1. Alex Rodriguez - Some fantasy seasons can be defined by a single player. Football in 2006 gave us LaDainian Tomlinson; and then, this year, we had Tom Brady. The 2007 fantasy baseball season was A-Rod from the start, as he tore out of the gates in April with 14 homers in 18 games. But can the proud new owner of a massive $275 million contract replicate his Ruthian totals? While some regression is likely to occur, we expect the improvements A-Rod made to his game in last year's offseason -- trimming down and adding new high leg kick -- to carry over in 2008.
TIPS Projection: 132 Runs / 48 HR / 141 RBI / 19 SB / .310 AVG
2. David Wright - Fantasy fans had a hard time deciding between Wright and Miguel Cabrera in 2007 as both players were both late first-rounders. That decision could prove equally difficult in upcoming drafts. The duo will see boosts in value, but for different reasons: Cabrera, for the change in venue, Wright for his transition from fantasy All-Star to fantasy superstar. Coming off his first 30/30 season in which he set career highs in runs, homers, steals, walks, and batting average, DW is looking more and more like a young Chipper Jones but with consistent stolen base ability. After attempting 24 and 25 steals in 2005 and 2006 respectively, he let loose and swiped 34 of 39. That 87% success rate may be hard to sustain, but expect Wright to continue to be one of the few five-category fantasy studs on his way to overtaking A-Rod on this list by 2009.
TIPS Projection: 109 Runs / 33 HR / 119 RBI / 27 SB / .325 AVG
3. Miguel Cabrera - Landing smack in the middle of what was already one the most potent lineups in MLB, Cabrera will enter his fifth season batting either cleanup -- sandwiched between Sheffield and Ordonez -- or third, ahead of the two veterans. The upshot should generate a big increase in runs and RBI for the soon-to-be 25 year old. Cabrera, however, has slightly underachieved in interleague play with a .294/.358/.522 line in 321 plate appearances, so this may not be the year he reaches the 40-homer plateau. That aside, the world's chunkiest Santería high priest should not disappoint in Motown.
TIPS Projection: 124 Runs / 36 HR/ 133 RBI / 4 SB / .324 AVG
4. Ryan Braun - The fantasy rookie chatter last March seesawed between Delmon Young and Alex Gordon. Then along came Braun. After after being called up in late May, he smashed 15 homers in his first 50 games (faster than any rookie since Albert Pujols in 2001) on his way to one of the most impressive freshman campaigns since Pujols and Mike Piazza. In fact, Braun had as many runs and HRs as Cabrera in 137 fewer at-bats while posting a higher average and double-digit steals. So what can we expect from this phenom in his sophomore year? Braun's lack of plate discipline -- an unsightly 29/112 BB/K ratio along with a .361 BABIP -- suggests that some of his percentages can be attributed to luck. Nonetheless, expect his substantial power output to continue in 2008.
TIPS Projection: 107 Runs / 41 HR / 114 RBI / 15 SB / .300 AVG
5. Aramis Ramirez - There's not much dispute over the positional elite taken in the first two rounds, but the identity of the fifth player on this list isn't as clear-cut. Chipper Jones, Chone Figgins and Garrett Atkins make legitimate cases, but each comes with a level of risk: Can Chipper stay healthy? Can Figgins duplicate his Ichiro impression? Will the real Atkins please stand up? Ramirez himself comes with risk, having missed 23 games per year since 2004. Nevertheless during that time he has managed to average .305-33-104. Give him a full season's worth of at-bats and those numbers rise to 37 HR and 118 RBI -- not too shabby for a non-elite third baseman.
TIPS Projection: 92 Runs / 36 HR / 114 RBI / 1 SB / .307 AVG
6. Chipper Jones - Like the .333/.417/.631 in 2007 with Teixeira protecting him; Don't like the fact that he's missed an average of 40 games each season since 2004.
TIPS Projection: 95 Runs / 30 HR / 97 RBI / 4 SB / .327 AVG
7. Chone Figgins - With improved Angels lineup and full playing time, could post career highs.
TIPS Projection: 107 Runs / 6 HR / 67 RBI / 53 SB / .303 AVG
8. Garrett Atkins - Would like him better if he were batting third.
TIPS Projection: 91 Runs / 26 HR / 109 RBI / 2 SB / .308 AVG
9. Ryan Zimmerman - Wrist injury may keep him stuck around 25 HR.
TIPS Projection: 96 Runs / 25 HR / 98 RBI / 4 SB / .289 AVG
10. Mike Lowell - Gets to bat behind "Manny Ortiz" again.
TIPS Projection: 78 Runs / 18 HR / 115 RBI / 2 SB / .297 AVG
Recent Comments