Preseason Baseball Coverage: Draft Kit Central | New Faces in New Places | Top 250 Rankings

By Dustin Hockensmith
Fantasy Sports 101 Baseball

The position of power, quite literally, in fantasy. This year's first base crop is top heavy and riddled with questions, from Albert Pujols' injured elbow to a number of players - Pujols, David Ortiz, Derrek Lee, Travis Hafner - coming off down seasons.

1. Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
Entering each season, Pujols always has the potential to be fantasy baseball's No. 1 hitter, but 2008 is one where owners are reconsidering his merits. He enters with elbow problems and comes off a career-worst season in which he totaled just 32 homers and 103 RBI. Meanwhile, the rest of the field of first basemen continues to narrow the gap between it and Pujols.

Pujols's Key Statistics

2. Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies
In many respects, Howard had a down season in 2007. He was puzzled by lefties, hit just .268 and led the Majors with 199 strikeouts, but he also hit 47 home runs and drove in 136 runs. In 2008, it's reasonable to expect him to split the difference between his first and second full Major League seasons. That would mean roughly a .285 average, 52 homers and 140+ RBI - a package that comes with slightly more certainty than Prince Fielder.

Howard's Key Statistics

3. Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers
Only Alex Rodriguez hit more home runs last season, which was just Fielder's second Major League campaign. He became the youngest player in MLB history to slug 50 homers, while adding 35 doubles and baseball's sixth-highest on-base plus slugging average (OPS). He has lightning fast hands and above average athleticism for a big man, so his production was no fluke.

Fielder's Key Statistics

4. David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox
Ortiz has as much upside as any first basemen in this group, but like Pujols, he's coming off a sub-par season in the power categories (32 home runs, 117 RBI). He had averaged 44 homers over the previous three seasons, which would be a more realistic guess for his output in 2008. He underwent successful arthroscopic knee surgery in November, which should have him at 100 percent for Spring Training.

Ortiz's Key Statistics

5. Lance Berkman, Houston Astros
The switch-hitting Berkman doesn't often get the opportunity to shoot for Minute Maid Park's short porch in left field (315 feet), and he totaled just five home runs in 132 at-bats from the right side of the plate in 2007. His production was down across the board, but Berkman is too good a hitter to have back-to-back down seasons. Look for something closer to his .300 career average, with 35 homers and 120 RBI this season.

Berkman's Key Statistics

6. Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins
Morneau felt the pressure of a looming contract extension last season and faltered in the second half. He signed a 6-year, $80 million deal in January, so that won't be a concern for 2008. Torii Hunter is gone from the lineup, but he could find himself sandiwched between solid, right-handed hitters Delmon Young and Michael Cuddyer. The pieces will be in place for a 40-home run season, which we think will happen.

Morneau's Key Statistics

7. Carlos Pena, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Are you of little faith? Take our word, Pena is here to stay. Think Travis Hafner with a smoother swing and more natural athleticism. He is selective at the plate, gets on base (.411 OBP in '07) and hits the ball out of the yard (46 HRs). Good things are happening in Tampa Bay, too, and more positive energy can only help him try and duplicate last season's career numbers.

Pena's Key Statistics

8. Mark Teixeira, Atlanta Braves
Teixeira took a liking to the National League, where he picked up his production and put together a fourth straight 100-RBI season. The move to Atlanta should mean the difference between a 30-homer, 100-RBI season and a 35-homer, 110 RBI season, and you can take those kinds of numbers to the bank.

Teixeira's Key Statistics

9. Derrek Lee, Chicago Cubs
Lee's broken right wrist, the one that limited him to 50 games in 2006 and hampered him in 2007, should no longer be an issue. He told the Chicago Sun-Times that it was 100 percent, and a power surge can be expected. Look no further than the second half of last season, when he hit 16 home runs in 68 games after just six in his first 82. He will top 30 homers and 100 RBI this season and add a rare .300-plus batting average for a first baseman.

Lee's Key Statistics

10. Travis Hafner, Cleveland Indians
Consider it a coup that Hafner even qualifies at first base, that new position eligibility (he played 11 games there in '07) will actually give you a couple of different lineup options. Our concern is that he overachieved in the power department in previous seasons and can top out around 30 homers. He is, however, a proven run producer who has topped 100 RBIs in four straight seasons and a .300 batting average in three straight prior to 2007 (he hit .266).

Hafner's Key Statistics

11. Garrett Atkins, Colorado Rockies
Atkins' fantasy game is better suited for third base, where sheer power isn't as abundant and balanced numbers are more the norm. That said, he drives in runs, hits for a high average, and is surrounded by all sorts of lineup help. In that offense and at Coors Field, he'll make a third straight push at 25 home runs and 110-plus RBIs.

Atkins's Key Statistics

12. Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego Padres
Petco Park, one of the most prohibitive hitting stadiums in Major League Baseball, prevents the smooth-swinging Gonzalez from reaching fantasy superstardom. He actually has some of the less extreme home and road splits on the Padres roster, but there is a notable difference: .266 average, 10 HRs, .424 slugging percentage and 36 RBIs in 304 home at-bats; .295-20-.570-64 in 342 at-bats on the road.

Gonzalez's Key Statistics

13. Victor Martinez, Cleveland Indians
Only in dire straights should you start Martinez at first base; he will almost exclusively be used as a catcher where his consistent .300-20-80-100 type seasons are among the most valuable at his position. His experience at first base, in addition to providing fantasy lineup flexibility, keeps him more fresh for the duration of the season.

Martinez's Key Statistics

14. Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox
Konerko is a very polished hitter, which bodes well for his consistency. He has hit at least 30 homers in four straight seasons, while his .353 lifetime on-base percentage is proof of his patience and ability to draw walks. His average has been all over the map, though, and there's simply not enough evidence to believe that he can do much better than the .259 he put up in 2007.

Konerko's Key Statistics

15. Carlos Guillen, Detroit Tigers
Guillen has shortstop eligibility as well, so this move to first base for the dynamic Tigers should be more of a blessing in real life than fantasy. What he does do, a la Dodgers catcher Russell Martin, is provide a unique tool for this position: the ability to steal bases. He stole 13 last season - down from 20 in 2006 - while the other 14 first basemen on this list combined for just 23.

Guillen's Key Statistics

AL-Only Rankings
1. David Ortiz, BOS
2. Justin Morneau, MIN
3. Carlos Pena, TB
4. Travis Hafner, CLE
5. Victor Martinez, CLE
6. Paul Konerko, CHW
7. Carlos Guillen, DET
8. Nick Swisher, CHW
9. Alex Gordon, KC
10. Ryan Garko, CLE

NL-Only Rankings
1. Albert Pujols, STL
2. Ryan Howard, PHI
3. Prince Fielder, MIL
4. Lance Berkman, HOU
5. Mark Teixeira, ATL
6. Derrek Lee, CHC
7. Garrett Atkins, COL
8. Adrian Gonzalez, SD
9. Carlos Delgado, NYM
10. James Loney, LAD

** Position averages were determined by eliminating the top and bottom totals in each category, adding the rest, and dividing by 13. For example, in the runs category: David Ortiz's leading total of 116 and Paul Konerko's trailing total of 71 were eliminated, while the other 13 were averaged. For the stat sample, the top 15 players on this list were used. All figures were rounded up.