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Detroit’s Magglio Ordonez was more than 20 points better than the nest best RF in 2007, but don’t expect him to have a repeat performance in 2008. He may hit over .300, but probably not over .340 again. He HR totals can be reached, but the R and RBI totals may be a stretch in ’08.
Next out of the blocks comes the former Home Run Derby winner whose power stroke hasn’t been the same since that victory. You guessed it, he’s the Yankees’ Bobby Abreu. He should be hitting at least 20 HRs & that would make him a 20/20 guy as he stole 25 bases for NY last year. I expect him to come close to that feat in ’08 and all of his other numbers should be right about the same in ’08 as they were in ’07.
The following two men on this list played for over 300 games combined in 2007 (159/160).
First we have the flamboyant OF’er of the D’backs in Eric Byrnes who swiped 50 bases to go along with his 21 HR in ’07. While he may not reach 50 this year, he will probably reach the 100+ runs in ’08 and in my opinion, should be their leadoff may with CF Chris Young hitting 3rd or 4th.
Then there is the O’s young talent in Nick Markakis who is a 20/20 threat in his own right! He also hovers close to 100 runs while hitting over 100 RBIs. None of these numbers go down unless Brian Roberts (2B), the O’s leadoff man, is traded and that hit to the team OBP could bring down Nick’s numbers just a little bit.
Then you have Vladimir Guerrero of the Angels who also qualifies at DH and is a lock for .300+ BA, 25+ HR, 100+ RBI and a stint on the DL as his body is breaking down on him, but he’s so darn good that it will only hurt his HR totals as he should be hitting 30+/year!
The Blue Jay’s Alex Rios who had a breakout year in ’07 and Houston’s Lance Berkman are both neck and neck with Vlad at this position. Rios is another 20/20 threat that missed that mark in ’07 by just 3 steals should hit close to .300 with 100+ R and 85+ RBIs. On the other hand, Berkman will not worry you on the bases, but he will with his bat when he’s hot. He’s the model of the typical streak hitter that can amass close to 100 R, 30+ HR and 100+ RBI almost every year, but he’s going to hit a wall and when he does, I think he’s going to hit it hard and his numbers will drop fast!
The Rox just re-signed Brad Hawpe who is next on this list for RF’ers. He won’t razzle dazzle you with his numbers, he’s just plain consistent. He’s not a base stealer, but will hit close to .300 with a high OBP and can challenge the 30 HR range with 100+ RBIs.
Two out of the next three are under 30 while the old man of this group is all of 31! The Brewers Corey Hart is another of the 20/20 club and maybe even the 30/30 club if he gets in more than the 140 games he saw action in last year! He will also hit around .300 with an OBP of around .350. The other young gun is Atlanta’s Jeff Francoeur who in a recent interview spoke of his growing number of walks from year to year and if this streak keeps up (and it should) he should be on base more in front of Chipper Jones in ’08 meaning more runs scored bringing him (hopefully) over 100 and he might hit .300 this year because of it! He’s also a shoe in for 100 RBIs, too! Extra Credit: Francoeur is the only player on this top 12 list that played in all 162 games for his team in 2007! The old man of this group is 31 year old, Jose Guillen, now with the Royals after being with Seattle in 2007. You can expect his numbers to go down in Runs and RBIs, but up in HR due to his switch the KC. A solid 3rd or 4th OF’er on your fantasy team.
Last, but not least (at least not in my book) is the Reds’ Ken Griffey Jr who had his healthiest season for the Reds since being coming over from Seattle. He hit 30 HRs while hitting in the .270s with an OBP in the .370s. If he can stay healthy and play another 140+ games he might just top his 78 R and 93 RBIs of last year. By the way, he was an All Star once again in 2007 for the NL and this could be his last year with the Reds. Look for him to go to an AL team as an OF/DH in 2009 and beyond!
**If you have any questions about any other RF’ers not listed here, please do not hesitate to post your questions in the Comments section below!**
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