1. Francisco Rodriguez—LAA—“K-Rod” has been blowing hitters away since he came into the league, and last year was no exception. He has had 40+ saves for the last three seasons, while nearing 100 K’s in each of those years. His funky delivery makes you think he is either going to blow out his elbow, or take a come backer in the head. However, he

1. Johan Santana—MIN—Since 2004, no one has been as dominating as Santana, as he won two Cy Young awards in that time. From ’04 to ’06 he averaged 18 wins, 230 innings, and almost 250 strikeouts to only 48 walks. He stumbled a bit last season (a season most other pitchers would take in a heartbeat), but between moving to the NL, and getting on a team that actually scores

1. Matt Holliday—COL—After breaking out in 2006, many wondered if Holliday was for real, or just a one-year wonder. He left that discussion in the dust when he not only kept up his production, but improved. Holliday hit a robust .340 with 36 HRs and 137 RBI. He was well over 200 hits, well over 100 runs, and was a close second in the

1. Alex Rodriguez—NYY—How did this guy have an MVP season, opt out of his contract, and then end up signing back with his original team for less money???? If you got points for common sense, A-Rod would go undrafted. If you got points for having a backbone, A-Rod would go undrafted. Lucky for him, and his owners, baseball is about statistics. Few people put up the numbers that Mr. Rodriguez

1. Hanley Ramirez—FLA—He has the potential to be the number one overall pick in your draft. Most people will side with A-Rod, but I don’t think he will have quite the same season again this year. Hanley is a beast in almost every category. 125 runs, 212 hits, nearly 30 HRs, 80+ RBI, 50+ steals, and a stellar .332 average. Add that all together

1. Chase Utley—PHI—The class of the position without question. Even though he missed a month of the season, Utley was still magnificent. Not only a stellar .332 average but over 100 RBI and 22 taters. He is still a first round pick and possible MVP candidate if the Phillies contend again this year. Assuming he doesn’t get HBP in the hand again, look for

1. Ryan Howard—PHI—After being injured and struggling the first six weeks of ’07, Howard continued his assault on National League pitching. Although his average dropped 45 points, Howard still finished among the leaders in HRs and RBI. Howard’s one downfall is his horrendous eye at the plate. He set a new mark of swinging and missing with 199 strikeouts. Expect another monster season…
[ read the rest of this entry ]

1. Russell Martin—LAD—20/20 catchers don’t grow on trees ya know. Ok, so he fell one homer short of that mark, but in just two seasons Martin has quickly ascended to the top of fantasy catcher rankings. Add a .300 average, a good BB/K ratio, and soon to be gold glove defense, and you can be sure that Martin will be behind the plate the majority of days for the Dodgers