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 the regular season approaches.

Justin Verlander, SP, Detroit Tigers
Overview: Lanky flamethrower bounced back from a dismal 2008 season to win 19 games and finish third in the AL Cy Young race last season … led Major League Baseball with 269 strikeouts and was tied for the MLB lead in wins … tossed more innings than any other pitcher in baseball and averaged an AL-best 10.1 Ks per 9.
2009 numbers: 19-9, 3.45 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 269 Ks in 240 IP
Key splits and trends: Dominant in day games last year, going 8-3 with a 2.23 ERA … much better in pitcher-friendly Comerica Park, where his 2.81 ERA was more than a point better than his road ERA (4.04) … stats were nearly identical before and after the All-Star break … take down ‘08 season out of the equation, and Verlander has averaged 18 wins per season.
Strengths: Has arguably the most electric fastball in the game, often reaching the high 90s and sometimes even touching 100 mph … no durability concerns, as he has tossed over 200 innings in each of the last four seasons … pitches deep into ballgames and threw three complete games in 2009.
Weaknesses: Was inconsistent down the stretch in the middle of the AL Central pennant race … year-to-year consistency as well, going 11-17 in 2008 and striking out 106 fewer batters … heavy workload in 2009 may limit Verlander’s strength and stamina down the stretch in 2010.
Bold prediction for 2010: Will be in the hunt for a Cy Young for a second straight year, this time registering his first 20-win season.