Knox Bardeen at AOL FanHouse cautions fantasy owners to not get too carried away with San Francisco Giants’ rookie Buster Posey.

When the team re-signed veteran backstop Bengie Molina, Posey became either an emergency infielder or a minor league catcher in the short-term. There’s no need to get carried away with his versatility. Not yet, anyway. We still like his chances to somehow, someway crack the Giants’ lineup by the All-Star break. Read more »

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Drew Stubbs got a vote of confidence from Reds’ management last week when starting center fielder Willy Taveras was traded in a four-player deal to the Oakland A’s. Stubbs, 24, quickly moved from the odd man out in the Reds’ outfield to the team’s starting center fielder and a legitimate fantasy sleeper.

Stubbs was a highly touted high school prospect who was billed as a five-tool player entering his career at the University of Texas. The results from his three seasons at Texas never quite matched the hype, but the Reds still saw enough in Stubbs to make him the No. 8 pick in the 2006 amateur draft. Read more »

We will be rolling out plenty of 2010 fantasy baseball coverage in the coming days, weeks and months, but let’s start right here with player-by-player profiles of our rough top 100 preseason rankings. Stay tuned to the site for more player profiles, draft kit information, rankings, sleepers, busts, etc. as Spring Training approaches.

Bobby Abreu, OF, Los Angeles Angels
Overview: Trustworthy and reliable veteran who makes solid contributions across all five standard rotisserie categories … power has been on the decline, but is still a stolen base threat and run producer with 7 straight 100-plus RBI seasons under his belt … is looking for a 13th straight season with at least 150 games played.
2009 numbers: .293 avg., 15 HRs, 103 RBIs, 96 runs, 30 SBs in 152 games
Key splits and trends: Durability and balance have been constants throughout his career … gone are the 30/30 seasons, but he still offers 20/30 potential … faded after the All-Star break, which was counter to previous trends in his career … hit .311 and went 19-for-22 in stolen base attemps before the break, then .273 and 11-for-16 SBAs after it.
Strengths: Speed is his best individual asset, but is rare in that he can drive in runs as well … is a known commodity who plays every day and produces consistent numbers from season to season.
Weaknesses: Is drafted early in fantasy, where more power should be expected from a corner outfielder … is in the twilight of his career with his best days behind him.
Bold prediction for 2010: Not so bold, but all signs point to another season with a .290 avg., 30 SBs and 100 RBIs.

Ray Guilfoyle over at Fake Teams talks about position scarcity and how it affects fantasy baseball owners. While a valid point — that some owners overreact and make poor decisions based on fear of ‘missing out’ — positions do need to be considered.

There’s a balance to be struck between production, upside and a player’s position. Going into a draft dead set on filling scarce positions immediately is just as bad as completely disregarding position for the sake of stockpiling top talent. The best balance is found when an owner fluidly navigates a draft, identifying the best value for his particular situation. Read more »

The new generation of third basemen is making its mark on baseball, with possibly more young superstars than any other position in the game. Evan Longoria and David Wright are perennial All-Stars, and youngsters Gordon Beckham (who will play second base this season for the White Sox), Mark Reynolds and Ryan Zimmerman are well on their way.

The top 10 at the position is pretty sound, but anything after that and you’re wishing on a star with nearly no breakout prospects. Read more »

We will be rolling out plenty of 2010 fantasy baseball coverage in the coming days, weeks and months, but let’s start right here with player-by-player profiles of our rough top 100 preseason rankings. Stay tuned to the site for more player profiles, draft kit information, rankings, sleepers, busts, etc. as Spring Training approaches.

Jake Peavy, SP, Chicago White Sox
Overview: 28-year-old right-hander looking to re-claim his place among fantasy’s best pitchers … is in his first full season with the White Sox, where he went 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA in 3 starts last season … is as hungry as he’s been in his career, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, but embarks on a full season in a hitter’s park … when healthy, is a Cy Young candidate and one of baseball’s top strikeout artists.
2009 numbers: 9-6, 3.45 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 110 strikeouts in 101.2 IP
Key splits and trends: Missed time with an ankle injury and an elbow injury after getting hit with a line drive in a minor league rehab start … gave up at least 3 runs in each of his first 5 starts and finished the month of April with a 5.74 ERA … went 7-1 over his final 8 starts, including a 3-0 mark with the White Sox.
Strengths: Is a premium source of strikeouts and ratios … has swing-and-miss stuff and consistently ranks among the Major League’s most difficult pitchers to hit … finally lands on a team that will provide decent run support.
Weaknesses: Unknowns count as strikes against him, most notably the transition to the American League and how he’ll fare in a hitter’s park.
Bold prediction for 2010: Handles the AL just fine and finishes in the top five of Cy Young balloting.

The standard for excellence at second base can be summed up in one sentence. Chase Utley, and then everybody else. This year’s crop is much stronger than in years past, but there remains a steep drop between Utley and No. 2 second sacker Ian Kinsler. Kinsler is a quality second-round choice in standard fantasy drafts, but still has question marks about health and that .253 average from last season.

The prototypical fantasy second baseman hits for high average, scores runs and puts up competitive numbers across the board. Beyond Utley, who provides big-time production in all these areas, the second tier of second basemen goes seven deep. In order, Utley, Kinsler, Brandon Phillips, Dustin Pedroia, Brian Roberts, Aaron Hill and Robinson Cano all will produce at a very solid level. Read more »

We will be rolling out plenty of 2010 fantasy baseball coverage in the coming days, weeks and months, but let’s start right here with player-by-player profiles of our rough top 100 preseason rankings. Stay tuned to the site for more player profiles, draft kit information, rankings, sleepers, busts, etc. as Spring Training approaches.

Francisco Rodriguez, RP, New York Mets
Overview: The Major League single-season saves record holder (62), whose star has fallen since signing with the New York Mets last season … established career-worst marks in strikeouts (73), ERA (3.71), saves (35) and blown saves (7) in his Mets debut … has logged heavy innings, so has more wear and tear than a typical 28-year-old reliever … fantasy value hinges on bounceback, especially with his ERA and Ks.
2009 numbers: 3-6, 3.71 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 35 saves, 73 Ks in 68.0 IP
Key splits and trends: Struggled in the second half of the season, posting a 6.75 ERA in 29 appearances … inordinate number of baserunners caught up with him as he became more hittable (.241 BAA in 2nd half) … even more worrisome is that his BABIP was at a career-low .270 last season.
Strengths: Key strength as he became an elite fantasy closer was his K rate, which fell for the sixth straight season … is still a reliable source of saves, but ratios are more in line with middle tier of closers.
Weaknesses: Walks have always been a problem, but especially now as numbers decline elsewhere … downward trends across the board are scary and do nothing to dispel notion that he’s racked up too much mileage.
Bold prediction for 2010: Downward trends continue as he posts his first career season with a 4.00 ERA.

Along with the corner outfield positions, first base is a premium run-producing position. Significant home run, RBIs, runs scored and walk numbers accompany the first few tiers of first basemen.

Unlike most other positions, there isn’t a huge drop off between the first two tiers. Most teams put their big, strong defensive liability at first, making it a predominantly offensive position. Read more »

Catchers are typically the slowest, least athletic position players on a baseball field. Unlike first basemen, who can be just as slow and bulky, a catcher’s offensive contributions, specifically power, are not requirements of the job. Because of the defensive-minded nature of the position, good athletes and good hitters are typically few and far between.

Pickings can be slim in fantasy. There’s an immense dropoff from Tier 1 to Tier 2 in this group, from proven commodities Joe Mauer, Victor Martinez and Brian McCann to a slew of question marks beginning with second-year megatalent Matt Wieters. After McCann, every single player at the position has his issues. Read more »