FSE Fantasy Baseball Positional Rankings - Setup Men & Middle Relievers

We wanted to stop the FSE Fantasy Baseball Positional Rankings series with the closers, we really did. However, the urge to write a middle reliever breakdown won out in the end. Here, we rank the top 40 middle relievers, grouping them in a variety of categories that speak to their potential in 2008. In addition, we highlight a few sleepers to keep an eye on.

Future Closers

1 - Jonathan Broxton

2 - Jeremy Accardo (Currently closing in Toronto, will setup when BJ Ryan returns)

3 - Joba Chamberlain 

4 - Tony Pena

5 - Jon Rauch

6 - Carlos Marmol

Cream Of The 8th Inning Crop

7 - Rafael Betancourt

8 - Hideki Okajima

9 - Heath Bell

10 - Scot Shields

11 - Joaquin Benoit

On The Brink...

12 - Justin Speier

13 - Peter Moylan

14 - Ryan Franklin

15 - Scott Downs

Shaky Hold Magnets

16 - Derrick Turnbow

17 - Aaron Heilman

18 - Fernando Rodney

19 - Juan Rincon

20 - Brandon Morrow

Many Holds, No Pub 

21 - Bob Howry

22 - JC Romero

23 - Pat Neshek

24 - David Weathers

25 - Taylor Tankersley

26 - Alan Embree

27 - Rafael Perez

Risky, Risky

28 - Scott Linebrink

29 - Brian Fuentes

30 - Tom Gordon

31 - Jamie Walker

Coming On Fast

32 - Manny Delcarmen

33 - Juan Cruz

34 - Duaner Sanchez

35 - Matt Guerrier

Holds Guys On Bad Teams

36 - Justin Miller

37 - Chad Bradford

38 - Damaso Marte

39 - Brad Hennessey

40 - Dan Wheeler

Sleepers

 

Chad Qualls

David Riske

Oscar Villarreal 

Brandon League

Yasuhiko Yabuta

Jimmy Gobble

Doug Brocail

Mike Gonzalez (Returns in May)

John Grabow

FSE Fantasy Baseball Positional Rankings - Closers

Our final installment of the FSE Fantasy Baseball Positional Rankings focuses on the closers. Here, we rank the 30 closers and break them down into seven groups - some more lonely than others. For a more detailed look at the bullpens around the majors, check out our ongoing Fantasy Bullpen Breakdowns series which highlights closers, setup men and sleeper middle relievers for each team.

The Elite

1 - Joe Nathan

2 - Francisco Rodriguez

3 - Jonathon Papelbon

4 - JJ Putz

A Notch Below

5 - Bobby Jenks

6 - Billy Wagner

7 - Mariano Rivera

8 - Takashi Saito

Steady Vets & Closers On The Brink

9 - Jason Isringhausen

10 - Matt Capps

11 - Joe Borowski

12 - Joakim Soria

13 - Trevor Hoffman

14 - Rafael Soriano

15 - Manny Corpas

The Show Me Closers

16 - Francisco Cordero

17 - Jose Valverde

18 - Brad Lidge

19 - Eric Gagne

20 - Chad Cordero

21 - Todd Jones

Please Stay Healthy

22 - Kerry Wood

23 - Brandon Lyon

24 - BJ Ryan

25 - Huston Street

Good Arms, Bad Teams

26 - Brian Wilson

27 - CJ Wilson

28 - Kevin Gregg

29 - Troy Percival  

Sorry, Your Closing For Baltimore

30 - George Sherrill

FSE Fantasy Baseball Positional Rankings - Outfield

The finish line is near for the FSE Positional Rankings. With the infielders and starting pitchers complete, we now analyze the outfielders, breaking them down into three tiers while highlighting some honorable mentions and sleepers.

The Elite

This grouping is composed of some of the most steady and consistent outfield talent in baseball. The majority of them have great pop and can steal the occasional base, as well. Most of these guys are healthy contributors who have spent little to any time on the DL over the course of their careers. Cannot stress this enough, you need healthy players to win in fantasy.

1 Alfonso Soriano

2 Carl Crawford

3 Matt Holliday

4 Grady Sizemore

5 Vlad Guerrero

6 Carlos Lee

7 Adam Dunn

8 Nick Markakis

9 Magglio Ordonez

10 Curtis Granderson

The Show Me Players

This is an interesting mix of veterans with something to prove and younger guys who are simply trying to prove they belong. Anyone one of these guys could take that next step, or even regress and it wouldn't be much of a surprise.

11 Ichiro Suzuki

12 Carlos Beltran

13 Manny Ramirez

14 Chris B Young

15 Delmon Young

16 Alex Rios

17 Jeff Francoeur

18 Bobby Abreu

19 Torii Hunter

20 Andruw Jones

Savvy Vets & The Next Wave

A lof of younger players here who need to show they can do it at the major league level for another season. A bunch of talent here, and all are guys worth drafting. Just keep an eye on them to make sure they can actually repeat their 2007 numbers. Toward the bottom are vets like Jermaine Dye and Gary Sheffield who will be out to show they can still play at an elite level, despite either injuries or inconsistencies in '07.

21 Corey Hart

22 Eric Byrnes

23 Hunter Pence

24 Brad Hawpe

25 Josh Hamilton

26 Jermaine Dye

27 Kosuke Fukudome 

28 Gary Sheffield

29 Nick Swisher

30 Matt Kemp

Honorable Mentions 

This is where we get to the riskier picks. A few of these guys really need to have strong 2008 seasons to show they actually still have it. A guy like Michael Cuddyer makes it because his numbers don't warrant a higher ranking, however his consistency deserves mention. 

Jason Bay

Josh Willingham

Vernon Wells

Michael Cuddyer

Pat Burrell

Sleepers 

An interesting mix here of guys who are "cheap power," "young speedsters," and "injury plagued." These are the guys who you should take a flier on later on in the draft. They could go on to have good seasons, or they could be a disaster. You can draft players like this, just don't bank on them carrying your team at any time, and expect some drastic hot and cold streaks,

Jack Cust

Jeremy Hermida

Franklin Guiterrez

Lastings Milledge

Rick Ankiel

Garrett Anderson

Cameron Maybin

Adam Jones

FSE Fantasy Baseball Positional Rankings - Starting Pitching

With our infield positional rankings complete, it is time to tackle the starting pitchers. We will breakdown the top 40 starting pitchers into four tiers while highlighting some honorable mentions and sleepers.

Top 40 Starting Pitchers

The Elite

The Elite is reserved for guys who can carry a fantasy team. They will collect numbers across all 4 of the most regularly used fantasy stats for starting pitchers W, K, ERA and WHIP. If your league counts them against you, then these are also guys who limit the amount of losses they have as well. These are the pitchers you should never bench for any reason, and never worry about match ups. Just put them out there and let them work their magic.

1 Johan Santana

2 Josh Beckett

3 Brandon Webb

4 CC Sabathia

5 Jake Peavy

6 Roy Oswalt

7 Dan Haren

8 Carlos Zambrano

9 Erik Bedard

10 Justin Verlander

A Notch Below

Our second tier features guys who could be in the top tier, but for a variety of reasons cannot be placed there. They might need to prove themselves with more solid seasons of stats (Fausto Carmona, Dice-K Cole Hamels) they maybe injury prone (Roy Halladay, Brad Penny) they maybe getting older (John Smoltz, Pedro Martinez) or they just might have maxed out their talent and will never be a top tier pitcher (Lackey, Hudson). Regardless these are guys who will offer solid starts, and put up fine numbers over the course of a long season. They won't put up the dominant numbers the tier 1 guys can and might be prone to the occasional rocky outing or missed start due to injury. Some guys, like Hamels, Dice-K or Hernandez might actually pitch their way off of this list season, and into the elite status.

11 John Lackey

12 Roy Halladay

13 Cole Hamels

14 Fausto Carmona

15 John Smoltz

16 Felix Hernandez

17 Brad Penny

18 Tim Hudson

19 Pedro Martinez

20 Dice K

The Show Me Pitchers

It is with the tier 3 list we begin to see more injury prone pitchers, guys who really need to show something this season and pitchers on the cusp. The only pitcher who probably shouldn't be on this list is Aaron Harang, who gets a bum wrap tossing for a mediocre Cincinnati team. Guys like Scott Kazmir, Brett Myers, Ben Sheets, AJ Burnett and Chris Young all show flashes of brilliance, but can't manage to stay healthy all season, and therefore can't be counted on when you need them. They are useful to own if you have the depth to minimize their missed starts, or inconsistent play at times. Most of these guys can at least collect a bunch of Ks when they are out there on the hill. Adam Wainwright, Fransisco Liriano and Rich Hill are probably the best bets to be able to take the leap into the second tier of pitchers. Chien Ming Wang is great for W, but doesn't dominate any other category, and collects few Ks.

21 Scott Kazmir

22 Francisco Liriano

23 AJ Burnett

24 Aaron Harang

25 Brett Myers

26 Chris Young

27 Adam Wainwright

28 Rich Hill

29 Chien Ming Wang

30 Ben Sheets

Underrated Aces & The Next Wave

This group consists mostly of pitchers on the cusp who need to show consistency before making the leap. The top candidates are John Maine, James Shields, Ian Snell, Oliver Perez, Matt Cain, Gil Meche Tim Lincecum and Jeff Francis. In addition, there are some guys who were subject to bad luck last season that hurt their value going into this season (Mark Buerhle, Andy Pettitte). The good thing about these guys is that they aren't injury risks and should be healthy all season. The bad part is, they aren't as much of sure thing as the top 30. That said, there is something to be said for healthy, consistent players.

31 John Maine

32 James Shields

33 Jeff Francis

34 Ian Snell

35 Mark Buerhle

36 Oliver Perez

37 Tim Lincecum

38 Andy Pettitte

39 Gil Meche

40 Matt Cain

Honorable Mentions

Guy who could have had a couple of down seasons headline the list in Willis and Bonderman. They could turn it around and go back to their old winning ways, or they could continue to struggle and be mediocre. Ted Lilly was much more consistent last season, for the Cubs, pitching in the NL, but needs to show he can do it again. Garza and Hughes are both young pitchers with upside, but have yet to deal with the ups and downs and rigors of a full MLB season.

Jeremy Bonderman

Ted Lilly

Matt Garza

Phil Hughes

Sleepers

These are guys who could really step up in the 2008 season. I actually like some of these guys more than I do out Honorable Mention guys. Pitchers like Ubaldo Jimenez, Scott Baker, Dustin McGowen and Yovani Gallardo all have the potential to take their games to the next level and become consistent, trustworthy starters.

Ubaldo Jimenez

Scott Baker

Dustin McGowan

Brian Bannister

Franklin Morales

Micah Owings

Yovani Gallardo

Shaun Marcum

Ian Kennedy

Edinson Volquez

FSE Fantasy Baseball Positional Rankings - Shortstop

Over the next week, FSE will release rankings for each position in fantasy baseball. Top 10s will be provided for all infield positions while outfielders, starting pitchers and relievers will have an expanded set of rankings. In addition, we will highlight a few sleepers at each position and provide some honorable mentions if applicable.

We have already covered catchers, first basemen, second basemen and third basemen which brings us to the final position on the infield, shortstop.

Top Ten Shortstops

#1 Jose Reyes - You really can't go wrong with any of the top three shortstops. Reyes gets the slight nod here as he is the only guy in fantasy baseball with the ability to steal 70+ bases. He will also hit around .300 and score a ton of runs while contributing in homeruns and RBIs. Don't let his slump late last season worry you, he should be a top 10 fantasy player this season.

#2 Hanley Ramirez - Ramirez is coming off a monster season hitting .338 with 29 homers, 51 SB and 125 runs scored. Ramirez even added 81 RBIs while putting up an OPS of nearly .950. Hanley is still only 24 and will continue to improve this season. A 30+ homer, 50+ stolen base season is a distinct possibility and he might even see more RBI opportunities if the Marlins decide to move him into the three hole.

#3 Jimmy Rollins - J-Roll could easily be the #1 SS in fantasy as he is coming off a season where he went 30-40 while scoring 139 runs and nearly driving in 100. Rollins will continue to hit leadoff int he powerful Phillies lineup and hit in one of the best hitter's park in baseball. Expect similar gaudy numbers across the boards from Rollins as he attempts to back up yet another round of preseason prognostications.

#4 Derek Jeter - The old stalwart at the shortstop position, Jeter who will be 34 in June saw his numbers slipped a bit last season in both the homerun and stolen base department. Regardless, Jeter is one of the more reliable players in all of fantasy, rarely missing a game due to injury and a lock to hit over .300 with double digit homeruns and steals, 100+ runs scored and 70+ RBIs. He will leadoff for a formidable Yankees lineup and continue to thrive.

#5 Troy Tulowitzki - After a slow start, Tulo burst on the scene last year with the upstart Rockies, putting up formidable power numbers across the board. Tulowitzki is an excellent fielder so errors are not a a concern and he should be good for 25 homers and 100+ RBIs hitting in hitter friendly Coors Field. A very solid option at shortstop with a bit of upside.

#6 Carlos Guillen - The Tigers will be playing Guillen at first base this season in an effort to keep him on the field. Fortunately, fantasy owners will be able to start him at SS which means far less errors than you would usually see at the position. Guillen is a steady offensive producer hitting in choice spot in a deep Tigers lineup. 20 homers, 100 RBIs, 10 SBs and an average around .300 are likely as long as Guillen avoids the DL.

#7 Miguel Tejada - Hitting in the bandbox once known as Enron, Tejada is in excellent position for a legitimate bounce back season. He will be surrounded by formdiable bats in the Houston lineup and face weaker pitching staffs in the NL Centeral, giving him a great chance to return to form if he can avoid injury.

#8 Rafael Furcal - Furcal struggled mightily early last season and finished with some of the poorest numbers of his career. Ranking him as the #8 SS may seem a little high, but Furcal is now fully healthy, will be hitting at the front of an improving Dodgers lineup and still is one of the speedier guys in baseball. We expect a nice bounce back season from Furcal featuring double digit homerun totals, 30 SB, 100+ runs scored and an average between .280-.290. He is too talented to be held down back to back seasons.

#9 Michael Young - You can always count on Young to hit for a high average; however, his power numbers have been steadily declining. Now 31 and hitting in a Rangers lineup that is less potent than it has been in the past, Young's fantasy value has regressed a bit. Although he can no longer get you 20 homeruns, Young is still good for a .300+ BA, 80-90 RBI and runs scored and close to double digit steals. Take him once the top SS are off the board.

#10 Edgar Renteria - Renteria quietly sneaks in at #10 and could be in line for a big season. An offseason trade landed the veteran SS in Detroit where he is projected to hit towards the front of the Tigers' powerful lineup. Renteria had a fine 2007 hitting .332 with double digit homeruns and SB. Although not the elite SS he once was, he will be able to help you in multiple categories this season, most notably batting average and runs scored, and could even see a spike in his production if he can stay healthy.

Honorable Mentions

Khalil Greene - Isn't going to hit for good average, but Greene quietly hit 27 homers to go along with 97 RBIs and 89 runs scored in the hitter's nightmare known as Petco Park. Entering 2008 at the golden age of 27, a 30 homer, 100 RBI season is a real possibility. Greene could be a real value pick later in the draft.

JJ Hardy -Hardy got off to a red hot start to the 2007 campaign before coming back down to Earth. After hitting 18 homers in the first half, Hardy only notched 8 dingers after the allstar break and was fairly average in the final months of the season. Regardless the 25 year old has the ability to hit 20 homers and drive in 80 runs, but don't expect too much in the way of batting average or stolen bases.

Orlando Cabrera - Now with the White Sox, Cabrera should continue to hit for an average around .300, scoring around 100 runs and steal around 20 bases. His speed gives him value, but his numbers are very average as a whole.

Jhonny Peralta - I've come across a bunch of people who are especially high on Peralta this season but I just don't see it. He is a one dimensional player with his only plus being an ability to hit homeruns. Peralta does not hit for average, drive in a ton of runs or steal bases. Basically he is a poor man's Dan Uggla.

Sleepers

Yunel Escobar - The Braves liked this kid so much they were willing to unload Edgar Renteria and hand him the starting SS job. At only 25, Escobar is still growing as a player however, he has the ability to make respectable contributions in fantasy this year. A .300 average with around 100 runs scored and homerun and steal totals in the low teens are a definite possibility.

Stephen Drew - Brother of Philadelphia's favorite son JD Drew, Stephen struggled in his rookie campaign in 2007 but showed flashes of good things to come. If he can get his strikeouts down and raise his average, Drew is a shortstop that can give you double digit homerun and stolen base totals. In addition, Drew should put up over 70 RBIs and runs scored if he gets over 550 ABs.

FSE Fantasy Baseball Positional Rankings - Third Base

Over the next week, FSE will release rankings for each position in fantasy baseball. Top 10s will be provided for all infield positions while outfielders, starting pitchers and relievers will have an expanded set of rankings. In addition, we will highlight a few sleepers at each position and provide some honorable mentions if applicable.

With catchers, first basemen and second basemen down, we turn our attention to third base.

Top Ten Third Basemen

#1 Alex Rodriguez - As the joke goes, "Just a hunch."

#2 David Wright - .300 hitter, 20/20 guy, with 100RBI. Great numbers for an outfielder. For a 3B they are unique and show what makes him so valuable.

#3 Miguel Cabrera - Still very young and is moving to one of the best offensive teams in all of baseball. Don't worry about the ballpark, the field he played on in Florida was huge and it didn't seem to cause him any problems.

#4 Ryan Braun - OF with 3B eligibility... SIGN ME UP! If your league counts errors, he will commit a lot fewer in the OF that he would manning 3B. 20/20 potential, and could put up David Wright type numbers over the course of a full season.

#5 Aramis Ramirez - Always seems to be battling injury, yet always seems to hit .300 with 30HR. Scary to think what he could do if he was healthy completely healthy for an entire season. Playing in a great hitters park with a solid lineup around hi won't hurt either.

#6 Ryan Zimmerman - Moving into a new ballpark, that is much more hitter friendly. His chronic wrist injury makes me nervous, but he seems to get along fine even with it. He will hit in the middle of a lineup that will be scrappy and play with tons of fire.

#7 Chone Figgins - Adds a different dimension to the 3B spot, showing more speed and less power than we are accustomed to seeing. He could be eligible to play a few different spots depending on the type of league you are in. Is good for 40SB, but doesn't really offer much else in terms of fantasy production.

#8 Garrett Atkins - Ignore April and May and he had a dominant season. Playing in the mean Colorado air sure won't hurt either, no matter how much they retard the balls.

#9 Chipper Jones - If you look at Chipper's numbers last season, he was awesome. Consider the amount of games he played in and numbers he accumulated. The old man needs to stay on the ballfield, and play in at least 140 games to make not only the Braves a better team, but your fantasy team as well.

#10 Alex Gordon - Rookie went 15/15 last season and managed to his .285 in the second half, despite lowering his walk total and raising his strikeout total. We are banking in last season's preseason rookie of the year favorite it put it all together this season, and become a top 5 guy by the end of the year.

Honorable Mentions

Adrian Beltre - Remarkably consistent despite his the fact Seattle hasn't seen great returns on its investment. He is good for a .280AVG, 25HR, and 90RBI. Not great, and don't expect much more, but at least you know what to expect.

Kevin Kouzmanoff - He had a huge second half.

Mike Lowell - Mike Lowell is old, and was washed up 2 years ago. Then as I have said before, "Mike Lowell has had more comebacks than Meatloaf." Did You Know he finished second in RBI for 3B i all of baseball? In that line up, in that ballpark with that leftfield he should be in for another fine season.

Sleepers

Mark Reynolds - If he can play everyday, he has some great power potential. Has to produce to keep Chad Tracy out of the lineup, and if he can is good for 30HR.

Edwin Encarnacion - I am a big fan of power/ speed threats, and Encarnacion can do that. He is fully capable of 20HR and 10+SB if he can stay consistent and stay in the lineup. If he doesn't produce guys like Jeff Keppinger could take playing time away from him, but we are better he can put it together this season and become a fine fantasy option.

Pedro Feliz - Not a popular sleeper, but seriously, look at what he did last season in a terrible hitter's park in a terrible lineup. Now he moves to a great hitter's park in a great lineup. He will go under the radar, and he shouldn't. He will produce Adrian Beltre like numbers and go a lot later than he should in your draft.

FSE Fantasy Baseball Positional Rankings - Second Base

Over the next week, FSE will release rankings for each position in fantasy baseball. Top 10s will be provided for all infield positions while outfielders, starting pitchers and relievers will have an expanded set of rankings. In addition, we will highlight a few sleepers at each position and provide some honorable mentions if applicable.

Having already covered catchers and first basemen, we now take a look at the second basemen.

Top Ten Second Basemen

#1 Brandon Phillips - Our unconventional number 1 went 30/30 last season after going near 20/20 the season before. The plan is for him to move into the clean up spot in the line up in between Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn, meaning he should get plenty of RBI and R opportunities. Remember, the more a player can do in fantasy the more valuable he is.

#2 Chase Utley - The overall number one 2B to everyone outside of FSE. Can't go wrong with drafting Chase Utley as he is a lock for 25HR, 12SB, 100R, 100+RBI and a high BA. Keep in mind he missed most of August of last season with a broken wrist and still put up great numbers.

Quick Note - The fact both of our top 2 players hit in tremendous hitter's ballparks is more than just a coincidence.

#3 BJ Upton - Still very young and still getting much better. He missed parts of the season last year and still went 20/20. Upton moves to CF full time this season so this will probably be the last season you can own him as a 2B. Enjoy the outfield numbers (many less errors) from a 2B if you can get him this season.

#4 Robinson Cano - The Yankees 2B looks primed to take his sweet swing to the next level. Look for Cano to hit 25HR, with 100RBI and a .300AVG. The only thing separating him from the top 3 is his lack of stolen bases.

#5 Ian Kinsler - Kinsler went 20/20 last season and didn't tell anyone. The lineup he is in is no longer the juggernaut people remember, but they can still score runs and play in a great hitters park. Kinsler will be in the middle of that all, hitting towards the front of the lineup. Kinsler does commit a lot of errors and has yet to post a better than mediocre batting average.

#6 Rickie Weeks - We might have gone a bit overboard here but if you owned him in September he may have well carried your team to a championship appearance in your league head- to- head league. He finally showed the flashes of brilliance people had expected for years. He has posted awful spring numbers and that is probably scaring people in your draft away from him. Do not be afraid, take the young 2B with great potential.

#7 Brian Roberts - A bit lower here than he appears on most lists, but as of writing he still cashes he paychecks in Baltimore, for a team that is going to be awful. The offense surrounding him should prove to be very mediocre, with himself and Nick Markakis being the lone bright spots.

#8 Dan Uggla- easy to dismiss him, but tough to ignore the numbers. In 2 seasons he is averaging close to 110R, 90RBI, and 29HR. The batting average is nothing to go crazy over, but the rest of his numbers are very solid, and will allow him to go under the radar in most drafts.

#9 Kelly Johnson - Will bat in an explosive Atlanta Braves' line up and will certainly build on his .276AVG, 16HR and 9SB he posted in his first full season in the majors. He will go later than he should and has a lot of upside going into 2008.

#10 Howie Kendrick - The guy will go 15/15 and hit .320 if he can stay healthy. He will be surrounded by talent no matter where he hits in the Angel's lineup, although its our guess, he'll be near the top. The injuries hurt him last season, look for a healthy season and near top 5 2B numbers this year.

Honorable Mentions

Placido Polanco- He can hit for AVG., but doesn't do a whole lot more. Polanco doesn't offer much in the way of power, but hitting atop this Tiger's lineup you can be assured he'll score a bunch of runs.

Freddy Sanchez- Sanchez isn't as good as his batting title would have you think, but he is still a strong ball player. He is essentially the N.L. version of Placido Polanco, in a worse offense.

Jeff Kent- By a product of age and injury he begins to be devalued, but look at his numbers last season. .300AVG, 70RBI, 20HR, 78R, in 494AB. Solid numbers for a 2B. Kent is a gamer and will be a better player in his twilight, than some of the guys who we have ranked in our top 10 will be this season.

Sleeper

Aaron Hill - Hill enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2007 hitting .291 with 17 homers and 78 RBIs. He will be 26 on opening day and should hit towards the the front of the Blue Jays lineup in 2008 as the unquestioned starter at second base. I would say that .300-20HR-80+ RBIs are a possibility for Hill this season making him a solid under the radar option at second base.

FSE Fantasy Baseball Positional Rankings - First Base

Over the next week, FSE will release ranking for each position in fantasy baseball. Top 10s will be provided for all infield positions while outfielders, starting pitchers and relievers will have an expanded set of rankings. In addition, we will highlight a few sleepers at each position and provide some honorable mentions if applicable.

We kicked off yesterday with the catchers and now turn our attention to the first basemen.

Top 10 First Basemen

#1 Ryan Howard - A slugger in the prime of his career and the best bet to his 50+HR this season. Sitting in the middle of a potent Phillies lineup in a small ballpark makes him our #1 1B over all.

#2 Prince Fielder - People forget he is 6 years younger than Howard and Albert Pujols. He is still very young and growing as a hitter and as a slugger. He is #2 now, but do not be surprised if by the end of the season he is #1.

#3 Albert Pujols - Would be the #1 guy if we were not terrified by his elbow injury, that could cost him the season. You want your first round pick to be healthy and slugging all season. If the Cardinals are bad (which they look to be) who wouldn't be surprised if he is out by July or
August?

#4 Mark Texeira - Looking to regain that consistent power stroke that once made him a lock for 40HR. He should have a big season hitting in a solid Atlanta Braves' lineup, in the fastball league.

#5 Justin Mourneau - There is something to be said for a guy who can consistently hit .280 with 30HR and 100RBI.

#6 Derek Lee - Unique because he can steal a base and has more value in a head to head league because of this. He regained his HR stroke in the second half of last season and could position himself back atop the elite 1B this season.

#7 Lance Berkman - Switch hitter who should settle into playing 1B on a full time basis this season. He can hit 30HR and will play in a great hitter's park with a solid lineup around him.

#8 Paul Konerko - The most underrated guy on this list, hits 30+HR every season and drives in 100+ near every season. He will go much later than he should in your draft, so keep an eye out for him.

#9 Adrian Gonzalez - If he didn't play in SD he might be higher up the rankings. The offense around him is awful and he plays in a bad hitter's ballpark. Still a lock for 20HR and a .300BA, hitting in the middle of a lineup.

#10 Carlos Pena - Phenom who finally broke out last season slugged 40HR and had well over 100RBI despite not being a fulltime player for the first few months of the season. He is listed here because of his potential but also because he has to show he can do it for more than 1 year.

Honorable Mentions

Todd Helton - Todd Helton is old. He lost his elite status and now doesn't even crack our top 10. He is still a decent bat, but is more Lyle Overbay now than Albert Pujols.

Carlos Guillen - Will be playing 1B this year, but will have SS eligibility. The move will help him stay healhty over the course of the long season, so draft him and put him at SS where he will play like a top player. In a pinch he will even be a decent 1B option, as he can steal a bag, unlike many other 1B.

Sleepers

James Loney - Came up last season and hit like gang busters, for a rookie. He should improve on his numbers this year. The mediocre lineup around him, and bad hitter's park are reasons to be weary of drafting him. That being said, he will be a fine pick later on after the top 10 guys are gone.

Ryan Garko - Former catcher got a chance to play 1B on a full time basis last season and hit pretty well. Look for Garko to improve his power a bit and RBI total from last season, as he becomes more familiar will hitting in the major leagues.

Adam Laroche - Has been the definition of a second half player for years now. He said he changed his off season workout routine so he can be better in April and May making him a more consistent bet over the course of a long season.

Joey Votto - Young guy who can steal a base and hit a HR. He has gone 20/20 in each of the last seasons in the minors, and even had a decent degree of success during his cup of coffee in the majors last season. Dusty Baker wants him to the starter, so don't worry about playing time.

Kevin Youkilis - Tough to ignore the Red Sox 1B. He can hit anywhere from 1-6 in the lineup, meaning he will either be in great spot to score runs, or drive in RBI. He slumped in the second half last year and if he can put it all together this year could be inline for a 20HR and 100RBI season.

FSE Fantasy Baseball Positional Rankings - Catchers

Over the next week, FSE will release ranking for each position in fantasy baseball. Top 10s will be provided for all infield positions while outfielders, starting pitchers and relievers will have an expanded set of rankings. In addition, we will highlight a few sleepers at each position and provide some honorable mentions if applicable. Today we will kick it off with the catchers.

Top Ten Catchers

#1 Victor Martinez - We ranked V- Mart number one for many reasons. First of all he is 29 years old and is surrounded by a talented team that will compete for a championship this year. He has first base eligibility which will help him in the long run during the season. Over the last 4 year he has averaged 20 HR and 90 RBI. The days of Mike Piazza type numbers are a thing of the past and V- Mart will provide you with the best number from the catcher’s position.

#2 Russell Martin - After two seasons in the Majors leagues, Martin has skyrocketed to the top of the pack. He is like Jason Kendal with a bat. He will give you a good average and most of all he will provide steals. Not many catchers can give you that category. Just like Martinez, we like him because he is still young and will not break down over the long haul. He stands as the lone catcher with 20-20 potential.

#3 Joe Mauer - After analyzing the data, we can see one important red flag about Mauer. If he is healthy he is awesome. In 2006 he played an entire season and batted .347! He is a career .313 hitter and will give you double digit homers every year.

#4 Brian Mc Cann - Over his first two seasons in the big leagues he has averaged 20 HR and 90 RBI. He is only 24 years old and hasn’t reached his prime yet. He will become an All Star eventually. He and Martin will be swapping the starting All Star spot every year.

#5 Jorge Posada - Surprisingly this 36 year old catcher is still hitting and playing everyday. Since he is on the Yankees he will see plenty of RBI opportunities and will see a lot of pitches to hit. Last season he surprised everyone with his offense. Granted he is getting older, he is still a valuable and reliable man behind the dish.

#6 Jarrod Saltalamacchia - Spelling his name is probably more difficult than hitting Mariano Rivera. Salty was sent to Texas in the Texiera deal, providing with him an opportunity to play and a better chance at power numbers since Texas is a launching pad. Salty will also see some time at first base this year making him more valuable since he is eligible at another spot in many formats. He should put up double digits in HR and maybe get 70-80 RBI with that Texas inflation.

#7 Kenji Johjima - Look for him to provide you with 15-20 HR, about 70 RBI and a decent batting average (career .289 hitter). He is as vanilla as it gets and a nice option once the top 5 are off the board.

#8 Ivan Rodriguez - Obviously his best days are behind him, and his best muscles are as well. However, he has 6 HR so far this spring and is batting lead off. The reason he is batting lead off is so he can get more at bats before he gets taken out of the spring games. Don’t look for him to lead off once the real games begin but you expect solid production from the man they call Pudge.

#9 AJ Pierzynski - Among the more hated players in baseball, AJP is a pretty steady option at catcher in fantasy baseball good for homers in the mid teens and around 55-60 RBIs.

#10 Benji Molina - Well, he will be batting clean up for the Giants. There isn’t much around him and if he is the biggest offensive weapon they have, he and the team are in big trouble.

#10 Ramon Hernandez - Injuries have hobbled Hernandez last season leading to his least productive season since 2002. He appears healthy this spring as he looks to return to form; however, he will be hitting in a poor Baltimore lineup and injuries remain a concern for the soon to be 32 catcher. He is a decent option at catcher with some upside.

Sleepers

J.R. Towles - This guy has all the makings of a future star behind the plate. Towles ran through the minor leagues and now has Brad Ausmus to help him through his first season. After spending 3 years in A ball, he skyrocketed up the system and now looks to be the starting catcher in Houston for years to come.

Geovany Soto - Soto will be the starting catcher in a potent Cubs offense in 2008. He has put up big power numbers in the minors and was productive in 47 Septemeber ABs with the Cubs in 2007 hitting .426 with 3 homers. Soto has been hot this spring and has great power potential.

Dioner Navarro - A top prospect at one time, Navarro sputtered in a stint with the Dodgers and then again in the first half of 2007 with the Rays. However after a hot second half where he hit 8 HR and drove in 31 runs, Navarro is now the unquestioned starter in a strong Rays lineup. He could put up solid numbers similar to Kenji Johjima this season, but will be drafted a few rounds after the Seattle backstop.

Carlos Ruiz - If given the opportunity to play everyday he could develop into a solid catcher and give you numbers similar to a Molina. He could hit around 20 HR, he has potential.