It's little wonder Arizona is off to such a red-hot start; five of their nine everyday players are among the Top 20 fantasy players in all of baseball when it comes to offensive production. That's more than double the number of any other team on this list.
| Fantasy Top 20 - Positional Players |
| Rank |
Team |
Player |
Avg. |
Runs |
HR |
RBI |
Fantasy Points |
| 1 |
 |
Chase Utley, 2B |
.354 |
17 |
9 |
18 |
114 |
|
Before he got injured midway through last season, it was Utley, not teammate Jimmy Rollins, who looked like the favorite for National League MVP. 2008 could be the second baseman's year.
|
| 2 |
 |
Derrek Lee, 1B |
.358 |
18 |
7 |
17 |
99 |
|
Lee has always swung a mighty bat when healthy. The question is: can he stay out of street clothes long enough to put together another monster fantasy season? |
| 3 |
 |
Chipper Jones, 3B |
.453 |
16 |
6 |
19 |
98 |
Another star that always appears to be battling bumps and bruises, Jones' smoking-hot start was recently derailed by a quad injury. He's day-to-day at the moment.
|
| 4 |
 |
David Wright, 3B |
.343 |
12 |
4 |
19 |
97 |
He's been having some Chuck Knoblach-like throwing issues over at third of late, but D-Wright's bat is just fine.
|
| 4 |
 |
Hanley Ramirez, SS |
.355 |
17 |
6 |
16 |
97 |
|
Who's the best shortstop in the NL? With Jimmy Rollins hurt and Jose Reyes just beginning to round into form, it's not a tough question to answer right now. |
| 6 |
|
Pat Burrell, OF |
.364 |
13 |
7 |
19 |
96 |
|
He's overlooked because of the MVP-caliber talent surrounding him in Philly, but Burrell's a pretty decent masher in his own right.
|
| 7 |
 |
Rafael Furcal, SS |
.392 | 17 | 3 | 8 | 93 |
|
He'll stay in the Top 20 as long as he can keep finding ways to get on base (.489 OBP).
|
| 8 |
 |
Mark Reynolds, 3B |
.303 |
17 |
6 |
19 |
88 |
|
The second year third baseman's big bat is a major contributor to Arizona's 14-5 start. |
| 8 |
 |
Lance Berkman, 1B |
.282 |
18 |
5 |
14 |
88 |
|
Another quiet star, it'll be interesting to see if Berkman can maintain this pace at the age of 32.
|
| 10 |
 |
Albert Pujols, 1B |
.354 |
12 |
4 |
14 |
87 |
|
You'd never know Pujols is nursing an elbow injury that could require surgery at any moment.
|
| 10 |
|
Aramis Ramirez, 3B |
.282 |
18 |
5 |
13 |
87 |
|
He'd be the best third baseman in the American League right now, based on his current numbers. In the NL, hes only 4th-best.
|
| 12 |
|
Conor Jackson, 1B |
.363 |
18 |
3 |
17 |
86 |
|
Another member of Arizona's youth movement makes the list...
|
| 13 |
|
Eric Byrnes, OF |
.295 |
16 |
3 |
13 |
85 |
|
...as does Byrnes, the team's honorary old man 32 years of age.
|
| 13 |
 |
Josh Hamilton, OF |
.305 |
11 |
4 |
19 |
85 |
|
He doesnt score as many runs as the players listed above him, but he makes up for it with lots of RBIs.
|
| 15 |
|
Miguel Tejada, SS |
.342 |
14 |
4 |
16 |
83 |
|
.342 and 16 RBIs are the only numbers that matter in fantasy land.
|
| 16 |
 |
Raul Ibanez, OF |
.316 |
12 |
5 |
16 |
82 |
|
He's been asked to shoulder a heavier load with outfield-mate Ichiro Suzuki struggling at the plate. So far, he's been able to deliver.
|
| 17 |
 |
Manny Ramirez, OF |
.338 |
15 |
6 |
20 |
81 |
|
Think the Red Sox will pick up Manny's $20M option for next season? They will if he keeps bopping like this.
|
| 18 |
|
Josh Willingham, OF |
.310 |
13 |
5 |
11 |
79 |
|
Willingham's steady play at the plate has been one of the early bright spots for the Marlins.
|
| 18 |
|
Justin Upton, OF |
.384 |
11 |
5 |
13 |
79 |
|
Upton may prove to be the best of all Arizona's young talent.
|
| 18 |
|
Chris B. Young, OF |
.236 |
17 |
5 |
10 |
79 |
|
Another Diamondback cracks the Top 20. Ho-hum.
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