[davethesportsguy]

The one thing that I looked at when it comes to national league first baseman, is there is a lot of offensive talent that can help anyone's fantasy team.

The best, and maybe the best player in baseball, is Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Carinals. Pujols, will be playing in a new ballpark this year, and he is still getting better and better. This year, I think Pujols will bat around .325-.330, hit about 45 homers and knock in between 120-125.

Derrek Lee, of the Cubs is also a high draft pick to draft. Lee, of course, has the friendly confines of Wrigley Field, and that will help his totals this year, as I see him hitting over .300, hitting roughly 40 homers and knocking in about 100.

Todd Helton and Lance Berkman, of the Colorado Rockies and Houston Astros respectively, are basicall the same type of players, and that is a guy who can hit about 30 homers, knock in about 90 and hit over .300. Although, Helton, who is a pure hitter, will hit around .330 this year.

The guy to watch to see how he does in a full year, is Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies. Howard, who takes over now for Jim Thome, is someone who will whiff a lot, but he is capable of hitting around .285 and hit about 35 home runs, while knocking in nearly 100. It also helps that he plays in the cozy confines of Citizens Bank Park.

Carlos Delgado should benefit, now that he plays for the Mets. Delgado, will have a lot of talent around him to drive in runs, and I think he will. I see him knocking in over 100, hitting over .300 and getting about 30-35 home runs.

Adam Dunn can hit 40 home runs, and knock in over 100, but the two big problem with him, is he strikes out a ton and he is not a guy who hits for average, so to me he is a at-risk player to draft.

As for the rest of the first baseman, two players I would consider to watch are Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers, who seems to be a player who could hit 25 homers and knock in 75. The other player to watch is Mike Jacobs of the Florida Marlins, who came in the Delgado deal. Jacobs, could hit about 15 home runs this year and knock in nearly 70. Jacobs, is still young, so expect Jacobs to only get better, and a guy to really watch in 2-3 years.

[4bagger]

The one thing to keep in mind with Dunn, despite his tendency to not hit for average, is ability to draw 100+ walks per season. He had 114 walks last season, so his on-base percentage is very good. It also means that he's on base, which give him the chance to score (107 in '05). Depending on your league's scoring system, if we're talking fantasy, the strikeouts and low average may not hurt as much as you think.

[ThePundit]

Almost all players who come to NY have an adjustment period and rarely match their career numbers. A-Rod, Clemens, Beltran, Randy Johnson, etc...so I would be careful on Del Gado. Plus if he starts slow, the fans are going to boo the hell out of him. Because after all, he had a chance to come to the Mets as a free agent and not only blew them off but had some lousy things to say about them. He also created a controversy when he wouldn't stay in the dugout for God Bless America at Yankee Stadium. Plus Shea Stadium is not a home run hitters park. The guy's a great hitter but I'd be careful.....

As far as Jacobs goes, bewarel. Anyone remember Kevin Maas on the Yankees in the early 90's? He was called up from the minors and put on a HR show in September. After that he was never any good and now is retired so taking Jacobs at a position where you need production is a major risk.

[girlee2082]

It's very possible that the new ballpark might not be all good when it comes to Pujols or any of the Cardinal's. It's like playing all away games for the first part of the season so his numbers might not be up to his usual standards this year.

[Calder]

I'd also mention that the dimensions are going to be a little larger at the new Busch Stadium. Down the line, it will be 336 feet in left field, and 335 in right, up from 330. That's not THAT significant, but the gaps will be 390 feet from home plate, as opposed to 372 before. Is that going to affect a guy like Pujols? Probably not, but it is something to keep in mind for their other players like Edmonds and Rolen (if Rolen can stay healthy).