Fantasy Baseball 2012: Albert Pujols and the Top 10 Sluggers Sure to Star

Along with Albert Pujols of the Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim, there are at least 10 other sluggers in fantasy baseball who are sure to not disappoint in 2012.

This is not a list of the top-10 overall fantasy players, but rather a power ranking of the best overall hitters that should go in the first round of the draft. This is to say that Jose Reyes and his seven home runs won't make the cut.

Here's a list of top-10 sluggers that are sure to come through for your fantasy baseball team in 2012.

10. Troy Tulowitzki

If you want to make a great value pick in the first round, Troy Tulowitzki is the way to go.

The reason for this is because of his position: shortstop. In today's age, there aren't many shortstops out there who can put up impressive fantasy numbers. Tulowitzki and Jose Reyes are really the only two superstars at the position today, but they certainly aren't Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Miguel Tejada or Nomar Garciaparra of five years ago.

Shortstop is a dying breed in baseball, and Tulowitzki is the best in the business at the moment. His .302 batting average with 30 home runs and 105 runs batted in are impressive numbers for any position, let alone shortstop.

"Tulo" will be a great pick anywhere in the first round, but he could end up being the best value pick in the entire draft.

9. Prince Fielder

Wherever Prince Fielder lands this offseason, he's going to produce. The possibility to him switching leagues and seeing his numbers drastically drop shouldn't even cross your mind when drafting him. This is, however, barring that he even leaves the NL.

But it's a legitimate question to ask how much his numbers might drop once he officially leaves the Milwaukee Brewers. It's hard to argue that hitting next to Ryan Braun didn't affect his productivity. It's unlikely that Fielder will have a hitter as good as Braun batting next to him wherever he might end up.

However, Fielder is going to produce. He has hit at least 30 home runs and driven in 100 runs in each of his past five seasons.

8. Joey Votto

Joey Votto is a professional hitter.

That might not sound like much of a complement, but there aren't many professional hitters in baseball. Votto has one of the prettiest swings from the left side, and has the uncanny ability to stay inside the ball and hit it the other way. Not many power hitters have the ability to do that, and Votto excels at it.

What impresses me the most about Votto is his ability to get on base. He has had on on-base percentage of over .400 for the past three seasons in a row.

Votto is a very safe pick if you draft somewhere late in the first round. Consider yourself lucky if you're able to get him somewhere around the eighth pick of the draft.

7. Curtis Granderson

Many would put Curtis Granderson higher on this list, but I don't think he's a top-five offensive fantasy player.

When you look at his stats from 2011, 41 home runs, 116 runs batted in and 25 stolen bases jump out at you. But then you see his .261 batting average and 169 strikeout total, and his numbers suddenly don't look as appealing.

Just because of the fact that he's going to hit you 30 to 40 home runs and steal some bases is the only reason why Granderson is on this list. He isn't really the complete player that you would want to use your first-round pick on.

However, if you complement him with some other players with high batting averages, Granderson can excel at filling all the other offensive categories in your league.

6. Carlos Gonzalez

This may come as a surprise to some, but I think Carlos Gonzalez is going to have a monster year; maybe even a little reminiscent of his season in 2010.

Many were thoroughly disappointed after they "wasted" their first-round pick on "Cargo" during last year's draft.

Even though he didn't live up to his enormously high expectations last year, his numbers were still pretty impressive. Batting .295 with 26 home runs, 92 runs batted in and an on-base percentage of .363 is still a very impressive year.

In 2012, I fully expect Cargo to return to his form from his first full year with the Colorado Rockies. 2011 was his second full season in the major leagues, so let's chalk last year up as his sophomore slump.

Don't be surprised to see him a top-five fantasy player next year.

5. Adrian Gonzalez

You know what you're going to get with Adrian Gonzalez: a batting average over .300, at least 25 home runs, over 100 RBI and an on-base percentage around .400.

And while batting in the Boston Red Sox's lineup and hitting in the friendly confines of Fenway Park, Gonzalez is nothing short of a lock to achieve those numbers yet again in 2012.

He was largely a top-10 pick in 2011, but expect him to be a top-seven pick this year.

4. Jose Bautista

People were a little hesitant to pick Jose Bautista last year. He was typically going in the third to fourth round last year, but the ones who drafted him were greatly rewarded.

Bautista took baseball by storm in 2010 after he smashed a league-high 54 home runs. No one was even within 10 home runs of Bautista's final total. However, the .260 batting average scared some people, so that's why he slipped so far in the draft last year.

But after batting over .300 in 2011 with 43 home runs and 103 RBI, you shouldn't be afraid to pick Bautista in the first round anymore.

He is one of the premier sluggers in baseball and deserves to be drafted as such.

3. Miguel Cabrera

Miguel Cabrera is the definition of a sure thing in fantasy baseball.

Excluding his rookie year, he has hit at least 30 home runs in seven out of his eight seasons in the major leagues. He has hit at least .320 six times in his career. He had over 100 RBI in eight seasons. He has also had a slugging percentage over .500 eight times in his career.

You know what you're going to get with Cabrera and that is consistency at a top-notch level.

Last year, Cabrera slipped in the draft at times, and that was largely because of his alcohol abuse problems.

But Cabrera went on and had a fantastic year with a line of .344/.448/.586.

Don't go against the grain and think this will be the year that Cabrera's weight finally catches up to him. You'll be very disappointed.

2. Albert Pujols

Fantasy baseball owners who were graciously awarded with the first-overall pick in the draft ended up wishing they never had it in the first place.

Albert Pujols was the consensus No. 1 overall pick in the draft, but he went on to have the worst year of his career. 

It was the first time in Pujols' 11-year career that he failed to hit at last .300 with 100 RBI and 30 home runs. He missed that mark by one RBI and one percentage point in batting average.

But now Pujols is with the Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim. Some people are worried about the fact that he's switching leagues but that's nonsense. Pujols is a career .348 hitter in interleague play, so that should put that argument to rest.

Pujols is the best hitter of this generation. It's incredible, but no other player in the world can hit .299 with 37 home runs and 99 RBI and have it called a down year.

1. Matt Kemp

Matt Kemp should be the first player taken in every fantasy baseball draft this year. He gives you more than a little of everything in literally every single offensive category.

He was ranked in the top-seven for on-base percentage and slugging percentage. He was ranked in the top-four in batting average, home runs, runs batted in and stolen bases.

If you can get a player that is as multifaceted as Kemp, he should be the consensus No. 1 overall pick.

As for bust potential, he got his sophomore slump out of the way in 2010. The Kemp that we saw in 2011 is the Kemp that we are going to see every year for the next 10 years.

He is the real deal.