Top 10 Fantasy LF of 2009

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Brewers LF Ryan Braun Photo by Icon SMI

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 — Carlos Lee (33) Astros

65/26/102/5/.300

To be honest, I’m not a big Carlos Lee fan, but he is consistent. He is also consistently injured about once a year or it t least seems that way. If you need 20-30 HR and 100+ RBI than Lee is your guy.

9 — Jason Kubel (27) Twins; Also qualifies at DH and RF

73/28/103/1/.300

If we can expect Kubel to hit like this on a regular basis then he becomes as valuable as he is versatile. Another 25+ HR with 100+ RBI

8 — Denard Span (25) Twins; Also qualifies at CF and RF

97/8/68/23/.311

This leadoff hitter won’t hit for power like Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson or steal as many bases but every fantasy team needs a 90+ runs, 20+ steals guy who can hit .300. You gotta like that he can play all three OF positions, too.

7 — Johnny Damon (35) Yankees

107/24/82/12/.282

I think this is what you get out of a motivated player who can withstand the heat in a contract year, but don’t count on it every year except for the 100 runs scored and the .282 average.

6 — Shin-Soo Choo (26) Indians; Also qualifies at RF

87/20/86/21/.300

I honestly don’t know much about Choo, but to be able to put up numbers like these on a team that was as bad as the 2009 Indians is very impressive.

5 — Jason Bay (30) Red Sox

103/36/119/13/.267

Bay‘s average keeps him behind players like Lind, Holliday and Braun and is due to his annual slump that he always finds himself in. These slumps seem to last about a month, but when he’s on, he’s on fire!

4 — Carl Crawford (27) Rays

96/15/68/60/.305

Crawford ranks so high here based upon his 60 steals, 96 runs scored and his .305 avaerage with a little touch of pop (15 HR).

3 — Adam Lind (25) Blue Jays; Also qualifies at DH

93/35/114/1/.305

The number one guy when looking at just the DH position had a great year and should put up similar numbers for the next few years barring injuries. I am not surprised at all at these numbers from Lind, but I am a little surprised at how fast he was able to produce this way.

2 — Matt Holliday (29) A’s and Cardinals

94/24/109/14/.320

If he played the whole season in St. Louis he may have scored 100 runs, hit 30 HR and maybe reached 120 RBI with an even better average than the .320 he ended up with. Oakland was not very good to Holliday, but Braun would have beat him out on stolen bases in the end.

1 — Ryan Braun (25) Brewers

Photo by Icon SMI

113/32/114/20/.320

Moving Braun to the OF from 3B was probably the best move the Brewers have made in some time as struggling in the field might have robbed Ryan from his concentration at the plate. He will be a force to be reckoned with at the plate for years to come.

Honorable Mentions:

Raul Ibanez (37) Phillies

93/34/93/4/.272

Adam Dunn (29) Nationals; Also qualifies at 1B and RF

81/38/105/0/.267