Top 5 Overall Cleveland Indians - Your Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide 2009

Looking to build off of a year that saw them miss out on a World Series appearance by one win, the Indians saw the wheels fall off instead in 2008, finishing 7.5 games out of the division lead. But it wasn't a completely lost season for Cleveland. They saw Cliff Lee have one of the best seasons by a pitcher in recent memory, winning the Cy Young award along the way. Cleveland is still a great stop for fantasy option though, and they'll likely be fighting their way back into the playoff picture in 2009.

#1 Overall Cleveland Indians: Grady Sizemore (CF) - Fantasy Baseball 2009

2008 Stats: .268 BA, 33 HR, 39 2B, 90 RBI, 38 SB, 101 RS

Sizemore became the primary offensive force of the Indians in 2008 after watching injuries befall both Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez. He responded by putting together a season that had him establish career highs in a number of categories and had him in the middle of MVP discussion. Sizemore is a must own if he's on the board, with the promise of a .280, 30 home run, 90 RBI, and 35 stolen base season to those who grab him.

#2 Overall Cleveland Indians: Cliff Lee (SP) - Fantasy Baseball 2009

2008 stats: 22 Win and 3 Losses, 2.54 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 170 SO

Lee was about as untouchable as a pitcher could possibly be in 2008. He established career highs in wins, strikeouts, and a career low in ERA, while bouncing back to what the Indians had expected of him after solid 2005 and 2006 seasons. The key will be seeing how he comes out of the gate in 2009 and whether he reverts or not. He may not give you another magical year, but give him the benefit of the doubt and plan for 15 wins, and ERA near 3.50, and 150 strikeouts.

#3 Overall Cleveland Indians: Jhonny Peralta (SS) - Fantasy Baseball 2009

2008 Stats: .276 BA, 23 HR, 42 2B, 89 RBI, 3 SB, 104 RS

Still not a great average hitter, Peralta continued to improve after two subpar seasons on the way to making himself a more complete hitter. His power numbers are above average for a shortstop, but he seems to get lost in the shuffle on draft day to more highly touted players. He'll likely come off the board in the seventh or eighth round, so there is no rush to grab him. That being said, he'll likely contribute a season on par with last year's production.

#4 Overall Cleveland Indians: Mark DeRosa (3B/OF) - Fantasy Baseball 2009

2008 Stats: .285 BA, 21 HR, 30 2B, 87 RBI, 6 SB, 103 RS

DeRosa had his single best season in 2008 and what did it win him for a prize, a one way ticket out of Chicago. Still, a return to the American League never hurts a hitter, especially with the hitter friendly parks in the American League Central. He'll be a better hitting third baseman than Cleveland has employed in recent seasons, but you'd be better to take advantage of his super utility status from last season, and plug him in any available hole. Expect a season of .280, 18 home runs, and 80 RBI, on top of numerous line-up updates.

#5 Overall Cleveland Indians: Kerry Wood (RP) - Fantasy Baseball 2009

2008 stats: 5 Win and 4 Losses, 34 Saves, 3.26 ERA, 1.085 WHIP, 84 SO

All the talk about moving Wood into a closer position was finally put into reality in 2008 and it saw a reinvention of the fallen pitcher. He wasn't a stellar closer, but he was more than adequate, allowing small bursts of his stellar stuff to shine through when needed. Given the man he is replacing, Cleveland will need him to step up and fill the hole that more than likely hurt the team the most in 2008. Look for an ERA of 3.00 and 36 saves from Wood in 2009.

Sources

MLB Standings, MLB.com

MLB Team Stats, Hitting, MLB.com

MLB Team Stats, Pitching, MLB.com

Grady Sizemore, Baseball-Reference.com

Cliff Lee, Baseball-Reference.com

Jhonny Peralta, Baseball-Reference.com

Mark DeRosa, Baseball-Reference.com

Kerry Wood, Baseball-Reference.com