1. Evan Longoria, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays- Longo's bat is already seen by fans as one fit for cleanup hitting with his ability to slug above .500 and hit for average. To pair with that bat, he can run the bases well, steal a few, and has a cannon for an arm. His range isn't too shabby either. Third is thinner and thinner every year, but luckily E-Long is there to keep the position hot.
Projected '09 Stats- .300, 35 hr, 100 rbi, 100 runs, 15 sb
2. Albert Pujols, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals- Despite his terrible name, Pujols is an intimidating force. Even though he's the best hitter at any position, he falls victim to his position's relative defensive ease. Anyway, Pujols' defense is one of the best at his position, and despite the small loss of his power of late, his contact ability is one of the best ever. The only real aspect of his game that makes him a second place guy is that he's reached his potential already and is a very old 29 years old. The guy won't strike out more than 60 times despite hitting .360 annually, and if St. Louis can get its pitching and bullpen to not look like such a mess then A.P. will bring them another title.
Projected '09 Stats- .345, 30 hr, 110 rbi, 100 runs, 5 sb
3. Mart Texeira, 1B- Texeira outplays Ryan Howard and Prince Fielder with his potential, his attitude and his defense. The guy can flat out play. You wanna see a guy save a dunker heading into right field? Snag a line drive up the right field line or pick a Chone Figgins' special? Texeira is your man. Better yet his potential surely hasn't been reached yet. He'll hit about .300 with 30-35 homers yearly while playing most, if not all the games he is asked to play. At age 28 though, he looks like he's poised for a monster season with the Yankees-- just look at his attempt at ridiculousness with the Angels in '08.
Projected '09 Stats: .290, 40, 100 rbi, 100 runs, GG
4. Alex Rodriguez, 3B, Yankees- A-Rod has really come in to his own playing third. His natural position is still SS, and no doubt he would've been a few defensive ticks up from Jeter at short. You won't find a better arm in either league and his range has gotten above average after his ability to snag balls in the hole has developed adequately. Obviously his bat is the best in the league if not ever. The only thing holding A-Rod back is his poor leadership, his choking in the playoffs and that thing with that old whore, Madonna. Also the Mickey Mouse gloves.
Projected '09 Stats: .300, 45 hr, 120 rbi, 100 runs, 20 sb
5. Prince Fielder, 1B, Milwaukee Brewers-Prince is an ideal player. He's big, he's durable, he hits for power and he plays stellar defense. What has kept him from the absolute top of his position is his projections- he looks old for a guy turning just 25 and his numbers are already declining. Although durable, its hard to sustain bat speed with a gut the size of his. Either way, Prince's zone rating and range factor are among the best of first basemen, and his home run rate is clearly at the top of the NL.
Projected '09 Stats: .280, 30 hr, 100 rbi, 80 runs
6. David Wright, 3B, New York Mets- David Wright has taken over the comparisons to Mike Schmidt now that Scott Rolen has shown that he'll probably never really pan out to the hall of famer projections that surrounded him after winning Rookie of the Year. Personally, I think Wright is better. His defense, although lacks when he has too much time is stellar. His range is unmatchable and far better than Ryan Zimmerman's. Wright's game is an all-around one- his stats look computer generated and perfect. He can hit 30 homers, steal 20-30 bases, hit above .300, nag 100 rbi's and score 100 runs. Wright hasn't shown the ability to carry the floundering Mets when it counts most though, but hopefully Omar won't trade the team's rock for yet another latino.
Projected '09 Stats: .315, 25 hr, 100 rbi, 110 runs, 15 sb, GG
7. Ryan Howard, 1B, Philadelphia Phillies- A world champion, Howard is the premier hitter at his position. Unlike fielder he looks like he'll last for a few more years now with that more-square frame. Howard's defense is guddawful, and that's really the only aspect of his game that keeps him from being number one on this list. If it wasn't for his ability to hit like two all star first basmen then the Phillies would've grown tired of his pathetic range and ridiculously bad throwing ability. Lucky for Howard, Chase Utley can play first and second simultaneously with his range.
Projected '09 Stats: .275, 45 hr, 13o rbi, 100 runs
8. Kevin Youkilis, 1b/3B, Boston Red Sox- Yook was the true MVP of the Red Sox in 2008. The "Greek God of Walks" is a walk machine with a very good glove, developing power and good contact hitting skills. He'll never be a 40 home run guy, and will never be a guy that will look that comfortable at third, but his errorless first base defense and his knowledge of the game will keep him in the top 5 first basemen for years to come. Of course, it doesn't hurt that he plays for one of the best offenses in the game and has Dustin Pedroia hitting in front of him.
Projected '09 Stats: .300, 25 hr, 100 rbi, 100 runs, 90 bb
9. Lance Berkman, 1B/OF, Houston Astros- Every year Berkman is in the MVP voting and every year he's forgotten by most fans. Whats the deal? He hits .300, he hits 30 bombs and he walks 100 times annually. Maybe its his face? I dunno. The Astros are damn lucky to have held on to him this long, and Berkman is damn unlucky that he didn't have the chance at playing for a contender. He'd be higher, but at 33, his best years are coming to a close.
Projected '09 Stats: .300, 30 hr, 100 rbi, 100 runs, 100 bb, 10 sb
10. Miguel Cabrera, 1B- The fat fat fat man has finally been permanently move to first base. Miguel told ESPN the Magazine that his favorite food is "rice and beans." Cut out the carbs Miguel, they're killing your game! Despite Miguel's inability to cover any ground at his position he's still young and still a fairly complete hitter. He'll belt 30 easily and it sure isn't his fault that the Tigers looked more like the Lions in '08.
Projected '09 Stats: .285, 35, 90 rbi, 90 runs
11. Aramis Ramirez, 3B, Chicago Cubs- Like Berkman, Ramirez is yet another unsung corner infielder. Ramirez is still only 30 years old but he's already 249 homers in to his career, about four seasons more than Jeter-homer-pace. He'll probably never hit 40 homeruns again now that the 'roids era is finally coming to an end, but .290 with a palatable amount of walks and good numbers seems about right.
Projected '09 Stats: .290, 28 hr, 95 rbi, 90 runs, 60 bb
12. Alex Gordon, 3B, Kansas City Royals- Before Gordon was called up in 2006 he was regarded as the next Mike Schmidt. Despite his not living up to that lofty expectation he has shown brilliance on occasion. His defense has the makings of the absolute best in the game and his hitting, when hot, looks as if he must be wielding one of those cave'man clubs instead of a bat. 16 Homers is too low for a player of his caliber, and now that The Royals look like a Major League team, Gordon will probably hit between 25 and 30 this year. A Gold Glove is in his future.
Projected '09 Stats: .290, 25 hr, 90 rbi, 90 runs, 10 sb
13. Ryan Zimmerman, 3B, Washington Nationals- Zimmerman is a hard guy to understand. He was a sensation in 2006 and looked like the Natties' Captain, but lately he's looked fat and discouraged. If he can get in shape and do what he did in the second half of 2008 for an entire year then he'll get the Nationals back to .500. Kind of a wild card, Zimmerman is by no means Evan Longoria, but if he can get his weight going in the direction and learn to make better contact, 30 home runs looks very possible.
Projected '09 Stats: .285, 30 hr, 85 rbi, 90 runs
14. Joey Votto 1b, Cincinatti Reds- Joey suprised many with how quickly he started hitting in his rookie year. The kid can flat out hit, and looks like he could win a batting title some day. No doubt his defense needs some more polish, but his power bat doesn't. He's young and its a no brainer that he'll hit .300 in '09 if he's completely healthy. The Great American Ballpark makes things easier on Votto as well- it shouled be renamed The Great American Hitter's Ballpark.
Projected '09 Stats: .305, 25 hr, 90 rbi, 90 runs, 10 sb
15. Carlos Pena, 1B, Tampa Bay Rays- People forget that Pena is young, at age 30, for a guy that floundered in AAAA for what seemed like an eternity. His contact hitting leaves something to be desired, but the Yankees and Red Sox somehow missed the show he can put on in batting practice after they cut him in consecutive Springs between '06 and '07. Probably the most underrated defender in the game, Pena can do more than just wield that bat. It's hard to not forget that he's injury prone and goes through streaks where he'll bat below the Mendoza line- that's the only reason he's ranked behind Zimm and Votto.
Projected '09 Stats: .250, 35 hr, 100 rbi, 80 runs, 90 bb
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