Top 5 Overall Texas Rangers - 2009 Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide

1. Josh Hamilton (CF)

2. Ian Kinsler (2B)

3. Chris Davis (1B)

4. Michael Young (3B)

5. Vicente Padilla (RHP)

2009 Player Projections and Details

1. Josh Hamilton (CF)

Last year, in his first full big league season, Hamilton established himself as one of the best overall players in the game. Look for that to continue in his second year in Texas, where he should continue to put up monster numbers. If it can be believed, he could be even better this year. Consider that his production dropped off noticeably following the all-star break and he still finished with an average of .304 with 32 home runs and 130 RBIs. With his first experience of the Arlington summer behind him, expect him to be more prepared physically this time around for the intense heat of July and August. Losing the protection of Milton Bradley in the batting order should hurt some, but it would not be foolish at all to expect Hamilton to bat over .300 once again with 35-40 home runs and around 125-130 RBI for the 2009 campaign. Take him with confidance in the first round.

2. Ian Kinsler (2B)

Ian Kinsler performed so well last year in the first half of the season that ESPN's Rob Neyer dubbed him the frontrunner for the MVP award at the midway point, ahead of even his teammate Josh Hamilton. Hamilton may have the bigger numbers, but Kinsler is a valuable fantasy player in his own right. Playing at a traditionally weak offensive position, Kinsler is capable of batting .315, hitting 25-30 home runs, stealing more than 30 bases, and scoring over 100 runs from the leadoff position. Don't wait too long to grab him, or you'll be missing out on one of the best second basemen in the game for fantasy purposes.

3. Chris Davis (1B)

There is a little bit of risk involved with picking Chris Davis before the 6th round, but if he manages to produce for a full season at the level he did the second half of last season, then he has definite 2nd round value. At every level through the minors and in his time in the majors last year all he did was hit home runs. He could very well hit 40 this year, and if he stays healthy he's a good bet to hit no fewer than 25. Likely hitting 5th in the Rangers' lineup, he'll get plenty of RBI opportunities as well. He won't steal many bases, and he won't win the batting title, but he'll hit in the .280 range with excellent power numbers. If you miss out on an elite bat in the early rounds, take a chance on "Crush" Davis before it's too late.

4. Michael Young (3B)

Michael Young has quietly been one of the most consistently productive hitters of the decade, getting 200 hits in 5 consecutive seasons (Ichiro and Wade Boggs are the only others to ever accomplish this feat), but he has never had great power numbers, and he only has one 100 RBI season to his name. Young's production has also been in decline the past two season. A high batting average is still practically a sure thing with Young, but he likely won't hit more than 15 home runs with 80 RBI. As a shortstop, he's a very useful fantasy player, but he is not a starting third baseman on a good fantasy baseball team. If you take him, be sure to find some extra power at other positions.

5. Vicente Padilla (RHP)

I know Texas pitchers are traditionally horrible, but Padilla has consistently had productive seasons when he's in the last year of a contract. This year he'll be pitching for his next contract, so you can bet he'll be focused and bring his best stuff every day. He is a good pitcher, and he can get lots of strikeouts on his best days, but in Texas his ERA will still likely be around 4.00 and maybe as high as 4.50. It's unavoidable. With an improved defense behind him and that added motivation of his contract year, he may very well end up with 15 or more wins, decent strikeout numbers, and a not-terrible ERA. Take him in the later rounds of your draft, especially if you miss out on grabbing one of the elite pitchers.

Don't Forget About: Hank Blalock (DH), Nelson Cruz (RF), Frank Francisco (CL)