Fantasy Baseball Advice

With the 2009 fantasy baseball rankings for every position in the bizz-ag.  We turn our conjunctivitis-tainted eye towards the top 100 for 2009 fantasy baseball.  This should have you skipping around like a little school girl.  I love Razzball and the Jonas Brothers! If you’ve been following the top 20 position rankings, this top 100 shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.  I’ve basically just placed guys in order for the bigger picture for when you’re doing your fantasy baseball 2009 drafting thing-a-ma-whozie-watts.  Not to get all biblical on you, but this is the gospel.  Hold it up to the light and it will say, “Win your 2009 fantasy baseball league, young premature balding man,” or some shizz.  For another perspective, our 2009 fantasy baseball player rater goes to the 616th ranked player.  Also, to help with your drafting, here’s a list of players with multiple position eligibility.  Or read why some of your favorite pitchers are not here but in Rudy’s top 20 risky pitchers post.  Anyway, here’s the top 100 for 2009 fantasy baseball, including projections:

1. Hanley Ramirez – Legit 35/35 threat at shortstop.  The iffy shoulder worries me a bit, but he has shown to be resilient.  2009 Projections:  125/37/80/.295/35

2. Jose Reyes – He’s like your brain on Jolt and coke.  2009 Projections:  125/15/70/.290/60

3. David Wright – And he helped a Baldwin win a challenge on The Celebrity Apprentice!  2009 Projections:  110/33/120/.310/14

4. Albert Pujols – One of these days he’s just going to get a bionic elbow and you’ll never have to worry about him again.  Which reminds me, who’s older right now –  Albert Pujols or Lee Majors?  2009 projections:  105/35/110/.335/5

5. Miguel Cabrera – If Miguel Olivo was around to hug him, he’d hit 50 HRs.  (<–It’s called a hunch, people!)  2009 Projections:  100/39/125/.305

6. Grady Sizemore – Better 30/30 threat than Hanley?  2009 Projections:  110/37/85/.285/30

7. Ryan Braun – Best Jewish player since Gene Simmons.  2009 Projections:  100/40/110/.280/15

8. Ryan Howard – They should have a Battle of the Network Stars-type activity at the All-Star Game where someone like David Eckstein has to rickshaw Ryan Howard around the bases.  Why am I not in charge of the ASB activities? 2009 Projections:  100/45/140/.265

9. Johan Santana – First guy on this list I don’t draft where I have him listed.  I’d grab Johan early in the 3rd round, if he were there.  2009 Projections:   18-6/2.95/1.12/210

10. Chase Utley – I’m pretty confident Utley moves up to the ninth spot on this list when he shows up to spring training healthy.  2009 Projections:  105/29/105/.295/10

11. Mark Teixiera – No speed, but as good as a lock for his projections as anyone.  2009 Projections:  110/35/125/.310

12. Tim Lincecum – Innings were pretty high last year, and he’s ranked at 13.  Superstitious? 2009 Projections:  17-8/3.00/1.18/210

13. Carlos Beltran – Steady as they go and uncanny resemblance to Ricky from My So Called Life.  2009 Projections:  110/27/115/.275/22

14. Ian Kinsler – People seem to think he’s going to be the new Chase Utley.  The problem with that is Kinsler might bat .260 this year; Utley won’t.  2009 Projections:  110/23/80/.280/25

15. Jimmy Rollins – He’s not getting younger and at some point he’s going to go from a 40 steal guy to a 30 steal guy.  Cust kayin’.   2009 Projections:  115/16/75/.280/40

16. Prince Fielder – Surprised he doesn’t request the Brewers add a Tofurky Dog to the wiener race.  2009 Projections:  85/40/110/.285

17. Carlos Lee – I know you want the Longoria upside, but safe pick in the 2nd round and risky pick in the 12th round wins championships.  2009 Projections:  100/33/110/.300/7

18. Lance Berkman – See Lee, Carlos or one-sixteenth of an inch above.  2009 Projections:  100/32/100/.300/7

19. Evan Longoria – Choose your own adventure.  Get upside in the 2nd round?  Or get upside in the 10th round? 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

21. Matt Holliday – He hit 25 home runs last year calling Coors home.  Zoinks!  2009 Projections:  90/22/105/.310/12

22. Josh Hamilton – I’ve gone over why Josh Hamilton is overrated.  2009 Projections:  95/30/110/.295/7

23. Brandon Phillips – When someone can point out to me exactly how Phillips isn’t better for his value than Kinsler, I’ll move Phillips down the list.  Or up.  Or whatever.  2009 Projections:  90/25/80/.270/25

24. Justin Morneau – I’m skipping Morneau for Votto or someone else.  2009 Projections:  90/27/115/.285

25. Aramis Ramirez – I’m targeting Aramis over Longoria in most of my drafts.  2009 Projections:  105/30/115/.295

26. Carlos Quentin – Love CQ, hate Roman Coppola.  2009 Projections:  105/35/110/.275/7

27. Jake Peavy – He can easily be better than Sabathia, Lincecum and Webb.  2009 Projections:   15-6/2.95/1.10/205

28. B.J. Upton – If he shows the power of 2007 and the speed of 2008, watch out.  2009 Projections:  95/20/80/.280/35

29. Carl Crawford – I didn’t like him ranked at 14 last year but I like him at 30 this year.  Recognize!  2009 Projections:  85/15/80/.300/45

30. Matt Kemp – I love Matt Kemp this year.  2009 Projections:   95/24/80/.295/30

31. Adrian Gonzalez – He’s battling Petco, and he’s still beating Morneau’s power numbers.  2009 Projections:  85/34/95/.280

32. Ichiro Suzuki – Here’s another guy I won’t have on any teams, but he is what he is.  2009 Projections:  110/7/50/.315/35

33. CC Sabathia – Hopefully he doesn’t have an April in New York like he had in 2008.  2009 Projections:  18-7/3.20/1.10/200

34. Cole Hamels – Even Philly phans are worried about the extra innings.  2009 Projections: 16-9/3.30/1.10/195

35. Alex Rios – He should go 20/20.  Then again, he should’ve went 20/20 last year.  Thought bubble, “Rios should be ranked lower.”  Leave me alone, thought bubble!  2009 Projections:  85/25/90/.295/20

36. Kevin Youkilis – I liked Youuuuk a lot last year.  He’s not quite the steal anymore, but I do still like him.  2009 Projections:  95/25/110/.295

37. Nick Markakis – I am Sparkakis!  No, I am Sparkakis!  2009 Projections:  95/25/100/.310/10

38. Alexei Ramirez – This high because the shallowness of shortstops.  (That’s not implying shortstops only read Perez Hilton and talk about their nails.)  If he’s not eligible at shortstop, then he drops about ten spots.  2009 Projections:  95/22/90/.285/15

39. Brandon Webb – Win karma’s gonna get you, knock you right on your head.  2009 Projections:   16-10/3.30/1.20/180

40. Alex Rodriguez – Drugs bad, A-Rod good, Cyst bad.  Any questions?  2009 Projections:  70/24/75/.295/4

41. Dustin Pedroia – Pedroia overrated. (<–You click)  2009 Projections:  110/15/75/.310/15

42. Shane Victorino – I love The Flying Hawaiian.  Like love love.  2009 Projections:  100/15/60/.285/35

43. Brian Roberts – I hate Brian Roberts.  On the left side of the screen, a mouth says, “H” and on the right side of the screen another mouth says “ate.”  Then they come together in the middle of the screen to form “Hate.”  2009 Projections:  105/10/50/.285/30

44. Dan Haren – I don’t draft pitchers until later, but I could see a scenario where Haren’s on one of my teams.  2009 Projections:  16-7/3.40/1.15/195

45. David Ortiz – Big Papi is a Latin 33 and aging rapidly.  2009 Projections:  85/27/110/.285

46. Chipper Jones – 120 games of solid and 40 games of waiver wire pickups.  2009 Projections:  80/20/85/.320/5

47. Jacoby Ellsbury – A cheaper, slightly riskier Victorino?  Pee to erhaps.  2009 Projections:  110/10/60/.285/40

48. Jason Bay – He was sofa king bad in 2007, that it’s hard for me to trust again.  2009 Projections:  100/32/110/.280/10

49. Nate McLouth – The only drawback for McLouth is you have to watch the Pirates highlights to see how he did, and there are no Pirates highlights.  2009 Projections:  95/22/90/.270/22

50. Curtis Granderson – Vladdy’s your baby’s daddy, but Grandy is dandy.  2009 Projections:  115/22/75/.275/17

51. Manny Ramirez – This is assuming he plays somewhere.  2009 Projections:  85/30/90/.300

52. Roy Halladay – Careful expecting lots of Ks.  2009 Projections:  16-6/3.50/1.10/165

53. Corey Hart – 80s one hit wonder reemerges to give you a 20/20 season and an iffy average.  2009 Projections:  75/22/80/.275/20

54. Roy Oswalt – 12 to 6′er who’s the big three-one.  2009 Projections:  15-9/3.75/1.15/150

55. Vladimir Guerrero – Beginning to run like the Ruskie he might be named after.  2009 Projections:  85/27/100/.310/5

56. Joey Votto – The Reds might actually be good this year.  Seriously.  Seriously!  SERIOUSLY!  2009 Projections:  85/28/100/.300/12

57. Josh Beckett – Red State Jeter has Cy Young stuff.  2009 Projections:  16-10/3.75/1.20/175

58. Dan Uggla – Mini Dunn. 2009 Projections:  85/30/100/.255/5

59. Adam Dunn – Regular-sized Dunn. 2009 Projections:  80/40/85/.245/5

60. Jonathan Papelbon – I’ll take Broxton around the 10th round as my first closer off the board.  2009 Projections:  6-2/1.75/.95/80, 45 saves

61. John Lackey – Dazzling at times might be outshined by Weaver this year.  2009 Projections:  16-11/3.60/1.22/175

62. Joe Nathan – If I were the type to take a top closer, I’d grab Lidge because of the Ks.  2009 Projections:  2-3/1.90/1.00/75, 42 saves

63. Brad Lidge – See Nathan, Joe or one-eightteenth of an inch above.  2009 Projections:  5-4/2.50/1.20/100, 40 saves

64. Brian McCann – A catcher in the top 100?  You’ve got to be kidding me.  2009 Projections:  75/25/95/.295

65. Geovany Soto – Why would you draft a guy that could give you Melvin Mora numbers at 65?  Because he’s at catcher?  That’s foolish, fool.  2009 Projections:  70/26/100/.280

66. Derrek Lee – Derrek Lee seems like he’s beginning to get a bad rap.  I’m beginning to think I’m going to end up with him on some teams.  2009 Projections:  95/22/90/.295/8

67. Garrett Atkins – No one wants to believe his year to year declines in home runs.  According to my projections, neither do I.  2009 Projections:  80/24/90/.290

68. Magglio Ordonez – Not a big fan of outfielders that project to 24 HRs and very little speed.  2009 Projections:  85/24/105/.310/3

69. Bobby Abreu – BA may be 12/12 outfielder as soon as this year.  That’s worrisome.  2009 Projections:  110/17/100/.300/20

70. Mariano Rivera – Good value for a top closer, but I still won’t own him.  2009 Projections:  4-3/2.75/1.00/60, 40 saves

71. Francisco Rodriguez – K-Whatever.  Don’t fall into this trizz-ap.  2009 Projections:  3-2/2.85/1.30/80, 42 saves

72. Carlos Delgado – I’m not sure about his reemergence last year to the point where I’m reaching for Votto and passing on Delgado.  2009 Projections:  80/31/110/.260

73. Carlos Pena – Pena worries me less than Delgado.  (Hey, wasn’t Pena Delgado the name of a character Javier Bardem played?)  2009 Projections:  75/32/95/.265

74. Joe Mauer – His numbers are so silly awful compared to the players around him it really illustrates why you shouldn’t draft a catcher in the top 100.  If I were to remove his name from his stats, you would think he should be ranked around 200th.  2009 Projections:  95/12/80/.320/3

75. James Shields – My first pitcher off the board in a lot of leagues.  2009 Projections:  15-9/3.50/1.14/165

76. Chad Billingsley – Another pitcher I’m very high on.  If you want to know more, search for Billingsley in the left sidebar Search thingamajig.  2009 Projections:  16-6/3.35/1.33/200

77. Johnny Damon – Damon’s getting to that age where he’s about to recite Pacino from Scent of a Woman.  I’m too old, I’m too tired and I’m… Actually, I don’t think Damon’s blind.  2009 Projections:  105/15/70/.285/20

78. Jermaine Dye – Boring, but productive.  2009 Projections:  80/30/90/.275/3

79. Victor Martinez – Even if he bounces back, Doumit can put up enough numbers 40 spots later.  2009 Projections:  65/18/95/.300

80. Russell Martin – Don’t take a catcher in the first 100.  2009 Projections:  95/15/70/.285/10

81. Chris Davis -  If he hits .260 instead of .275, he’ll still be worth it.  This is a trust exercise.  Fall into Chris Davis’s arms.  2009 Projections:   75/30/95/.275/3

82. Aubrey Huff – I will not have him on any team.  2009 Projections:  75/22/75/.280

83. Scott Kazmir – Take what I said about Huff and then factor in he’s a pitcher.  2009 Projections:  15-7/3.65/1.30/180

84. Rich Harden – What I Said About Huff + What I Said About Kazmir * 2 = Harden.  2009 Projections:  12-4/2.75/1.10/160

85. Daisuke Matsuzaka – His WHIP scares me too much.  2009 Projections: 14-7/3.90/1.30/160

86. Cliff Lee – His entire career minus 2005 and 2008 scares me.  2009 Projections:  15-10/3.75/1.22/150

87. Carlos Zambrano – Dusty managed him for how many years?  2009 Projections:  14-9/3.90/1.30/150

88. Edinson Volquez – I’m not going to recapitulate (16th Century Word of the Day) everything I’ve said up to this point in other posts, but I like Cueto better.  Projections:  12-8/4.00/1.33/175

89. Raul Ibanez – Ibanez bores me, but the move to Citizen’s Bank excites me.  Conflicted!  2009 Projections:  85/25/110/.290/3

90. Vernon Wells – Ibanez without Citizen’s Bank.  2009 Projections:  85/24/95/.280/7

91. Torii Hunter – Abreu without the average.  2009 Projections:  85/24/85/.275/17

92. Jay Bruce – Sweet, sweet upside.  Sweet, sweet…  2009 Projections:  85/30/90/.280/10

93. Ryan Ludwick – Cards site said this about Ludwick.  2009 Projections:  85/30/100/.275/3

94. Joakim Soria – I’d love to grab Soria, but I feel like he might be going too high in drafts.  2009 Projections:  3-4/2.00/.95/60, 35 saves

95. Jonathan Broxton – The first closer off the board I could conceivably land.  2009 Projections:  3-3/3.00/1.15/80, 35 saves

96. Stephen Drew – It’s insane how few shortstops are on this list.   Insane, I tell ya.  2009 Projections:  85/24/80/.280/7

97. J.J. Hardy – I mean, there’s no shortstops at all.  Maybe I could’ve boosted Jeter into the top 100, but he gets laid a lot.  He doesn’t need any extra favors.  2009 Projections:  85/25/80/.275/3

98. Krispie Young – Chris B. is phonetically Krispie.  Welcome to Razzball.  Nice to meet you.  2009 Projections:  80/25/80/.245/20

99. Brad Hawpe – When I see Vernon Wells and Raul Ibanez go way before Hawpe, I laugh.  On the inside.  2009 Projections:  70/30/95/.280

100. Hunter Pence – Numbers aren’t that far off from Carlos Lee.  I will call you, Lanky Lee.  2009 Projections:  85/28/95/.275/10

101. Felix Hernandez – Your staff is complete with F-Her on it.  2009 Projections:  13-9/3.85/1.33/190

102. Francisco Liriano – The Fran?  The Leer?  The Twin Cities Treat?  If Liriano returns to form this year, we’re gonna need a nickname.  2009 Projections:  11-5/3.25/1.25/160

103. Troy Tulowitzki – Making up for lack of shortstops boosts Tulo, but there’s really no reason to reach for a shortstop when there’s so many middling middle infielders.  2009 Projections:  65/20/85/.285/5

After the top 100 for 2009 fantasy baseball, there’s a lot of names but two stand out:

Conor Jackson – A white Derrek Lee.  2009 Projections:  85/17/85/.300/10

Ryan Zimmerman – Some of you may find it a bit queer (stop giggling!) that I’m now touting Zimmerman after how much I didn’t like him last year.  Guess what, ya’ll?  That was last year.  2009 Projections:  80/20/90/.285/7

When I went over the top 20 2nd basemen for 2009 fantasy baseball, I mentioned that it was really shallow, but actually a bit deeper than the list of the top 20 shortstops for 2009 fantasy baseball.  Well, proof is in the pudding, so here’s the pudding.  We’ve already gone over quite a few top 20 lists already and they can be found in the 2009 fantasy baseball rankings.  Also, here’s a list of every player who has multiple position eligibility and our 2009 fantasy baseball player rater.  Anyway, here’s the top 20 shortstops for 2009 fantasy baseball:

1.  Hanley Ramirez – Already covered him in our top 10 for 2009 fantasy baseball post.

2.  Jose Reyes – Already covered him in our top 10 for 2009 fantasy baseball post.

3.  Jimmy Rollins – Already covered him in our top 20 for 2009 fantasy baseball post.

4. Alexei Ramirez -  This is the next tier and it goes down to Furcal.  I call this tier, “Really? These are the top shortstops?”  Alexei may not be eligible in all leagues because of less than 20 games at shortstop.  Either way, I already covered him in our top 20 2nd basemen for 2009 fantasy baseball.

4 1/2.  Stephen Drew -  Okay, when you see Stephen Drew at number four and a half overall for shortstops, you’re asking yourself if this is a vote for Drew or an indictment of the 2009 shortstops.  That’s a fair question and I’m glad you posed it.  What do you think?  A bit of both?  Wow, we are totally in sync.  Okay, what did I eat for lunch?  Nope, chicken burrito.  In 2009, Drew takes a step forward.  2009 Projections:  85/24/80/.280/7

5.  J.J. Hardy – Personally, I’d like to see Alcides Escobar get called up and I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens by the trade deadline in July with Hardy going to a contender.  Maybe to the Dodgers to replace an injured Furcal.  2009 Projections:  85/25/80/.275/3

6.  Jhonny Peralta – This Silent H comes in at sixth with the other Silent H coming at 18th.  The scary thing is there’s been years where they’ve flip-flopped in the rankings.  Peralta doesn’t come without some risk.  Be forewarned, fantasy baseballers!  2009 Projections:  85/25/90/.270/3

7.  Troy Tulowitzki – Let’s put Tulo’s 2008 season into a strait jacket and then submerge it into Houdini’s Milk Can.  2009 Projections:  65/20/85/.285/5

8.  Derek Jeter - After you choose Jeter in your 2009 draft, make sure you tell your wife so she can pat you on the head.  2009 Projections:  110/12/70/.305/12

9. Rafael Furcal – I already went over Furcal for 2009 when he returned to the Braves for a minute (not an Urbandictionary “minute,” which is actually a long time.) He’s going to be a steal for his draft position or he’s going to go kaboom like peanuts in abnormal lemonade.  2009 Projections:  95/15/65/.285/35 or 25/6/40/.390/7 and a seat next to Nomar on the DL.

10.  Michael Young – Here’s a new tier that goes from Young to Renteria.  I call this tier, “Boring.”  I say boring because their best years are behind them and, for a few of them, their best years weren’t even that good.   As for Michael Young, when I say empty, you say average.  “Empty…”  “Average…” I will say this in Young’s defense.  Look at his projections compared to Jeter.  Not that different, huh?  2009 Projections:  100/10/85/.310/10

11. Miguel Tejada – I want a new drug.  One that won’t spill… One that won’t let me hit .280 with 13 home runs and 66 RBIs… Or that comes in a pill… 2009 Projections:  90/15/75/.285/7

12. Orlando Cabrera -  Him and Renteria have similar power, speed, average and they want to kill each other.  2009 Projections:  90/7/65/.280/20

13. Edgar Renteria – Two enemies forever entwined in the 2009 fantasy baseball rankings.  2009 Projections:  80/9/70/.285/12

14. Yunel Escobar – This next tier is called, “What do you get when you mix nothing with the slightest bit of upside?”  This tier goes from here to the end of the list.  If you’re digging through the middle infielder bin at Filene’s Basement, you’re much better taking one of these schmohawks than one in the last tier.  These guys may not outperform them, but at least there’s a chance.  2009 Projections:  90/13/65/.300/3

15. Mike Aviles – Already covered him in our top 20 2nd basemen for 2009 fantasy baseball.

16. Ryan Theriot – The Riot is actually not a bad late draft sleeper.  It’s nice to get 25 steals out of your MI spot and The Riot can potentially give you that.   2009 Projections:  90/2/40/.295/25

17. Yuniesky Betancourt – How does an outside chance at a 10/10 season sound to you?  Yawnstipating?  Yeah, me too.  2009 Projections:  65/10/65/.280/10

18. Khalil Greene – This H is silent, but deadly to your average.   2009 Projections:  65/20/80/.235/5

19. Emmanuel Burriss/Asdrubal Cabrera – Already covered them in our top 20 2nd basemen for 2009 fantasy baseball.

20. Clint Barmes – Honestly, I could’ve put about ten different names here and they would have all been as uninspiring.  2009 Projections:  75/12/55/.270/12 (<–real optimistic)

After the top 20 shortstops for 2009 fantasy baseball, there’s a lot of names but two stand out:

Elvis Andrus – Some would even call him a 2009 fantasy baseball sleeper.  Hey, wait a sec, I called him that!  If the Rangers get Vizquel, it hurts Andrus’s value, but, as I already said, Andrus probably wouldn’t be up for opening day anyway.  2009 Projections:  55/3/35/.250/20 in 50 games.

Jed Lowrie – “Hey, what’s that you just put into your back pocket?”  “Jed Lowrie.”  “Why?”  “I want an outside chance at a 10/5 season.”  Long pause.  “Oh.”  2009 Projections:  75/10/80/.260/5

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

FTBOTR is For The Back Of The Room, that’s who this post is for.  Our 2009 fantasy baseball projections have been posted.  These 2009 fantasy baseball projections are not quite like every other site’s fantasy projections.  Ours come in the form of Point Shares. This is a very basic system to understand, this is our Player Rater.  Let’s look at David Wright, who comes in first on the 10-team 2009 projections list.  David Wright will give you 5.49 Points in your ten team league over the average third baseman.  So if you have Kevin Youkilis (.05 Point Shares) at 3rd and you trade him for David Wright, you’ve essentially gained a bit more than 5 points in the standings.  That’s not too hard to understand, right?

These specific 2009 fantasy baseball projections use Marcel’s stat projections from the site TangoTiger.net.  Rudy uses these projections because they are free. He will also be putting together 2009 projections for Point Shares using a few other free services. Then he will do one cumulative Point Shares spreadsheet using all the projections systems.  If you run a site and would like Rudy to use your projections, I’m sure there’s some way we can work this out.  Finally, a bit of good news for those in auction leagues.  Rudy added dollar amounts to the Point Shares spreadsheet, so go check it out.  For those who want projections in the form of stats and not Point Shares, I will personally be going over every single worthwhile player in my annual top twenty posts in January and giving you some of my own 2009 fantasy baseball projections.  Stay tuned for those.  In the meantime, have a great holiday and hopefully whereever you are the Heat Miser and the Snow Miser are on speaking terms.

Now that all talk of 2008 Player Raters are complete, it’s time to move on to 2009.

See below for links to our 2009 Projected Point Shares for MLB 10 team and 12 team leagues (they can also be accessed in the menu on top of the page):

Razzball Fantasy Baseball Projected Point Shares – MLB 10 Team

Razzball Fantasy Baseball Projected Point Shares – MLB 12 Team

These are based on the Marcel projection system which is considered a baseline by which other services compare themselves.  If you want to read more on it and/or download the 2009 projections, click here.  If you do download the stats, you’ll see that they are very conservative.  Don’t worry about this in regards to Point Shares as our methodology adjusts for this (so in a conservative projection system, 30 HRs are going to be worth more than in an aggressive projection system).

We will post additional versions of Projected Point Shares when other established, free projection systems (CHONE & ZIPS) publish their data and, eventually, create the ‘official’ Point Shares spreadsheet in the Feb/March timeframe.

Please post any/all feedback in the Comments section…