Late Innings

The right side of the Orioles outfield looks fantastic. It’s athletic, fast, and will be running down many a fly ball. Couple it with an above-average Felix Pie (at least a 2.0 WAR player), and the outfield is one of the best in baseball. Jones, Pie and Markakis could all be center fielders, however Jones is the deep man, with the other two guys flanking him on each side.

Jones is having a great Spring, as is Markakis. Both players have expressed their desire to run the bases more in 2009 as well, and I’d expect more stolen bases from them. Markakis, being arbitration-eligible for the first time, got a new six-year contract two months back. Jones is looking forward to salary arbitration at the end of this season. In either case, both players should be plating similar numbers in 2009:

2009 Markakis Projection: .315 AVG, 23 HR, 95 RBI, 105 R, 18 SB, .395 OBP, .505 SLG

2009 Jones Projection: .288 AVG, 16 HR, 78 RBI, 75 R, 27 SB, .345 OBP, .465 SLG

I have strong projections for both players, and wouldn’t be surprised if both players stole more bases in 2009. Markakis’ RBI dropped last year, however his walks and OBP rose. He got on base more, and as a result, Aubrey Huff and Melvin Mora each drove in over 100 runs. Markakis’ home run totals dropped last year, but he slugged nearly 50 doubles. Markakis should be fine, and I expect him to be better this year, especially since he’s cutting back on his strikeouts.

In regards to Jones, I don’t expect him to exhibit the same level of patience that Markakis has, but I expect him to be above-average as well. The average centerfielder has a .780 OPS. Many projections have him around there, I have him at .810. I think Jones will be great in 2009, and while the power hasn’t quite developed yet, he’s still a very useful late-round draft choice. While Markakis is a fourth round draft choice this year, I expect Jones to be in the fifth or sixth rounds in 2010.

Jayson Stark of ESPN also agrees. He has Jones and Markakis on his All-Bull Market team.

I got a few emails today about a few players people want to see me project (yes I’ll get to Oliver Perez in due course.) Here’s one I wanted to project quickly yesterday, but got too drunk to write about.

Warning, he got a new contract. (source delawareonline.com.)

Now I know what everyone’s thinking… the Phillies’ front office locked up Howard until he’s a free agent, and people expect his production to curtail? I don’t see it that way. Yes his OPS has dropped off linearly (from 1.084 in 2006, to .976 in 2007 to .882 in 2008.) Will this trend continue? Not exactly, I think he bottoms out here.

Yes his peripherals suck, but he hits home runs still (150+ during his full three seasons) and drives in runs to make Jon Heyman happy.

2009 projection: .265 AVG, 600 AB, 52 HR, 145 RBI, .895 OPS, Strikeouts aplenty, 35 SB

Just kidding about the steals, however Howard is going buck wild this spring. But did anyone notice that he hit four triples in 2008! Willy Taveras stole about 70 bases last year and only reached half that total.

Clay Buchholz is out in the cold, in regards to a rotation spot in Boston. The rotation is stacked, with Theo Epstein bringing in affordable veterans Brad Penny and John Smoltz. However Buchholz is an injury away from a spot at the back end of the rotation. Of course, if Tim Wakefield gets hurt, or starts out ineffective, Buchholz will get a chance to prove himself again.

Last year was a wash for Buchholz, though we could possibly have attributed it to his breakup with Erica Ellyson. As a result, he went 2-9 with a 68 ERA+. Ouch.

2009 Projection: 10W, 155.0 IP, 3.68 ERA, 137 SO (7.95 K/9), 41 BB (2.38 BB/9), 1.29 WHIP

Sorry, Buchholz is too good of a talent for me to give up on. I think he’ll rebound in fashion in 2009, and be right behind Jon Lester in the 2010 rotation. He’s clearly making his case this spring as well, giving up only one earned run in 19.2 IP. He has 15 SO to go with that as well.

The Tigers’ Opening Day starter regressed slightly last year, after winning 35 games his first two years of his career. His fastball tailed off last year, to an average speed of 93.6 MPH (after being around 95 MPH the first two seasons.) Could that be the reason why his WHIP was high (1.40) or that his BABIP (.305) was its highest it has been in his career?

2009 Projection: 13 W, 210.0 IP, 3.85 ERA, 65 BB (2.78 BB/9), 175 K (7.50 K/9), 1.31 WHIP

Verlander was a fourth round pick in many fantasy drafts last year, and he disappointed in all formats. I’ve seen him go in the fourteenth round (on average) in some drafts. In other words, Verlander is a solid buy low candidate. Tigers’ manager Jim Leyland is impressed with what he’s seeing from his ace this Spring.

The Tigers, if kept the way they are, should be a team that scores around 800 runs, and wins about 83 games, even with the pitching staff in disarray as it is. However a fire sale (due to the poor economy) would change everything. If that happens, the wins and offense in Detroit would take a hit, and that would in turn suppress the number of wins that Verlander will achieve in 2009.

Peter Gammons of ESPN wrote about the Dodgers 21 year old starter today, currently slated as their #3 starter. RotoProfessor smells breakout with this pitcher, as do I:

2009 Projection: 14 W, 195.0 IP, 3.25 ERA, 208 SO, 75 BB, 1.35 WHIP

He’ll be the ace of the Dodgers come 2010.

Update: RP is projecting Kershaw to have 190 SO this year at a 12% rate. I think that probability is much higher than many believe… seriously. Edison Volquez whiffed 206 hitters last year. Who saw that happening?

Due to a few trades (e.g. Matt Holiday) and injuries, Hamilton is suddenly a first round fantasy draft choice. He went twelfth in my one league (auto-picker took him for me the day I was hungover.) Yeah the Rangers have a beast of a lineup, and it’ll look even better for them in 2009 than it did last year. Hamilton is just coming into his game, and I expect his speed to raise his status even further.

2009 Projection: .299 AVG, 41 HR, 135 RBI, 110 R, .395 OBP, .555 SLG, 17 SB

You heard it here first, Hamilton will be a top five fantasy pick come the start of the 2010 season.

It’s official, Brett Gardner has won the Yankees’ center fielder job. This will clearly cut into at bats for Nick Swisher and Xavier Nady. Gardner didn’t get on base much, but he can run, and plays solid defense. His power display this Spring possibly contributed to this title, however I doubt it’ll hold over the season. Cabrera also made a strong case this spring as well, but he’s suddenly a candidate to be traded.

2009 Projection: .265 AVG, 500 AB, 134 H, .315 OBP, .345 SLG, 3 HR, 27 SB

Gardner could possibly get 500 AB, he could get 200 AB, depending on the mood of the day from the Hank Steinbrenner. I’m leaning on the prior case. In either case, he’ll be buried somewhere near the bottom of the lineup, and rightfully so. The best team however would have Derek Jeter in center field. But due to political reasons, that’s not going to happen, leaving the Yankees with one expensive bench.

Gardner is the mirror image of the White Sox’s Jerry Owens, though Garnder brings a better stick to the plate.

In case anyone is watching, Kansas City Royals infielder Mark Teahen is having a torrid spring. Granted I don’t expect him to have a 1.500 OPS for the year, but I do expect him to break out (as I’ve been saying for two years now.) He went from utility man on the Royals, to their starting second baseman. He’s made a case this spring, as has the Royals’ offense, though Teahen didn’t participate in today’s latest slugfest.

2009 Projection: .290 AVG, 550 AB, 160 H, 24 HR, 80 RBI, 17 SB

Am I being generous? Yes slightly. However from the show that he’s put on this spring, he’s definitely worth a take on any fantasy roster.

We have a week before Opening Day, and I’ll celebrate the week by trying to cram in as many of these “fast projections” as I can.

The Orioles signed Koji Uehara to a two year, 10MM deal back in Janaury. He’ll be their #2 starter this year. He has outstanding control, with a fastball that will stay in the 85-88 MPH range. He was off-injured most of last year, and spent some time out of action this Spring as well. Still he’s apparently fine and is set to pitch the second game of the season against A.J. Burnett and the Yankees.

2009 Projection: 185.0 IP, 10 W, 4.20 ERA, 25 BB (1.21 BB/9), 95 SO (4.62 K/9), 1.26 WHIP

Uehara will give up his share of hits, but he’ll offset that figure with his low walk totals (which I project to be the lowest BB/9 in the majors, for starters with 160 IP or more pitched.) In either case that should translate into a nifty WHIP for him (and is a solid fantasy sleeper in this category.) My advice, give him a few weeks and stash him on your fantasy roster if he’s off to a hot start. Still, an injury could derail all of our plans here…

We are just two weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting, and I wanted to start throwing in a few of my sleeper picks for the upcoming season. I wrote a while back about Josh Phelps, which prompted ridicule from readers. I explained my case (mainly that he’ll get bats), and if he goes deep 25 times in 2009, there will be a lot of dumbfounded looks on people’s faces.

To clarify, almost everyone and their mother has labeled Chris Davis and Nelson Cruz their sleeper picks for 2009. Granted there’s no questioning their talent, however with everyone knowing this tidbit, I’m seeing Davis drafted on average in the sixth round, and I’ve seen Cruz (a AAAA All-Star) go as early as the ninth round. Suddenly these two players don’t quantify as sleepers anymore, do they?

Enter Ubaldo Jimenez. There are a number of pitchers on the Rockies staff who could be considered their ace. Jeff Francis was big two years back, and Aaron Cook was a welcome surprise last year. Dan O’Dowd and Co. locked up Jiminez to a solid four year deal this week. And if you look at Paul Maholm’s contract in comparison, in my opinion the Rockies will look very smart in the long run. Maholm has #3 starter ceiling, while Jimenez could easily be any team’s staff ace, if he could just harness his control.

The always good to read Roto Professor had his Ask the Expert piece up this week, and this piece featured the Denver Post’s Troy Renck. The staff ace question was brought up, and here was Renck’s excellent answer:

Ubaldo Jimenez is primed to be the ace. Nobody threw more fastballs over 95 miles per hour last season in the big leagues. The issue is command. When he has average command, he’s a no-hitter waiting to happen. But teams continue to exercise patience against him. Jimenez gets it, works on his correcting his mistakes. He should win 18 games this season.

I’m not sure if I could see him winning that many games, however I could see him winning fifteen games. I could also see Jimenez’s ERA in the 3.50 ballpark, with a ton of strikeouts. Now I’m not suggesting that you draft him early, but if I see him in the later rounds (19th and later), I’d grab him. I’m waiting until the eighth round to start plucking starting pitching this year. I grabbed a pitcher very early last year (fourth round), in Justin Verlander, and I got burned hard.

So there you go. Consider Jimenez for your fantasy teams. He’s a poor man’s Oliver Perez. Literally. One pitcher (with the help of Scott Boras), will be making 10MM in 2009. The other pitcher will be making 750K. Which of these two will provide the better bang for their buck?

I know that after today’s effort by the Phillies pushing out C.C. Sabathia and the Milwaukee Brewers out of the postseason, a number of teams expected to bid on Sabathia come November expressed heavy sighs of relief for two reasons:

1. The NLDS ended in four games, not five, when Sabathia would have been trotted out in Game Five of the Series.
2. The Brewers won’t advance into the NLCS to face the Dodgers, with by that point having Sabthia throwing around 265 innings.

Sabathia only threw under four innings in game two of the series, and ends up with around 257 innings for the season. Sabathia has been used heavily the past two years, and is expected to land a contract in the six years, 150MM ballpark. In regards to the teams expected to open the checkbook for him (e.g. the Yankees), from an excellent piece today on RotoWorld by Matthew Pouliot, something to consider about the ace:

Including the postseason, Sabathia has thrown 513 innings over two years, the highest total since Randy Johnson in 2001-02. Johnson threw just 114 innings the following season. Mark Buehrle, the last AL pitcher to go over 500 innings in a two-year span in 2004-05, saw his ERA jump from 3.12 to 4.99 in 2006. Livan Hernandez also topped 500 innings in 2004-05. His ERA jumped from 3.98 in 2005 to 4.83 ERA in 2006 and hasn’t come back down since.

Personally I’m not a fan of starting pitcher abuse. I love watching young pitchers like Tim Lincecum throw, however I cringe in horror when their management (e.g. Bruce Bochy) have them throw 227 innings in a year (Matt Cain is equally abused.) Some pitchers who were abused in 2007 pitched well in 2008, for instance Roy Halladay (20-11, 2.78). Others like Aaron Harrang (6-17, 4.78) did not.

Any ways, for those fantasy owners out there… judging on our lessons learned in 2007… if it’s the fourth round and Sabathia and Lincecum are still on the board would you draft them? Personally no, I’d take a solid hitter. I’m curious to see what their numbers will be like in 2009, and wouldn’t risk anything better than a sixth round pick on these two arms. Of course I could be completely wrong here, but we’re starting to see the risk in spending high picks on drafting expensive starting pitching.

I agree 100% with Bobby Valentine when I say that the true Major League Season is just over three days away from now. Regardless, since the National League games haven’t quite started yet, I wanted to run down ten hitters who I feel are ready to step up and have nice seasons. I did this for the American League, but it was a few weeks back. Any ways, even though most everyone has their fantasy lineups set now (I’ve got Luke Scott tucked away on my benches), these hitters should be given some consideration at some point during the 2008 season.

1. Justin Upton, RF — ARI: Everyone knows what his brother B.J. Upton did for the Rays last year, and everyone is now expecting the same thing from his 20-year old sibling. He probably won’t hit super-stardom this season, but he’s a quiet lock for a 20-20 season. If he starts out fast, his numbers could possibly be better. He has the world of talent and is ready to step in for the Diamondbacks.
2. Matt Diaz, LF — ATL: Granted, Diaz is 30 years old. However being surrounded on a team of star hitters (ending in Jones), Diaz was relegated to receiving part-time at bats. He has a great batting eye, and is one of those rare pure .300 hitters (reminding me somewhat of Sean Casey.) Diaz hit .327 in 2006 and .338 in 2007. A heavy sleeper for a .310/20/80 season, especially since he’ll most likely be a regular in the Braves outfield this season.
3. Nate McLouth, CF — PIT: One of the two young McOutfielders that the Pirates are ready to play (the other being the highly-touted prospect Andrew McCutchen), McLouth came on strong in the second half last year, hitting homers at a 35 per season rate. He ended up with 13 in just over 300 at bats, however he also has great speed and stole 22 bases. His Spring was fantastic, and he’s officially the Pirates center fielder. A quiet sleeper for a 20-40 season is McLouth.
4. Pedro Feliz, 3B — PHI: If defense was a factor in most fantasy leagues, Feliz would be one of the first third basemen off the boards. He hit 20 home runs the past for seasons for the Giants, and now came to the East coast for a multi-year deal with the Phillies. His average shouldn’t exceed .270 this season, but he’s free from a bad hitters park, and is now surrounded around a team of sluggers. Feliz is a quiet threat to hit 30 bombs.
5. Jeff Keppinger, SS — CIN: Keppinger came on strong last season and hit .332 with five homers and 32 RBI in short action. He also scored 39 runs. With Alex Gonzalez on the shelf in Cincinnati, Keppinger has the everyday job all to himself. At 27, he’s not as young as some of the younger players around him, but many in Cincinnati are looking at him as the shortstop of the future. Keppinger should keep the job once Gonzalez returns if he hits, even though Dusty Baker has a preference to play veterans. If he’s a regular, he’ll be around .290/10/60 this season.
6. Chase Headley, OF — SD: Unfortunately for many people, Headley was optioned to Triple-A this past week. He could easily have had the job if it was given to him just on his bat, but his glove needs some work. Originally a third base prospect, many people compared him to be the NL’s version of the Rays’ Evan Longoria. Headley, the Padres #1 prospect according to Baseball America, will most likely be up in June to take over an outfield spot, since third is currently occupied by Kevin Kouzmanoff. Once he’s up he should be here to stay.
7. Jeremy Hermida, RF — FLA: If last season wasn’t a breakout season for Hermida, this season definitely had the makings to be, until a minor injury derailed him recently. He hit .296 last season with 18 homers, and finally lived up his top-prospect status he’s had for some time. Luis Gonzalez will keep his seat warm while he recovers.
8. Geovany Soto, C — CHC: It’s rather rare that catchers have breakout seasons, but many are feeling in Chicago that Soto will be a quality backstop for years to come. He’s had a miserable Spring, but his 2007 numbers were outstanding. He’s a quiet threat to hit between 20 and 25 homers, since he has the job all to himself.
9. Chris Duncan, LF — STL: Duncan was on a 35 home run pace last summer, than had a nagging injury for the final two months of the season. He’s a legitimate power threat in the Cardinals’ left-hand heavy outfield. He won’t provide much average, but he could easily hit 30 with great sluggers surrounding him.
10. Corey Hart, RF — MIL: The Brewers’ right fielder had a breakout season last year, hitting 24 homers, batting .295 and swiping 23 bases. The talent is here, and he could easily be a 30-30 player. The same goes with his teammate Rickie Weeks.

Honorable Mentioning: Jorge Cantu, 3B FLA. Weeks, 2B MIL. Bill Hall, 3B MIL. Hunter Pence, OF HOU. James Looney, 1B LAD. Felipe Lopez, IF WAS. Ryan Church, OF NYM. Shane Victorino, OF PHI. Yunel Escobar, IF ATL.

The same thing as before, this time we’re just going over the NL Starters who have the “sleeper” status:

1. Adam Wainwright — STL: Wainwright had a very solid second half last season, and finished with 14 wins and a 3.70 ERA in 200 innings. This is the year that Wainwright wins 17. Other people might rank him a no.2 or no.3, I think of him as a no.1.
2. John Maine — NYM: The Baltimore front office is probably still in disarray after sending him to the Mets for Kris Benson two years ago. Benson is currently with the Phillies, and Maine has 15 wins under his belt from last season with the Mets, plus some playoff experience from the season before. The Australian is clearly the best pitcher on the Mets whose last name is not “Santana.” Maine’d be a no.1 on any other staff, he’s just burried behind the best pitcher in the universe.
3. Rich Hill — CHC: Last year was a solid year for Hill, winning 11 games with an ERA under four. He should win closer to fifteen this year, with a very strong team around him. Hill is just one of the many young pitchers that the Cubs have that are ready to make an impact in the rotation (Sean Marshall and Sean Gallagher are both deserving of spots themselves.)
4. Chad Billingsley — LAD: The Dodgers will be glad that they held onto such young talent like Billingsley, Matt Kemp, and Jonathan Broxton. Billingsley has incredible stuff, and won 12 games with a low-three ERA last season, in just under 150 innings pitched. He should be strong enough to pitch the full season, and given the strong team backing him, fifteen wins is not out of the question. Billingsley is just one of the great arms that the Dodgers have ready to go (another one is Clayton Kershaw, whom Joe Torre indicated that he could be starting soon.)
5. Franklin Morales — COL: He’s got incredible stuff, and figures to be pushed into the bullpen at the start of the season. His only other competition includes Josh Towers and Kip Wells, and considering the fact that the only other left handed starter in the rotation is Jeff Francis, Morales should be given every chance to start in 2008.

Honorable Mentioning: Tim Lincecum, SF. Chris Young, SD. Tom Gorzelanny, PIT. Homer Bailey, CIN. Ian Snell, PIT.

I did the ten AL hitters that I considered heavy sleepers a little while ago, now I’m going to run through five AL starters who I believe are ready to take the “next step":

1. Justin Verlander — DET: Granted it’s tough to call Verlander a sleeper for 2008. In 2006, he won 17 games. He won 18 last season. While one win might not seem like much of an improvement, Verlander matured heavilly in 2007. His strikeout counts soared, and he also grabbed a no-hitter under his belt. Now with an incredibly powerful team around him, I expect him to win 20 games this year, with 200 strikeouts. The best AL pitcher in 2009 won’t be Erik Bedard, nor will it be C.C. Sabathia or Josh Beckett. It’ll be Justin Verlander.
2. Dustin McGowan — TOR: McGowan won 12 games last season, with an ERA just over four per game. He throws hard, has great stuff, and is ready to bust out in 2008. A fifteen-win season isn’t out of the question for him, and Toronto will need him and Shaun Marcum to breakout, with contract issues looming in the future for Roy Hallady and A.J. Burnett.
3. Felix Hernandez — SEA: Everyone should know what “King Felix” is capable of, especially after seeing him pitch for the first two starts of 2007. An injury derailed him slightly, but he managed to still win 14 games in 2007. He has No.1 stuff, and with Erik Bedard alongside him in 2008, he should break out and win close to seventeen games this season.
4. Jeremy Guthrie — BAL: It’s amazing what Cleveland can’t fit on its 40 man roster sometimes. First they lost Brandon Phillips to the Reds, and now they lost Jeremy Guthrie. Guthrie’s emergence in 2007 made the Bedard trade possible. He has above-average velocity and control, and in the end has No.2 starter stuff. He threw a very-respectable 3.70 ERA for the team in 175 innings, and Baltimore rewarded Guthrie with a 780K deal. He only had seven wins last year, and that was a result of poor luck and a bad bullpen. He should very quietly win ten games this year, even with being the team’s top starter right now.
5. Jon Lester — BOS: The Curt Schilling injury moved him up the depth charts to be the team’s #4 starter, however the team countered the injury by bringing in Bartolo Colon. The team is rumored to also be interested in Freddy Garcia. Lester has great stuff for a left-handed pitcher, and looks to be fully-recovered after being diagnosed with cancer. Lester is ready to step in and pitch for a very strong team, and he should be a 12-15 game winner in 2008.

Honorable Mentioning: Brandon Morrow, SEA. Adam Loewen, BAL. Phil Hughes, NYY. Clay Buchholz, BOS. Marcum, TOR. Dontrelle Willis, DET. Zach Grenkie, KC. Matt Garza, TB. Ervin Santana, LAA.

As the Major League season fast approaches, I wanted to give out ten hitters who I think will make an incredible impact in 2008. Call them sleepers if you wish, but I think after the season’s over, all of these hitters will be recognizable come 2009.

1. Josh Fields,3B — CWS: When White Sox third baseman Joe Crede went down with an injury early last season, Fields came in and produced. In limited playing time, he still managed to club 23 homers and drive in close to 70. He still has some room for improvement though, with the .244 average being rather low for his position, and the 125 strike outs in 375 at bats would be numbers that Ryan Howard would be proud of. The concensus is that Crede will be traded before the start of the season, so if that’s the case Fields has the job all to himself. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a .260/39/120 season from him in 2008.
2. Luke Scott,OF — BAL: When Baltimore acquired Scott from the Astros back in December last year, people wondered what the team would do for a power bat, with Tejada being removed from the everyday lineup. Scott is a quiet sleeper to hit 30 homers in Baltimore, the first Oriole to do so since Tejada did it in 2004. His hard style of baseball will win fans in Baltimore, and he’ll be the perfect complement to Nick Markakis as a corner outfielder.

3. Akinori Iwamura,2B — TB: While teams like Boston and New York were grabbing imports Matsuzaka and Igawa for large money contracts last year, Tampa Bay quietly scooped in and signed Iwamura for a three year deal for a modest 7MM. Iwamura immediately produced for the team right out of the gate, however his power numbers weren’t exactly what the Rays were expecting (7HR in 500 AB.) Iwamura shown great power in Japan, and he could very quietly hit 23 homers in a very stacked lineup. As I’ve been saying for some time now, it usually takes foreign hitters a full season to rediscover their power stroke. He’s now playing second, paving the way for Evan Longoria at the hot corner.

   

   It takes import models a full season to discover that power stroke.
4. Jason Kubel,DH — MIN: The quiet DH in a still strong Minnesota lineup, I expect Kubel to produce, to the tune of a 20 homer clip. He was a former top prospect for the Twins a couple years back, and has the power to fend off Craig Monroe for his job.
5. Mark Teahen,OF — KC: Teahen’s overall numbers were solid in 2008, however his power was way down; going from 18 homers in 2006 to just 7 in 2007. Like Kubel, Teahen was a former top prospect for the Royals, who also flashes great power. While people know that Jose Guillen and Alex Gordon will get the attention in Kansas City, Teahen should get that recognition as well. His power should return in 2008.
6. Marcus Thames,OF — DET: Thames put up some quiet power numbers over the past two seasons, hitting 44 homers in just over 600 at bats. Thames only has Jacques Jones to deal with, and he could steal the job if he would just learn to get on base more often.
7. Franklin Gutierrez,OF — CLE: Like Thames, Gutierrez has incredible power, 13 of his 72 hits in 2007 went deep. He has little competition in the outfield, especially since Cleveland lacks talent with their corner outfielders. Gutierrez could hit 20 in 2008.
8. Mike Napoli,C — LAA: Catchers rarely have break out seasons, but I’m a big fan of Napoli. He has monster power, and it wouldn’t be a shock to me if he slugs 25. His only competition is Jeff Mathis.
9. Aaron Hill,2B — TOR: If 2007 wasn’t a breakout season for him, 2008 will be. After the season is done and through, he’ll be in the top three at his position in the AL.
10. Ben Broussard,1B — TEX: He’ll be playing for a big contract in 2009, so this season is critical. The market for first basemen in 2009 will be slim, so expect big numbers from Ben in 2008. He could get a 10MM a year contract from a team after this season is over.

Honorable Mentioning: Scott Moore, 3B BAL. Billy Butler, DH KC. Brandon Wood, 3B LAA. Delmon Young, OF MIN. Wladimir Balentien, OF SEA.