THE BEST HITTER IN BASEBALL

After posting a few weeks ago about 10 guys who laid an egg in 2009, here's 10 hitters who punished the ball last season.

10. Alex Rodriguez (3b-Yankees) .286/.402/.532
Despite missing 38 games with a hip injury, A-Rod still hit 30 homers and drove in 100 runs. Then he batted .365 with 6 HR's in the postseason, laying to rest the persistent talk of choke artistry. Could we be seeing Kate Hudson's best work since Almost Famous?

9. Chase Utley (2b- Phillies) .282/.397/.508
Yep, his team made the Series, too. Utley is, like Matt Holliday, a guy who benefits from his home park, but would flat-out rake anywhere. In fact, he hit better on the road last year. In addition to 31 homers, Utley gives you little things like 88 walks, 24 HBPs (though this is usuallly good for a few weeks on the DL with hand injuries each season), 23-for-23 steals, and strong defense.

8. Derrek Lee (1b- Cubs) .306/.393/.579
Other than a monster 2005, Lee has always been a guy who quietly puts up numbers. For example, he has 293 career HR's and 1700 hits. Lee had a bit of a power spike this season, hitting 35 HR's, and elevating his game a little bit past poor man's Pujols.

7. Ben Zobrist (2b/rf- Rays) .297/.405/.543
Coming into this season, Zobrist was a 27-year old utility infielder with a career BA of .222 and middling power, the low-ceiling prospect the Astros dealt for Aubrey Huff (look for him on the other list). He exploded in 2009, as the rest of the Rays were imploding. Is this a fluke season? Probably yes, though he's a better player than guys like Mark Bellhorn, who were also glove-challenged infielders getting by on power and patience, who had one great year. Don't draft this guy too high in fantasy next year.

6. Hanley Ramirez (ss- Marlins) .342/.410/.543
Ramirez also stole 27 bases and drove in 106 runs in his first year batting #3 instead of leadoff. Ramirez is not a great shortstop, and a bit of a bonehead, but he's worth two of Jose Reyes. The trade that sent him from Boston to Florida gave Boston the pieces they needed for their 2007 title, but the Marlins-- assuming they ever spend enough to contend-- may have won that trade in the long term.

5. Kevin Youkilis (1b/3b- Red Sox) .305/.413/.548
Youk's a bit of a late bloomer, peaking at 29 and 30. He's a winning, hard-nosed ballplayer you love to hate unless he plays for your team. Billy Beane called him "the Greek god of walks", though apparently he isn't even Greek. That made him sound like a slightly better Dave Magadan, instead of the near-MVP type player he's become.

4. Joey Votto (1b- Reds) .322/.414/.567
Votto is a 26-year old Canadian, who like Utley, plays in a hitter's park but hits better on the road. He had 38 doubles and 25 homers despite missing 31 games, and quietly anchors a Cincinnati lineup that could conceivably steal the NL wild card next year.

3. Prince Fielder (1b- Brewers) .299/.412/.602
A Prince Fielder off-year looks like this: .276/34/102. That was 2008. For 2009, he swatted 46 homers and drove in 141 runs. He's only 25, with no injury history, and it would be nice to see his career follow the pattern of Frank Thomas, instead of Mo Vaughn, or papa Cecil, among the man-mountain first basemen.

2. Joe Mauer (c- Twins) .365/.444/.587
He's mind blowingly good. Imagine an athletic Mike Piazza with a line drive swing. His power emerged in 2009, as he hit 28 HR's when his previous high was 13. Defensively, he wins Gold Gloves because he can hit.

1. Albert Pujols (1b- Cardinals) .327/.443/.658
47 jacks, 135 RBI, and 115 walks. The Cards need to re-sign Holliday, or pitchers are going to start giving him the Barry Bonds treatment. He has 366 HR's already and just turned 30. He is the Michael Jordan to Tony LaRussa's drunken Phil Jackson.

Did you notice there are no outfielders in the top 10? Also, here's 11 through 20. Adrian Gonzalez, Ryan Braun, Adam Dunn, Mark Teixeira, Jason Bay, Miguel Cabrera, Pablo Sandoval, J.D. Drew, Lance Berkman, Shin-Soo Choo. That's right. Shin-Soo Choo.