They are the immovable objects of fantasy baseball.
They often aren't capable of playing anywhere else, so they are penciled into the lineup at designated hitter, rack up 20 or more home runs, hit for a mediocre batting average, steal bases about as often as the immortal Dave Kingman and call it a year.
If you draft them, they hamstring your lineup because you can't move them around from week to week, since they usually don't have enough games played at first base or the outfield to be eligible for such a switch.
But, like a glance at the Royals' roster, it's not all bad.
There are exceptions at DH every season, and this year the most prominent is Adam Dunn, who likely will be the White Sox's primary DH after serving as the Nationals' first baseman in 2010. Dunn will be eligible at first, which, of course, is where he's more valuable, but for our purposes he will be ranked at DH, since Paul Konerko is the White Sox's regular first baseman.
That brings us to our latest look at the top designated hitters in fantasy baseball in 2011. These rankings will be updated as players change teams in the offseason and spring training provides more answers to certain position battles.
The updated version of these rankings takes into account the transactions that shook up the position. With Vernon Wells in Los Angeles and the Angels insisting on giving Peter Bourjos a shot in center field, Bobby Abreu -- not a typical DH by any stretch -- will be there primarily this season. Manny Ramirez is in Tampa Bay, Vladimir Guerrero is in Baltimore, Michael Young is moving from third to DH, Adam Lind is being tried out at first base ... The rankings have been shaken up Bowl Championship Series style.
Note: Players are listed only at the position at which they are expected to spend the most time in 2011, not every position at which they are eligible. For the top players in keeper leagues for 2011, click here.
- Adam Dunn, White Sox: He's a top-12 first baseman after averaging 39 homers and 103 RBI the last three seasons. The negative: He's a career .250 hitter who strikes out once every three at-bats.
- Michael Young, Rangers: He'll hit for average (.300 career), but don't expect him to improve upon his 2010 totals of 21 homers and 91 RBI. He's more valuable at third, obviously, where he would rank seventh.
- David Ortiz, Red Sox: He's not the stud he was from 2003 to '07, but he can still be counted on to hit more than 30 homers and drive in 100-plus runs.
- Bobby Abreu, Angels: Until the trade for Wells, we had Abreu No. 28 in the outfield. He's a fringe top-100 player whom you should still utilize in the outfield, where he likely will play enough games to remain eligible.
- Vladimir Guerrero, Orioles: He had a monstrous 2010, batting .300 with 29 homers and 115 RBI. The move from Texas to Baltimore, plus the presence of Young and Abreu on this list, causes Guerrero to drop slightly in value.
- Jason Kubel, Twins: He had 21 homers and 92 RBI last season, but batted only .249 with 68 runs. Kubel was much better in 2009, when he hit .300 with 28 homers and 103 RBI.
- Jorge Posada, Yankees: He has averaged only 384 at-bats the last two years, but shifting to DH should ease the burden on his 39-year-old frame.
- Hideki Matsui, Athletics: He had 21 homers and 84 RBI last season, but you shouldn't expect much more at age 36.
- Manny Ramirez, Rays: Is he washed up? Ramirez has a combined 617 at-bats the last two seasons, and at this point, the .313 career hitter probably can't be counted on for much more than 300 trips to the plate.
- Travis Hafner, Indians: From 2004 to '07, he averaged 32 homers and 111 RBI. The last three seasons, he has batted .259 with norms of 311 at-bats, 11 homers and 41 RBI.
Eligibility notes
Dunn played in 153 games at first base last season and is eligible there. ... Adam Lind played 11 games at first base and 16 in left field in 2010. The move to first increases his value to No. 100 overall. ... Kubel was the Twins' DH in 42 games last season, but mostly was an outfielder. If first baseman Justin Morneau is healthy, the Twins' best lineup in 2011 likely would include Michael Cuddyer in right field and Kubel at DH. ... Posada is eligible at catcher. ... The addition of Guerrero likely will result in Luke Scott being Baltimore's starting left fielder. Scott batted .284 with 27 homers and 72 RBI last season. Prior to Guerrero's arrival, he was our No. 9 DH.
Others to watch
- Jim Thome, Twins: If he was a regular, he'd be a top-six DH, but by returning to the Twins, he likely will be in a part-time role unless Morneau isn't healthy. Thome had 25 homers, 59 RBI and 48 runs in 276 at-bats last season.
- Jack Cust, Mariners: He hits for power, but not for average and strikes out even more often than Dunn.
- Kila Ka'aihue, Royals: He had eight homers and 25 RBI in 180 at-bats as a rookie last season, but he batted .217 and was a .260 hitter in the minor leagues.
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MORE RANKINGS: Your guide to all of our 2011 fantasy baseball rankings