We have reached the end of the infield to a position growing in talent. If you don't get one of the first off the board it's surely not the downfall of any team.
1. Alex Rodriguez - Anyone who got A-Rod later in the draft after the hip injury was surely happy to get 78/30/100/14/.286. Now back to old expectations will have him at the top again.
2. Mark Reynolds - My man-crush on Reynolds was well covered and even got mention by Rob Neyer. While his 2009 was off the charts he has had two great fantasy seasons now and added first base eligibility.
3. Evan Longoria - Maybe Longoria and Reynolds can be 2 and 2a as they are young elite options at the hot corner. Reynolds has a bit more power/speed, but Longoria has the batting average.
4. David Wright - Was Citi Field really that bad for Wright or perhaps there was more to it. I still think it'll be tough to hit 30 homers consistently, but 10 was more of a fluke than the new norm.
5. Kevin Youkilis - He is much better as a third base option than at first, but his flexibility is a huge bonus. Continues to hit in a great lineup so expect more of the same from the "Greek God of Walks".
6. Ryan Zimmerman - He and Youk should be close, but I give a slight edge to Youk for a better expected average. His hitting streak last year was a fluke, but the overall numbers are for real.
7. Pablo Sandoval - More nicknames here with "Kung-Fu Panda", but makes a good follow-up to Youk. He has ok power and while his lineup hurts his value he has great contact ability and will make up for it with a great batting average.
8. Aramis Ramirez - His consistency was wrecked in 2009 with an injury and his ISO has dropped 3 years in a row. With health and injuries it might be time to let him slide, but don't give up on him completely.
9. Chone Figgins - You don't have to worry about losing any homers in Seattle with Figgins, but caution with counting on 40 steals every year as he ages. The one thing you can look for is plenty of runs with his improving OBP.
10. Chipper Jones - Last year was so bad for Jones that he started talking about retirement, but it looked like a lot of bad luck when he did play. If he falls grab him and a good backup later.
11. Gordon Beckham - At only 23 he has plenty of growth in front of him and even though he lost the chance to be at short stop he is still headed for great things at third base.
The Best of the Rest
12. Michael Young
13. Casey Blake
14. Ian Stewart (Sleeper)
15. Mark DeRosa
16. Scott Rolen
17. Jorge Cantu
18. Casey McGehee
19. Mike Lowell
20. Matt Gamel
21. Alex Gordon
