2010 post.

14. Chone Figgins – Went over him in the top 20 2nd basemen for 2010 post.

15. Chase Headley – I was admittedly too high on this guy in the preseason.  He wasn’t a sleeper, he was a Valium.  If you throw out his 7 steal month of April, he was middling at best, unownable at worse.  Preseason Rank #21, 2010 Projections:  70/20/85/.290/10, Final Numbers:  77/11/58/.264/17

16. Placido Polanco – Went over him in the top 20 2nd basemen for 2010 post.

17. Neil Walker – Went over him in the top 20 2nd basemen for 2010 post.

18. Miguel Tejada – Went over him in the top 20 shortstops for 2010 post.

19. Juan Uribe – Went over him in the top 20 2nd basemen for 2010 post.

20. Mark Reynolds – This Reynolds year should be a warning for Bautista’s 2011.  I’ll call him overrated and will still probably give him too much credit, as I did with Reynolds.  In 2009, Mini Donkey received all the brays.  In 2010, you pulled on Mini Donkey’s reins to try and get him to move.  Finally, you tried to push on his ass and he kicked you in the teeth.  Preseason Rank #6, 2010 Projections:  85/35/95/.250/12, Final Numbers:  79/32/85/.198/7

Top twenty catchers, 1st basemen and 2nd basemen are in the books as we throw it around the horn.  Today, the top 20 Shortstops for 2010 fantasy baseball get to shine.  Hmm… Actually, most of these won’t shine.  They’re cloudy with a chance of crapballs.  As I said in the beginning of the year, the shortstops are even shallower than the 2nd basemen.  This held true.  A good two weeks in the major leagues and you too can make the top twenty list for shortstops!  Okay, enough of the hubbub on the tomfoolery.  To recap, this final ranking is from ESPN Player Rater with my comments.  The Player Rater allows me to be impartial while looking at how I ranked them in the preseason.  Anyway, here’s the top 20 shortstops for 2010 fantasy baseball and how they compare to where I originally ranked them:

1. Hanley Ramirez – Hanley doesn’t need to work on his swing in the offseason, he needs to go on Breakthrough with Tony Robbins or maybe a Biggest Loser spin-off show where people aren’t fat, just unmotivated.  Let’s call it, Just Losers.  Or get him a friggin’ motivational poster with a kitten climbing a mountain.  Hanley was one of the few players in their prime that I actually lowered their power number projections and he ended up coming even below those projections.  A shame isn’t it?  Not a shame, a problem, Treach.  Preseason Rank #1, 2010 Projections:  100/25/110/.320/25, Final Numbers:  92/21/76/76/.300/32

2. Troy Tulowitzki – See if this rings a bell for you, “Without a poor April and May, he’d be the top ranked shortstop.  Yeah, he was that good.”  That’s what I said after the 2009 season.  This year he hit 1 homer in April and missed just about the whole month of July.  If it wasn’t for an otherworldly September when he single-handedly won people H2H leagues, we’d be talking about Tulo’s busted season.  Remember, he had only 12 homers going into September.  That is not a good five months.  Preseason Rank #2, 2010 Projections:  95/35/105/.280/12, Final Numbers:  89/27/95/.315/11

3. Jose Reyes – Not quite the bounce back I envisioned when I drafted him on all of my teams and told you to draft him, but it’s hard to fault a guy who is ranked 3rd overall and missed extended periods of time with injuries.  He’s about the only Met I truly love and, at some point, the Mets will realize that Reyes is the key to their offense and that means him running like crazy.  Especially in Metco.  Preseason Rank #4, 2010 Projections:  105/11/55/.285/45, Final Numbers:  83/11/54/.282/30

4. Alexei Ramirez – Pretty pathetic that Alexei is ranked this high considering the year he had.  They’re not middle infielders, they’re middling infielders.  It’s so tough to own someone like Alexei who doesn’t ever really get hot.  He just hits one homer every week and a half or so and steals a base every two weeks.  That almost put me to sleep typing it out.  Or am I asleep?  I need to spin a top.  Preseason Rank #9, 2010 Projections:  70/18/80/.280/15, Final Numbers:  83/18/70/.282/13

5. Derek Jeter – Here’s a theory.  You know how once all the great filmmakers find happiness they start producing crap?  Coppola’s Jack, Woody Allen’s 1990s, Oliver Stone post-Natural Born Killers… Maybe Jeter needed the motivation of not having a serious girlfriend.  Once he committed to Minka he no longer cared how well he played since a long term piece of tail was in place.  Or maybe it’s just age.  Preseason Rank #5, 2010 Projections:  110/16/70/.315/20, Final Numbers:  111/10/67/.270/18

6. Rafael Furcal – I know it seems like I’m a total downer on all of these guys, but Furcal’s numbers are terrible for this ranking.  Look at his Runs.  That’s a top of the order guy?  66?!  F(urcal) my life.  Preseason Rank #10, 2010 Projections:  90/10/55/.275/20, Final Numbers:  66/8/43/.300/22

7. Stephen Drew – He hit 4 homers in the first 4 months.  Yes, to get ranked this high all you needed was one good month.  (His August:  8 homers, 19 RBIs, 25 Runs and a .310 average.) Preseason Rank #10, 2010 Projections:  85/22/75/.265/4, Final Numbers:  83/15/61/.278/10

8. Omar Infante – Went over him in the top 20 2nd basemen for 2010 post.

9. Elvis Andrus – I had mad love for Elvis in the preseason and it’s not going to stop going into 2011.  He’s still very young and this season was a good first step.  Now if he can work on his first step on steal attempts, we’ll be all set.  Preseason Rank #8, 2010 Projections: 75/8/50/.270/37, Final Numbers:  88/0/35/.265/32

10. Ian Desmond – Wanna hear something scary?  In my Ian Desmond sleeper post, I had Desmond down for pretty much exactly what he ended doing.  His projections really aren’t far off.  Yet, he was kinda unownable for long stretches of the season.  Preseason Rank #21, 2010 Projections:  85/10/60/.275/20, Final Numbers:  59/10/65/.269/17

11. Mike Aviles – Went over him in the top 20 2nd basemen for 2010 post.

12. Marco Scutaro – Went over him in the top 20 2nd basemen for 2010 post.

13. Alex Gonzalez – This list pretty sums up why I punt middle infield every year.  You obviously could’ve drafted 12 of these 20 shortstops at any point in a draft.  And, even better, you draft one then rotate from hot middle infielder to hot middle infielder.  Why do I rotate my middle infielders and ‘Set It and Forget It’ with my catchers?  Will have to be an offseason post.  Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers:  74/23/88/.250/1

14. Cliff Pennington – I call this middle infielder, a Puntington.  Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers:  64/6/46/.250/29

15. Miguel Tejada – The fact that he came pretty close to matching my projections, combined with the fact I wouldn’t own him anywhere should give you an idea of the state of shortstops and the state of offense, in general.  It’s like Hamsterdam without the drugs.  Preseason Rank #14 for Shortstops, 2010 Projections:  70/15/85/.295/4, Final Numbers:  71/15/71/.269/2

16. Juan Uribe – Went over him in the top 20 2nd basemen for 2010 post.

17. Jeff Keppinger – Went over him in the top 20 2nd basemen for 2010 post.

18. Starlin Castro – If you remove his first game in the big leagues, he doesn’t make this list.  All you needed was one good game to make the top 20 shortstops!  Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers:  53/3/41/.300/10

19. Yuniesky Betancourt – Yes, it’s comical that Betancourt is listed in these rankings.  Wanna stop smiling?  Jimmy Rollins didn’t even make the list.  (Smile again if you didn’t draft Rollins.)  Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers:  60/16/78/.259/2

20. Ryan Theriot – I just hope if you drafted this schmohawk, you heeded the Emergency Broadcasting System’s warning and got out of The Riot in time to save your team.  Preseason Rank #20, 2010 Projections:  85/3/50/.285/22, Final Numbers:  72/2/29/.270/20

We already went over the top 20 catchers for 2010 and the top 20 1st basemen for 2010.  Today, it’s all about the top 20 2nd basemen.  The 2nd basemen pool is shallow (not as kiddie-sized as the shortstops, though it’s nearly as deep as 3rd basemen, but we’ll get to those).  To recap, this final ranking is from ESPN Player Rater with my comments.  The Player Rater allows me to be impartial while looking at how I ranked them in the preseason.  Anyway, here’s the top 20 2nd basemen for 2010 fantasy baseball and how they compare to where I originally ranked them:

1. Robinson Cano – In the preseason, I said, “With Cano going to be the magical 27 years old in 2010 when power tends to peak, I hope Cano can pull a high-20s homer season out of his hat.”  And that’s me quoting me!  A note on the projections vs. the final stats.  They’re actually close but since I predicted a 6th place ranking for those stats it goes to show you how weak offense was last year.  In 2010, 6th ranked stats got you ranked first.  Cust kayin’.  Preseason Rank #6, 2010 Projections:  90/27/100/.315/5, Final Numbers:  103/29/109/.319/3

2. Dan Uggla – Again, I wasn’t really that far off with my projections.  The average was much higher than I or anyone, including Uggla, thought he could hit.  Just reiterates my point that average is completely fluky.  Preseason Rank #9, 2010 Projections:  90/32/100/.250/3, Final Numbers:  100/33/105/.287/4

3. Rickie Weeks – And there’s the season we can get if Weeks were to just stay healthy.  Now someone put him in a bubble for the rest of his career.  Thank you.  Preseason Rank #14, 2010 Projections:  75/17/55/.255/15, Final Numbers:  112/29/83/.269/11

4. Kelly Johnson – Easily beat out Jamey Carroll for best 2nd baseman with a girl’s name.  Though Jamey does sound a bit cuter.  Anyway, back on January 4th, I said this, “http://razzball.com/bays-new-years-resolution-drop-15-homers/”  Hmm… That didn’t cut and paste right.  Well, that’s the post URL, you figure it out.  If you didn’t know I liked Kelly Johnson in the preseason, you weren’t reading Razzball.  How’s dem apples?  Sour?  Sorry.  Preseason Rank #21 (though I said he was really ranked 14th, how’s that for hedging?), 2010 Projections:  85/15/65/.270/10, Final Numbers:  93/26/71/.284/13

5. Martin Prado – Went over him in the top 20 1st basemen post.

6. Brandon Phillips – Wasn’t a great year for BP, in every sense of the abbreviation.  He was headed for his fourth straight 20/20 season then the 2nd half of the season happened.  The HBP hit BP’s wrist and sent him Septumbling.  Preseason Rank #3, 2010 Projections:  80/22/95/.275/22, Final Numbers:  100/18/59/.275/16

7. Casey McGehee – He ended up beating his Dad by 18 spots.  Ended up giving a lot more value due to his RBI total, which isn’t something you can count on (see Prince Fielder for further reading).  I have a feeling McGehee won’t be overrated in the preseason, so he could still be a value play.  Preseason Rank #16, 2010 Projections:  55/17/65/.280, Final Numbers:  70/23/104/.285/1

8. Chase Utley – It hurts seeing Utley this low.  It’s like when your girlfriend stops returning your phone calls and then you sit outside her door only to find her come home with another man.  Not that I know anything about that.  Preseason Rank #1, 2010 Projections:  110/32/105/.300/15, Final Numbers:  75/16/65/.275/13

9. Howard Kendrick – And now we’re pretty much in the tomato-tomahto section of the program.  This is gonna come as a shock to people, but I think I’m ready to get on the Howie train for 2011.  Won’t reach too high for him because his power and speed still yawnstipate him, but I think he’s about ready for his coming out party, Ricky Martin.  Preseason Rank #15, 2010 Projections:  85/12/70/.310/12, Final Numbers:  67/10/75/.279/14

10. Omar Infante – Was actually more valuable than it seems from this ranking because you didn’t really own him for the whole year, you only owned him when he was hitting in the 2nd half.  So add Theriot’s April with Kinsler’s May-June and Infante’s July and August and you had a solid Frankeninfielder.  Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers:  65/8/47/.321/7

11. Chone Figgins – <sarcasm>I’m sure glad I finally owned Figgy this year after all the years I avoided him.  He will definitely be on my short list of guys I absolutely must own next year.</sarcasm> Figgy is my Bart and I’m Sideshow Bob.  Preseason Rank #8 for 3rd Basemen, 2010 Projections:  105/5/55/.295/40, Final Numbers:  62/1/35/.259/42

12. Ben Zobrist – Not as disappointing as it seems until you factor in where you had to draft him.  Oh, and very disappointing after his historic (for him) 2009 campaign.  Prepare to hear similar things next year with Bautista.  Preseason Rank #8, 2010 Projections:  75/20/85/.270/12, Final Numbers:  77/10/75/.238/24

13. Ian Kinsler – It’s people like Kinsler that will abuse Obamacare.  Actually, I don’t even know what Obamacare is.  I’m ignorant, ya’ll!  Kinsler will be one of those players next year that will reward his current owners and totally piss off all his owners from 2010.  Preseason Rank #2, 2010 Projections:  110/29/80/.270/34, Final Numbers:  73/9/45/.286/15

14. Mike Aviles – Wanna know how pathetic the 2nd basemen were?  You really only needed two great weeks to get ranked in the top 15.  Luckily for Aviles’ owners, those weeks came at the best time of the season.  I accept this H2H trophy on behalf of all the men and women in the Armed Forces, and Mike Aviles.  He rocked!  Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers:  63/8/32/.304/14

15. Marco Scutaro – This — along with Prado’s ranking — is another one of those places I don’t fully agree with ESPN’s Player Rater.  Raburn, Pedroia (for half a year), even Aaron Hill would be above Scutaro if I had my druthers or if I knew what druthers were.  Preseason #15 for Shortstops, 2010 Projections:  70/11/80/.275/7, Final Numbers:  92/11/56/.275/5

16. Placido Polanco – Member all the people in the preseason that were like, “Yo, Grey, check it!  Polanco’s now in Citizens Flank and in a good lineup!  He’s the bomb diggity!  March commenter out.”  Yeah, and Polanco gave you another yawnstipating season.  Preseason Rank #17, 2010 Projections:  100/10/70/.300/10, Final Numbers:  76/6/52/.298/5

17. Neil Walker – Okay, this is a glass half full or half empty test.  If you see Walker ranked here and think about how great Walker was, you’re an optimist.  If you see him ranked here and think about how polluted the womb of 2nd basemen is, you’re a pessimist.  Preseason Unranked , Final Numbers:  57/12/66/.296/2

18. Juan Uribe – You ever see this guy swing?  He shortens his swing on an 0-2 count about as well as JWoww covers her chest.  Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers:  64/24/85/.248/1

19. Jeff Keppinger – Blanco Polanco ranked in the top 20?  Case closed, 2nd basemen are found guilty of being awful.  Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers:  62/6/59/.288/4

20. Ryan Raburn – Is it weird that I’m already excited about him for 2011?  No?  Cool.  Okay, is it weird that I’m typing this in the nude?  No again?  Sweet!  Raburn finally saw a fair number of at-bats in the 2nd half when he hit .315 with 13 homers.  Someone get my man Raburn a full-time job… Or just send everyone on the Tigers not named Jackson, Boesch and Cabrera to the Bermuda Triangle on vacation.  Preseason Unranked, 2010 Projections:  65/22/75/.265/10, Final Numbers:  54/15/62/.280/2

After drudging through an Andy Dufresne-type tunnel for the top 20 catchers for 2010, I find myself with a group that actually really hurt or helped your team depending on how you drafted.  If you went wrong with your 1st baseman, it could kill your season.  If you went right, you might’ve won.  Here’s my preseason Top 20 1st Basemen for 2010 for reference sake.  Also, to recap, this final ranking is from ESPN Player Rater with my comments.  The Player Rater allows me to be impartial while looking at how I ranked them in the preseason.  Anyway, here’s the top 20 1st basemen for 2010 fantasy baseball and how they compared to where I originally ranked them:

1. Albert Pujols – Proves once again if you have the first pick of the draft, you shouldn’t overthink things.  Preseason Rank #1, 2010 Projections:  110/40/120/.337/10, Final Numbers:  115/42/118/.312/14

2. Joey Votto – In my preseason rankings, I put Votto in a tier called, “Yes, please.”  In my December Joey Votto keeper post, I said, “If Votto continues to progress, you’re looking at a guy that could easily give you 32 homers, 10 steals and a .300 average.  If you buy into Joey Votto for 2010, I’ll also throw in a climbing walk rate and OPS for absolutely free!”  And that’s me quoting me!  If you didn’t know I wanted you to draft Votto, you weren’t reading Razzball.  Preseason Rank #10, 2010 Projections:  90/30/105/.305/7, Final Numbers:  106/37/113/.324/16

3. Miguel Cabrera – About as consistent as they come.  Be forewarned, I’m strongly considering Miggy for the number one spot in all of fantasy baseball next year.  What was that about not overthinking things?  Preseason Rank #3, 2010 Projections:  105/35/115/.320/3, Final Numbers:  111/38/126/.328/3

4. Paul Konerko – Konerko’s one of those late round corner men that is always welcome in deep leagues and always ignored in shallow ones.  He falls between the cracks like C+ students.  This year, he took pitchers to school.  Will be really hard for me to expect anything along these lines next year from Konerko and he’ll probably surprise me again.  Preseason Unranked, 2010 Projections:  55/24/75/.260, Final Numbers:  89/39/111/.312

5. Adrian Gonzalez – Well, I’ve seen better seasons.  Miggy for one, that was a better season.  But it’s hard to hate too much on A-Gon.  At least he wasn’t Prince Fielder.  Or Justin Morneau.  Or Teixeira.  Preseason Rank #6, 2010 Projections:  90/38/100/.280, Final Numbers:  87/31/101/.298

6. Aubrey Huff – I didn’t have high hopes for him moving to a pitchers’ park/division.  Yeah, I was wrong.  Hey, even Spielberg made 1941.  Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers:  100/26/86/.290/7

7. Ryan Howard – I wanted the 40 homers from Howard and you did too.  So it’s hard to not look at this season as a slight letdown.  Really the whole Phillies offense this year was a letdown.  It’s Citizens Flank, hit some homers before some fans hit you.  Preseason Rank #5, 2010 Projections:  105/47/140/.275, Final Numbers:  87/31/108/.276/1

8. Nick Swisher – Swisher was the kind of pick that helped you win your league.  You draft a random schmohawk in the last rounds, you slot him at corner and he ends up better than your 1st round pick.  I’m farting in your general direction, Fielder.  Preseason Unranked for 1st Basemen, 2010 Projections:  80/30/90/.255, Final Numbers:  91/29/89/.288/1

9. Mark Teixeira – PABST:  Post-All-Star Break’s Stats Teixeira looked more like PBS BS:  Post-Break Stats Before September, which left him looking like a charity case most of the season.  Am I being tough?  Prolly.  Really only his average killed you.  I expect he’ll have a nice bounce back next year.  Preseason Rank #2, 2010 Projections:  100/37/120/.305, Final Numbers:  113/33/108/.256

10. Martin Prado – This is one of those ESPN Player Rater glitches that ranks someone high because of a good average and Runs.  Prado was no 1st baseman.  He was a good corner infidel.  Preseason Unranked for 1st Basemen, 2010 Projections:  70/8/60/.305, Final Numbers:  100/15/66/.307/5

11. Adam Dunn – And, on the hottest day of the year, he blew clouds over your house when your AC went out.  You’re welcome.  Preseason Rank #14, 2010 Projections:  80/40/100/.250, Final Numbers:  85/38/103/.260

12. Billy Butler – I didn’t like him going into 2010 and told people to avoid him.  And his stats still came in way under where I even thought he’d be with only 7.5 homers per moob.  He still wasn’t as big a moob as Kung Fu Panda who didn’t even make the top 30, let alone top 20.  Preseason Rank #18, 2010 Projections:  85/25/100/.295, Final Numbers:  77/15/78/.318

13. Prince Fielder – Where do I start?  Okay, how about the fluky nature of RBIs?  You really can’t blame Fielder for having less RBIs than Juan Uribe.  Then only 32 homers?  Yeah, you can blame that on the Chubbster.  He’s looking like the raison d’etre for Saberhagenmetrics.  One year good, one year bad and so it goes with Fielder.  And so it goes… Preseason Rank #4, 2010 Projections: 100/42/115/.285, Final Numbers:  94/32/83/.261/1

14. Victor Martinez – Went over him in the top 20 catchers for 2010 post.

15. Luke Scott – Luke, you are my waiver wire fodder.  In a few leagues where I had Scott, I had him for, like, three weeks and had 12 homers from him.  Doode gets hotter than a junebug’s belly.  Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers:  70/27/72/.284/2

16. Kevin Youkilis – His low ranking is deceiving.  Assuming you had the fortitude and gumption (gumpitude?) to grab a decent 1st baseman when Youuuuuuk went down, you did okay.  Preseason Rank #8, 2010 Projections:  95/27/105/.295/5, Final Numbers:  77/19/62/.307/4

17. Michael Cuddyer – He’s not exactly ranked high here, but it’s still scary how high he is considering how terrible his final stats are.  I mean, 14 homers?  Really?  Crimey a river, JT.  I think it’s pretty clear the steroid era is over and if someone can get you 30+ homers you must draft them high.  Preseason Rank #21, 2010 Projections:  85/24/95/.275/5, Final Numbers:  93/14/81/.271/7

18. Howie Kendrick – Huh?  At first base?  I’m gonna go over him in the next post on top 20 2nd basemen because this doesn’t make any sense to me.  Preseason Unranked for 1st Basemen, 2010 Projections:  85/12/70/.310/12, Final Numbers:  67/10/75/.279/14

19. Gaby Sanchez – He was in the 2nd Buy/Sell of the year as a lukewarm Buy and he never really moved beyond that.  Was a good pickup for NL-Only or very deep mixed leagues, but if you had Gaby anywhere but the corner infidel spot, you were in trouble.  Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers:  72/19/85/.273/5

20. Adam LaRoche – He actually had a decent first half this year (for him) that seemed like it would naturally turn into a career year because he’s always been such a better 2nd half player.  Too bad no one told LaRoche about any of this.  Preseason Rank #24, 2010 Projections:  70/27/80/.265, Final Numbers:  75/25/100/.261