Fantasy Baseball Friday: The Top 25

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Welcome to the first Fantasy Baseball Friday edition of the 2010 MLB Season. The fantasy baseball season is among us, so we will start our season long quest for fantasy greatness today. Fan Fanatic Sports will start the positional rankings analysis starting next week, so that means today's article is going to be a bit different. I will be highlighting my personal Top 25 fantasy players for 2010 as well as creating a few, fun lists that should help you prepare for the 2010 season. Now, let's get to it.

Ingy's Top 25 Fantasy Ballplayers for 2010:

1. Albert Pujols

2. Hanley Ramirez

3. Alex Rodriguez

4. Ryan Braun

5. Matt Kemp

6. Chase Utley

7. Carl Crawford

8. Tim Lincecum

9. Miguel Cabrera

10. Evan Longoria

11. Ryan Howard

12. Mark Teixiera

13. Prince Fielder

14. Roy Halladay

15. Matt Holiday

16. David Wright

17. Joe Mauer

18. Ian Kinsler

19. Troy Tulowitzki

20. Justin Upton

21. Zack Grienke

22. Felix Hernandez

23. Victor Martinez

24. Joey Votto

25. Ichirio Suzuki

Well, I think it's safe to say everyone will have Pujols at the top of his/her list after the season he had in 2009. Matt Kemp in the top 5? Yes, you will see that Kemp will explode as a 5 tool superstar this season. He had a good breakthrough year last year and will take it to the next level in 2010. I can't believe he is still such a raw player. The only other player that might surprise you in the Top 15 is Matt Holiday. He was amazing after being traded to the Cardinals last year and I really look for him to put together a Coorsesque season hitting behind Pujols.

Ingy's 2010 Overachiever/Breakthrough Lineup:

C. Matt Wieters - BAL

1B. Joey Votto - CIN

2B. Orlando Hudson - MIN

SS. JJ Hardy - MIN

3B. Kevin Kouzmanoff - OAK

OF. Matt Kemp - LAD

OF. Adam Jones - BAL

OF. Carlos Gonzalez - COL

DH. Nick Johnson - NYY

SP - Rich Harden - TEX

CL - Mike Gonzalez - BAL

Matt Wieters had a very good 2nd half in 2009, and I really look for him and the Orioles to make great strides this season. Much like Kemp, most fans don't realize the year Joey Votto had last season. He hits in a little bandbox, and will continue to improve on his season of .322, 25, 84. I am also a big fan of the Rangers bringing in Rich Harden.

Ingy's 2010 Underachiever/Bust Lineup:

C. Benji Molina - SF

1B. Daniel Murphy - NYM

2B. Jose Lopez - SEA

SS. Marco Scutaro - BOS

3B. Adrian Beltre - BOS

OF - Manny Ramirez - LAD

OF - Mike Cameron - BOS

OF - Jason Bay - NYM

DH - David Ortiz - BOS

SP - Ben Sheets - OAK

CL - Jose Valverde - DET

Obviously, I am not high on the Boston Red Sox this year. With the exception of the John Lackey acquisition, I strongly disagreed with the rest of their moves. I don't quite understand adding 300 strike outs to your lineup in Cameron and Beltre. Both are easy outs against good pitching. Jason Bay is a very good player, but Citi Field is death to home run hitters.

Ingy's 2010 Rookies/Youngsters Lineup:

C. Buster Posey - SF

1B. Justin Smoak - TEX/ Gabby Sanchez - FLA

2B. Scott Sizemore - DET

SS. Alcides Escobar - MIL

3B. Brandon Wood - LAA

OF. Jason Heyward - ATL

OF. Colby Rasmus - STL

OF. Nolan Reimold - BAL

SP. Brian Matusz - BAL

RP. Daniel Bard - BOS

Posey, the best hitting catching prospect in the game needs more seasoning at AAA, but will soon be up. Jason Heyward is the best prospect in all of baseball, so watch out for him making the opening day roster. My honorable mention is Josh Bell of the Orioles. The O's stole him from the Dodgers in the George Sherill deal last year and will most likely just be a September call up. Watch out for him next year though.

Well, there you have it. Look for the positional rankings to begin next week. Until then, good luck and enjoy!

Will the Bruins say goodbye to Thomas?

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

At this point, no one knows what's going to happen to the Boston Bruins prior to the trade deadline. I am not even sure GM Peter Chiarelli has made up his mind yet. They could be buyers or they could be sellers. What we do know is something major is going to happen. Over the past few days, there have been rumors that Tim Thomas may be on his way out of Boston. Personally, I'd love that if it were true. Despite the fact I am a fan of Chiarelli's work, I hated the bloated deal he gave Thomas last year. There is no way a 35 year old, journeyman goalie should have been given a 4 year $20 million contract that includes a no trade clause for the first two years. Throw in the fact that you have Tukka Rask, the B's goalie of the future, and it makes the deal look even worse.

So far the rumors have involved the Chicago Blackhawks and the Washington Capitols. Both teams need an upgrade at the goaltender position. These rumors include the Bruins getting a top 6 forward and a backup goalie in return. The real question is whether or not Tim Thomas can be moved? Will another NHL team deem Thomas good enough to pick up the remainder of his contract? Will Thomas waive his no trade clause? Earlier this week it was reported Thomas may not waive the clause do to a cancer issue with a family member. Hopefully, Thomas will realize it's not wise to stay with a team that may consider you backup as soon as the end of this season. If he goes to Chicago, it gives him a legitimate chance at the Cup.

Personally, if the Bruins can trade Thomas, even just for salary cap relief, then they have no choice but to do it. With a roster freeze set to take place on Friday thank in part to the Olympics, you might see something get done in the next 24 hours. All we have to do is wait and see.