If I had the first pick in my fantasy baseball league, I would choose. . .

You can almost never go wrong with a first pick in any draft (exception Greg Oden) as there are a myriad of reasons for picking one of the all-star sluggers. But in case you are new to Fantasy, never pick a pitcher with the first pick. A true ace can give you wins, Ks, and ERA every 5 days. But having a power bat that is in the lineup every day can carry an offense. This year’s field of top picks is nearly identical to last year’s. There are solid outfield options in Josh Hamilton (career .304/.363/.549), Mike Trout (.306/.379/.532), and Ryan Braun (.313/.374/.568). You could also go with the ever popular Miguel Cabrera, fresh off his first but definitely due batting title. Or another power infielder, such as Robinson Cano. What you’re really looking for is one of two things. Health, first and foremost is important. If your player isn’t healthy, he ain’t gonna help your lineup. Another factor is consistency. Some players heat up during the year, others are steady without being gaudy. Then of course there are outliers that should influence your decision. Is he going to pick up steals? Does he have enough protection around him to get good looks at fastballs?

Looking at these criteria, let’s break down the field.

If you want the big HR and RBI numbers, it’s hard not to choose Cabrera. He’s led the league in at least one of the Triple Crown categories almost every year for a while now. He’s going to have another great year with Fielder around him and Jackson in front of him. You can’t go wrong in power.

Looking for the 5-tool player? Definitely want to go with Mike Trout. He stole 49 bases, while scoring 129 runs, and hitting 30 Home Runs. 

While Hamilton doesn’t have the speed of Trout, he has the power to match Cabrera. And when he gets hot, he’s really hot. For most leagues, Hamilton won entire months for a team, though he did go cold as well. Another thing to look at is his Ks. Anything over 100 isn’t too great. And Hamilton and Trout both struck out over 120 times last year. Cabrera was the better of the trio with 98.

You can look at WAR if you want, but let’s keep it simple shall we. We have two main power hitters with no steal potential and one with a strikeout/ cold streak risk. The better choice is Cabrera over Hamilton.

But match Cabrera against Trout. While Cabrera will have better HR and RBI numbers, Trouts speed should help in the steals and runs department. You can always find a home run hitter who will sacrifice average for power. And you can probably find a base stealer who sacrifices power for OBP. Supplementing for the weakness of the two won’t be a problem. Detroit has a good lineup and will probably match last year’s output. Trout is young and could definitely outperform his last year.

However, I’m going with what I know. If I had the first pick, I would choose Cabrera. I know he’s going to hit 30 HRs, 100 RBIs, and .300. While Trout is intriguing, if he gets hurt playing so recklessly, he could be out for some time. And who’s to say the league won’t figure him out and cause his K total to go up? 

Stick with Cabrera, he’s a sure thing.