2011 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: FIRST BASE

Is it any surprise that Albert Pujols is our consensus #1? Didn’t think so. Much like the catchers, we all agreed that there is clearly a #1 at the position without question. We may never know Albert’s true age, but one thing is certain, he is getting older and two guys last year made a run at dethroning him: Miguel Cabrera and Joey Votto. In 2011, we may even see Adrian Gonzalez join them in the chase.

(Image: Zuma Press)

Does your Top 10 look like ours?

RANK	PLAYER	Brian	Mike	Killboy	Jesse	Eric	COMP
1	Albert Pujols – STL	1	1	1	1	1	1.0
2	Miguel Cabrera – DET	2	2	3	3	2	2.4
3	Joey Votto – CIN	3	4	4	2	3	3.2
4	Adrian Gonzalez – BOS	4	3	2	5	5	3.8
5	Mark Teixeira – NYY	5	6	6	4	6	5.4
6	Prince Fielder – MIL	6	5	5	6	7	5.8
7	Ryan Howard – PHI	7	7	7	7	4	6.4
8	Kevin Youkilis – BOS	8	11	9	9	8	9.0
9	Justin Morneau – MIN	9	9	8	13	11	10.0
10	Kendry Morales – LAA	10	8	14	14	9	11.0
11	Buster Posey – SF	12	13	12	8	10	11.0
12	Adam Dunn – CHW	13	10	10	11	13	11.4
13	Victor Martinez – DET	14	12	11	10	14	12.2
14	Paul Konerko – CHW	11	15	13	15	12	13.2
15	Billy Butler – KC	15	14	16	12	17	14.8
16	Aubrey Huff – SF	17	19	18	17	15	17.2
17	Derrek Lee – BAL	–	17	15	18	16	17.4
18	Mike Napoli – TEX	–	16	–	16	–	19.0
19	Adam LaRoche – WAS	18	20	–	20	18	19.4
20	Carlos Pena – CHC	16	–	20	–	–	19.8

 

PAUL KONERKO

Since it’s Valentine’s Day I’m going to come out and say it, I love Paul Konerko.  The 34 year old has averaged 31HR, 95 RBI and a .280 average for the the past 10 seasons, and last year was one of his best (39HR, 111RBI, .312).  The best part about Konerko is that he always slips in drafts, which makes him a middle round bargain to fill out one of your utility spots.

BILLY BUTLER

Billy Butler is one of the best young players you don’t know due to his playing for the woeful Royals.  None of his individual numbers will blow you away but his above average production across all categories (except SB) makes him a valuable fantasy contributor that can be had as a bargain in middle rounds.  He is also a September Star that you’ll want during your playoff run.

IKE DAVIS

My Ike Davis ranking doesn’t show up on our list, but I had him ranked 18th, right behind Derrek Lee. His MiLB career BABIP suggests he has room to grow even from where he was last year (.321), which means his AVG will rise, as will the rest of his counting stats. With a healthy Mets team, I don’t see why Ike can’t go .280-85-23-85-4 (along with 35-40 2B & 80BB if your league counts them). For a 24-year old, that is pretty solid and a low cost option in the later rounds.

SLEEPER: GABY SANCHEZ

First full season in the bigs he hits .273 with 19 HR’s! Only 27 to start the season, I think we can expect bigger things this year from Gaby. Gotta be better than the slim pickings at the bottom of the 1st Base list.

BUST: ADAM LAROCHE

Career high K%(30.7) and BABIP(.330) both suggest major decline. Washington is tougher on lefties with a 94 HR park factor versus Arizona’s 114. Take a chance on a high ceiling guy and don’t waste it on LaDouche.