Who is the #1 Pick in the 2012 Fantasy Baseball Draft?

In past years, the decision was easy.  Just scratch in Albert Pujols if you had the #1 pick in your fantasy baseball draft and you were locked in.  Sure, some fantasy baseball managers who subscribed to the position scarcity strategy would go with Hanley Ramirez instead, but for the most part, Pujols was your guy.

But, with Pujols and Ramirez each coming off of their worst seasons ever in 2011, choosing Prince Albert or HanRam are no longer the sure fire locks for the #1 pick in the fantasy baseball draft in 2012.  Add to that the uncertainty of Pujols’s injury last season, his advancing age (32), and the fact that he’s changing leagues and you’re actually going to have to think if you have the top pick in your draft in 2012.  As for Hanley Ramirez, his age (28)  is not yet a concern, but his 2011 performance and rotten attitude are.

Ryan Braun poses with one of his many fans.

Our #1 pick for the 2012 fantasy baseball season is the Milwaukee Brewers Ryan Braun.  Here’s our Top 12 picks for the first round of your traditional mixed league draft for the 2012 season.

First Round Draft Picks — 2012 Fantasy Baseball

1.  Ryan Braun, Outfielder, Milwaukee Brewers

Ryan Braun has hit over .300 for 4 of the past 5 seasons. We especially like that he stole 33 bases last year which is 13 more than his highest totals ever. The Hebrew Hammer is in the prime of his career at age 28 and is coming off of an MVP season. Signing Prince Fielder as protection is the only concern for the 2012 season.

2. Albert Pujols, First Baseman, Los Angeles Angels

Albert Pujols is coming off of his worst season in 2011, but we’re not panicking. A “worst” season for Pujols is still extraordinary He hit 37 homers last year and drove in 99 in leading the Cardinals to the World Series championship. After coming back from his elbow injury, he hit .314 in his last 74 games. Getting used to American League pitching won’t be a problem — Pujols has a career batting average of .348 against the AL. Being able to DH on occasionally won’t hurt either; as a DH, Pujols is hitting .360.

3. Matt Kemp, Outfielder, Los Angeles Dodgers

It’s hard to imagine that Matt Kemp didn’t win the MVP in 2011, but that’s the curse of playing for a team that ends up just 3 games above .500 and in third place. Kemp had a monster season at .324 with 39 homers, 126 RBI, and 40 stolen bases. Kemp is a rare combination of power and speed and at age 27, he’s in the prime of his production years. The only reason we didn’t make him #1 is that he’s been putting up gaudy numbers for a few years less than Braun and Pujols.

Year	Age	Tm	G	PA	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2003	18	LAD-min	43	168	159	11	43	1	17	2	.270	.298	.346	.644
2004	19	LAD-min	122	500	460	72	135	18	75	10	.293	.337	.504	.841
2005	20	LAD-min	109	454	418	76	128	27	90	23	.306	.349	.569	.918
2006	21	LAD-min	92	426	381	75	132	10	70	25	.346	.414	.543	.957
2006	21	LAD	52	166	154	30	39	7	23	6	.253	.289	.448	.737
2007	22	LAD-min	39	174	161	32	53	4	20	9	.329	.374	.540	.914
2007	22	LAD	98	311	292	47	100	10	42	10	.342	.373	.521	.894
2008	23	LAD	155	657	606	93	176	18	76	35	.290	.340	.459	.799
2009	24	LAD	159	667	606	97	180	26	101	34	.297	.352	.490	.842
2010	25	LAD	162	668	602	82	150	28	89	19	.249	.310	.450	.760
2011	26	LAD	161	689	602	115	195	39	126	40	.324	.399	.586	.986
6 Seasons			787	3158	2862	464	840	128	457	144	.294	.350	.496	.846
162 Game Avg.			162	650	589	96	173	26	94	30	.294	.350	.496	.846

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/10/2011.

Don't expect watered down stats for Cabrera in 2012.

4. Miguel Cabrera, First Baseman, Detroit Tigers

Miguel Cabrera has been putting up huge numbers since his last year in Miami. And, at age 28, he’s got a lot left in him. Cabrera led the AL in average in 2011 at .344 and the Venezuelan star played in 161 games so you know he’s durable. The only reason he’s not our #1 pick is the he can’t steal bases like Braun and Kemp and his past problems with alcohol make us a little uneasy.

5. Jose Bautista, Outfielder & Third Baseman, Toronto Blue Jays

Jose Bautista offers the incredibly rare luxury of qualifying at two positions — outfielder and third baseman. This makes Bautista an even more valuable commodity. If it were ten years ago and you looked at his improvement in numbers over the past two years, you’d have to guess that he was juicing. 43 home runs and 103 RBI last year. Wow!

6. Justin Upton, Outfielder, Arizona Diamondbacks

If you play in a keeper league that’s going to be around for a while, Justin Upton would be my pick. That’s because at age 24, Upton’s going to be around a while. The scary thing about Upton is that he still has considerable…Upside. At age 24, his 31 home runs, 88 RBI, and 21 stolen bases from last season are simply building blocks for larger numbers in the future.

7. Troy Tulowitzki, Shortstop, Colorado Rockies

Troy Tulowitzki is our highest ranking shortstop. With Hanley Ramirez’s attitude being of concern, Tulo is the new heir apparent on everybody’s list of top shortstops. If you play the position scarcity strategy, he’s an even higher pick.

8. Justin Verlander, Starting Pitcher, Detroit Tigers

Can you imagine a starting pitcher that throwing 251 innings and having a sub-1.00 WHIP. That’s exactly what you got from Justin Verlander in 2011 with a WHIP of 0.92. Add 24 wins, a 2.40 ERA, and 250 strikeouts and Roy Halladay is no longer the top fantasy baseball starting pitcher.

9. Adrian Gonzalez, First Baseman, Boston Red Sox

Adrian Gonzalez did not disappoint the Fenway faithful and his huge salary in his 2011 campaign. Gonzalez put up 30 home runs and 105 RBI and added a surprising .338 batting average.

10. Jacoby Ellsbury, Outfielder, Boston Red Sox

The only rap against Jacoby Ellsbury is that he had his first monster year in 2011 and was injured for most of the 2010 season. Still, his .321 average with 32 home runs, 105 RBI, and 39 stolen bases make him a first round pick in all fantasy baseball leagues.

11. Roy Halladay, Starting Pitcher, Philadelphia Phillies

Roy Halladay is durable, likes to finish what he starts, and is incredibly consistent. And, while fantasy baseball pitchers don’t often get the props they deserve, Halladay remains a rare breed, even at age 34. Halladay’s 19 wins, 2.35 ERA, and 1.04 WHIP make him a first rounder on a Phillies team that will continue to win a lot of ball games.

12. Robinson Cano, Second Baseman, New York Yankees

Robby Cano is even more valuable when you consider that he plays second base, thus distancing yourself from teams with ordinary second sackers. At age 29, Cano is still in his prime production years and he has a bevy of talent surrounding him. His .302 average with 28 homers and 118 RBI makes Cano the best keystoner in the game and a first round pick in most leagues.

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 10th, 2011 at 9:56 am and is filed under 2012 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Infielders, Fantasy Baseball Outfielders, Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitchers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.