Sleeper First Basemen (1B) - 2010 Fantasy Baseball

While Albert Pujols is the undisputed best first baseman (and some may say overall player) in fantasy baseball and players like Prince Fielder, Ryan Howard, Miguel Cabrera and Mark Teixeira are the next best in line; here are a few First Basemen that you should monitor this offseason and target in drafts for the 2010 baseball season.

Billy Butler - Kansas City Royals
At the age of 23, Kansas City's prized prospect is ready to come out firing balls over the wall like we've all been waiting for. This my friends is the year in which Billy Butler explodes and puts up career numbers and surprises everyone who passed on him in fantasy drafts. Please do not be the person that balked on this opportunity to draft the undervalued Butler in favor of Michael Young. While Billy will most likely be selected in the 7^th or 8^th round of drafts this season, he will perform like a 4^th or 5^th round pick. His name has come up this offseason in potential trade talks but for now Billy looks to be hanging out at Kaufman Field for the time being. After a .301 AVG, 21 HR, 93 RBI, 78 Runs season in 2009, people have started to take notice of Butler's potential. I'm telling you right now that he hasn't reached it yet. You can truly see that Butler started to blossom after the All-Star break in 2009 and showed no signs of slowing down even though his team was out of contention for the Postseason.
Projected 2010 Line: .310 AVG, 25-30 HRs, 105 RBIs, 85 Runs

Jay Bruce - Cincinnati Reds
At the age of 22, Jay Bruce is the perfect building block to any keeper/dynasty fantasy team. Due to his injury plagued 2009 (broken right wrist) his ADP will be a lot lower this year which means he will be an extreme bargain for whoever grabs him as long as he stays healthy. Last year in 101 games, Bruce batted .223 AVG, 22 HRs, 58 RBIs, 42 Runs. In 2010 drafts I foresee Jay to be taken in the 11^th or 12^th round of drafts about the same time 2^nd tier closers and mid-tier position players like Alexei Ramirez will be taken. His potential value is way above the likes of those players. If healthy he can perform like a 7^th or 8^th rounder with the potential to be a top-5 first baseman in the years to come.
Projected 2010 Line: .260 AVG, 36 HRs, 82 RBIs, 93 Runs

Conor Jackson - Arizona Diamondbacks
The 27 year old Texas native has been disappointing his fantasy owners for the past 3 seasons. In 2009 it was a valley fever (pneumonia) that kept him out all season and curbed his opportunity to prove to all the naysayers that he has the talent to be a top talent in the Major Leagues. Understandably so, Jackson's lingering illness will likely scare a lot of people away in drafts this season, but if he stays healthy he can be your diamond in the rough in the later rounds of your draft. Be sure to monitor his status prior to your draft in order to determine whether you should take a chance on CJ or not but I foresee him being a great player to select in the final rounds of your draft as a potential sleeper.
Projected 2010 Line: (If Healthy) .300 AVG, 20 HR, 20 SB, 100 RBI

James Loney - Los Angeles Dodgers
Another Texas native on our list is the 25 year old James Loney of the Dodgers. In the 2009 campaign Loney put up numbers similar to the 2008 season. 2010 should be a different story for the former 2002 1^st round pick. With a season where he put up numbers of .281 AVG, 13 HRs, 90 RBIs and 73 Runs and 7 SBs, James was a great fill in bench player in fantasy leagues. This year I predict Loney to come into his own and have a field day at Dodgers Stadium. While he will most likely be taken in the 13^th or 14^th round of drafts he can eclipse his ADP and put up stellar numbers. There is also the possibility he will be traded this offseason which is why you should monitor his status closely before drafting him. Given his track record and Arbitration eligible tag I expect him to put up some career numbers in 2010.
Projected 2010 Line: .302 AVG, 20 HR, 10 SB, 100 RBI, 85 Runs

Matt LaPorta - Cleveland Indians
The 7^th overall pick of the 2007 MLB Draft, LaPorta possesses an extremely powerful bat, has phenomenal plate discipline and will be up the entire season for Cleveland in 2010. The highly touted prospect that was the primary piece that netted CC Sabathia for the Brewers 2 seasons ago is now ready to show what he is made of. Over 52 games last season where LaPorta didn't start all of them, he batted .254 AVG, 7 HRs, 21 RBIs, 29 Runs, 2 SBs. His 181 total ABs are not a sufficient sample size for us to really take much of this performance to heart because it was in separate stints up with the big club. In AAA with Columbus, LaPorta hit 17 HRs and 60 RBIs in 93 Games with an AVG of .299. I fully expect LaPorta to be a top 10 first baseman by 2011 and this is the season he breaks out and shows the people what he is all about. His bat has been compared to Teixeira and he has the plate discipline of Davif Wright. The former Florida Gator standout is going to be a great pickup in the later rounds of your draft this season so be sure to get on the ball with LaPorta.
Projected 2010 Line: .280 AVG, 28 HRs, 89 RBIs, 92 Runs, 8 SBs

Travis Snider - Toronto Blue Jays
With Alex Rios out of town for good, Snider's powerful bat is much needed in Toronto's lineup in 2010. He's still young (only 21 years old) but has the raw skills necessary to succeed in the big leagues. While he will most likely go undrafted in most leagues this year, he will surely be one of the first guys to come off the waiver wire when the season begins. He could be Toronto's 2010 version of Adam Lind. In 77 games in 2009 Snider hit .241 AVG, 9 HRs, 29 RBIs, and 34 Runs. This was at the age of 20 with minimal professional coaching under his belt. This is a pivotal offseason for the Blue Jays' 2006 1^st round draft pick. Given he plays a full season (and we think he will), we expect the following numbers out of Snider this year.
Projected 2010 Line: .265 AVG, 23 HRs, 80 RBIs, 87 Runs