by John Halpin

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And the NL East's tremendous trio from last year? After 2008, we're down to a dynamic duo, with one championship-winning player getting bumped down just a bit. I just couldn't let him enjoy life for more than a few weeks.

Studs

1. Hanley Ramirez, Marlins — Last year, I pegged Ramirez as fantasy's top overall draft pick. He didn't disappoint, batting .301 with 33 home runs, 67 RBI, 125 runs and 35 stolen bases. The 2008 season was the second straight in which Ramirez had an OPS in the mid-.900s. Even better, he turns 25 on December 23. I wrote last week that I might have Alex Rodriguez back in the first overall draft position for 2009, but if I make that move, Ramirez will be no lower than second. He is a S-T-U-D.

2. Jose Reyes, Mets — It's hard to argue with this guy's results. Reyes dropped off to only 56 stolen bases in 2008 and batted .297 with 16 homers, 68 RBI and 113 runs. He's also 25 years old, so getting better isn't out of the question, especially since his career high of 72 extra-base hits could be a signal of an impending increase in home run power. He'll probably be third on my draftboard. How do the Mets keep blowing division leads with Reyes and David Wright in the lineup?

Studs, Tier Two

3. Jimmy Rollins, Phillies — I wish Rollins would make up his mind about how many homers he's going to hit — his totals for the past five seasons are 14-12-25-30-11. Injuries certainly contributed to his drop-off from 139 runs to just 76, but he had a career-best 47 steals and could bounce back in the power categories. Problem is, Rollins is about to turn 30 years old, and while that's not exactly ancient, he's more likely to have peaked than either Ramirez or Reyes. Rollins is a strong No. 3 at this position, and I hope Phillie fans don't throw stuff at me for this ranking like they did to the wives and kids of the Rays' players during the World Series. Stay classy, Philadelphia.

Breakout

Jed Lowrie, Red Sox — After being pressed into action in 2008 when Julio Lugo suffered from injuries and a bad case of Cesar Izturis-itis, Lowrie batted .258 with two homers and a .739 OPS in 260 at-bats. But look at his minor league numbers — he hit 13 home runs along with 47 doubles between Double-A and Triple-A in 2007 and hit five taters in 198 Triple-A at-bats before his recall in 2008. Lowrie's not going to be Cal Ripken, but he could pop a dozen homers with a good batting average and plenty of runs in 2009. If you're looking for a shortstop late in your draft, he could be a nice pickup.

Overrated

Derek Jeter, Yankees — I hate to say this for the second year in a row, but the captain is clearly slipping. He's riding a three-year decline in all five fantasy offensive categories, and his OPS has slipped from .900 to .840 to .771 since 2006. That'll happen when a player reaches his mid-30s, but some of your fellow owners won't want to admit it and will think they're drafting the old Jeter. Let them have him.

Michael Young, Rangers — I'm sure Young is a great leader and a good guy and all that stuff, but at this point he's living off his reputation from a fantasy standpoint. He did score 102 runs last season, and a dozen homers with 82 RBI isn't bad for a shortstop, but his numbers are on the same downward spiral as Jeter's right now, with OPS totals of .898-.815-.784-.741 since 2005. I bet the Rangers are thrilled that they have Young locked up for $80 million over the next five seasons.

Miguel Tejada, Astros — Miggy hasn't been the same since the allegations of (content edited for fear of writer losing his house in a lawsuit). He's two months older than Jeter, and after leaving Baltimore for the cozier confines of Houston's Minute Maid Park, he hit 13 home runs last season. You could hit 13 homers while playing 81 games in Houston. Avoid Tejada like you're Prince Fielder and he's a salad.

Bouncebacks

Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies — Sophomore jinx, injuries, whatever. After getting healthy, Tulo hit .300 with three homers, 14 RBI and a .926 OPS in September. He'll be fine, and while most people know that already, you might be able to grab him a little lower than he should go in your draft.

Rafael Furcal, Free Agent — First, I'd like to thank Raffy and his bad back for destroying the title chances of two of my fantasy teams last season. People kept saying he was just about to come back, so I kept leaving a space for him, and he kept screwing me. Really, I appreciate it.

With that said, I think I'm going back for more. Furcal started 2008 on fire, with a .366 average, five home runs, 15 RBI, eight stolen bases and an astounding 33 runs scored through May 5, when he began his four-month fantasy tease. Bad backs are scary, but Furcal's the kind of guy you can take in the 10th round and watch in amazement as he carries your team for a couple of months on his way to a big season. Or, you could read a story including his name and the words "bulging disk" on April 13. You be cautious — I'm going for it. He can't do it to me twice, can he?

Sleeper

Emmanuel Burriss, Giants — I wrote about Burriss already in the 2009 breakouts column, so I won't rehash his attributes other than to say he could steal four bases in the time it took you to read this sentence. One-category players are fun, aren't they?

Next week, we'll take a break from the positional analysis and look at the first wave of offseason transactions. Maybe CC Sabathia will have a new home by then.