By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer
1. Jose Reyes – There’s a real argument to be made for selecting Reyes No. 1 overall.
2. Jimmy Rollins – Rollins has officially become a tad underrated according to his ADP. Even if a drop off in HRs is likely, the ballpark and lineup around him more than make up for it. He’s much more likely to reach 40 steals than Derek Jeter is.
3. Derek Jeter – It’s best not to expect another .343 average or 34 SBs but that doesn’t mean Jeter won’t be plenty valuable. He’s probably the favorite to lead the league in runs scored.
4. Hanley Ramirez – Ramirez certainly surprised me last year, as I was under the assumption he wasn’t quite ready to contribute at the major league level yet. It’s safest to expect a slight regression this season, and Ramirez is probably someone I will avoid, but his steal potential alone ranks him above Tejada and Young.
5. Miguel Tejada – He’s on the decline. That .168 Isolated Power from last year tells you as much. Still, at a position as thin as SS, he’s a fine second round pick.
6. Michael Young – A consensus top-15 pick last year, I’m not really sure why his stock is falling so much entering this season. Expect a handful more HRs this year, and his value is roughly on par with Tejada’s.
7. Rafael Furcal – Furcal could easily prove to be as valuable as anyone else in this tier, but his BA should drop at least 15-20 points. Having premiere out-maker Juan Pierre batting directly behind him should hurt his run production as well.
8. Troy Glaus – Make sure he’s available at SS in your league, but if so, Glaus’ 40-HR potential makes him quite valuable at a MI spot. Just make sure you can take the hit in BA.
9. Julio Lugo – Most will probably rank Felipe Lopez above Lugo, but the lineup and ballpark is enough of an advantage for me to give Lugo the edge here.
10. Felipe Lopez – Once he called RFK Stadium home, Lopez knocked out just two homers in 274 at-bats. While his power numbers won’t be quite so suppressed this year, his hitting environment suffered dramatically leaving Cincy for Washington.
11. Carlos Guillen – One of the most underrated hitters in the game when in the lineup. Injuries, of course, is the ruse with Guillen. Make sure you are paying for only 450-500 at-bats.
12. Bill Hall – Speaking of underrated, Hall clubbed the quietest 35 home runs in the league last year. If you think he can do it again, go ahead and reach for him.
13. Edgar Renteria – Clearly preferring the Senior Circuit, Renteria bounced back with Atlanta after a sub-par 2005 campaign. Expect more of the same this year.
14. Stephen Drew – When you reach this point, go with the kid with the most upside.
15. Orlando Cabrera – A fine middle tier option.
16. Jhonny Peralta – A great target if you wait on your MI, Peralta’s OPS fell nearly .200 points from the previous season last year. Expect improvement this time around.
17. Freddy Sanchez – There’s a chance he only contributes in one category this year.
18. Bobby Crosby – His injury troubles are a legitimate concern. If he comes discounted enough, he still makes a fine late-round gamble. After all, he was ESPN’s MVP prediction last year.
19. Jason Bartlett – The fact he’s slated to hit ninth curtails his value but not a bad late round filler.
20. Wilson Betemit – A sneaky solid option. A .280-20-80 season is a real possibility.
21. Omar Vizquel – Continues to defy age.
22. Khalil Greene
23. Aaron Hill
24. Juan Uribe
25. Rich Aurilia
26. Troy Tulowitzki
27. Yuniesky Betancourt
28. David Eckstein
29. Angel Berroa
30. J.J. Hardy
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