The month of March is slowly coming to an end and so is spring training. Soon, the regular season will begin along with fantasy baseball.
Every major sport has adopted this concept of creating a fantasy league online in which fans can draft their favorite players to be on their team. These fans are then awarded points every time their players perform well in real life games.
The process of drafting players in any fantasy game involves a lot of planning and research. Fans must look at how a player performed in the previous season, how they have performed over the past three seasons, and what that player’s projected statistics are.
Needless to say, the fantasy draft can be very stressful.
However, let’s say that you, as a fan, were creating your own fantasy team but you also had no one drafting against you. In other words, if you could hand-pick all the athletes you wanted to be on your team with no competition, which players would they be?
If I was given this option, my team would look something like this:
Catcher: Jorge Posada –
New York Yankees
I must admit that I cannot help but shudder at the idea of drafting a Yankee onto my fantasy team as a diehard Red Sox fan. However, I also cannot deny that Posada is perhaps the most productive catcher in the league today.
He brings a very steady bat to the line-up that consists of both power and clutch hitting.
Over the past four seasons Posada has hit over the .250 mark with his best season being 2007 when he finished with a batting average of .338.
Although he is starting to get older at the age of 36, Posada continues to play a healthy and consistent game every season.
First Base: Albert Pujols –
St. Louis Cardinals
Yes, Pujols is an obvious choice for a first baseman. However, I challenge anyone to find a better all-around player. Pujols is able to combine his power and average better than any other player in the league. He has never hit less than .300 for an average in the seven seasons that he has played in the major leagues. Pujols has also never hit less than 30 home runs each year. His offensive production is unquestionable but how good is he defensively? Pujols made only eight errors last season as he finished with a fielding percentage of .995.
However, there is currently a concern for his overall health in spring training which could lead to him missing quite a few games at the start of the season. If Pujols can stay healthy, he may once again be the most productive first baseman in the league this year.
Second Base: Brandon Phillips – Cincinnati Reds
I know that some of you must be thinking “Brandon who?”
Phillips is a young kid who was playing for the Cleveland Indians organization for most of his career and was never given much playing time.
That all changed when he was traded to Cincinnati and became their starting second baseman.
Phillips had a break-out year last season as he finished with 30 home runs and 94 RBI. Phillips showed off his speed with 32 stolen bases in 40 attempts. He also finished with a very decent batting average of .288. The best part about Phillips is that he is just twenty-seven years old,.
Shortstop: Jose Reyes –
New York Mets
Looking for a leadoff man? If so, Jose Reyes is the player for you. Reyes has quickly built a reputation for having incredible speed and base-running ability. Last season, he stole 78 bases in 99 attempts. Bottom line: Jose Reyes loves to run. His offensive production is also commendable as he finished last season with a batting average of .280 and 57 RBI. Reyes is the perfect leadoff man for any team looking to steal a base or two, or 70.
Third Base: Alex Rodriguez –
New York Yankees
I know, once again an obvious choice. Let’s face it, it’s hard to choose against the reigning American League MVP. Rodriguez was by far the most productive player in all of baseball last season with his 54 home runs and 156 RBI. As far as his defense is concerned, Rodriguez made a significant improvement from his 2006 season in which he made an astounding 24 errors. In 2007 he only made 13 errors which brought his fielding percentage to .965. Love him or hate him (like I do) you cannot deny his excellence on the field.
Outfielders: Aaron Rowand (SF), Matt Holiday (COL), Torri Hunter (LAA)
When thinking about what outfielders I wanted I looked for a good batting average and exceptional defense.
Aaron Rowand had without a doubt the best season of his career with the Phillies in 2007 both offensively and defensively. Rowand hit for a .309 average with 27 home runs and 89 RBI. He also threw out eleven base runners from the outfield.
Matt Holliday is not known for astounding defense, but he is known for his great hitting. Holliday hit for a .340 average last year and drove in over 100 runs.
Finally, Torri Hunter was added to the mix. Hunter plays for a new team but he still plays like he did in Minnesota.
Hunter is known for having great speed in the outfield to track down long fly balls as well as a strong arm to throw out any base-runner who dares to challenge him.
Together, these three players make up a great defensive outfield while bringing strong hitting into the line-up.
Pitching Rotation: Boston Red Sox
No, I did not choose them just because I am a Red Sox fan