2011 Fantasy Projections, No. 14: Why Yankees' Alex Rodriguez Is a Top-15 Pick

Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one-by-one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

Alex Rodriguez has a lot working against him heading into 2011. The 35-year-old has missed a total of 87 games over the last three seasons. He’s failed to hit at least 35 HRs in each of the last two seasons, a total he previously maintained for 11 consecutive years dating back to 1998.

A-Roid’s batting average and slugging percentage (and therefore his isolated power as well) have declined progressively over the last four seasons:

Batting Average

Slugging Percentage

Isolated Power

Despite all this, A-Rod has managed to maintain his incredible streak of 13 years with at least 30 HRs and 100 RBI. Given 550 at-bats, the Yankees’ cleanup hitter is likely to extend that streak to 14 years, making him the third-ranked player at the surprisingly thin hot corner position in 2011.

	PA	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG
2010 Stats	595	74	30	125	4	.270
Three-Year Average	575	85	32	109	12	.286
2011 FBI Forecast	630	90	30	115	10	.284

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: FANTASY BASEBALL INSIDERS

Fantasy Baseball Insiders’ 2011 Big Board:

• Nos. 1-10: Is Pujols Still The Top Pick?
• No. 11: Joey Votto
• No. 12: Robinson Cano
• No. 13: Ryan Howard

Previous articles from Fantasy Baseball Insiders:

• 2011 Projections: Adrian Beltre
• The Sub-2.50 ERA Curse: Why 5 Elite Starting Pitchers May Regress in 2011
• 2010 Batting Average on Balls in Play Leaders: What to Expect in 2011?
• 2011 Closer’s Corner: Papelbon, Cordero and Rivera Are the Only Reliable Options

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