1. Chase Utley – After
busting loose with a .291 average, 28 homers, and 105 RBI in his first full
season in 2005, Utley solidified himself as the top second baseman in baseball
by bumping his average eighteen points and notching his first thirty homer season. He even tossed in a 35-game hit streak so
that the national media could let Joe Casual Fan know what most fantasy owners
already did…
FIC Spin: At 28,
Utley is already in his prime and performing like it. He’ll likely lead the position in home runs
and RBI for the second consecutive season, while he sprinkles in a terrific
batting average and even a few stolen bases.
He shouldn’t get out of the first round.
2007 Projection:
|
G
|
AB
|
Avg.
|
H
|
2B
|
HR
|
Runs
|
RBI
|
SB
|
OBP
|
Slg.
|
OPS
|
|
157
|
629
|
0.308
|
203
|
40
|
32
|
122
|
107
|
16
|
0.386
|
0.550
|
0.936
|
2. Brian Roberts –
It was a shock that Roberts was ready to play on Opening Day after dislocating
his elbow in the final month of 2006, but he came back firing. Roberts hit .330 in 94 April at bats, though
he didn’t flash any of the pop that boosted him towards the top of the rankings
in 2005. As the season progressed,
however, the power came back, and he finished with 10 homers on the year
despite having just one at the break.
FIC Spin: The
late power surge came at a bit of a cost, as his average dipped to .277 in the
second half. Still, Roberts remains a
lock to hit .280 with a ton of stolen bases and 100 runs atop the Orioles’
lineup. The improved power that he
showed late last season was just icing on the cake. Just hope he avoids the freak injury.
2007 Projection:
|
G
|
AB
|
Avg.
|
H
|
2B
|
HR
|
Runs
|
RBI
|
SB
|
OBP
|
Slg.
|
OPS
|
|
156
|
621
|
0.300
|
186
|
41
|
19
|
107
|
67
|
37
|
0.374
|
0.473
|
0.847
|
3. Josh Barfield –
Barfield had an astonishing rookie campaign, winning the starting job in the Spring and never looking back. He showed off the power that made him the
Padres’ top prospect for the better part of the decade, hitting thirteen bombs
despite playing in a park where home runs go to die, and terrorized opposing
batteries on the basepaths, successfully converting 21 of his 26 attempts.
FIC Spin: An
offseason deal to Cleveland puts
him in a stronger lineup and a considerably more favorable home park. Toss in that he’s at an age where hitters
naturally tend to develop, and he’s a name on the rise.
2007 Projection:
|
G
|
AB
|
Avg.
|
H
|
2B
|
HR
|
Runs
|
RBI
|
SB
|
OBP
|
Slg.
|
OPS
|
|
144
|
582
|
0.291
|
170
|
34
|
19
|
82
|
75
|
24
|
0.333
|
0.457
|
0.791
|
4. Ryan Freel – The
Reds have been trying for years to find a place for Freel to fit in on more of
a daily basis, and it looked like they finally found one in 2006. With Wily Mo Pena in Boston
and Austin Kearns
traded to Washington at the
deadline (along with Junior’s annual trip to the DL), Freel found a permanent
home in the outfield for the Reds. He
responded by doing exactly what he’s done for the past three years, hitting for
a solid if unspectacular average, stealing a ton of bases, and scoring more
than a handful of runs.
FIC Spin: He’ll
enter the season as the Reds’ leadoff man and an everyday position player for
the first time in his career. Expect him
to thrive with the extra at bats and challenge the century mark in runs scored.
2007 Projection:
|
G
|
AB
|
Avg.
|
H
|
2B
|
HR
|
Runs
|
RBI
|
SB
|
OBP
|
Slg.
|
OPS
|
|
156
|
596
|
0.274
|
164
|
36
|
9
|
99
|
37
|
50
|
0.351
|
0.397
|
0.748
|
5. Brandon Phillips –
Kicked to the curb by the Indians in the preseason, Phillips headed
slightly southwest to Cincinnati
and forced his way into a starting job by batting .349 with 3 homers and 22 RBI
in April. The former top prospect
displayed terrific power for the position (17 homers, 65 RBI) and threw in 25
steals to go with a .276 average on the year.
FIC Spin: Phillips
did what the Tribe thought he might do when they picked him up in one of the
bigger ripoff deadline deals in recent memory (speaking from an Expos/Nats
fan’s perspective… Thanks Omar!) for Bartolo Colon, but they gave
up on him before he took off. He has the
minor league pedigree to repeat last year’s success for about the next decade.
2007 Projection:
|
G
|
AB
|
Avg.
|
H
|
2B
|
HR
|
Runs
|
RBI
|
SB
|
OBP
|
Slg.
|
OPS
|
|
147
|
575
|
0.280
|
161
|
31
|
19
|
76
|
81
|
24
|
0.323
|
0.437
|
0.760
|
6. Julio Lugo – Lugo
had a terrific first half for the Devil Rays, batting .308 with 12 homers and
18 steals in the season’s first four months.
However, a deadline deal that sent him to Los
Angeles destroyed the remainder of his season, as his
playing time suddenly became more sporadic and his home park became a lot less
hitter-friendly.
FIC Spin: After
signing with the Red Sox in the offseason, Lugo
will return to a division that’s seen him have his best years and he’ll join one of the best lineups
in baseball. Take advantage of his
multi-position eligibility and enjoy the rebound he should have after a poor
second half of 2006.
2007 Projection:
|
G
|
AB
|
Avg.
|
H
|
2B
|
HR
|
Runs
|
RBI
|
SB
|
OBP
|
Slg.
|
OPS
|
|
143
|
556
|
0.298
|
166
|
33
|
11
|
93
|
57
|
25
|
0.357
|
0.434
|
0.791
|
7. Rickie Weeks – Weeks
dramatically improved his Balls In Play Average last
season, increasing his batting average from .239 in 2005 to .279 last
year. However, his fatal flaw didn’t
really disappear, as he still had a robust strikeout rate (92 in 359 AB). He continued to show his improving power in
his sophomore season while he was a handful for opposing batteries anytime he
was on base. Unfortunately, for the
second straight year, his season was cut short with a wrist injury.
FIC Spin: The strikeout
rate is bound to come down a bit with more reps, but that’s what we have to
start worrying about. Weeks has to stay
healthy this season to avoid being labeled injury prone for the rest of his
career. When he’s in the lineup, he’s as
dangerous a middle-infielder as there is in the league, and at 24, still has
plenty of room to grow.
2007 Projection:
|
G
|
AB
|
Avg.
|
H
|
2B
|
HR
|
Runs
|
RBI
|
SB
|
OBP
|
Slg.
|
OPS
|
|
137
|
517
|
0.273
|
141
|
21
|
14
|
101
|
59
|
26
|
0.332
|
0.414
|
0.746
|
8. Jeff Kent – Though
he’s certainly not the dominant player that he was when he was younger, Kent
proved in 2006 that he was still one of the best run-producing second basemen
in the league, hitting fourteen homers and driving in 68 runs despite getting
just over 400 at bats. However, he hit
the disabled list twice with a wrist injury and an oblique injury, and started
just 115 games for the Dodgers.
FIC Spin: He’s
still just about as good a source of power as you’re going to find at the
position, though he doesn’t have the base-stealing ability you want out of a
second baseman. He’ll turn 39 just
before the season begins, which means these injury bugs that he battled last
year may plague him a little more often.
2007 Projection:
|
G
|
AB
|
Avg.
|
H
|
2B
|
HR
|
Runs
|
RBI
|
SB
|
OBP
|
Fantasy Baseball 
