Fantasy Baseball Rankings 2012: Injury-Prone Players Well Worth the Risk

Injuries are a part of baseball. Some non-baseball fans will tell you that these players just aren't tough and don't have the guts to get on the field. They clearly have no idea of the physical grind that playing 162 games takes on the body. 

For those that do understand the game and all its little nuances, you understand why players get injured and what to expect from them when they come back. 

Fantasy baseball is all about taking some chances. You don't want to build a team around players who are all injury-prone, but there are a few names worth taking a chance on. 

Here are the best players that you need to take a chance on—some sooner rather than later—in your fantasy draft. 

Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins

The 2009 American League MVP has never been the picture of health, but he did play in at least 137 games from 2008-10. 

Mauer is coming into camp healthy and happy after a disastrous 2011 season for him and the Twins. He is never going to hit for as much power as he did in 2009, because he is a line-drive hitter and due to the dimensions in Target Field, but he is going to hit for a high average with 10 to 15 homers. 

Considering how scarce offense is at the catching position, Mauer should bounce right back and be one of the top five in fantasy baseball this year. He should stay healthy this season, especially if the Twins give him more reps at first base and designated hitter. 

Jose Reyes, Miami Marlins

The first $100 million player in franchise history, Reyes is going to be the most electrifying shortstop in fantasy baseball once again. 

The only thing that has stopped Reyes from being one of the five best fantasy players in baseball over the past eight years is injury. Even his outstanding 2011 season was marred by a hamstring injury that forced him to miss 36 games. 

Even with those injury concerns, it is impossible to overlook all the good that Reyes does when he is on the field. He is going to hit around .300 with 100 runs scored, 30 stolen bases, 10 home runs and 55 to 60 runs driven in.

As long as Reyes plays in 130 games, something he has only done once since the start of 2009, he will be one of the best fantasy shortstops next season. 

Carl Crawford, Boston Red Sox

There is no denying it: Crawford's debut season in Boston was a failure of epic proportions. He struggled out of the gate, and everything just kept snowballing on him. He missed 32 games with a hamstring injury. 

Crawford is expected to start the season on the disabled list after undergoing wrist surgery in January. But he has taken every logical step to make sure that he gets back to being the player he was in Tampa, including closing his stance at the plate a little bit to get to the ball quicker. 

Expecting him to be exactly what he was with the Rays is not realistic, but he is not nearly as bad as his performance last year would indicate. His batting average is going to be much closer to .300 and he should increase his home run total to around 15 with 30 to 35 stolen bases. 

As long as you get good depth in the outfield early, Crawford is the kind of player that you can take a flier on later that will pay dividends. 

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