1. Jeff Francoeur—Atlanta Braves

It feels like just yesterday that fantasy baseball owners around the country were clamoring to get the Braves right-fielder, who was coming off a extremely productive second full season (19 home runs, 105 RBI,) on their roster

Then, Francoeur had to go out and push all of those unlucky owners who had won the bidding war to the edge of a cliff by having the clunker season of all clunker seasons.

Most baseball fans knew that Francoeur didn't see many pitches that he didn't like, but most people were willing to overlook his free-swinging attitude in favor of his power numbers. Plus, plate discipline has been known to increase as a player plays more seasons.

But, after 42 walks in 2007, Francoeur walked just 39 times in 2008. Couple that statistic with the rest of his line—.239 BA, .294 OBP, .359 SLG, and just 11 home runs and 71 RBI—and you have one of the more noticeably disappointing seasons any player has had without experiencing any injury.

Francoeur even was forced to cope with a mid-season demotion to the minor leagues to try and right the ship.

His regression put a major dent in the Braves offense and conversely, their playoff aspirations.

But, luckily for Atlanta, bat speed and power don't just disappear after one batting season.

Francoeur apparently has been working on his hitting in the off-season, primarily adjusting his batting stance so that he can remain more balanced in the batter's box and keep his hands back.

His hard work should help him return to his 2006 and 2007 form, when he was a feared hitter in the middle of the lineup.

But he still needs to work on becoming a little more selective, and recognizing off-speed and breaking pitches earlier. Until he does that, his full potential will not be realized.

2. Robinson Cano—New York Yankees

Yet another player who suffers from the free-swinging disease that plagues Francoeur, Cano walked only 26 times in the 2008 season, joining the elite company of Freddy Sanchez and Jose Lopez as second basemen who had a full season's worth of at-bats—approximately 500—and still couldn't manage to draw 30 walks.

Like Francoeur, Cano has prodigious talent that won't be fully realized until he becomes more selective at the plate. Even without the walks, Cano had a .365 and .353 OBP in the past two seasons, a far cry from last season's abysmal .305 OBP.

Like the Braves, the Yankees were counting on Cano's continued improvement to add another dimension at the top of their order to their already potent offense. Needless to say, they were disappointed.

Even at such a weak offensive position as second base, Cano's .715 OPS only topped such luminaries as Marco Scutaro, Freddy Sanchez, and Mark Ellis.

Cano was mentioned in most of the potential trades that the Yankees looked into near the All-Star break, but in the end, the team decided to keep him, hoping that his decline has been just an aberration and that he will eventually work out the kinks.

Kevin Long, the Yankees’ hitting coach, has said that he has visited with Cano this offseason and is encouraged by what he has seen. Long cited Cano's dedication to physical fitness, and swing adjustments, as two major improvements that Cano has made that could lead to a return to form from the Yankees' second baseman.

Maybe Cano's dedication to physical fitness means that he has got his act together and that his commitment to the game and his work ethic have improved. Both are things Cano has been criticized for in the past.

If Cano can be more patient at the plate, and continuously work to improve, he should become one of the best offensive second basemen in baseball once again.

3. Jimmy Rollins—Philadelphia Phillies

For the first time since his opening foray into the majors, when he played just 14 games in 2000, the durable Rollins played in less than 154 games for the Phillies.


Rollins sprained his ankle on Apr. 8 of last season, and its lingering effects hampered his production early in the season and forced him to play in just 137 games.

But, I am sure if you asked JRoll himself, he would say that the injury was not an excuse for a lackluster season in which he scored only 76 runs, down from 139 in 2007.

One of the first statistics Rollins' proponents pointed out when arguing his MVP candidacy in 2007 was runs scored. His ability to set the table for hitters like Chase Utley and Ryan Howard is what makes him so valuable to Philadelphia.

I understand that the burden is really on the hitters behind Rollins to drive him in so that he can score runs, but his numbers were also affected by his drastic drop in home runs, extra-base hits, and slugging percentage.

Luckily for the Phillies and Rollins, there is really no part of Rollins' game that desperately needs to be improved in order for him to become one of the most productive shortstops in the National League.

He walked more than he struck out last season — 58 BB to 55 K —and he remains one of the smartest and best baserunners in all of baseball with 47 stolen bases and only three times caught stealing. There have never been any questions about his work ethic and desire.

Don't expect Rollins to hit 30 home runs and 20 triples again like he did in 2007, but 15 home runs and 10-15 triples is not unreasonable to assume considering that Rollins should be healthy and determined in 2009.

4. Nick Swisher — New York Yankees

There is really nothing better for a hitters' numbers than an insertion into a lineup like then one the Yankees will be fielding in 2009, and Swisher should be absolutely giddy about the opportunity to hit somewhere behind Alex Rodriguez and in front of Jorge Posada.

But first Swisher needs to survive the recent rumors that the Yankees are shopping him and Xavier Nady to teams after the signing of Mark Teixeira.

Swisher should outlast Nady, if only because he probably has less trade value and could be a cheaper long-term solution for a team that just spent over $400 million in free agency this season.

If he does outlast Nady, Yankees fans and potential fantasy owners who draft Swisher should be pleased with better production from the outfielder.

Swisher's statistics have never really stood out. His value lies in his ability to get on base, his power, and his infectious attitude and effect on players around him.

So you can imagine how the White Sox must have felt when they traded promising prospect Gio Gonzalez and two other players to the A's for him. What they received was a player who hit .219, platooned in the outfield and at first base, and whose OPS was just .742, over 60 points lower than his career average.

But there are signs of hope.

First of all, Swisher still showed the type of patience that makes him an ideal Moneyball-style player. He averaged 4.53 pitches-per-plate appearance, among the leaders in all of baseball, and his power numbers didn't exactly disappear (24 home runs in less than 500 at-bats.)

There is no reason to expect that Swisher is on the decline. He is only 28 years old, and as I said earlier, nothing re-invigorates a struggling hitter like the protection that the Yankees lineup can offer.

5. Prince Fielder — Milwaukee Brewers

Relax! Before you run me out of Bleacher Report via the comments section, just hear me out.

While most people would say that there is no such thing as rebounding from a season that included 35 home runs, 102 RBI, and a .507 slugging percentage, in the case of Prince Fielder, rebounding is exactly what he needs to do.

In 2007, Fielder hit 50 home runs, drove in 119 runs, and slugged .618, over 100 points better than he slugged last year.

It might not be realistic to expect that Fielder can consistently have that type of season, but it is certainly reasonable that Fielder should settle somewhere in between the two seasons.