Fantasy
Baseball Player Rankings & Projections
2008 Outfield Preseason Preview
Matt Holiday
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There are several outfielders
who can finish as the #1 outfielder in 2008, but
Holiday's 2007 huge season gives him the preseason
nod. |
1. Matt Holiday - Rockies - 2008 Preview:
With the power outage in fantasy baseball (Adam Dunn's 40
home runs lead all outfielders) the door has swung wide
open for others to claim the #1 ranking in the outfield
and Holiday has done just that. First, he plays in Colorado,
second he hits for average (.340) and power (36 HR's) and
finally, he has improved in each of his first three years.
The cherry on top is his inside numbers which include 50
doubles, 6 triples and 11 stolen bases.
2007 Statistics:
.340 - 36 HR's - 137 RBI's - 120 Runs.
2008 Projection:
.337 - 35 HR's - 135 RBI's - 120 Runs.
2. Magglio Ordóñez - Tigers
- 2008 Preview:
What a pleasant surprise Ordonez was to fantasy owners in
2007 winning the batting title with a .363 batting average
and knocking in 138 runs. He may not hit .368 again, but
Ordonez is no fluke. He is a lifetime .312 hitter and back
in 2000-2002 he was a fantasy stud. He hit 38 home runs
and had 135 RBI's in 2002. To top it off he hits in the
middle of one of the best offenses in baseball.
2007 Statistics:
.363 - 28 HR's - 139 RBI's - 117 Runs.
2008 Projection:
.335 - 27 HR's - 127 RBI's - 114 Runs.
3. Alfonso Soriano - Cubs - 2008 Preview:
He had a down year that included an injury and a sub par
performing Cub offense. An improved Cub's offense and a
healthy Soriano should give Soriano the opportunity to claim
the #1 outfield spot and possibly the #1 overall spot. He
stole 19 bases in '07 (41 in '06) and hit 42 doubles and
5 triples. Anytime you have a 40-40 candidate, you have
a #1 fantasy candidate.
2007 Statistics:
.299 - 33 HR's - 70 RBI's - 97 Runs.
2008 Projection:
.291 - 38 HR's - 98 RBI's - 119 Runs.
4. Carl Crawford - Devil Rays - 2008 Preview:
One of the best all-around players in fantasy baseball
continues to put up great roto numbers which included 50
stolen bases, 37 doubles 9 triples in 2007. Even though
his triples and home runs were down from '05(15 3B's &
15 HR's) & '06 (16 3B's & 16 HR's). You can expect
30-40 doubles, 10-15 triples and about 50 stolen bases from
Crawford in 2008. Some of Crawford's success will depend
on how well the rest of the young potential-filled Devil
Ray offense does.
2007 Statistics:
.315 - 11 HR's - 80 RBI's - 93 Runs.
2008 Projection: .312
- 15 HR's - 82 RBI's - 109 Runs.
5. Lance Berkman - Astros - 2008 Preview:
Berkman came back from his injury and got stronger as the
season went on batting .298 with 19 home runs in the second
half of the 2007 season. He is a lifetime .300 hitter who
hit .315 with 46 home runs in 2006. Berkman is a sure-thing
pick and has the potential to finish as the #1 outfielder.
In addition, he has a good supporting cast that should give
him plenty of RBI and run opportunities.
2007 Statistics:
.278 - 34 HR's - 102 RBI's - 95 Runs.
2008 Projection:
.302 - 38 HR's - 115 RBI's - 100 Runs.
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6. Curtis Granderson - Tigers - 2008 Preview:
He has every right to argue for a top-two spot, but he needs
another year to prove himself, though in a roto league he
probably moves into the top-five. Granderson had a huge
2007 fantasy season hitting 23 home runs, an insane 23 triples,
38 doubles and stole 27 out of 28 bases. In a simple league
he is probably not even a top ten, but when you get points
for the the different extra base hits, especially if they
are high points, he is a fantasy stud. Expect his numbers
to cool a bit, but 20 home runs, 15-20 triples, 30-40 doubles
and 20-30 stolen bases is likely.
2007 Statistics:
.302 - 23 HR's - 74 RBI's - 122 Runs.
2008 Projection:
.295 - 22 HR's - 72 RBI's - 127 Runs.
7. Grady Sizemore - Indians - 2008 Preview:
He did not come through and take a step up the fantasy ladder
in 2007, but he still was a Fantasy-All--Star. In addtion
to his 24 home runs, Sizemore had 5 triples, 34 doubles
and 33 stolen bases. The 25-year-old lefty still has a huge
future and plenty of potential. He has a shot at .300 -
30 homeruns and 30 stolen bases in 2008.
2007 Statistics:
.277 - 24 HR's - 78 RBI's - 118 Runs.
2008 Projection:
.293 - 26 HR's - 84 RBI's - 127 Runs.
