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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.