9. Shea
Hillenbrand LA Angels
Hillenbrand,
who figures to play at first base, third base and on occasion as the designated
hitter this season, hit .277 with a career-high 21 home runs and 68 RBI in 141
games for the Blue Jays and Giants last year. The only concerning stat is that his batting average dropped from the
previous two years. Justify his decrease in OBP to the number of different uniforms Shea has worn the last two seasons and owners can count on the
multi-positional player contributing in AL-only formats. With Juan Rivera's unlikely to dress for opening day due to injury , Hillenbrand will open the season
with full-time at-bats.
Shea Hillenbrand 2007 Projections
|
G
|
AB
|
Runs
|
Hits
|
2B
|
3B
|
HR
|
BB
|
RBI
|
SO
|
SB
|
CS
|
E
|
AVG
|
|
140
|
535
|
69
|
150
|
28
|
1
|
19
|
23
|
77
|
75
|
3
|
1
|
10
|
0.280
|
10. Ty
Wigginton Tampa Bay D'Rays
Wigginton
experienced a breakout season in 2006. Glancing at his career peripherals, the '06 numbers he produced will be
difficult to repeat -- but he will get playing time and at-bats due to a
revamped roster in Tampa
Bay. Wiggington qualifies at multiple positions
which increases his AL-only value. Think somewhere in the neighborhood of 20-25
home runs, 80 RBI and a acceptable 260 batting average.
Ty Wigginton 2007 Projections
|
G
|
AB
|
Runs
|
Hits
|
2B
|
3B
|
HR
|
BB
|
RBI
|
SO
|
SB
|
CS
|
E
|
AVG
|
|
137
|
501
|
71
|
132
|
28
|
1
|
24
|
49
|
79
|
112
|
4
|
4
|
14
|
0.260
|
11. Aubrey Huff Baltimore Orioles
Huff takes his
left-handed bat and his .820 career OPS to the short right-field fence of
Camden Yard. Huff is, at least for now,
being overlooked by most fantasy experts this winter. The SG projections for Huff don't reflect his upside with his switch in colors. The 30-year-old iscapable of producing attractive fantasy numbers (.300/30/100) hitting behind Orioles
shortstop Miguel Tejada.
Aubrey Huff 2007 Projections
|
G
|
AB
|
Runs
|
Hits
|
2B
|
3B
|
HR
|
BB
|
RBI
|
SO
|
SB
|
CS
|
E
|
AVG
|
|
141
|
511
|
70
|
135
|
27
|
2
|
20
|
50
|
75
|
75
|
4
|
3
|
5
|
0.260
|
12. Jason Giambi New York Yankees
Now that Doug Mientkiewicz has signed on with the Yankees to be their every day
first baseman, Giambi will assumes full time DH duties, which isn't necessarily
a good thing for fantasy owners. The good; at age 36, Giambi won't wear down
over the course of the year as the team primary DH. The bad; Giambi has claimed
numerous times that playing the field allows him to be more in tune with the
flow of the game, and decreasing position eligibility exclusively to the
designated hitter role isn't roster friendly. There is a chance that Giambi
will get enough playing time this summer to qualify at first base for the 2007
season, but his age and recent injury issues have watered down his production.
His .413 OBP makes him a valuable in the reality realm, but his .253 average
diminishes his draft day value. Because of name recognition and the fact he
dresses in pin-stripes requires owners to spend a middle-round selection on the
Yankee first baseman. Doing such on a 36-year-old that isn't likely to play
more than 130 games --- doesn't equate to value.
Jason Giambi 2007 Projections
|
G
|
AB
|
Runs
|
Hits
|
2B
|
3B
|
HR
|
BB
|
RBI
|
SO
|
SB
|
CS
|
E
|
AVG
|
|
129
|
407
|
85
|
102
|
18
|
0
|
31
|
103
|
79
|
104
|
1
|
0
|
7
|
0.250
|
