Fantasy Sports

Anyone who tells you that luck doesn't play a big role in baseball is either lying or joking.

A pitcher who induces a weak grounder up the middle doesn't become any worse if it passes undeterred to Derek Jeter's left. Nor is the slugger who smashes a deep fly ball into the gap any less talented because Franklin "Death to Flying Things" Gutierrez makes an amazing diving catch.

The eternal question is: How can we differentiate between luck and skill in baseball?

These are the players who I believe to be the top 20 fantasy baseball outfielders in the American League going into the 2011 season. 

Here are my other 2011 fantasy baseball rankings:

Top 50 Hitters

Top 35 Pitchers

These are who I believe to be the top 20 fantasy baseball outfielders in the National League going into the 2011 season. Keep in mind that these are only NL players. 

Here are my other 2011 fantasy baseball rankings:

Top 50 Hitters

Top 35 Pitchers

1. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays

2. David Wright, New York Mets

3. Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees

4. Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals

5. Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox

6. Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers

7. Jose Bautista*, Toronto Blue Jays

8. Pedro Alvarez, Pittsburgh Pirates

9. Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco Giants

10. Casey McGehee, Milwaukee Brewers

11. Martin Prado*, Atlanta Braves

12. Michael Young, Texas Rangers

Last season, journeyman Jose Bautista took home the major league home run title with 54 balls mashed.

This came as something of a surprise to everyone in fantasy baseball. Nowhere did he appear on a list of fantasy sleepers, nor was he ranked on very many draft boards heading into last season’s draft.

Even Nostradamus missed out on this guy. So after a monster career 2010 campaign, where do we rank him in 2011?

I think catcher is the most overrated position in fantasy baseball, and every year a majority of players in each league will make the same mistakes. Yes, having Joe Mauer on your team will be great if you can get him, but I don’t know anyone who sits there and says they won their league because they had Ramon Hernandez or Kurt Suzuki as their catcher.

Second base is one of the most hit-and-miss positions in the fantasy game. Everyone knows about the big names: Chase Utley, Robinson Cano and even Dan Uggla most years.

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1. Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies

2. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners

3. Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals

4. Cliff Lee, Philadelphia Phillies

5. Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado Rockies

6. Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers

7. Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants

Are you new to fantasy basketball? Maybe you have played fantasy sports before but have been hesitant to try out fantasy basketball for one reason or another.

Well, here are five good reasons why you should take the leap and give fantasy basketball a chance if you’ve never played before:

1) Like any other sport, it takes time to learn.