Fantasy Baseball - Back to Earth Corner Infielders

Here's a look at some Corner Infielders who will have a hard time matching their 2008 production.

Kevin Youkilis - I hate to pick on one of my favorite players in the league, but I see a slight decline from his outstanding 2008 season. He hit .312 with 91 Runs, 168 Hits, 43 Doubles, 29 HRs, and 115 RBI. The previous two seasons he averaged .283 with 92.5 Runs, 155.5 Hits, 38.5 Doubles, 14.5 HRs, and 77.5 RBI. I don't see his Runs, Hits, or Doubles changing much, but I do expect a dip in his average to around .300 and his HRs and RBI to drop to 24 and 100.

Aubrey Huff - Huff exploded last year with a .304 average with 96 Runs, 182 Hits, 48 Doubles, 32 HRs, and 108 RBI. From 2005-2007 he averaged .269, 65 Runs, 141.7 Hits, 28.3 Doubles, 19.3 HRs, and 76.7 RBI. His 2003 & 2004 seasons were nearly identical to his 2008 production so last year wasn't a complete fluke. That said I expect him to hit .290 with 80 Runs, 170 Hits, 35 Doubles, 25 HRs, and 90 RBI. Still solid fantasy numbers, but a decline from last year.

Carlos Delgado - Carlos Delgado had an MVP type year for the Mets. He scored 96 Runs, had 162 Hits, 38 HRs, and 115 RBI. He hadn't scored that many Runs or had that many Hits since 2003 when he was a Blue Jay. His HRs & RBI are nearly identical to what he produced in 2005 & 2006. If you look at his splits you can see why I'm skeptical:

Pre-All-Star Game: 93 Games, 347 ABs, .248, 86 H, 51 R, 17 HR, 52 RBI
Post-All-Star Game: 66 Games, 251 ABs, .303, 76 H, 45 R, 21 HR, 63 RBI

I think he'll be closer to his pre-All-Star numbers and hit .270 with 150 Hits, 85 Runs, 30 HRs, and 95 RBI.

Troy Glaus - I don't know what was more impressive...the 27 HRs and 99 RBI Glaus produced in 2008 or the 151 games he played in. Either way, I suspect all three will take a dip in '09 as he recovers from shoulder surgery. He likely won't play until May.

Melvin Mora - I hate to pick on the Orioles, but Mora is a guy I see failing to match his '08 RBI production. He drove in 104 last year after averaging 76.3 the three previous seasons. He's only topped 90 RBI twice in his career. I expect him to drive in 80 this season.

Jason Giambi - Giambi is back in Oakland. Hopefully he's not looking up his old BALCO pals. He slugged 32 HRs with 96 RBIs for the Yankees. He's 38 years old. I don't see him matching that production. If he hit 25 HRs with 75 RBIs, I'd be impressed.