Fantasy Baseball Rankings 2012: Hitters Guaranteed to Help Dominate Your League

If there's one thing fantasy baseball owners love from their star players, it's consistency. Nothing is more frustrating than using an early pick on a player like Mark Teixeira only to watch him predictably struggle for the first 25 or 30 games.

To help you avoid those early-round blues, here are three elite players you can count on for pretty even production throughout the 2012 season.

Troy Tulowitzki

In his last four seasons—excluding his injury-plagued campaign in 2008—Tulowitzki has been as consistent as they come. He's hit at least .290 with 24 home runs and 92 runs batted in.

That's tremendous production for a shortstop.

He should be entering his peak production seasons at age 27, which makes him an even more intriguing option. Tulowitzki enters Spring Training in good shape after a hip issue near the end of last season, and if he can maintain that health, there's nothing that will stop him from producing like a first-round pick.

As if he needed another advantage, he gets to play half his games at Coors Field, where he has a career .931 OPS.

Considering position scarcity, few players are worth more than “Tulo.”

Matt Kemp

Kemp posted otherworldly numbers in 2011. That has some owners concerned he'll regress back toward Earth this season, but the fact of the matter is he'll still be one of the top outfielders in the game even if his numbers do level off a little bit.

He contributes to all five categories in a major way and has totaled at least 600 at-bats in four straight years. When somebody with as much talent as him gets that many chances, he's bound to do a lot of damage to opposing pitchers.

Don't worry about the noise surrounding him. Select him to be the cornerstone of your team with confidence that he'll finish the season near the top of the final rankings.

Joey Votto

Votto often gets overlooked because he plays first base and there's a ton of guys who hit for power at that position. What separates him from the pack is his ability to hit for a high average and swipe a couple bags to go along with that mammoth pop.

In five career seasons, his lowest batting average is .297.

When considering that he plays in Great American Ball Park alongside a good, young lineup, there's a chance he can make a run at the triple crown. Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder leaving the league certainly helps as well.

He's ranked behind Pujols and Miguel Cabrera according to most outlets, but don't be shocked if he finishes the season as the top-ranked first baseman.