Fantasy Baseball: What about the rest of the Season? Part III

Time to examine the corner infield spots. These are projections from now until the end of the year as to who will finish where. Have questions or comments? Email the Roundtable using the link on the right.

Top 10 First Basemen

1. Lance Berkman—Berkman has been strong all season. He provides eligibility at two positions and already has 17 home runs. Add to that, Berkman is consistent. His numbers vary very little on a month-to-month basis.
2. Albert Pujols—Everyone, including me, was terrified of his elbow. Well, that hasn’t been an issue. That being the case, Pujols is a top-five performer that would have been drafted that way if there wasn’t this fear.
3. David Ortiz—If he’s only out through the end of the month, Ortiz remains one of the best in the game. He will hit 40 home runs and drive in 120. His average likely rebounds to around the .280 mark as well. From a power hitter, it doesn’t get much better.
4. Mark Teixeira—Big Tex is a second-half player in a hitter’s park. The pitching in the NL East is spotty. Sure, he struggles against some of the better lefties, like Santana and Hamels, but he also hurts weaker pitching. He’ll see a lot of that from teams such as Washington and the back-half of Philly and New York.
5. Ryan Howard—The good news is his average CANNOT be worse than it has been. Even hitting .214, he’s on pace for 37 home runs and 122 RBI. Howard is a career .280 hitter. If he were to do that the rest of the way, along with another 25 or so home runs, I think that’s respectable and gives him some of the better numbers in the game.
6. Justin Morneau—Morneau has been mashing. He’s putting the hurt on righties at 20 points above his last three-year average, and his average against left-handed pitching is better as well. Granted it's still only .250, but that’s better. He hits his divisional opponents very well, and that’s where most of the schedule is concentrated.
7. Derrek Lee—We may never see 45 home runs again, but what he’s doing is quality. His power numbers dropped last year, as he recovered from the wrist injury. We could see 35 home runs this season, and he’s on one of the better hitting teams in baseball. He’ll have plenty of opportunities.
8. Prince Fielder—The strikeout numbers might kill you, but his 45-home run power will make up for it. Fielder will hit .280 and will be needed if the Brewers are going to make a charge on anyone for the playoffs. Given how the whole team seems to be coming around, he’s in a good spot.
9. Adrian Gonzalez—Yes, he struggles with lefties and is playing in a tough park to generate offense, but Gonzalez is The Man when it comes to power in Southern California. Even with all this going against him, a line of .300/40/125 wouldn’t surprise me.
10. Miguel Cabrera—We all know he’s struggled early. Much of this, I feel, is adjusting to a new league. Cabrera didn’t forget how to hit when he came over. He’ll be facing some familiar pitchers in interleague play, and I think that will help him out and get him started. I still see .300/32/100 out of him.

Just Missed: Kevin Youkilis (second half fade), Mike Jacobs

 

Top 10 Third Basemen

1. Alex Rodriguez—We all know what he’s capable of doing. He’ll do it in the second half. Buy now while you can. The Yankees aren’t a bad offense, and A-Rod will be around to drive that.
2. Chipper Jones—Jones is always going to be seen as injury prone and that makes many people, myself included, very nervous. He won’t provide the power numbers many of these other guys will, but he gives average and RBI, and is a solid OBP guy for additional category leagues. I just don’t see him hitting .420 all year.
3. Miguel Cabrera—See above.
4. Ryan Braun—Not quite as prolific with the OF grouping, but still solid. Braun has hit 50 home runs and driven in over 100 in his first “full” season, stretching back to last year. He’s carried the Brewers offense to this point, and Milwaukee will not hit this poorly against right-handed starters all year long. Braun will continue what he’s doing, is eligible at multiple positions, and will provide first-round numbers the rest of the way.
5. David Wright—Wright possesses the rare ability to hit for average and power, while also providing speed. He should hit 30 home runs, drive in well over 100, and steal 25-30 bases. He’s tough to put ahead of the guy at number six, but I like the steals that Wright has the potential to bring.
6. Aramis Ramirez—He’s hit 30 or more home runs in four of the last five years. He’s on pace for 24 right now. I would think that those numbers jump. This is about where you’ll see his average, so it’s a matter of an adjustment in power. In this offense, not out of the realm.
7. Garrett Atkins—A .300 career hitter who gets to play half of his games in Coors Field. He has the power to hit 25-30 home runs and has driven in more than 100 in the last two. He’ll be getting help when Matt Holliday and Troy Tulowitzki return from the DL, so these numbers should be good.
8. Joe Crede—This is more than just how he’s hitting lately. Everyone was calling for Josh Fields in Spring Training, but Crede has held down the job. He’s coming into his own as far as power, and he should crack 30 home runs with ease.
9. Mike Lowell—Since Lowell’s return from the DL in May, he’s been swinging the bat very well. He may not mirror what you saw last season as far as total offensive output, but .290/25/90 is probably the going rate for a No. 5 hitter in a Boston lineup.
10. Evan Longoria—He’s only going to get better as the season goes on. He may tire down the stretch, but Tampa needs him to hit. He has all the tools to succeed and only needs to keep it together to provide better numbers than someone like Adrian Beltre.

Just Missed: Edwin Encarnacion, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Blake DeWitt, Chone Figgins (health)

 

Back tomorrow with a look at the middle infield and catchers. Check out the full Roundtable Blog.