I’ve been doing a bit of research for the upcoming fantasy baseball season.  I play in a standard 5x5 10 team rotissierie league.  Here is how I think the first round of the draft should go (note - pitchers rarely go in the first round in fantasy drafts):

1. Hanley Ramirez - Has reportedly bulked up to 225 lbs.  Not sure how that will effect his steals, but it should help his HR’s which could be close to 40 this year.
2. Alex Rodriguez - Steroids don’t give you a picture perfect swing and hand-eye coordination.  If he can handle the media stress, he’ll still be one of the best.
3. David Wright - Second only to A-Rod covering all 5 hitting categories (R, HR, RBI, AVG, SB).
4. Albert Pujols - This *cough* 28 year old *cough* could end up at #1 if he stays healthy.  His high AVG allows you to go after players like Adam Dunn too.
5. Jose Reyes - Shorstop has suddenly become a pretty thin position.  Reyes stands out at the top and should raise his AVG and Steals a bit this season.
6. Ryan Braun - I’ve seen a lot of mixed rankings for Braun.  I can’t understand why.  In two seasons he’s hit 71 HR’s while hitting over .300.  Throw in 29 steals and he’s approaching A-Rod numbers in this 3rd season.
7. Miguel Cabrera - I’m expecting his team won’t struggle as much to knock him in this season.  Most people are ranking Sizemore ahead of him, but Cabrera should outperform Sizemore considerably in 3 categories (HR, RBI, AVG) and should only lose out big on Steals.
8. Josh Hamilton - I was going to put Sizemore here but I changed my mind.  Hamilton finished slow last year, but I blame the Home Run Derby.  He should dominate in Arlington.
9. Lance Berkman - I did say this is how the first round should go.  Berkman will not go until the early to mid 2nd round in most drafts.  He was the 7th best producer in this 5x5 format last season, and if you see him lingering in the mid 2nd round and you have to choose between him and Prince Fielder, don’t screw it up.
10. Grady Sizemore - This is more just to cover my ass.  I think a healthy Soriano, Kinsler, or Rollins could certainly out perform Sizemore; and I personally wouldn’t take someone who hit in the .260’s last year in the first round.  However, if Sizemore can get the runs and average up he could end up being a top 5 player.

I expect that Ryan Howard or Jimmy Rollins will actually round out the top 10 (without Lance Berkman in there).

*Disclaimer - I got killed in my fantasy baseball league last year.  I chalk it up to being the only person who was not at the draft in person and called in his picks.