You’re going to draft a bunch of infielders this year, so here are some prices to get you started. We’ll price the outfielders at the end of the week.
Don’t get too hung up on the actual dollar amounts; the key is noting how the players relate to each other. Your intelligent, respectful disagreement is most welcome, but support your angles; if something looks wrong, suggest what ranking tweak would make it right, and why.
Game on.
(Note: These prices are based on what I would pay in an NL-only or AL-only auction. If you want to apply them to a mixed league, add a significant amount of dollars to the stars, and bump the upper-middle-class as well; meanwhile, a lot of solid options might be pushed down to the $1-5 dollar range. Either way, this is an exercise in how the players relate to one another in value; entering any auction, your prices should serve as a rough guide, nothing more.)
$41 Albert Pujols(notes)
$40 Alex Rodriguez(notes)
$39 Hanley Ramirez(notes)
$37 Chase Utley(notes)
$33 Evan Longoria(notes)
$32 Mark Teixeira(notes)
$32 Prince Fielder(notes)
$32 Miguel Cabrera(notes)
$32 Ryan Howard(notes)
$31 David Wright(notes)
$31 Troy Tulowitzki(notes)
Comments: No smear campaign against Hanley Ramirez but A-Rod’s got such a safe floor, in the hitter’s league and surrounded by so many elite run producers. And it’s no great secret that the Marlins aren’t encouraging Ramirez to run wild on the bases. … There’s no need to fight it with the second-tier at first base – we’re talking about the same value of player. If you can be the owner that empties that tier, congratulations; you’ve got some timing working for you.
$30 Dustin Pedroia(notes)
$30 Jimmy Rollins(notes)
$30 Ian Kinsler(notes)
$30 Ryan Zimmerman(notes)
$28 Brandon Phillips(notes)
$28 Derek Jeter(notes)
$27 Kevin Youkilis(notes)
$27 Joey Votto(notes)
$27 Robinson Cano(notes)
$25 Ben Zobrist(notes)
$25 Jose Reyes
$25 Pablo Sandoval(notes)
Comments: There’s no right answer with Jose Reyes. I don’t want to take him, but I don’t want my rival to take him, either. It’s a shame we can’t pass a rule that mandates the weakest owner in every league has to take Reyes in say the third round; I could live with that. … Pedroia won the American League MVP two years ago (rightly or wrongly), and now he’s back to being one of the most underrated players around. He’s a five-category man and he plays a position that’s not that easy to fill, at least on the top side of things. He’s been a value all spring. … Cano has the perfect environment for his game, and I’m not going to dock him for his see-the-ball, hit-the-ball approach; it worked for Nomar and Vlad back in the day, and if it results in a discount at the table from the modern statheads, all the better. (Mike Salfino made this point, far more elegantly than I am here, a few weeks ago on the radio.)
$24 Aaron Hill(notes)
$24 Adrian Gonzalez(notes)
$24 Aramis Ramirez(notes)
$24 Mark Reynolds(notes)
$24 Justin Morneau(notes)
$22 Brian Roberts(notes)
$21 Billy Butler(notes)
$21 Carlos Pena(notes)
$21 Derrek Lee(notes)
$21 Victor Martinez(notes)
$20 Chone Figgins(notes)
$20 Kendry Morales(notes)
$19 Adam Dunn(notes)
$19 Alexei Ramirez(notes)
$18 Gordon Beckham(notes)
$18 Jason Bartlett(notes)
$18 Michael Cuddyer(notes)
Comments: It’s too easy to say "regression is coming" for the Hills and Bartletts of the world; the big question is, how much of their 2009 production do they give back? It’s well established that you normally don’t want to buy in on a player after a career year, but when most people don’t seem to accept the career year in the first place, you might be able to sneak through a bargain after all. It all depends on what the player’s perceived value was in the first place. … Dunn’s never been one of my favorites but there are two logical angles that make him worth considering in the top third of your draft; he’s a safe power source in a game that’s lost power in recent years, and he’ll cover two fantasy positions, albeit he’s an absolute butcher in real life with the glove. … I’ll sign off on all the industry love tied to Butler, but the supporting cast isn’t going to help his production numbers. The Royals have two of my favorite players, a superstar now (Zack Greinke(notes)) and a superstar to come (Butler), and still I don’t give them any chance in the mediocre AL Central.
$17 Elvis Andrus(notes)
$17 Dan Uggla(notes)
$17 Howie Kendrick(notes)
$16 Chipper Jones(notes)
$16 Lance Berkman(notes)
$15 Adrian Beltre(notes)
$15 Asdrubal Cabrera(notes)
$15 Chris Davis(notes)
$15 Michael Young(notes)
$15 Stephen Drew(notes)
$14 Adam LaRoche(notes)
$14 James Loney(notes)
$14 Jose Lopez(notes)
$14 Ian Stewart(notes)
$14 Yunel Escobar(notes)
$13 Jorge Cantu(notes)
$13 Kelly Johnson(notes)
$13 Garrett Jones(notes)
$13 Rickie Weeks(notes)
Comments: Andrus still needs to prove he can get it done on the road, but I like the growth we saw in the second half of 2009, and only some sort of injury will keep him from being a superstar. … After toiling in Dodger Stadium and Safeco Field, Fenway Park will look like a little league field for Adrian Beltre. If I knew he’d play a full season, I’d push him up to the next tier. … I don’t know what to make of James Loney; he’s still just 26 and I like his approach at the plate, but he’s had two significant power dips, including last year’s crash-and-burn (.399 slugging). He turns 26 in May and he’s entering a pivotal season.
$12 David Ortiz(notes)
$12 Nick Johnson(notes)
$12 Placido Polanco(notes)
$11 Conor Jackson(notes)
$11 Orlando Cabrera(notes)
$11 Paul Konerko(notes)
$11 Rafael Furcal(notes)
$10 Casey Blake(notes)
$10 Jhonny Peralta(notes)
$10 Todd Helton(notes)
$10 Ryan Theriot(notes)
$10 Martin Prado(notes)
$9 Alcides Escobar(notes)
$9 Clint Barmes(notes)
$9 Alex Gordon(notes)
Comments: Ortiz has a sneaky 1B-eligibility to him and he rallied nicely after a nightmare start in 2009, but he’s had two years of problems on the road and against lefties, and more than anything he looks like a Mo Vaughn clone to me. This isn’t going to end well. … The Rockies really should move Helton to the No. 2 slot, but seniority and clubhouse presence seems to matter more to that team than it does in other cities. … I’d probably be talking myself into Gordon if he hadn’t busted his thumb. Let’s just forget we had this conversation for now.
$8 Troy Glaus(notes)
$7 Everth Cabrera(notes)
$7 Chris Getz(notes)
$7 Edwin Encarnacion(notes)
$7 Juan Uribe(notes)
$7 Miguel Tejada(notes)
$7 Mike Lowell(notes)
$7 J.J. Hardy(notes)
$7 Marco Scutaro(notes)
$7 Kevin Kouzmanoff(notes)
$7 Scott Sizemore(notes)
$6 Mark DeRosa(notes)
$5 Adam Kennedy(notes)
$5 Casey McGehee(notes)
$5 Chase Headley(notes)
$5 Erick Aybar(notes)
$5 Ian Desmond(notes)
$5 Orlando Hudson(notes)
$4 Brandon Inge(notes)
$4 Mark Ellis(notes)
$4 Scott Rolen(notes)
Comments: Cabrera’s got the eyes and wheels to man the leadoff spot, in theory, but will be be a plus player in any category other than stolen bases? What will the lineup look like if Adrian Gonzalez isn’t around come mid-season? And how much will Cabrera run if Tony Gwynn keeps the leadoff spot, potentially pushing the shortstop down to the lower part of the order? I’ll take Cabrera if the cost comes to me, but I’m not chasing. … I’d be more bullish on Uribe as a Swiss Army Knife guy if I knew for sure he had a regular gig. But you know the Giants, they love their older players; something will likely open up eventually. … Cristian Guzman has no right to be playing ahead of Kennedy, Desmond, or just about anyone else. Do the right thing, Washington.
$3 *Sean Rodriguez(notes)
$3 Akinori Iwamura(notes)
$3 Freddy Sanchez(notes)
$3 Mark Teahen(notes)
$3 Maicer Izturis(notes)
$3 Kazuo Matsui(notes)
$3 Jack Wilson(notes)
$3 Skip Schumaker(notes)
$2 Alberto Callaspo(notes)
$2 Eric Young
$2 Cliff Pennington(notes)
$2 Felipe Lopez(notes)
$2 Luis Castillo(notes)
$2 Luis Valbuena(notes)
$2 Garrett Atkins(notes)
$1 Brandon Wood(notes)
$1 Edgar Renteria(notes)
$0 Cristian Guzman
$0 Dustin Ackley(notes)
$0 Eugenio Velez(notes)
$0 Jake Fox(notes)
$0 David Freese(notes)
$0 Julio Lugo(notes)
$0 Mike Aviles(notes)
$0 Mat Gamel(notes)
I’ve said my piece, it’s time for you to chime in. Let’s get this smoothed out, together.