The Top 10 Fantasy 3B of 2009

These weekly posts of mine have been based on a rotisserie format using a traditional 5×5 scoring system to keep things simple. Personally I prefer more statistics in my leagues (which is why I was the commissioner in one of my leagues), but in order to reach the most readers we will just stick with the basic. But, feel free to either e-mail me or leave a comment in this post if you have specific questions. If I don’t reply to the comment, then ping me in an e-mail, too!

We will go around the horn in this series after skipping the pitcher’s position.

And remember, just because a player had a good fantasy season in 2009, it doesn’t mean he will have another one in 2010 and beyond. Sometimes you need to look into the player’s past and see if he is showing signs of decline over a few years.

Please Note: The 5×5 stats listed below are as follows in this order Runs/HR/RBI/SB/Ave and the number in parenthesis is the player’s age

10 — Jorge Cantu (27) Marlins; also qualifies at 1B

67/16/100/3/.289

Driving in 100 runs for the Marlins while hitting .289 just gets Cantu on this list, but nothing else stands out! His ability to play 1B is added value for this Marlin.

9 — Michael Young (32) Rangers

76/22/68/8/.322

Young makes this list purely on his 22 HRs and his .322 average as nothing else really excites.

8 — David Wright (26) Mets

88/10/72/27/.307

Although 2009 was looked upon as an off year for Wright as far as production, he still managed to swipe 27 bases and hit over .300 once again. 2010 should see his power numbers back around 20+ HRs and 100+ RBIs.

7 — Alex Rodriguez (33) Yankees

78/30/100/14/.286

Although A-Rod missed action at the beginning of the year due to his off season hip surgery, he still managed to crack the top 10 with his 30 HRs, 100 RBIs and .286 batting average.

6 — Chone Figgins (31) Angels

114/5/54/42/.298

Figgins gets on this list primarily due to his 42 stolen bases, his 114 runs scored and his close to .300 batting average.

5 — Mark Reynolds (25) Diamondbacks; also qualifies at 1B

98/44/102/24/.260

A career year for Reynolds with 44 HRs and 200 runs and RBI combined with his 20+ stolen bases offset his lower average. A big plus is his qualification at 1B like the next two guys on this list.

4 — Pablo Sandoval (22) Giants; also qualifies at 1B

79/25/90/5/.330

Kung Fu Panda breaks into the top 5 with his 25 HR and 90 RBI while hitting .330 on a poor hitting Giants team. With a better supporting cast behind him I’m sure his runs scored and RBI totals go up next year and he’ll probably make a run at the top three spots. He’s also the youngest player on this list.

3 — Kevin Youkilis (30) Red Sox; also qualifies at 1B

99/27/94/7/.306

I wonder if splitting his time between 1B and 3B affected his production which was off a little bit from the previous year. Although, that very skill set makes him that much more valuable to your Fantasy team. Still, a BA above .300 with close to 100 Runs & RBIs to go along with close to 30 HR will get you third place most years.

2 — Evan Longoria (23) Rays

100/33/113/9/.281

A lower BA than the winner is what puts Longoria in second place here. The Rays didn’t play up to their 2008 potential or this beast would have taken the top spot here!

1 — Ryan Zimmerman (24) Nationals

110/33/106/2/.292

This was a bit of a surprise to me, but Zimmerman has the best overall numbers from a traditional 5×5 scoring system. Scoring 110 times and knocking in 106 RBIs on this Nationals team is impressive. If defense was in the mix, I think Longoria would take this spot!

Honorable Mentions:

Casey Blake (35) Dodgers

84/18/79/3/.280

Scott Rolen (34)

76/11/67/5/.295



My name is Peter Schiller. I am the creator/owner of Baseball Reflections.com. I’m also a contributing writer. To read more of my work at Baseball Reflections just click HERE!

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