Albert Pujols – Unless you have lived under a Major League Baseball rock the past few years, Pujols is one of the best players in all of baseball. Last year, Pujols was expected to have a tough time due to injury, and he still came out and posted numbers that would make Babe Ruth envious. Pujols is quite simply a fantasy baseball point machine, and their is no reason whatsoever to think that this season will be any different. Draft him if he is available. Period.

Lance Berkman – Berkman is one of those guys that is simply awesome while nobody seems to notice. The best part with Berkman, and why he ranks higher than Howard or Fielder, is the fact that he gives you double digit steals on top of the power and RBIs. One other bonus is the fact that he also hits for a great average. He is a poor man’s Albert Pujols and the second best option overall at this position.

Ryan Howard – It is hard to believe that I am ranking Howard at number three here, but it is for a very good reason. He runs like a bull, and strikes out as commonly as he hits a prodigious homerun. If not for the bad average and strikeouts, Howard would be second to nobody. He is the premiere home run hitter in either league.

Prince Fielder – Prince Fielder is a carbon copy of Howard in many ways. He actually has the ability to hit for a much higher average, but he has not been able to prove it yet. This guy could be a true sleeper in this area, and it would not shock me to see him put it all together one year soon. Still, he has to remain below Howard until he does as Howard hits in a much better lineup, and hits more homeruns.

Joey Votto – The young Cincinnati Reds slugger is going to get the chance to show his stuff this year, and many beleive he might ascend the ranks of top first basemen in the league. I would not be shocked at all if this young slugger puts up numbers closer to the names above him on this list. He has that type of power, and even better eye to ball contact than a few of them. The one thing that is uncertain is that he has little protection in the Reds lineup. He really needs Jay Bruce to continue to develop beside him, and to find a strong right handed bat to offset the two.

1. The Mets and their bullpen just got a whole lot better, though that was an easy task. The last couple of years the Mets bullpen nearly singlehandedly ruined two fantastic years in New York. This season, they signed arguably the most prolific reliever in baseball with the signing of K-rod, Francisco Rodriguez. He should be a huge upgrade from the problems of last year, but just in case, they also traded for former Mariner JJ Putz. Putz is about as solid as relievers get in baseball. The Mets look a whole lot different in the eighth and ninth innings now. How that helps against the Phillies remains to be seen.

2. Though it did not get much press, the Dodgers resigning of shortstop Rafael Furcal is huge. With Furcal in the lineup, the Dodgers are a completely different team. They suddenly become a high scoring machine that can drop runs on anybody. Without him, they still got by thanks to a monster year from Manny after coming over from Boston. This season, however, Manny is no sure bet to be in Dodger blue, though the Dodgers seem to think he will be. Either way, the resigning of Furcal is huge for the Dodgers on offense and defense.

3. The signing of Milton Bradley by the Chicago Cubs has some folks scratching their heads. For one, Bradley is a constant injury machine. He stays hurt. Last year, he stayed healthy only because he was a DH. This year, he returns to the field in the National League and the high probability that he will again be injured. Add to that the fact that he is sometimes moody and a bad locker room guy and one has to wonder why the Cubs payed him 30 million dollars. One reason is because when Bradley is not hurt, he is an absolute force at the plate. The Cubs rolled the dice big with this one.

4. The Phillies rode a rollercoaster this offseason with all of the potential arbitration hearings and so forth. Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, etc.. How in the world did they find the time to pull a magic rabbit out of their proverbial hats? The Phillies made a very deft and impressive move in left field during the offseason. For years, the Phillies have dealt with the low batting averages, and strikeouts of the power hitting Pat Burrell. Also, left field has been a bit of an adventure in recent years. The Phillies solved all those problems by sending Burrell off to the Rays, and replacing him with Mr. Steady, Raul Ibanez. Ibanez is a great fielder, and is just as productive at the plate as Burrell minus the strikeouts and average woes. Ibanez is not quite the home run threat that Burrell is, but he still gets his share. Expect around 25 home runs from this under the radar star.

5. The San Francisco Giants finally made a media splash without the name Barry Bonds headlining the copy. They signed the long and lean Randy Johnson to a one year deal for 8 million dollars. What makes this effective for the Giants is that he is added to an already impressive Giants pitching staff. The Giants must have liked what they saw from Johnson last year as he posted solid numbers with the Diamondbacks. In spite of his age of 45 years, and 4000+ innings, Johnson is still a difference maker on any team he signs with.

Raul Ibanez has toiled away in the shadows of other great players and quietly put together some fantastic numbers. Ibanez put up some serious numbers in Seattle last season batting .293 with 23 bombs and 110 RBI. Those power numbers are not quite on the level of Burrell’s 33 bombs, but Ibanez will see an increase in his homers in this ballpark. Figure also that you are getting a better on base percentage, and better average with Ibanez, and you start to see the value. Burrell also would strike out at a rate that is nearly double that of Ibanez. That certainly translates into runs for the Phillies.

While the offensive side is likely to come to a push, the defensive side is another story. The defensive liabilities of Burrell were widely reported, and Ibanez is a talented fielder as well as hitter. The Phillies should be much more secure defensively with Ibanez patrolling the corner. That said, Ibanez over Burrell is certainly not far fetched.

Ibanez has spent a career being mostly unknown, and does not seem to mind. This might be the year that everybody learns who he is. The Phillies are sure to give him the stage with the talent and strength of this team. They seem highly likely to reach the playoffs again this season, and Ibanez could get the opportunity to be appreciated outside of his own team circle and fans. Baseball is like that. You can star for a team that is out of the spotlight for years and barely get a nod, and then move to a powerhouse and explode onto the scene.

Either way, the Phillies are likely to be smiling all the way to the National League playoffs. The Phillies are loaded from top to bottom, and they have the pitching to back up all this offense that everybody is talking about. Also, the Phillies are finally going into a season healthy. Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Jayson Werth, and Ryan Howard are all healthy and ready, as well as the pitching staff. That will be a new experience for the Phillies in comparison to recent years.

Sort of like Raul Ibanez.

The 2006 NL MVP agreed to a deal of 3 years for 54 million bucks plus incentives. Not a bad day at the ballpark for the slugger that many think is the best power hitter in baseball. The slugger has always contended that he wanted to remain a Phillie, and the leadership did not seem to be listening. The fact was, they disagreed over the amount of money that Howard was worth. They may have had a point.

Take last year for example. Howard led the majors in both home runs and RBIs with 48 and 146 and was a key part of the Phillies run to the world championship. Fantastic right? Not so fast. He also struck out just short of 200 times and batted a pitiful .251. He also was not very good on defense with 19 errors at first. Those are not the kinds of numbers that call for the elite contracts if I was a GM either. The home runs and RBIs are impressive to be sure, but the RBIs can be traced back to the excellent job his teammates did getting into scoring position. The defensive and batting average statistics are a concern with a man I am paying 54 million to.

Still, the uproar to sign Howard in Philly was huge, and rightfully so. He has been a huge source of power for the Phills, and will continue to do so for at least three more years. Regardless, the Phillies will have a good home run source in Howard, and the fan base should be happy with the signing. That is always an important part of signing your superstars. If you do not keep the players people will pay to see, then you are risking your team becoming stale and boring. The Phillies are far from that and Howard is a big reason why.

Howard was the last real problem signing that the Phillies had left. They are now ready to defend their crown when the season begins anew.

The signing is expected to be announced on Sunday pending the results of a physical.

The contract is also layered in such a way that the Phillies will pay higher as the years go by, as well as how Hamels progresses. The contract is layered and increases in value each year. Additionally, if Hamels wins the Cy Young award, he gets a half million dollar salary increase the following year. He gets a quarter of a million if he finishes in the top three.

Is Hamels worth 20.5 million dollars? Well, he won the World Series MVP award in 2008 leading the Phillies. He was 14-10 with a 3.09 ERA in the regular season. When it counted the most, however, he was 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA…in the playoffs. The Phillies certainly think that Hamels is worth it, and so do I. Any pitcher can perform in the regular season, but it takes a special pitcher to do what Hamels did in the playoffs. The best years for the lefty are ahead of him, and the Phillies are banking on just that.

The Phillies did avoid arbitration with Hamels, but they still face the same with slugger Ryan Howard. They hope to avoid that as well, but the chances are getting slimmer. The powerful Howard finished second only to Albert Pujols for the coveted MVP award in the National League and he is widely considered to be one of the top five players in all of baseball. The Phillies need to sign him right now, and avoid arbitration if possible.

1. Albert Pujols – Pujols has quite simply been the best in the game since his entry into the world of baseball a few years ago. This guy is the most efficient, productive, and consistent source of fantasy baseball points this side of Alex Rodriguez. This season he is coming off one of his best years and appears to be somewhat healthy for the first time in a couple of years. That can not be good news for pitchers throughout the National League, but it is great news for your fantasy baseball team if you get him.

2. Ryan Howard – Big Howard is all about driving in runs and home runs. The big guy does enough of these two things to make up for the fact that he gives you slim to nothing with speed. This guy has averaged 50 home runs over the last three years, and he should reach even higher with the lineup that Philly has assembled. The World Champion has to feel good going into to 2009.

3. Prince Fielder – Fielder got a bit of a bad rap last season due to a decrease in his power numbers. The bottom line for fantasty owners, however, is that Fielder was a gem if you had him in your lineup regularly. The temporary power shortage will work itself out, and Fielder should be back to his normal self this season. The bottom line is this guy hits and hits regularly.

4. Adrian Gonzalez – Gonzalez quickly established himself in 2008 as the guy everybody wished they had drafted when they had the chance. The guy goes on tears through National League pitching that makes it seem as though he is playing tee ball. The scary thing is, is that he has not yet reached his full potential. Expect another solid year from Gonzo.

5. Lance Berkman – Berkman is another one of those guys that seem to sneak up on you. Do you realize that in addition to the power and RBIs that Berkman steadily provides that he also sneaks in 10-15 steals per season? Impressive for a guy that seems to run like he is standing in mud. Either way, the guy is a fantasy baseball points machine. Draft him if you get the chance.

Each of these five players are very capable and likely to be your number one draft pick in your fantasy league. Go grab them now while you have the chance, and reap the benefits all season long.