9. Manny Ramirez    Boston Red Sox

We have seen the best of Manny Ramirez.  He will be 34 for the majority of the 2007 season and his stellar 2005 season (44 homers, 145 RBI’s) is just a memory.  His production will wind up much closer to last season (35/102), even if he is healthy.  Still, he remains one of the most feared right handed hitters in baseball.  And he has David Ortiz and Julio Lugo ahead of him in the lineup.   As long as Manny keeps being Manny he will be a force, but the hurricane will be closer to a Category 3 than the traditional Category 4.  You also have to know that he will need at least one non-all star break sabbatical.

10. Torii Hunter    Minnesota Twins       

I have never owned Hunter and likely never will.  But that’s just me.  Hunter is neither a pure power hitter nor a pure speedster.  What he is, however, is a darn solid No. 2 fantasy outfielder.  His defense alone makes him a major league regular.  The speed dropped last year (from 23 to 12 SB’s), but factor in 25+ homers and the Twins were smart to grab that option year for 2007.  Expect similar numbers from Hunter this season.

11. Coco Crisp    Boston Red Sox

When the Red Sox decided that Crisp would be a solid replacement for Damon last year I didn’t argue.  Even if he was just good in the field I knew he’d always be great with milk.  He got off to a good start for about five games and I was happy.  But he came back too soon from a finger injury and for the remainder of the season he looked like a cross between Mark Belhorn and Jose Offerman.  .264 8 36 didn’t exactly make Sox fans forget Damon.  It didn’t even make them forget Dave Roberts.  But here is the rub- the expectations for Crisp have dropped off the table.  He is 27 and is in the middle of a dynamic, versatile line up.  If he stays healthy I see no reason why he can’t put up a 20-20 season with good run and RBI numbers.

12. Alexis Rios    Toronto Blue Jays

Rios season was positively Dickens-esque.  Call it “A Tale of Two Seasons”.  The first season saw Rios roar from the gate and look like the All-Star caliber sparkplug we had been waiting for.  Check out the numbers at the break: .330 15 53.  Add in 46 runs and 9 stolen bases, and you can see why I spent more time trying to trade for this guy than I did trying to sell my extra car.  But Rios injured his leg and also suffered from a Staph infection.  When he returned from the DL the magic was gone.  A disgusting 2 homers and a pedestrian .260 average was all he could muster until the final bell.  This year?  The Jays will be glad they were unable to unload him this off season.  Since he is entering his prime production years, 25-30 homers and 100 RBI’s are not a stretch.  Maybe this entire season for Rios –and the Jays- will be ‘the best of times’.