Top 5 Overall Center Fielders - 2009 Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide

Center field used to the be the spot where teams stuck their fastest player. The player would usually bat lead-off, hit for a fairly high average, steal a lot of bases, and score a lot of runs. The game has changed, however, and now, center fielders are expected to not only hit for average, but also hit with power and create their own runs, rather than just getting on base and waiting for others to drive them in. Here's a look at the top five center fielders in fantasy baseball this season.

1. Josh Hamilton

2. Curtis Granderon

3. Grady Sizemore

4. Nate McLouth

5. Torii Hunter

#1 Overall Center Fielder: Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers

Hamilton emerged as one of the best baseball players, and best fantasy players, in major league baseball last season. Last year, he was probably available in the later rounds of your draft. If you want him this year, you'll likely need to be drafting in the first couple spots. Snagging Hamilton early will allow you to focus on your pitching in subsequent rounds, because he should provide your team with close to 130 RBIs all by himself.

#2 Overall Center Fielder: Curtis Granderson, Detroit Tigers

Granderson was injured to start the 2008 season, and wasn't able to recapture the magic he had in 2007 that made him one of the league's most versatile players. But he's still young and improving and should put up great fantasy numbers if you can grab him in your draft. Granderson's best asset is his versatility. He'll likely hit over 20 home runs, steal over 20 bases, drive in 75 runs, and score well over 100 runs. No other single player can provide that type of mix of fantasy value.

#3 Overall Center Fielder: Grady Sizemore, Cleveland Indians

Sizemore's batting average went down last season, but his power improved tremendously. He hit over 30 HRs and drove in close to 100 runs on a pretty bad Indians team. In addition to his power, he'll also likely steal close to 30 bases. 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases can make a huge difference in two stat categories that it is hard to do well in in fantasy baseball.

#4 Overall Center Fielder: Nate McLouth, Pittsburgh Pirates

McLouth is another player that could have been had for cheap last season, but will be tougher to pick up this year. McLouth's numbers are basically that of a corner infielder at the center infielder's position. If your team already has decent speed, adding another power bat like McLouth to your outfield should help give your team some nice balance.

#5 Overall Center Fielder: Torii Hunter, Los Angeles Angels

Hunter got off to a big start last season after Los Angeles spent a ton of money on him as a free agent, but he cooled as the season wore on. Hunter is past his peak so don't expect him to put up career numbers, but he still has the ability to hit 20 home runs and will make teams pay if they try to pitch around Vlad Guerrero.