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Final Top 25: Pujols reigns supreme

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By The Fantasy Staff / MLB.com

10/13/09 3:52 PM ET

1		Albert Pujols .327-47-135, 16 SB	1	A late power drought didn't prevent Pujols from leading the Majors in homers and slugging percentage (.658), and finishing as the top dog in the rankings.
2		Joe Mauer .365-28-96, .587 SLG	2	Most owners would be thrilled with either a .365 average or 28 homers from their catcher; Mauer accomplished both to set a new standard for the position.
3		Hanley Ramirez .342-24-106, 27 SB	3	It was another banner year for one of the game's most dynamic talents, as Hanley established new career highs in average, RBIs, on-base percentage (.410) and OPS (.954).
4		Prince Fielder .299-46-141, .602 SLG	4	Fielder bashed until the final bell of 2009, delivering a pair of blasts on Oct. 4 to finish tied for the ML lead in RBIs and second in homers.
5		Ryan Howard .279-45-141, .571 SLG	5	Howard reprised his role as a second-half destroyer with 23 blasts and 74 RBIs after the All-Star break, boosting his value by keeping his average at a solid level.
6		Ryan Braun .320-32-114, 20 SB	9	Braun roared to the finish line, batting .429 with eight extra-base hits, 11 RBIs and four swipes over the course of a season-ending nine-game hitting streak.
7		Zack Greinke 16-8, 2.16 ERA, 242 Ks	14	The 2009 season was a coming-out party for Greinke, who led the Majors in ERA and topped the American League in WHIP (1.07).
8		Tim Lincecum 15-7, 2.48 ERA, 261 Ks	7	Lincecum improved on his 2.62 ERA from 2008, and he became the first hurler to notch at least 260 Ks in consecutive seasons since Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling did the trick from 2001-02.
9		Matt Kemp .297-26-101, 34 SB	12	Kemp rounded into a veritable five-category threat in 2009, finishing as the only big league player with at least 30 steals, 25 taters and 100 RBIs.
10		Chase Utley .282-31-93, 23 SB	8	A .083 average over the last 10 games of the year nearly squashed his Chase for Top 10 status, but Utley still delivered elite power/speed numbers.
11		Mark Teixeira .292-39-122, .565 SLG	6	Though Big Tex slowed down a bit in the season's final week, he finished the season with his gaudiest overall power numbers since 2005.
12		Miguel Cabrera .324-34-103, .547 SLG	10	A strong finish helped Miggy reach 30 dingers and 100 RBIs for the sixth time in as many seasons as an everyday player.
13		Alex Rodriguez .286-30-100, 14 SB	11	A-Rod's historic sixth inning of game No. 162, in which he blasted two big flies and plated seven runs, secured him his 12th consecutive 30-homer, 100-RBI campaign.
14		Aaron Hill .286-36-108, .499 SLG	15	Hill was named the 2009 AL Comeback Player of the Year, and he likely was the MVP for many fantasy teams after emerging as the top power-hitting second baseman in the game.
15		Felix Hernandez 19-5, 2.49 ERA, 217 Ks	21	King Felix went 7-0 over his final eight outings to tie for the ML lead in wins and finish second in the AL in ERA.
16		Matt Holliday .313-24-109, 14 SB	13	It was one big Holliday for owners after the left fielder was traded to St. Louis, where he rang up a monstrous 1.023 OPS in 63 contests.
17		Adam Wainwright 19-8, 2.63 ERA, 212 Ks	17	A bullpen implosion on Oct. 2 cost Wainwright a shot at 20 victories, but that won't exclude the National League wins leader from serious Cy Young consideration.
18		Mark Reynolds .260-44-102, 24 SB	16	Reynolds may have broken his own record with 223 strikeouts in 2009, but he also became only the third player this decade to swat at least 40 homers and swipe 20-plus bags.
19		Derek Jeter .334-18-66, 30 SB	18	Jeter batted over .330 with 30 thefts for just the second time in his illustrious career, proving he's still one of the top shortstops out there.
20		Troy Tulowitzki .297-32-92, 20 SB	24	With a .411 average, eight blasts and three steals over his last 19 games, Tulo finished with a well-deserved spot in the hierarchy.
21		Evan Longoria .281-33-113, 9 SB	20	It was a campaign of prolific bookends for Longoria, who batted a combined .343 with 14 dingers and 46 RBIs in April, September and October.
22		Carl Crawford .305-15-68, 60 SB	19	The effects of a long season clearly slowed Captain Carl, who batted .272 with just five steals over his last 30 contests.
23		Roy Halladay 17-10, 2.79 ERA, 208 Ks	NR	Halladay delivered an amazing finish to another superb season with four wins, three shutouts and a 1.47 ERA in September.
24		Chris Carpenter 17-4, 2.24 ERA, 144 Ks	NR	As good as they come when healthy, Carpenter kept his ERA below 2.50 for the entire season.
25		Victor Martinez .303-23-108, .480 SLG	25	V-Mart's grand slam on Oct. 3 capped a grand comeback campaign for one of fantasy's top backstops.

Rankings are based on lifetime and 2009 statistics. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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