ANGELS IN THE INFIELD: Albert Pujols

Pujols is coming off of his worst season of his career, at least by Pujols standards.  Pujols suffered an elbow injury and ended the year at .299 with 37 home runs, 99 RBI, 9 stolen bases, and a World Series championship.  You know you are a pretty good player when those kind of numbers are your worst ever.

But, there is no denying that Pujols’ batting average has been trending downward for the past three seasons.  In fact, 2011 was the first time in Pujols’ career that he failed to hit the coveted .300 mark.  He’s a career .328 hitter.  Pujols’ home run and RBI have also decreased since he put up 47 and 135 in 2009.

There’s little reason for concern, however, even at the age of 32 when many players start to decline.  After coming back from the elbow injury, Pujols hit .318 in his last 74 games.  Had he not spent time on the DL, his home run totals and RBI totals projected to 43 and 117.  Pujols played in 147 games in 2011.

The move to the American League should not be a detriment to Pujols; at least it hasn’t been in the past.  Pujols’ average in inter-league games is .348 with 39 home runs and 121 RBI.  Being able to be a DH on occasions, could also help Pujols’ durability as he gets into his mid to late 30′s and 40′s with the Angels.  Pujols’ average as a DH has been .360 to date.  Finally, without the pitcher hitting every ninth at bat (or 8th at bat if you played for LaRussa), Pujols should get more at bats for the Angels than he did in St. Louis.

We had Pujols listed as our # 2 preseason fantasy draft pick, but with the news of Ryan Braun’s potential suspension, Pujols just may be in the familiar #1 position before long.  That is despite the fact that some people keep questioning Pujols’s real age and think he’s 3 years older than he says.

Fantasy Baseball Effects — Kendrys Morales

First of all, let’s get one thing straight: there’s an “s” on the end of this guy’s first name.  not even MLB got that right until March, 2011.  The Cuban defector is famous for having broken his leg after hitting a walk off homer in 2010 and he didn’t play at all in 2011.  Word is that Morales will be non-tendered, therefore not making him eligible as a free agent to the other 29 teams.  Clearly, the Angels will wait and see if Morales will indeed be able to play in 2012.  Angels manager Mike Scioscia said he expected Morales to not only return to the Angels’ lineup, but also bat cleanup, presumably as the team’s designated hitter.  We’ll see.

HERE COMES TRUMBO: But, he may move to third base.

Fantasy Baseball Effects – Mark Trumbo

With Kendrys Morales on the shelf since May 29, 2010, Mark Trumbo became the full-time first baseman for the Angels in 2010.  Trumbo, who was born in Anaheim, finished the season with .254/29/87/9 marks.  With Pujols at first base, and Bobby Abreu already having locked down the DH spot, Trumbo will either be traded or will make the move to third base.  If he can handle it defensively, Trumbo is the better choice based on his 29 home runs last year.

Fantasy Baseball Effects — Bobby Abreu

Bobby Abreu’s role with the Angels in 2012 will depend in part on Morales’ ability to come back.  Abreu appears to be the fourth outfielder at this time and maybe the fifth outfielder if #1 draft pick Mike Trout makes the move to the Bigs.  Abreu, who will be 38 in March, is best suited as a DH at this point in his career.  Abreu hit just 8 home runs last year, but still managed 21 stolen bases in 142 games.  Abreu played 107 of those games as the DH last year as Peter Bourjos’s defense won him the regular center field job.  If Scioscia’s statement about Morales is accurate, what role will Abreu have other than being a pinch hitter?  One thing is for sure regarding Abreu: at age 38 with a $9 million salary, he has no market value and will be a free agent at the end of the 2012 season.

Fantasy Baseball Effects — Mike Trout

Mike Trout spent 55 non-September days with the Angels last year thus eclipsing the 45 days permitted to qualify as a rookie.  MLB, however, has declared Trout to be a rookie again for the 2012 season due to a technicality.  At some point, you have to think that the Angels will trade Vernon Wells for some valuable pieces and give Trout the regular corner outfield position that he deserves.  For the beginning of 2012, however, Trout may start the season at Triple-A as the Angels are not going to keep him in the Bigs to sit.  Dealing Trout has been discussed, but I don’t see that happening.  Given the salaries that the Angels have committed to Pujols and C.J. Wilson, they will need a low priced young player in the lineup to balance those huge salaries.  Better to trade Torii Hunter, 36, who is in the final year of his contract.

Fantasy Baseball Effects – Maicer Izturis & Alberto Callaspo

Alberto Callaspo played most of the games at third base last year and Maicer Izturis was the infield utility man and qualifies at second base, third base, and shortstop.  According to the depth chart at MLB.com, the Angels have Izturis slated as the starter at the hot corner despite the fact that Callaspo played the vast majority of the games there.  Izturis hit 5 home runs last year and Callaspo hit 6.  If the Angels believe that Trumbo can handle the defense at third base, he will certainly bring more pop to the Angels lineup and Izturis’ and Callaspo’s playing time may be significantly reduced.

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.

Each year in fantasy baseball, there are certain players who can literally be counted on to provide top value for their owners, and their consistent offensive output can be relied upon to supply a sufficient number of fantasy points needed to dominate your league.

However this offseason, many of those high-value fantasy players could very well be on the move, and while some players continue to thrive offensively no matter where they play, others can struggle in their first year with their new teams.

Drafting in fantasy leagues can certainly be a crapshoot, but when you add the element of a new environment for a high-value fantasy player, it adds even more intrigue on fantasy draft day.

So, just who are the top fantasy players entering free agency in 2012? Let’s take a look.

5. Jonathan Papelbon: Boston Red Sox (now signed with the Philadelphia Phillies)

For the past several seasons, Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon has provided his fantasy owners with valuable points in several pitching categories, including saves, WHIP, ERA and strikeouts.

However, Papelbon may very well be headed out of Boston this offseason, and while his numbers have been fairly consistent since 2006, how will a new venue affect his fantasy value? We’re guessing that Papelbon could very well thrive in a new environment, so keep Papelbon up high on your fantasy draft board. 

4. David Ortiz: Boston Red Sox

This past season, Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz provided his fantasy owners with a nice boost over his 2009 and 2010 seasons. With a batting average of .309, 29 HR, 96 RBI and 40 doubles, Ortiz was a major fantasy points leader for his owners.

However, Ortiz, much like his (former) teammate Jonathan Papelbon, could be headed out of Boston as well. Just short of his 36th birthday, can Ortiz continue to provide big value to his fantasy owners in a new environment? Our guess is that Ortiz is unlikely to match his 2011 numbers, so adjust your fantasy draft board accordingly.

3. Jose Reyes: New York Mets

Considering the injury woes of New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes in the 2009 and 2010 seasons, his offensive output in 2011 was a major bonus for his fantasy owners. His .337 average topped the National League, and with 31 doubles, 16 triples and 39 stolen bases, Reyes was easily one of the top fantasy players of the 2011 season.

Exactly where Reyes ends up in the 2012 could definitely affect those fantasy numbers. If Reyes ends up with the San Francisco Giants, playing half of his games at pitcher-friendly AT&T Park will definitely affect his fantasy value in 2012. Keep an eye on where Reyes lands in 2012—if he is able to stay injury-free, Reyes will still be a high-value fantasy guy, but where he plays his home games will have an effect on his 2012 fantasy output.

2. Prince Fielder: Milwaukee Brewers

Aside from Albert Pujols, Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder has been one of the most consistent players in terms of fantasy value since 2006. This last season was no different, as Fielder’s 38 HR, 120 RBI and .299 average once again led him to the top of the heap in terms of fantasy value.

Fielder will likely be playing somewhere else in 2012, unless the Brewers somehow come up with an attractive contract. Like Reyes, if Fielder ends up in San Francisco, AT&T Park will clearly affect his home run numbers. Fielder is still a first-round fantasy draft pick, but keep an eye on where he lands nonetheless.

1. Albert Pujols: St. Louis Cardinals

There is no question that St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols is the most sought-after free agent this offseason, and rightfully so. For his fantasy owners, Pujols has consistently provided the highest number of fantasy points among first baseman, and no matter where he ends up in 2012, he will likely continue to do so.

Our guess is that Pujols will resign with the Cardinals, so if you are not in a keeper fantasy league, Pujols should be targeted in your upcoming fantasy draft.

Gonzalez led MLB in OBI % in '10.

“Others Batted In Percentage,” or OBI%, is a stat that measures the rate at which batters drive in runners on base, given the opportunities presented.  It’s a far more realistic stat than RBI given that not every hitter enjoys the same opportunities to create an RBI.  Come up to bat with the bases empty and there’s only a chance for an RBI if you belt one out of the yard.

Twenty years ago, nobody really knew about WHIP either.  Today, you’ll find a WHIP rating for all pitchers in the MLB.com listings.  And, it’s not just fantasy players that care about WHIP; managers and general managers care about WHIP too.  It’s become a great tool for evaluating pitchers at all levels.  In fact, as a youth baseball coach, I place the biggest emphasis on WHIP given the increased ease of stolen bases and the larger amount of passed balls, wild pitches, and errors at the high school Varsity and lower levels.

OBI% is the brainchild of Keith Woolner who holds degress from both MIT and Stanford.  I don’t know how good of a baseball player Woolner is or was, but he certainly seems qualified to come up with statistical stuff given his pedigree.  Woolner is the manager of baseball research and analytics for the Cleveland Indians and its hard to imagine what kind of a season the Tribe might have had without his input!

“Looking at a player’s RBI total,” said Woolner, “doesn’t tell you how often he had the opportunity to knock a man in.”

OBI% gives a hitter no extra credit for hitting a homerun as a homerun doesn’t count with OBI as you’re not knocking a base runner in.  “OBI% is designed to measure the number of others you knock in, not yourself,” said Eric Seidman of Baseball Prospectus.

OBI% is a rate of success rather than the raw numbers associated with the RBI.  It is therefore, the ultimate measure of clutch hitting.

The way it is figured out is this.  When a player comes to bat with a runner on first, he is given an increase in his R1 figures.  It’s the same if a runner is on second base (R2) or third base (R3).  Each of the three categories (R1, R2, R3) are then given a rate from which the player knocks home the run.  Each of the three percentages are then calculated to arrive at a hitter’s OBI%–the average of each of the R1, R2, and R3 rates.

During the 2009 season, Ryan Howard topped the majors with a 12.9% rate on R1.  Atlanta’s Yunel Escobar was tops with 25.4% of R2′s.  The Priates Andrew McCutcheon was successful on 57.5% of R3′s.  McCutcheon was the overall champ with a 19.8% OBI.

In 2010, Carlos Gonzalez led MLB with an OBI% of 22.1%.  A-Rod was second at 21.6% followed by Delmon Young of the Twins at 20.0%, Troy Tulowitzki of Colorado at 19.5% and the Reds’ Joey Votto at 19.4%.

Compare these stats to raw RBI numbers, however, and you see a slightly different story with the exception of A-Rod and Gonzalez.  Miguel Cabrera led MLB with 126, A-Rod at 125, Jose Bautista at 124, then Albert Pujols at 118 and Gonzalez at 117.  Cabrera, the RBI leader, was 10th in OBI % with 18.4%.

To the best of our knowledge, no fantasy baseball stat service is actively employing OBI yet, but expect it to become a common part of fantasy baseball leagues in the future.  You can track OBI% over at Baseball Prospectus which offers more stats than you’ll ever need.  OBI % is also a good indicator of whom you might want to pick up for the 2011 fantasy baseball season.  If you think a particular player’s RBI totals are artifically inflated due to a lucky OBI %, he’ll likely drive in less runs next year.

It’s a fair question for any fantasy baseball manager to ponder. So let us ponder it and try to put together a universal answer that makes sense for each of the 11 million fantasy baseball owners that  have a different team on a different game system with different league scoring settings.

As the season goes on in fantasy baseball, carrying a bigger bench for hitters or pitchers is a pretty tough thing to strategize – especially for first time owners. No doubt, players will need to respond to injuries on both sides of the team as the year goes on. Filling in around weak spells for both ends of your lineup is also necessary to win your league.

This is a pretty loaded question – so we realize there’s a couple different things to consider.

Should you have a bigger bench for hitters or pitchers?

Since we totally understand that we’re going pretty generic here with the advice, we will provide two different answers – one for roto scoring fantasy baseball leagues, and one for head to head fantasy baseball leagues.

Roto Leagues: Pitchers

Because of the way roto leagues are scored, fantasy baseball players in roto ball should carry a bigger bench for pitchers. These leagues have a limit on position plays (normally 162) at all the hitter positions and an innings limit on pitchers (normally 1458 – or 162 games multiplied by 9 innings). Taking injuries out of consideration because they are unpredictable, most times a roto baseballer is going to play the starters they selected on draft day at each position for 162 games. Are you really going to play another first baseman over Pujols for any of his 162 available plays in roto? The Machine is an extreme case, of course, but you get the point.

In contrast to the hitting side of roto, the statistics on the pitching side of roto leagues are tracked by a total number of innings. There’s no question that Roy Halladay is must start whenever he takes the mound in fantasy baseball. However, some starts he may get rocked and only go three innings. Now, your innings total is still docked those three innings when Halladay gets hammered, but it is much easier to pick up the other 3-6 innings you need to recover with closers, relievers, or another starter than it is to get the counting stats you need back from benching Pujols.

Because of the way stats are tracked in fantasy baseball, it’s best to carry a bigger bench of pitchers in roto ball.

Head To Head Leagues: Hitters

If you play fantasy baseball in a head to head league, the answer to this question is completely different. A lot of head to head leagues allow daily lineup changes, and this is where the value in having a bigger bench of hitters is beneficial.

Monday and Thursday are common travel days in Major League Baseball, meaning as much as half the league can be traveling on those days to the destination of their next series. Because of these days and the allowance of daily lineup changes in most H2H’s, head to head leaguers can benefit from having a bigger bench of hitters because they will be able to insert fill-in infielders and outfielders. This ability to place fill-in where everyday starters would normally play will likely increase the totals of “counting” stats (runs, home runs, RBI, and steals in standard 5×5 leagues).

By comparison, the only pitcher counting stats in 5×5 leagues are strikeouts and saves.

The Short Answer

In roto leagues – stock up on closers (3 minimum starting) and quality starting pitchers on your bench. Reduce the effect of a bad outing by a starting pitcher. You have almost 1500 mound innings to log in roto, make sure you use them for maximum point potential. In the second half of the season, leverage as many two-start pitchers as possible if you are behind in innings.

As an added roto tip – play as many starting pitchers as possible the day your team hits the innings limit. Generally, all stats accumulated on that day (no matter when your team officially went “over” the limit) are counted towards your season long total.

In head to head leagues – stock your bench with hitters. Playing as full a lineup as possible on Mondays and Thursdays – when around 50% of the league travels – will allow you to stock up on counting stats like home runs and steals, where the totals are often close and an extra steal or homer can really make a difference.

Whatever it is – the homies at Fantasy Baseball Dugout love Opening Day.

Since every baseball blogger is going to be throwing out MLB predictions over the next 48 hours, we figured now is the best time to throw out our 2010 regular season predictions, too.

When we look back over our track record in making these MLB predictions, frankly – we pretty much suck at it. In 2008, we picked the Detroit Tigers to dominate the league. That didn’t work out at all.

Last season, we actually picked the World Series participants and World Champs correctly (NICE). However, just about everything else we picked was incorrect (BUMMER).

This season, in addition to providing fantasy baseball advice all year, we are also going to be contributing analysis to the world of real baseball. All season, you’re going to be able to find our analysis on the AL West as part of Yardbarker’s MLB Power Rankings Blogger Poll. Check back each week as we do our part to rank MLB’s best. For your convenience, there is a link to the poll in our Blogroll.

Below is our long list of 2010 MLB regular season and playoff predictions. We’ll throw in some post season award predictions and fantasy baseball projections, too.

Regular Season Final Standing Predictions (* – WILD CARD):

• AL EAST:

1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox*
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Toronto Blue Jays

• AL CENTRAL:

1. Detroit Tigers
2. Minnesota Twins
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Cleveland Indians

• AL WEST:

1. Seattle Mariners
2. Los Angeles Angels
3. Texas Rangers
4. Oakland Athletics

• NL EAST:

1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. New York Mets
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals

• NL CENTRAL:

1. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Cincinnati Reds
3. Milwaukee Brewers
4. Chicago Cubs
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
6. Houston Astros

• NL WEST:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Colorado Rockies*
3. San Francisco Giants
4. Arizona Diamondbacks
5. San Diego Padres

MLB Playoffs:

• American League Divisional: Mariners over Red Sox; Yankees over Tigers
• National League Divisional: Cardinals over Rockies; Phillies over Dodgers
• ALCS: Yankees over Mariners
• NLCS: Phillies over Cardinals
• World Series: Phillies over Yankees

MLB Award Winners

• AL Manager: Don Wakamatsu, Seattle Mariners
• NL Manager: Dusty Baker, Cincinnati Reds
• AL Rookie: Sean Rodriguez, Outfielder, Tampa Bay Rays
• NL Rookie: Tyler Colvin, Outfielder, Chicago Cubs
• AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
• NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies
• AL MVP: Mark Teixeira, First Base, New York Yankees
• NL MVP: Albert Pujols, First Base, St. Louis Cardinals

Fearless Fantasy Baseball Predictions

• Biggest Draft Day Steal: Carlos Pena (Average Draft Position no. 75)
• Biggest Draft Day Bust: Jacoby Ellsbury (ADP 18)
• Fantasy Baseball Rookie Of The Year (top statistical rookie): Sean Rodriguez
• Fantasy Baseball Cy Young (top rated pitcher): Roy Halladay
• Fantasy Baseball MVP (top rated hitter): Albert Pujols

Best fantasy baseball players of the 2000s

If you have played fantasy baseball for the past ten years, you know that two names immediately come to mind–Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez.   Both have unbelievable stats, but the choice on the best player of the decade came down to one simple fact.

A-Rod played one more year than Albert.

Pujols began his career in 2001 with the St. Louis Cardinals.  During the nine year span, Pujols hit .334 with a high of .357 in 2003 and a “low” of .314 in ’02.  Add 366 homeruns (41 per  year) and 1112 RBI’s and you have one of the greatest power hitters of all time.  Stolen bases were never Pujols’ game, but he did have 61 over the nine years, including a career high of 16 last year.

A-Rod began his career with the Seattle Mariners in 1994 at the age of 18.  A-Rod signed a huge contract prior to the 2001 season and moved to the Texas Rangers where he spent three seasons before Texas realized it couldn’t afford him and sent him to the Yankees that could.

During the ten year span, Rodriguez whacked 433 homeruns (43 per year), 1243 RBI (124 per year).  His batting average varied between .286 and .321 and he’s .305 for his career.  Alex stole 179 bases–a stat that he dominated versus Pujols.

When comparing two superstars like Pujols and A-Rod, it’s difficult to choose.  You certainly had more drama in recent years with A-Rod, but that doesn’t count much in fantasy baseball.  In fantasy baseball, it’s all about the stats.

And, we’ll take A-Rod, because he may have helped us win our 2000 fantasy baseball league while Pujols was still playing in Low A ball for the Peoria Chiefs.

Just like 2008, we learned a lot about the game of fantasy baseball right along with our readers. We crushed on young aces like David Price, Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann… and none of them loved us back nearly as much. We were wrong when we told you to get rid of Zack Greinke and we undervalued Derek Jeter all season.

That said, we were right on the money all season when we told to trust your inner Pujols. In total, almost 90,000 hits came into the Dugout for our 2009 Preseason Rankings. Plus, over 50,000 people chose FBD.com as their destination for fantasy baseball sleeper information.

Once again, we remained smitten with the wives of baseball players. Over 6,000 readers participated in our 2nd annual Hottest Baseball Wives vote off – and you all still love Heidi DeRosa the most-a. Thank you for your participation – come on back and let’s get 10,000 votes in 2010!

It was a fun year to blog, play fantasy baseball, and post pictures of hott ballplayer wives on the web. We can’t wait to do it all again in 2010! Fantasy Baseball Dugout is going to get bigger next year with a new look, new contributors, more contests, and more bleeding edge fantasy baseball advice. Plus, you know we’re going to bring you complete coverage of the hottest wives in baseball.

If you want to look back on our best of 2009, please check out the links below. These are our top posts of the year as judged by clicks from you, the readers of FBD.

• The New Mrs. Brian Roberts Enters 2009 Hott Wife Contest 2.22
• 2009 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper Jordan Zimmermann 3.13
• 2009 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers – Relief Pitchers 3.31
• 2009 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers – Starting Pitchers 3.30
• Erin Andrews Should Announce More Baseball Games 3.30

Happy New Year!

Unlike the idiot reporter who voted for Miguel Cabrera in the AL, Pujols got all 32 first place votes in the NL. Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez was second, followed by Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard and Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder.

We’ve gone over Pujols’ 2009 numbers several times here at Fantasy Baseball Dugout, where the Cardinals top player has also been our no. 1 fantasy baseball player the last two seasons. But… here are his 5×5 numbers for those who aren’t aware: .327/47/135/124/16.

Pujols led the bigs in homers and runs, finished third in the NL in average and RBI, and his steal total matched his career high. Following his successful surgery on October 21 to remove a bone spur from his right elbow, he is expected to be ready for Spring Training with no setbacks.

The last time we questioned Pujols’ fantasy value following his elbow surgery in the 2007 offseason, he followed it up the next season by winning our 2008 MVP. He hasn’t slowed down since, and we don’t expect him to slow down in 2010.

The Machine is our no. 1 fantasy baseball first baseman heading into 2010, and our top overall player in all draft formats. Draft him with no fear next season.

For more interesting reading on Albert Pujols and his 2009 season from the fantasy baseball experts at Fantasy Baseball Dugout, read below:

• Hey Hey Hey It’s Phat Albert, Again (10.27)
• Fantasy Baseball Dugout’s 2009 All-Star Team (7.14)
• 2009 Midseason Fantasy Baseball Rankings (6.19)
• El Hombre Is Our No. 1 Fantasy Baseball Pick (3.14)
• Fantasy Baseball Face Off: Pujols Vs. A-Rod (1.15)