Fantasy Baseball Rankings 2012: Sluggers Who Won't Let You Down

Power is the easiest thing to draft for in fantasy baseball. By far.

The reason power is the easiest thing to draft for is because you know who the home run hitters around the league are. They tend to stand out.

So drafting sluggers is easy, but I can understand it if you're a little skeptical about about which sluggers you can rely on. Which power hitters represent the safest picks?

Glad you asked. The answer lies in the list below.

5. Giancarlo Stanton, OF, Miami Marlins

You know them as the team formerly known as the Florida Marlins, and you know him as the hitter formerly known as Mike Stanton.

Yeah, he's Giancarlo now. I'm totally cool with that.

I'm also cool with Stanton's raw power, which is off the charts. He's only been in the league two years, but he's done enough to prove that he is one of the very best pure power hitters in baseball.

Take a look at his ISO (isolated power) numbers from the last two seasons. In 2011, Stanton's ISO was .275, good for third in the majors. In 2010, his ISO was a mere .248. Not great, but that would have qualified for 10th in the league this year.

It all translates to 56 home runs in just 997 at-bats. That's a pretty good rate, and the improvement Stanton showed in 2011 is a good sign for him heading into 2011.

Let's just hope Giancarlo is as good a hitter as Mike was...is...whatever.

4. Mark Teixeira, 1B, New York Yankees

Remember, we're talking power hitters here, not guys who hit for average. Mark Teixeira definitely qualifies as a power hitter.

Since 2007, Teixeira has hit 174 home runs—an average of roughly 35 a season. That's pretty good consistency.

Despite the fact Teixeira was decidedly average last season, he still hit 39 home runs and had an ISO of .246. You'd like to see him in the .270 range he used to occupy, but .246 isn't bad at all.

Besides, Teixeira still hits in the middle of a stacked Yankees lineup, and he still plays in the ridiculous launching pad known as New Yankee Stadium. He'll hit a few dingers for you if you draft him.

3. Jose Bautista, OF, Toronto Blue Jays

No player has hit more home runs over the last two seasons than Jose Bautista. He's hit 97 of them, to be exact.

That's not all. Bautista has also slugged over .600 in each of the last two seasons, which is downright insane. If you take a look at his ISO numbers, you'll see that he led the league with an ISO of .357 in 2010 and an ISO of .306 in 2011.

By all rights, Bautista should be first on this list. The reason he's not is because of how much he tailed off after the All-Star break in 2011. He was hitting everything before the break, and he was hitting nothing after the break.

Still, Bautista deserves the benefit of the doubt. Despite his woeful second half, he still ended the season with the best power numbers in the league. That's impressive.

2. Miguel Cabrera, 3B/1B, Detroit Tigers

Miguel Cabrera actually regressed as a power hitter in 2011. A year after posting a slugging percentage of .622 and an ISO of .294, Cabrera posted a slugging percentage of .586 and an ISO of .241.

Slacker.

Well, unless you look at Cabrera did after the All-Star break. He slugged .630, including .758 in September. He found his power when it mattered.

You're going to get at least 30 home runs and great RBI production out of Cabrera. I'm crossing my fingers that Cabrera will hit in front of Prince Fielder, resulting in increased power production.

Then I'll cross my fingers hoping Cabrera falls to me when it's time to draft.

1. Albert Pujols, 1B, Los Angeles Angels

Albert Pujols had the worst season of his career in 2011. But by traditional standards, he had a fantastic season. You really can't complain about 37 homers and 99 RBI.

You don't need me to tell you how good Albert is swinging the bat. He leads all active hitters in slugging, and it's not even close. He hits the ball hard.

In recent seasons, Pujols has been good for an ISO in the high .200s or low .300s, which puts him in elite territory. Last season was his worse year as a pro, but he's still too young to start declining. He has a couple years of elite production left in him.

So feel free to draft him in 2012. You know what you're getting when it comes to Pujols.