64/60 Position Rankings UTILITY

12. Maccabi Hebrewers- Orlando Cabrerra, Erik Aybar, Drew Stubbs, Magglio Ordonez. No plus production anywhere. Ordonez will be better this year than last but still no huge upside. Stubbs could be a SB threat but his minor league track record would suggest that he will have a hard time hitting ML pitching consistently over a whole season. Aybar is a better real player than fantasy no upside. Cabrerra was a solid choice 4 years ago.

11. Rubber Duckies- Vladimir Guerrero, Scott Rolen, Juan Rivera, J.D. Drew. Another group with no upside. All are good to decent fantasy options if they are healthy but I prefer big upside players with these spots. None of the aforementioned have their best seasons ahead of them besides Rivera. Once again no elite level production to be had individually or collectively.

10. Hell and Damnation- Ryan Theriot, Kosuke Fukudome, Jeremy Hermida, Adam LaRoche.
Theriot and LaRoche are everyday players and both offer something. Theriot is a steady AVG who can steal some bases and will score Runs batting at the top of the order. Fukudome has been another blockbuster gone bad for the Cubs and with Colvin and Nady begging for at bats Fukudome could be losing his everyday player tag. I love Hermida in Boston this year but when will the AB's come. Most likely you will need a Drew or Cameron injury before Hermida sees steady action.

9. LeMaestro's 41129ers- Cody Ross, Corey Hart, Luke Scott, Sean Rodriguez. I really like Corey Hart to return closer to his 20/20 form than the disaster of last season. Ross is a solid end of the roster option. He is a steady performer in every stat with the exception of SB. Luke Scott had a career year last season can it be duplicated? Sean Rodriguez has had a fabulous Spring but once the season begins where are the AB's. His best hope would be to overtake Willy Aybar as the Super Utility Player but Managers tend to prefer veterans in that spot.

8. Hendo Colonels- Chris Coghlan, Rajai Davis, Colby Rasmus, Vernon Wells. Each player offers some intrigue Coghlan had a very solid rookie season so big things are expected in year two. Rasmus had big expectations coming into last season but overall his season didn't match the expectations. Will year two be the breakout? Rajai Davis is a good speed option but the A's have a full stable of OF's this season so struggles could lead to lost AB this season. Wells has always had the potential but he hasn't been a top line Fantasy player since 06 will this be the year?

7. Tude Smackers- Ryan Ludwick, Austin Jackson, Marlon Byrd, Paul Konerko. Ludwick is a solid option. Ludwick disappointed owners last season after a great 08 campaign. Ludwick isn't the 30+ HR 100/100 player from 08 but he should be better this year. A 25 HR season with a .280AVG sounds legit. Marlon Byrd had good season last year and will likely be a everyday player in Chicago. Byrd loved hitting in Texas and he was a below average player on the road. Even if Byrd plays well it's hard to imagine anything more than what he did last season. Konerko's better days are behind him but I still believe he has more tread on the tires. The White Sox offense will be better than people think and Konerko will bat in the middle of it. Austin Jackson has shown promise this spring and looks to have a Opening Day job. Jackson is a power speed threat that will show the speed part immediately.

6. B'Ville Stars- Todd Helton, J.J. Hardy, Scott Podsednik, Johnny Damon. Helton and Damon are both on the decline but both had steady years last season. Helton is nothing more at this point than a end of the roster player. Damon is a 20/20 threat and will give you a good AVG and runs to go with it. Podsednik is nothing more than a SB option but no longer is he at the elite level. If J.J. Hardy plays as he did in 09 this unit will be ranked much lower. Hardy should have a bounce back in HR/FB rate from 8.3% last season so a 20HR season could be on the docket for 2010.

5. Ohio River Carp- Troy Glaus, Lance Berkman, Nick Johnson, Jason Heyward. A veteran group with the best prospect in baseball mixed in. Berkman is on the backside of his career but I can still see a solid performer in every category with the exception of SB. Glaus and Johnson are both injury risk but have shown good skills in the past. I really like Johnson this year. Batting in the two spot in that lineup Johnson has a chance to score 100 Runs and may even drive in 70. How much if anything does Glaus have left? Every year a rookie gets built up and lofty expectations are put on them. Throughout history there have been more Matt Wieters than Albert Pujols. As good as prospects and certain rookies are there numbers generally aren't elite. Just look at ROY winners over the last 30 years most of there numbers aren't elite very few have had top of the league production. Truth be told Heyward's best value this season would be trade bait.

4. Argumentative 9irons- Alex Rios, Michael Bourn, Lastings Milledge, Hedeki Matsui. Rios has been terrible over the last two seasons but has still been a 20/20 threat. If Rios can be productive he will make a run for Pence as the best UTIL option in the league. Bourn won't hit .285 again but he is a elite SB guy. This season could decide Milledge's career. Should he falter once again then it would be safe to say the Lastings Milledge is a bust. Matsui isn't a sexy option but he hits the ball well and is a 20 HR threat who will drive in Runs batting in the middle of the Angels lineup.

3. BC Dingers- Kyle Blanks, Hunter Pence, Nolan Riemold, Cameron Maybin. Another ranking that Dong won't be pleased with. I can see why he looks at this unit and really likes his chances. Pence will become the elite Astros player this year and could be the best UTIL player in the league. Behind Pence are three young players who have all shown glimpses but haven't played that full slate of MLB games. Riemold had a very good rookie year last season and showed a good power stroke. Riemold did have a 14.2% HR/FB rate which isn't out of this world but it is your typical power hitter rate. I just don't see Riemold as that type of player. Riemold will still likely hit 20 HR but I don't see a 30HR season just yet. Blanks hit 10 HR's last season in just over 150 AB's but he did feature a 21% HR/FB rate. Blanks without a doubt will be a good source of power from the UTIL position but will he get to 30? Also Blanks could be a Dunn type AVG risk. Blanks's track record hasn't shown any risk but his BABIP has always been high and his skill set isn't reflective of that ability. Should Blanks's BABIP dip below .300 a AVG below .250 could be the result. Maybin should be given the top spot in a good lineup but his track record hasn't shown the consistency you would like.

2. Prestige Worldwide- Carlos Beltran, Carlos Gonzalez, Julio Borbon, Juan Pierre. Elite level speed guys in Borbon and Pierre. Gonzalez finally had his breakout season. Gonzalez isn't a player who will hit more than 25 HR but he is another 20/20 type player. Even if he returns healthy Beltran isn't the player he once was. Gone are the days of Beltran being a threat to swipe 25 bases and hit 30 HR's. Beltran can still be a solid power player who could push 30 HR. Beltran will likely bat in the 3rd or 4th spot and will give you a solid AVG to go with the nice Run Production.

1. Bear Creek FP Factory- Chris Davis, Garrett Atkins, Brett Gardner, Chris Young. From a name standpoint this unit is highly overrated. Naturally I am fond of this group so please here me out. Davis is a legit 30HR threat that comes with a AVG risk. If he hits the 30 HR you can live with the low AVG. I have said it before and I will say it again Garrett Atkins will have a very solid season this year. Will he hit 30HR no but he will hit for a AVG near .300 to go with 20HR and a 80/80 Run Production line. Not elite level production but solid for a UTIL player. Gardner may split time initially with Randy Winn but I can see Gardner winning the job. If Gardner can get the fulltime gig a elite SB threat could be born. Chris Young's success will determine the overall value of this group. Young is a Speed Power threat who is still only 26 heading into the season. He is a AVG risk but a low BABIP played a big part of the .212 total last year. If Young gets 500 AB this season this UTIL unit will be near the top of the league. I would also like to acknowledge that this unit could also be the leagues worst because each player is on a short leash and could be out of a everyday job by years end.