By Chad GarnerFan Fanatic Sports Staff
So you need to know who are the top players in fantasy baseball every week? Well, you've come to the right place at Fan Fanatic Sports. Throughout the rest of the Major League Baseball season, I'll be bringing you my top 25 fantasy player rankings every Monday, along with my Alive (players who are producing and you might want to grab) and Dead (guys who are just plain killing your team or are underperforming) lists that hopefully will help during your quest of chasing down that elusive fantasy baseball championship trophy.
(Editor's note: Also be sure to check out more must-have fantasy baseball information on Wednesdays and Fridays every week.)
GARNER'S GREATEST TOP 25
1. Hanley Ramirez, SS, FLA
Can do it all. Expect HRs to increase and steals to drop off slightly since he's hitting in No. 3 hole.
2. Jose Reyes, SS, NYM
Can't go wrong here. He has some pop and runs like the wind. Just a fantasy stud.
3. Albert Pujols, 1B, STL
Best hitter in baseball ... by far. We love those HRs and RBIs.
4. Miguel Cabrera, 1B, DET
REAL early choice for MVP.
5. David Wright, 3B, NYM
My preseason NL pick for MVP.
6. Ian Kinsler, 2B, TEX
Five-tool player in real life and fantasy.
7. Grady Sizemore, OF, CLE
He's legit and still young -- a scary combo.
8. Josh Hamilton, OF, TEX
Every time he's up he has chance to go yard.
9. Evan Longoria, 3B, TB
Best young player in baseball. Dangerous fantasy producer with 5 HRs already.
10. Mark Tiexeira, 1B, NYY
Starting to get comfortable with Yanks, but wrist injury a little concerning.
11. Ryan Braun, OF, MIL
Let's see what he does this year, I'm not sold completely, yet.
12. Jimmy Rollins, SS, PHI
Expect a bounce-back year.
13. Ryan Howard, 1B, PHI
When he finds his power stroke, watch out. He'll carry your team for weeks at a time.
14. Dustin Pedroia, 2B, BOS
What's in store for Pedroia owners in 2009?
15. Alfonso Soriano, OF, CHI
A streaky fantasy player. One week he's awful, next he should be in Cooperstown.
16. Lance Berkman, 1B, HOU
Sweet swing, sweet stats. Not just a pretty face:)
17. Carlos Beltran, OF, NYM
One of the most underappreciated fantasy players.
18. Carl Crawford, OF, TB
Watch out if he can stay healthy.
19. Chase Utley, 2B, PHI
Probably got good value since owners were scared about injury before the draft.
20. Carlos Lee, OF, HOU
Consistent production all year long.
21. Johan Santana, SP, NYM
Looks like he's in mid-season form, already.
22. Matt Holliday, OF, OAK
Not in Colorado anymore. How good is he really?
23. Manny Ramirez, OF, LAD
Can get out of bed and rake. Gladly take the HRs, RBIs, AVG.
24. CC Sabathia, SP, NYY
One poor start, one great start ... everyone would love to have CC on their team.
25. Nick Markakis, OF, BAL
Currently tearing cover off the ball (.364, HR, 7 RBI, 7 R).
ALIVE
Yes, Millwood is still pitching in MLB. Usually, pitchers go to Texas to die, but he's twirled two great ballgames and currently boasts an eye-popping 0.64 ERA. He's got 11 Ks in 2 starts and a 0.71 WHIP. Get Millwood on your team immediately, he doesn't want to let Nolan Ryan down. He'll cool off eventually --maybe next start -- but he's worthy of a immediately pickup. He's only owned in 24 percent of Yahoo! leagues.
The leadoff hitter from the Marlins has been the talk of fantasy circles during the first week of the season. And why not. The speedster, ranked No. 1 in standard 5X5 Yahoo! leagues, is hitting .500 with four stolen bases. He's the man right now. If you haven't heard of him by now, you're not a real fantasy fanatic.
Through Saturday, the youngster had popped 3 HRs and driven in 12 runs while batting .462. He's ranked No. 2 overall. If he's available, get him quick. In keeper leagues, get him even quicker.
He's a utility player at best, but not this year. Scutaro deserves a spot on most rosters since he qualifies at three positions, but he could be a starter now since he's outperforming just about everyone. Caution: This won't last much longer.
The rookie doesn't appear intimidated with being in the majors. Schafer has a nice smooth stroke from the left side of the plate with some pop for a 6-foot-1, 200-pound outfielder. He's a starter in NL only leagues, borderline starter in mixed leagues. I just don't understand why he's available in 71 percent of Yahoo! leagues.
Two years ago, Escobar was a hot sleeper on draft day. Now, people don't even want to draft him. I'll gladly take him as a reserve and if my starter goes down, I have no worries with Escobar in the lineup. He can be had in 50 percent of leagues. He's no doubt a breakout candidate in my book.
DEAD
I know he's still young, but he didn't live up the hype last year and he's off to a terrible start. If you can't get on base, you can't use your speed. And that's all that Gomez is good for at this stage of his career.
Davis popped 17 HRs in only 295 at-bats last year, so his draft status skyrocketed this year. Unfortunately, Davis can't hit his way out of a paper bag so far. He's not even hitting .100 and since he's batting 7th in the lineup, don't expect heavy RBI numbers from a guy who's currently swatting flies. You just hope his confidence isn't getting shaken, if so, Davis could be a gigantic bust. Boy showed he could swing the war club last year, so I'm not giving up on him yet, but he better get a base hit soon.
A hot pick before the draft, so much for that. Cabrera's offense is nowhere to be found. He's hitting .133, but does have two swipes. Until he proves he can contribute on a fantasy team, find someone --anyone -- with more upside.
A-Fraud may be out for a few more weeks at the earliest, or until mid-May. Until he's able to help your team, he's dead in my book since he's got a DL tag listed by his name. When he returns, he'll be immediately off the list and maybe crack Garner's Greatest Top 25.
After giving up 6 earned runs in 4 innings in his first start against Colorado and an ERA at 13.50 and 2.00 WHIP, Webb has the makings of being a bust since he's now complaining or shoulder pain and was recently put on the DL. I called it on this site last week, Webb's late-season collapse last year was concerning and it carried over into his first start. He's hurt now and who knows what he'll offer for the rest of the season. If you can trade him, do it but don't release him yet.
(Photo by Reuters/Rhona Wise)
