Catcher
1. Geovany Soto Cubs
His defense could improve a little, but its awfully good already. He was able to control a great pitching staff last season, and won the ROY easily. At the plate he is in elite company, he hits for lots of power and has a very bright future at the plate.
2. Yadier Molina Cardinals
Molina has no peer defensively right now, but his offense leaves a lot to be desired. He doesn't produce power very often, and that makes his .304 average look more appealing than it is.
3. Ryan Doumit Pirates
A rare bright spot on the Pirates, Doumit has proved himself to be quite the hitter. He has some power and doesn't strike out a ton. He isn't awful in the field either. He has played some outfield in the past which helps keep his bat in the lineup when he isn't catching.
4. Ramon Hernandez Reds
A nice pickup for the Reds that should pay off for them this season. Hernandez is a bit old (33) but I think he will benefit from playing in the NL and his defense certainly won't be hurting anyone.
5. Ivan Rodriguez Astros
Despite what Cecil Cooper may think, Pudge is on his way out of baseball. His good WBC got him signed with a team that had literally nothing at catcher, so in that sense he's an upgrade. His defense will always be good, but his bat isn't what it was. Not to mention he is a giant injury risk.
6. Jason Kendall Brewers
Defensively the stats will say he is really good. He doesn't hit for any power, his slugging is lower than his on base. The nice thing is that Kendall will play literally every day. He will show up to work and take some pitches.
First Base
1. Albert Pujols Cardinals
I don't really need to explain this, Pujols is a great hitter and a good fielder (though I think his defense might be overrated, I haven't really made up my mind on this yet). Considering that the only player he has as a peer is Alex Rodriguez and even that might not be the case anymore.
2. Lance Berkman Astros
I'm sure some Astros fans could make a case that Berkman is close to Pujols, and it could be true to a point. Berkman has an awesome bat, and handles the glove well. He is a MVP candidate every season, and often is key to keeping the Astros around for a month too long.
3. Prince Fielder Brewers
A bit overweight and not the best defender, but his bat more than makes up for hit. Fielder is a star at the plate. His power numbers are sick, and he has a flare for the clutch hits. While I think his future will be in the AL as a DH, he is passable at first base for an NL team because his bat is so good.
4a. Joey Votto Reds
Votto is an up and coming star, headed in the opposite direction of the man he shares the fourth slot with. Votto plays some good defense, and his bat will only get better. I have mocked his power numbers before because they were inflated by the Cubs last year, but he really is a great hitter. I think by June he will be making me think of ranking him with Berkman and Fielder.
4b. Derrek Lee Cubs
Call it my Cubs bias for even putting Lee with Votto, but I really think they are equals this season. Lee is on his way down, but for this season he will still put up good numbers. His defense has always been overrated a bit, but its still really good. His bat isn't what it was, he will hit for a pretty high average and he is a doubles machine.
6. Adam LaRoche
He isn't the worst player in the world, but he isn't good either. He hits for power but strikes out a lot. His defense isn't very good and isn't any sort of positive on the bases. He isn't a bad baseball player, but in a division full of starts at first base, LaRoche brings up the rear.
Second Base
1. Brandon Phillips Reds
Phillips is a superstar all around player. He is a gold glove defender, and his bat is dynamite. He was down a bit in 2008, but I think when fully healthy and playing well he is a 30-30 guy. In a division without a ton of talent at this position, Phillips is a shining star.
2. Mike Fontenot Cubs
I don't know if Fontenot can play every day for an entire season, but if he can his numbers will probably be pretty good. He gets on base a lot and hits for a surprising amount of power. Last season I said once "he never hits the ball on the ground" which is a good thing. His defense is also pretty good, and should be an upgrade over Mark DeRosa.
3. Rickie Weeks Brewers
Weeks could easily be Phillips equal, but he hasn't reached his potential yet. His ceiling is far above Fontenot's, but he hasn't put it together. He hits for power and can steal bases, but he isn't remotely consistent. He strikes out too much and his defense isn't very good. He also doesn't make very many good decisions while playing.
4a. Freddy Sanchez Pirates
He won the batting title a few years back, and he brings a fairly consistent bat. He isn't much for power but he gets the job done for a team that needs guys who can do that. Defensively he is average, which isn't bad compared to others in this division. What makes him fourth is his ability to play every day.
4b. Kaz Matsui Astros
Matsui doesn't do much special, but he does hit for a high average and is pretty consistent. The reason I tie him with Sanchez is because neither is anything special or above average, but both bring consistent at-bats and play average defense.
6. Skip Schumaker Cardinals
There just isn't anyway I can rank him anywhere but last. He is a pretty good hitter and can get on base at a solid rate. The reason he was moved from the outfield was because they wanted to bring up Colby Rasmus but keep Scumaker's bat in the lineup. I promise his defense won't be good, or even close to good. The biggest concern will be if his poor defense leads to an injury to Albert Pujols. It almost happened this spring, and I wouldn't say it won't happen again.
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