The RotoWire 200: Pujols on Top

1. Albert Pujols, 1B - Pujols should have more counting stats this year with the additions of Berkman and Theriot.
2. Troy Tulowitzki, SS - Most of Tulo's injuries have been of a fluky nature, so we're giving him a full projection.
3. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B - Gonzalez benefits both from the ballpark and a better lineup surrounding him.
4. Miguel Cabrera, 1B - The only negative about Miggy's season was the ankle injury that kept him out the final week.
5. Hanley Ramirez, SS - Ramirez's power has dropped disturbingly the last two years.
6. Roy Halladay, P - The sheer number of innings Halladay throws makes his rate stats all that more valuable.
7. Carlos Gonzalez, OF - CarGo signed a contract extension in January, ensuring plenty of Coors-induced home stats.
8. Ryan Braun, OF - Braun might run more this year with Ken Macha gone.
9. Joey Votto, 1B - Votto probably won't swipe 16 bags again, if you're nit-picking.
10. Carl Crawford, OF - Crawford might not hit for as much power in Fenway.
11. Robinson Cano, 2B - The only negative about Cano this early is the lack of stolen bases.
12. David Wright, 3B - Wright regained his power, at the expense of striking out more.
13. Evan Longoria, 3B - What happened to his power? Does he merely recover to or develop beyond 2009?
14. Ryan Howard, 1B - A sprained ankle really limited Howard's power towards the end of the 2010 season.
15. Matt Holliday, OF - Holliday is a stable investment at a volatile position.
16. Josh Hamilton, OF - Speaking of volatility, Hamilton is the poster child.
17. Prince Fielder, 1B - For those of you who believe in contract-year effects, this is Fielder's walk year.
18. Alex Rodriguez, 3B - The safe projection gives A-Rod 30 homers, but 40 is certainly possible.
19. Jose Reyes, SS - Reyes will stick in the leadoff spot after dabbling in the third spot some last year.
20. Mark Teixeira, 1B - One of these years, Teixeira will actually start well.
21. Jon Lester, P - Projecting wins is always dicey, but we're giving Lester 21 in our projection.
22. Ryan Zimmerman, 3B - Below the top three third basemen because of his lack of steals.
23. Chase Utley, 2B - Even before his injury, Utley showed some decline last year.
24. Zack Greinke, P - Greinke will benefit considerably from the league change and greater run support.
25. Nelson Cruz, OF - Cruz could be a 30-20 guy if he can just stay on the field for 140+ games.
26. Matt Kemp, OF - The lack of Joe Torre in Matt Kemp's life can only be a good thing.
27. Kevin Youkilis, 1B - Youkilis should regain 3B-eligibility early in the season.
28. Felix Hernandez, P - King Felix would rate higher if he pitched for nearly any other team.
29. Joe Mauer, C - Target Field and a number of nagging injuries hurt Mauer's power last year.
30. Shin-Soo Choo, OF - Choo's keeper league value improved, now that he no longer has a military commitment.
31. Jose Bautista, 3B/OF - We're projecting 38 homers for Bautista this year.
32. Justin Upton, OF - Last year was disappointing, but Upton's ceiling remains quite high.
33. Dustin Pedroia, 2B - Pedroia has been recovering nicely from his foot injury this offseason.
34. Buster Posey, C - This is a conservative ranking - his ceiling is much higher.
35. Tim Lincecum, P - Lincecum had 231 strikeouts in a "down" year.
36. Andrew McCutchen, OF - McCutchen might run more with Clint Hurdle as his manager.
37. Brian McCann, C - McCann should get more RBI this year with a better lineup around him.
38. Victor Martinez, C - Martinez will get most of his at-bats as the Tigers' DH.
39. Clayton Kershaw, P - Kershaw might strike out 250 in a season someday.
40. Adrian Beltre, 3B - Beltre should thrive in Texas, even if he doesn't hit .330 again.
41. Adam Dunn, 1B - Dunn should get helped a little bit by the change in ballparks.
42. Ian Kinsler, 2B - The Rangers plan to have Kinsler bat leadoff to begin the year.
43. Adam Wainwright, P - A sore elbow in September cost Wainwright the NL Cy Young.
44. Jacoby Ellsbury, OF - Ellsbury will bat leadoff even with Crawford joining the Red Sox.
45. Jay Bruce, OF - Bruce really closed strongly last year and has 35-homer upside.
46. Rickie Weeks, 2B - We finally saw a healthy season from Weeks. Now will he run again?
47. Jason Heyward, OF - Heyward's batting eye at that age is so rare.
48. Michael Stanton, OF - Stanton might have a 40-homer, 170-strikeout season in him.
49. Carlos Santana, C - Santana (knee) should be ready by Opening Day.
50. Cole Hamels, P - Hamels regained his strikeout rate and then some in 2010.
51. Derek Jeter, SS - Jeter had an anti-contract push season last year.
52. Justin Morneau, 1B - Even Morneau was hurt by Target Field last year, hitting four homers there.
53. Cliff Lee, P - Lee's incredible run include a 47:2 K:BB in 35.2 playoff innings.
54. Hunter Pence, OF - Pence has had exactly 25 homers each of the last three seasons.
55. Dan Uggla, 2B - Uggla gets a very marginal upgrade in ballparks in Atlanta in terms of power.
56. Justin Verlander, P - Verlander traded some strikeouts for grounders in 2010.
57. Josh Johnson, P - Johnson's back injury ended a superb 2010 campaign.
58. Ubaldo Jimenez, P - Jimenez faded over the second half, but that was inevitable.
59. Jimmy Rollins, SS - Rollins has had two straight .250 BABIP seasons - a BA recovery is likely.
60. Drew Stubbs, OF - Stubbs went 22-30 despite a .67 CT rate last year. Think about the ceiling.
61. Chris Young, OF - Young and Stubbs belong together, as low-average guys with high counting stats.
62. B.J. Upton, OF - For all of Upton's faults, 40 steals seem like a lock.
63. David Price, P - Price is the latest reminder that many stars first struggle before emerging.
64. Jayson Werth, OF - Werth's OPS in Philly was .160 points higher than on the road last year.
65. Kendry Morales, 1B - Insert holier-than-thou comment on home plate celebrations here.
66. Alexei Ramirez, SS - Ramirez provides power and speed despite a declining walk rate.
67. Billy Butler, 1B - Will anyone besides Butler be around when the Royals' prospects are ready?
68. Dan Haren, P - Getting out of Arizona did wonders for Haren.
69. Jason Bay, OF - Can Bay recover from his nightmare season?
70. CC Sabathia, P - Sabathia is coming back from a minor knee surgery.
71. Alexis Rios, OF - Rios might not fulfill his original expectations, but his 20-30 season was pretty sweet.
72. Brandon Phillips, 2B - Phillips might hit leadoff again in 2011.
73. Andre Ethier, OF - Ethier provides remarkably stable rate stats - expect another .285/.360/.500 season.
74. Shaun Marcum, P - Marcum could strike out 200 batters with the move to the NL.
75. Nick Markakis, OF - Markakis' batting eye remained solid through struggles last year.
76. Shane Victorino, OF - Victorino sacrificed average for power in 2010.
77. Matt Cain, P - Will Cain's playoff heroics (one unearned run allowed in 21.1 innings) bump up his price?
78. Colby Rasmus, OF - For some reason not a favorite of manager Tony La Russa.
79. Mat Latos, P - Will the Padres still try to limit Latos' workload?
80. Carlos Marmol, P - A great option if you wait on starting pitchers, due to his strikeouts.
81. Pablo Sandoval, 3B - Sandoval went through a tough divorce last season.
82. Ichiro Suzuki, OF - Ichiro's speed is still intact - he led major league baseball with 59 infield hits.
83. Stephen Drew, SS - Drew hit 11 of his 15 homers after the All-Star break.
84. Neftali Feliz, P - The Rangers are talking about converting him back to starting this spring.
85. Joakim Soria, P - Soria had 43 saves despite the lack of a set-up man in 2010.
86. Jered Weaver, P - Weaver's 233 strikeouts led the majors last season.
87. Elvis Andrus, SS - Be careful about reaching too high just because of scarcity.
88. Heath Bell, P - Bell almost certainly will be traded midseason this year.
89. Michael Young, 3B - With the Rangers signing Beltre, Young could end up as a DH this year.
90. Carlos Pena, 1B - Getting out of the AL East could help Pena.
91. Pedro Alvarez, 3B - Alvarez's low contact rate makes him a batting average risk.
92. Max Scherzer, P - A quick mechanical fix in Triple-A turned Scherzer's season around.
93. Francisco Liriano, P - Liriano gave up just nine homers all year, three in his final start.
94. Delmon Young, OF - Lost in Young's breakout season is that he still is a free-swinger.
95. Corey Hart, OF - Hart finally had the year that many were hoping for two-to-three years ago.
96. Brian Wilson, P - Wilson had a relatively big workload for a closer last year, but skills improved across the board.
97. Paul Konerko, 1B - Konerko is back for more on the South Side.
98. Ben Zobrist, 2B/OF - Zobrist lost his power, added more speed last year.
99. Brian Roberts, 2B - Will Roberts' back problems linger in 2011?
100. Matt Wieters, C - This might be the first year you can get Wieters for a good price.
101. Aaron Hill, 2B - Hill had a .197 BABIP in 2010 and thus is a good rebound candidate.
102. Michael Napoli, C - Napoli still is underappreciated, perhaps because of his defense.
103. Roy Oswalt, P - Oswalt had a 1.74 ERA after the trade to Philly.
104. Bobby Abreu, OF - Abreu is declining, but still has 20-20 capability.
105. John Danks, P - Danks has had four consecutive years with sub-4.00 ERAs.
106. Tommy Hanson, P - 2010 was a solid consolidation year for Hanson - there's another level in him.
107. Kelly Johnson, 2B - This was one instance where a strong spring training meant something.
108. Mariano Rivera, P - Rivera remains a freak of nature.
109. Adam Jones, OF - Jones, like his Orioles teammates, took a step back in 2010.
110. Aramis Ramirez, 3B - It's hard to believe Ramirez eked out 25 homers given what went wrong.
111. Vladimir Guerrero, DH - Guerrero fell two games short of qualifying in the OF in many leagues.
112. Huston Street, P - The only concern about Street is his durability. The skills are there.
113. Nick Swisher, OF - Swisher no longer is first-base eligible.
114. Curtis Granderson, OF - A major leg injury robbed Granderson of his stolen bases.
115. Aubrey Huff, 1B - While Huff overachieved in 2010, he's not going to collapse entirely this year.
116. Grady Sizemore, OF - Sizemore is trying to recover from microfracture surgery.
117. Ricky Romero, P - Romero improved his strikeout, walk, HR and groundball rates in 2010.
118. Vernon Wells, OF - Wells quietly had a 31-homer season, but his speed is declining.
119. David Ortiz, DH - Ortiz once again rebounded furiously after a slow start.
120. Chris Carpenter, P - Will the Cardinals' defensive changes hurt Carpenter?
121. Carlos Lee, 1B/OF - Lee should provide a good "Last Year's Bum" discount.
122. Dan Hudson, P - Hudson quietly dominated after the trade to Arizona.
123. Clay Buchholz, P - A high strand rate and low BABIP against suggest that Buchholz will regress some in 2011.
124. Carlos Quentin, OF - The White Sox indicated some willingness to trade Quentin this offseason.
125. Derrek Lee, 1B - Lee had surgery in November to repair a torn ligament in his thumb.
126. Mark Reynolds, 3B - If you draft Reynolds, you have to account for his low batting average.
127. Adam Lind, DH - Lind fell just short at qualifying at 1B and OF in many leagues.
128. Tim Hudson, P - Hudson succeeded despite a strikeout rate below 6.0/9IP.
129. Yovani Gallardo, P - The one negative is that Gallardo occasionally nibbles too much, racking up high pitch counts.
130. Austin Jackson, OF - Jackson's 170 strikeouts have to be a concern for BA collapse.
131. Torii Hunter, OF - Hunter was just 9-for-21 on the basepaths in 2010.
132. Geovany Soto, C - Soto had great rate stats - can he stay on the field more this year?
133. Carlos Beltran, OF - Beltran is a speculative pick again this year, but expect some improvement.
134. Ted Lilly, P - Lilly had a 77:15 K:BB in 76.2 innings after the trade to LA.
135. Chad Billingsley, P - Billingsley had a nice comeback season, and finished 2010 strong.
136. Adam LaRoche, 1B - LaRoche struck out more than ever while with the Diamondbacks.
137. Colby Lewis, P - Bet on a repeat from Lewis - he's no Scott Feldman.
138. Jorge Posada, C - Posada is going to spend most of the season as the DH.
139. Brett Anderson, P - Anderson was everyone's trendy pick last year, perhaps not as much this year.
140. Trevor Cahill, P - Cahill was the AL version of Tim Hudson last year; expect some decline.
141. Jason Kubel, OF - Kubel was yet another Twins hitter hurt by Target Field.
142. Kurt Suzuki, C - Suzuki's power really collapsed in the second half of 2010.
143. Denard Span, OF - The one positive from a dreadful season for Span: 26-for-30 in SB attempts.
144. Michael Bourn, OF - This where a handful of the one-trick ponies will get drafted.
145. Rafael Furcal, SS - Furcal would go higher if we had any confidence in him playing 150 games.
146. Gaby Sanchez, 1B - Sanchez was good enough for the Marlins to move Logan Morrison to the outfield.
147. Juan Pierre, OF - Pierre still ran even when he wasn't hitting, with at least nine steals every month.
148. Martin Prado, 2B/3B - It looks like Prado will be playing left field this year, assuming Chipper can return.
149. Ryan Dempster, P - Very quietly has turned into a consistent, reliable starter.
150. Angel Pagan, OF - Pagan finally enters a season with a full-time job locked down.
151. Starlin Castro, SS - Castro held his own at the plate despite getting rushed by the Cubs.
152. Josh Beckett, P - Beckett's walk and home run rates both exploded on him last year.
153. Philip Hughes, P - Hughes wore down some over the stretch.
154. J.J. Putz, P - Putz is now the Diamondbacks' closer and could be a solid second-tier closer.
155. Brett Gardner, OF - Gardner underwent wrist surgery after the season, but should be ready for spring training.
156. Michael Cuddyer, OF/1B - Cuddyer played 14 games at third base last year.
157. Ike Davis, 1B - Davis had a reverse platoon split in his rookie year, which might bode well for improvement.
158. Javier Vazquez, P - What caused Vazquez's drop in velocity?
159. John Axford, P - Axford won't get treated like an elite closer, but he's close.
160. Casey McGehee, 3B - McGehee is coming back from minor offseason knee surgery.
161. Matt Garza, P - Garza's declining strikeout rate might get hidden with the trade to the NL.
162. Jonathan Broxton, P - Broxton wasn't the same after a 48-pitch outing in June.
163. Jose Tabata, OF - Tabata could potentially steal 50 bases someday.
164. Wandy Rodriguez, P - Rodriguez overcame a poor start to put up decent numbers last year.
165. Ricky Nolasco, P - Will Nolasco's results ever catch up to his component numbers?
166. Alfonso Soriano, OF - Often players with bad real life contracts become fantasy bargains.
167. Howie Kendrick, 2B - Kendrick is coming off of yet another disappointing season.
168. John Buck, C - Buck should continue to hit for power but not average in Florida.
169. Ian Desmond, SS - Desmond needs to improve his defense and his plate discipline.
170. Miguel Montero, C - Montero is another player we'd rank higher if he were more durable.
171. Chris Perez, P - Sometimes closers on bad teams can still rack up a lot of saves.
172. Chris Coghlan, OF - Will the Marlins really use Coghlan in center field?
173. Jonathan Sanchez, P - Sanchez remains a high-risk, high-reward pitcher.
174. Raul Ibanez, OF - Could Ibanez lose playing time to Ben Francisco and/or Domonic Brown this year?
175. Luke Scott, DH - Be careful, in many leagues he'll be DH-only this year.
176. Neil Walker, 2B - Walker often gets overlooked among the second base pool.
177. Mitch Moreland, 1B - The Beltre signing could potentially squeeze Moreland if the Rangers add one more bat.
178. J.J. Hardy, SS - Hardy should benefit from the trade to Baltimore out of Minnesota.
179. Andres Torres, OF - I'm a believer that 2010 was no fluke for Torres.
180. Gio Gonzalez, P - Watch out if the A's ever trade him.
181. Gordon Beckham, 2B - Beckham had a good second half before getting hurt.
182. A.J. Pierzynski, C - Pierzynski is steady but has no tangible upside.
183. Coco Crisp, OF - Crisp was incredible when healthy, but was rarely healthy.
184. Chone Figgins, 2B - Figgins is another excellent "Last Year's Bums" candidate.
185. Francisco Rodriguez, P - K-Rod's K's were coming back before the incident.
186. Marco Scutaro, SS - Scutaro has to hold off Jed Lowrie for playing time.
187. James Loney, 1B - It's getting late to still hope for a power spike from Loney.
188. Miguel Tejada, SS - Tejada is a perfect type of signing for Brian Sabean and the Giants.
189. Ryan Franklin, P - Franklin started to decline last year - back him up with Jason Motte.
190. Anibal Sanchez, P - Sanchez finally started to show glimpses of his pre-injury potential.
191. Jonathan Papelbon, P - The market might overreact to Papelbon's late struggles.
192. Ervin Santana, P - He's not the dominant pitcher he was in 2008, but he's still pretty good.
193. Brandon Lyon, P - Lyon is a nice target if you're waiting on closers.
194. Jeremy Hellickson, P - The Rays cleared the way for Hellickson with the Garza trade.
195. Ian Stewart, 3B - Stewart lost second base eligibility, plus the Rockies now have platoon options.
196. Alcides Escobar, SS - Getting out from under Ken Macha will help Escobar.
197. Cliff Pennington, SS - Pennington quietly had 29 swipes last year.
198. Ryan Raburn, OF - Raburn finally is projected to have a full-time job.
199. Travis Snider, OF - Hope springs eternal for Snider's fantasy owners.
200. Jacob McGee, P - We're speculating that McGee will be the Rays' closer.