Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide 2009: Top 5 Overall Pittsburgh Pirates

1. Nate McLouth (CF)

2. Ryan Doumit (C)

3. Matt Capps (RP)

4. Adam LaRoche (1B)

5. Paul Maholm (SP)

Player Projections and Details

1. Nate McLouth (CF)

Nate McLouth is a hitter who will help you in multiple categories. He has the power to hit 25 home runs, the speed to steal 25 bases, and he can also score a lot of runs. His only real weaknesses are his relatively low RBI totals (projected around 80 RBIs for 2009) and his batting average (likely around .275), neither of which will hurt your fantasy team, but they certainly won't put you over the top. Still, RBIs and batting average are fairly easy to come by, and McLouth's combination of power and speed is on the other hand rather scarce. Pick up a couple of players like McLouth and you don't need to waste your time on players who steal bases but offer little to nothing else in terms of fantasy value. While McLouth may not be a star, he could very well end up being a solid difference maker for your fantasy team.

2. Ryan Doumit (C)

At the catcher position it's easy to feel left out on draft day. With only a handfull of worthy starting options, you're left to dig all season long in the scrap heap of the waiver wire. Thanks partly to his playing in Pittsburgh, however, Ryan Doumit has largely flown under the radar and is a great player to take a flyer on when you find youself without a star catcher. Unlike most at his position, Doumit has the ability to hit for average, and he could hover just below .300 for much of the season. The importance of this should not be overlooked, as many catchers can hit 20 home runs, but few can do it without lugging around a mediocre average all season. If no one challenges him for the starting job in Pittsburgh, and no one should, he could put up a season line of .290 with 15-20 home runs, 80 RBIs, and 80 runs scored. It's not Mauer-level, and he's still not a sure thing, but Doumit should produce at least enough to keep your eyes off the waiver wire.

3. Matt Capps (RP)

Pirates closer Matt Capps doesn't have a great variety of pitches at his disposal, but what he does have is a good 95mph fastball that he used to earn 21 saves in 26 chances last year with an ERA of 3.02. His ability to close out games is heavily reliant on the fastball, however, so if something goes wrong with Capps it could go very wrong. Assuming that doesn't happen, however, he should be one of the more reliable and durable closers in the game. He doesn't have any competition for the closer role, so it's his to lose, and in all likelihood he'll do just fine and hold onto it for the entire season. Expect Capps to deliver 25-30 saves this year with a good ERA once again around 3.00 and a solid strikeout rate of 8 per 9 innings pitched.

4. Adam LaRoche (1B)

Adam LaRoche is the kind of player who puts up consistent, although not spectacular, power numbers from year to year. In 2007 he hit 21 home runs with 88 RBIs, and he followed that up in 2008 with 25 home runs and 85 RBIs. With the Pirates lineup being infused with young talents such as Andrew McCutchen and Adam's brother Andy LaRoche over the course of the 2009 season, the elder LaRoche may just get a few more RBI opportunities this year. As in the past he should hit around .270 with 25 home runs, but this year expect him to drive in closer to 90 or even 100 runs. Adam is a good option as a starting first baseman on a fantasy team with plenty of power from other positions, because you know what you're getting, and that's solid but not spectacular production.

5. Paul Maholm (SP)

Lefty Paul Maholm just recently signed a new contract with the Pirates to remain their ace for the next three years. He's not a true number one starter, but he's the best they have, and he's a worthy starter at the back end of a fantasy rotation. Still just 26, Maholm could still improve at the big league level and surprise some folks, but don't draft him expecting him to be Tim Lincecum or even John Lackey. Playing on a bad team, Maholm will still likely win 10 games with around ERA of 4.30 while approaching 200 innings pitched. With a strikeout rate that is just okay, he could punch out 130 batters over the course of the season. Maholm's only major downside other than his lack of wins is his underwhelming WHIP, which should be somewhere around 1.40 or 1.50 for 2009. Feel confidant taking Maholm on draft day, but temper your expectations just a bit. He'll help you out, but he's not the savior of your rotation by any means.

Others to Watch For: Andy LaRoche (3B), Andrew McCutchen (OF), Freddy Sanchez (2B), Ian Snell (SP)