by Sportech

1) Hanley Ramirez

This 24-year old is an absolute keeper league gem. Assuming that your league does not errors as a category (Han-Ram’s only weak spot), this Dominican is perfection at every level. He plays one of the shallowest positions in fantasy sports, and sits at the top of the class in just his 3rd full season at the age of 24. Hanley brings to the table a .307 lifetime average, along with improving power (17, 30, 35 Home Runs/162 games), abundant runs (122, 131, 125), consistent stolen bases (52, 54, 38), and improved plate discipline (11.30, 12.29, 7.47 at-bats per walk). This phenom will only continue to get better, and should solidify your SS position for the next 6-8 years.

2) David Wright

A year older than Hanley, Wright is the ultimate 5-tool player, posting a .325, 30 HRs, 30 +SB, 100+R, and 100+RBIs year in just his third full season, not to mention the 6.42 at-bats per walk ratio, a tremendous show of plate discipline for such a young hitter. Wright has taken a small step back this year, lowering his batting average and stolen bases marks, but a .308 lifetime hitter who has improved in runs, batting average, and stolen bases each of his first 4 years has little to worry about, other than trying gain the title of #1 keeper in fantasy baseball.

3) Matt Holliday

Remarkably, Matt Holliday is on pace to continue his streak of an improved batting average every year, currently eclipsing his .340 mark last year by 6 points. Holliday’s superb batting average is supported by remarkable R and RBI totals year-in and year-out. His power remains in the high 30 HRs mark, and his speed has improved a good amount this year (on a 27 SB per 162-game pace), vaulting him to the status of #3 keeper. Sure, a huge part of this status relies on Holliday staying in Colorado, for if he is traded or leaves after a couple more years, his value will drop down considerably. Holliday’s age is also a concern (at 28), but this is only his 5th MLB season, and he seems to be improving more than he is declining.

4) Albert Pujols

Like Holliday, Pujols is 28 years old, but his style of play seems to mitigate the age factor. First off, Pujols has little speed in fantasy terms, so that part will not see much of an impact as he ages. Furthermore, Pujols is a very very patient and fundamental hitter. In just his second season, Pujols’ BB:K ratio surpassed 1, making him one of the most patient hitters in the league. This year, his ratio sits a 2:1, an astounding number that more than doubles all but 8 other players in the MLB. Aside from his remarkable eye, Pujols is the most consistent player ever in the history of the MLB, topping .314, 100R, 32HR, and 100RBI all but 1 year (2007, when he got 99 runs). In a league that factors in OBP, SLG, BB, and/or K, diminishing the value of steals, Pujols easily ranks #1.

5) Ryan Braun

After Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun is the best power-hitting 3B on the planet. Now with 30+HRs and 10+SB in each of his first two seasons (both 113 games player, nevertheless), Braun is one of the most feared hitters in baseball, particularly in clutch situations. Braun still has a lot to work on, including his career 56:212 BB:K ratio. All this makes Ryan Braun a 24-year old monster, both on the diamond and on the opposing teams’ fantasy scorecard.

Other candidates were left off of the top 5, including Alex Rodriguez (age—probably puts him at #6), Chase Utley (emergence of other 2B), Jose Reyes (power and RBIs), Grady Sizemore (batting average), Ian Kinsler and Josh Hamilton (unproven over the long-run).

Tags: Baseball's, Fantasy, Keepers

This entry was posted on March 3, 2011 at 3:45 pm and is filed under Fantasy Baseball. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.