Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Rockies
Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki will likely be a pivotal player for fantasy owners who draft him in the second round this year. Looking at last season’s stats when Tulowitzki hit .297 with 32 home runs, 101 runs scored, 92 RBIs and 20 steals might make it seem like a no-brainer. However, despite excelling in 2009 and 2007, Tulowitzki’s down ’08 leaves a shadow of a doubt pertaining to his 2010 potential.
In ’08, he hit just .263 with eight homers, 46 RBIs, 48 runs and one stolen base. But he missed most of the first half of that season with a quadriceps injury and then suffered a hand laceration. Provided he’s healthy this year, Tulowitzki shouldn’t have a problem duplicating last year’s average and run production.
But can he repeat those 20 steals? That’s the final piece of the puzzle that made Tulowitzki an elite fantasy player last year. And, yes, it is the biggest question mark given that he was caught 11 times in ’09 and didn’t have a reputation of being speedy in the minors. If Tulowitzki manages to produce double-digit steals to go along with his power he’ll be well on his way to becoming the second-most valuable player (behind Hanley Ramirez) at a position that isn’t very deep this year.