Phil's Top Phive Phantasy Players, and some not so sure about...

Albert Pujols: Mr. Consistent put up another season of big numbers in 2008. After a few people doubted his return to greatness after an elbow injury, he came back to win the National League MVP. Why you should get Albert: No matter what, his numbers will be good. His average is always in the top of the NL. He hits for power but also doesn’t strikout. Last season he walked 2 times to every K. He’ll also throw in a few stolen bases from time to time. Look forward to another monstrous season from Pujols because the sky really is the limit!

Grady Sizemore: Speed, Power, Average, and the ability to drive in runners are all key factors when selecting a fantasy player. If one player contains all four categories, he’s a winner. If one player can excel at all four categories, he is a must-have threat. Grady is just that. I picked up Sizemore at the start of last season and was not disappointed. A slower start made me second guess my pick, but in the end this 26 year old proved me wrong. He is entering the prime of his career and his number (SB, HR, and RBIs) have increased over the past three seasons!

Jose Reyes: Here is another player that combines speed and some power to rack up the points. Although Jose has decreased his RBI and Run production over the past 2 seasons, he is still a threat on the bases. His SB numbers were also down in ’08. But if 56 swipes is down, then there is nothing wrong with that. Look for a bounce back season for Reyes. He will likely steal over 60 bases and score more runs than ever before. The Mets are hungry for a championship and will look for Jose to lead them off each and every game of the season.

David Wright: Another 26 yr old and another Met makes my top 5 list. Wright has consistently put up 100 RBI/ .300 avg seasons. He is the next A-Rod (minus the steroids hopefully). The Mets line-up is always a threat so David will get his share of RBIs. His Slugging Percentage is always above .500 which means more points for you. He can also steal a base. Only swiping 15 in ’08, down from 34 in ’07, David will likely be looking for more steal signals this year. Unless an injury occurs, Wright will likely be an All-Star for your Fantasy Team as well as in the Mid-Summer Classic.

CC Sabathia: I decided to give my top pitcher as my #5 guy. CC won the Cy Young award in 2007 and was almost as good last year. With 17 wins and 251 strikeouts, he clearly was lights out. We’ll see how the spotlight of Yankee Stadium affects him, but look forward to a low era 

and lots of missed swings. His ERA will likely rise a little bit from his 2.70 era last year. This is because he is back in the AL where batters tend to rough up the pitchers a little more. When looking for pitchers, you want to keep your eye on the strikeout total as well as the win total. Also, look

 out for save totals. If you can get a couple good closers on your rosters, you’ll be set for a good season.

Players that I’m iffy about:

Josh Hamilton: we’ll see if there’s such thing as a sophomore slump for this break out stud.

Tim Lincecum: Don’t go spending all your hard-earned money on this young pitcher. I’d wait until next season to see if he lives up to his first real season.

BJ Upton: His numbers have gone up and down like a roller coaster over the past 3 years.

Ryan Braun: Two great seasons, will there be a third.