2008 Fantasy Baseball Right Fielders - Top 5

2008 TOP 5 FANTASY RIGHT FIELDERS


The top two are definitely in their own tier. No one on the list comes close to their on the field performance but this position is starting to be filled with up and coming stars. The right field position could be one of many break-out players in '08 as the youth has taken over in a position that is usually dominated by seasoned veterans. If you are unable to draft Magglio or Vladimir, don't you worry one bit; if you study up, review the stats and see what might be in store for '08, you should be able to uncover many diamonds in the rough. Many players could have been on the top 5 and the ones who made it are guys that I think are ready to become household names by seasons end.


#1 - Magglio Ordonez - 2007 Stats
595 AB's, .363 AVG, 117 Runs Scored, 216 Hits, 54 Doubles, 0 Triples, 28 HR's, 139 RBI's, 4 Stolen Bases & 76 Walks.


#2 - Vladimir Guerrero - 2007 Stats
574 AB's, .324 AVG, 89 Runs Scored, 186 Hits, 45 Doubles, 1 Triple, 27 HR's, 125 RBI's, 2 Stolen Bases & 71 Walks.


#3 - Brad Hawpe - 2007 Stats
516 AB's, .291 AVG, 80 Runs Scored, 150 Hits, 33 Doubles, 4 Triples, 29 HR's, 116 RBI's, 0 Stolen Bases & 81 Walks.


#4 - Nick Markakis - 2007 Stats
617 AB's, .300 AVG, 97 Runs Scored, 191 Hits, 43 Doubles, 3 Triples, 23 HR's, 112 RBI's, 18 Stolen Bases & 61 Walks.


#5 - Alexis Rios - 2007 Stats
643 AB's, .297 AVG, 114 Runs Scored, 191 Hits - 43 Doubles, 7 Triples, 24 HR's, 85 RBI's, 17 Stolen Bases & 55 Walks.


Center Fielder Notes:
Magglio Ordonez - What a season in '07! It will only get better in 2008 as this team is ready to ignite the Motor City. Many think "Maggs" is overrated, and if you look into his stats you should be able to dispel that opinion immediately. What is there not to like? In 10 full seasons in the show, he has a .312 average...not too shabby for an overrated player. He doesn't strike out much and he also doesn't like to walk much either (86 K's in '06 & 76 Walks in '07 tops his #'s for career). 7 of the 10 seasons he has played in, he has hit 24+ jacks. If it wasn't for a collision with Willie Harris on a pop up in '04, those HR #'s would be even more appetizing. The collision put Maggs on the DL twice and after two surgeries to fix his left knee, he found his way in Detroit becoming one of the premier Right Fielders in the game. 6 out of the 10 seasons he has put up great RBI #'s as well. In '03 he almost hit the century mark with 99, but in 6 other seasons he has topped 104 RBI's. His '08 lineup is stacked and his fantasy #'s should be top five in the game by seasons end. Maggs should hit over .333, have 20 + HR's, score 100 + times and drive in 100 runs in what could be a historic year for the Tigers.


Vladimir Guerrero - Just like Maggs, this guy doesn't like to walk or strike out much either. Vlad is one of the best bad ball hitters in the game and merely enjoys putting the bat on the ball to see what happens. In 11 full seasons, Vlad has maintained a .325 lifetime average. He has also hit over 25+ bombs in each of the last 10 years. He is a complete masher and has put up 108+ RBI's in 9 of his 11 seasons as well. Vlad is a well tuned machine and rarely gets sidelined or sent to the DL. The only thing that is starting to fade with Vladimir is his speed. He still can swipe a bag here and there and the Angels are one of the best teams in baseball going from first to third. Maggs and Vlad are pretty even when it comes to the draft board and you can't go wrong with snagging these guys with your first pick. I expect to see Vlad's HR's increase in '08 and with that said he should hit .325 and drive in 125+ runs. He plain out scares pitchers as he hits every ball well and has even been known to drive balls out of the park that are barely off the ground by an inch. He is the complete opposite of what coaches teach hitters about plate discipline, but not a one would ever change his approach as he is the cream of the crop.


Brad Hawpe - 28 years old going into his fourth season and his #'s continue to get better by the year. He does however do very poorly against southpaws. In '07 he hit only a measly .214 against lefties. Brad's career average in 3 seasons also is just about par, .282. 2007 was his coming of age (turned 27 in '07) and many think that Hawpe will just get better and better by the year as playing in Colorado should help his numbers tremendously. The Rockies are one of the top offenses in the NL and he should see many good pitches to hit as the bases should always be occupied by fellow Rocks who hit before him in the lineup. The power #'s just keep getting better for the 28 year old as his HR's keep rising every year he has been in the bigs. Many fantasy owners will overlook him and if you are able to steal him in the draft, you should be rewarded by your pickup. Expect 30+ HR's, 100+ RBI's and if he can smooth out his attempts against soutpaws his average will most likely get more around the .300 mark in 2007. If you draft him you will also have the only player in the league whom has a sweet middle name of Bonte!

Nick Markakis - It is always said that a players second year is effected by the "sophomore slump", this was definitely not the case for Nick. He was better in his second year than his first and this shows that he should have no problems in continuing to be a difficult out for opposing pitchers. 2007 showed fantasy owners that he is here to stay and that he has all the tools to impress for many years to come. He has a knack for finding the gaps as he is one of the best doubles hitters in the game. Nick is fleet of foot and should also see an increase of triples in '08. Ones who can swipe bags are also a nice pickup in fantasy leagues, especially if they hit for average and power as well. He will get over 600 AB's in 2008 as he tops the lineup for the O's and with getting closer to 200 hits in a season should see a lot of scoring opportunities. The only draw back is that the O's offense should be crippled a bit with the loss of Miguel Tejada. The O's offense isn't one that will put up stellar #'s but Nick will be an all star in 2008 and should also be one for your fantasy squad. Many owners are still not aware of his potential and a middle round draft pick up should not be hard to pull off. Expect a quiet .300 average, 20 HR's, 100 RBI's, 20 stolen bases and 100 runs scored for Nick in '08. He is only 24 and will be a top 5 pick up for right fielders for many years to come.

Alexis Rios - Rios turns the mighty maturing 27 on President's day and should blossom as a speedy, power player entering his prime. He is also a name that will go mainly unnoticed by owners who haven't done their homework. His speed at the top of the Jays order should get him across the plate over 100 times this year. He could be a leadoff hitter but his power fits nicely as a 3 or 4 hitter as Vernon Wells and Reed Johnson will most likely spark the bases to start the season. 2008 will be the year of Rios as I expect him to explode on the scene early in the season and will be drafted high for many years to come after '08. He will steal the occasional base and the Jays will have to get runners in motion to compete with the division they are stuck with. The Blue Jays have the potential to compete with teams like the BoSox and Yanks if all parts fall into place. The first 6 hitters, however they pan out in the batting order, will put up many runs and have lots of power mingled in between. Reed Johnson, Vernon Wells, Alexis Rios, Scott Rolen, Frank Thomas and Lyle Overbay will most likely be mixed in 1-6 and player like David Ekstein, Rod Barajas or Gregg Zahn will have many opportunities to drive in runs for a much underrated offense. Draft him and you should see why I ranked him about players like Jeff Francoeur, Ken Griffey Jr., Corey Hart and Bobby Abreu.

Check back soon for the top 5 outfielders who were left off the initial position lists and following that, I will list the 5 top rookies to target who play in the outfield as well.