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• Jack said March 08, 2007

  Great write-up. One other thing to consider is that Cano is going to move up in the batting order for the Yanks this year from 9 to 7 (and may be eventually higher). Assuming that happens and Cano does not match the .342 average from last year that was a little bit out of his ass, Jeters RBI opportunites should come down. Having Damon in front of him will ensure runners on base, but 97 RBI out of the 2 spot is pretty tough to replicate. I still think Jeter is the 2 guy on this list, but expectations should probably be tempered a little.

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• DeadRed said March 08, 2007

  Those are some lofty goals for Jimmy Rollins. He probably thinks he can grab about 20 saves when Tom Gordon hits the DL in the second half. I love the enthusiasm, but I hope that doesn't negatively affect his game. Sometimes guys start the season pressing when they're trying to do too much.

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• paulzummo said March 08, 2007

  Good analysis. I might swap Rollins and Jeter, but it's close either way.
  
  The thing about Reyes is his power-speed combo is just about the best in the game. Guys like Pierre and Figgins might approach him in the number of steals, but Reyes has a lot more pop and also happens to be surrounded by one the top lineups in the game, which increases his value. Also, 60 steals is ginormous. It's much easier to compensate for a 20 or even 30 homerun gap between players, but not a 30 or 40 stolen base gap. SBs are a much rarer commodity, so Reyes gives you almost half of the value you need in just one category. Add to that his decent homerun and RBI numbers, and his great run scoring numbers, and it's easy to see why he's a top five guy. The injuries are a concern, but he's played two and a half full seasons without pain, so hopefully that's behind him.

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