Hey, I’m drafting my fantasy baseball team on March 4th and I got the first pick! Woo-Hoo! I got A-Rod! Sorry, random italicized voice, you’re going to need to rethink some things. There’s some injury news. The 2009 fantasy baseball rankings have been updated. A-Rod is no longer your number one fantasy baseball pick for 2009. Hanley Ramirez is currently wearing the laurels and being fitted for the toga. A-Rod’s hip surgery will have him out until May. So what does this do for A-Rod for 2009 fantasy baseball?
Now A-Rod goes from a precarious number one overall to a tentative 2nd rounder and a very confident 3rd rounder. Think about the replacement 3rd baseman you can have for a month and then fill-in A-Rod in May. Say Sandoval at 3rd base for April, move Sandoval to catcher (if eligible) in May and then slot in A-Rod the rest of the way. You’re getting 5/6 A-Rod, 1/6 Sandoval. It’s early-March. The season is looooooong — yes, seven oh’s. A-Rod will be out until May/June. He’s not someone to avoid completely, but he does need to be discounted. This WILL (caps for emphasis and the people reading over your shoulder) hurt his steals a bit. Hip surgery can’t be a good thing for speed. It is a tough pick. Like Pujols last year. Or trading for Manny sometime in June last year when he looked washed-up. Pujols won the MVP and Manny nearly did in two and a half months. Think of A-Rod as Longoria last year or Braun two years ago, only you know more what to expect from A-Rod.
UPDATE: The more I thought about this, and the more that came out about A-Rod, I realized I wouldn’t draft him until at least the 40th pick. There’s just too much speculation about when he’ll be healthy again. A-Rod is now 40th on the top 100 for 2009 fantasy baseball. The top 10 has also been updated.