Ride The WAVE - AL East Outfielders

AVG/OBP/SLG, followed by AVG/Runs/HR/RBI/SB:

BAL: Nick Markakis - .301/.363/.481

• It will be increasingly difficult to find runners to drive in in '08 for Markakis. He's still a young stud on the rise, with more power likely to develop, and some 20/20 seasons on the horizon. WAVE: .301/98/23/105/14 in 638 AB.

BAL: Adam Jones - .250/.315/.396

• Baltimore's new center fielder was acquired from the Mariners in the Erik Bedard trade. He's only 22, and likely to struggle in his first full season in the bigs. Once acclimated, he should be a 5-tool fantasy player. WAVE projects .250/75/12/51/12 in 492 AB.

BAL: Luke Scott - .282/.377/.544

• Scott is a much better hitter than he displayed last season, and a fresh start in BAL, not to mention hitter friendly Camden Yards, should help him bounce back in 2008. At 29, there isn't much room for growth, and this WAVE projection represents his ceiling: .282/76/26/94/4 in 540 AB.

BOS: Manny Ramirez - .299/.398/.543

• Manny will be 36 in 2008, and motivation will be key to his success. Not only will the $20 million option that BOS holds for 2009 be a motivating factor, but so will proving to himself and his fans that he still has something left after a very disspointing 2007. WAVE sees a bounce back season, pegging him at .299/98/32/113/0 in 541 AB.

BOS: JD Drew - .280/.388/.461

• Drew opted out of his contract with the Dodgers to sign a 5 year $70 million deal with the Red Sox, and instantly proved to be a terrible signing. He's not as bad as he played last year, but considering that health is almost always an issue here, he doesn't hold much value outside of OBP and AL-only leagues. WAVE: .280/86/16/75/3 in 475 AB.

BOS: Coco Crisp - .276/.333/.404

• Crisp and Ellsbury continue to battle it out for the starting center field job. Both could feasibly accrue 400 AB with Drew and Ramirez likely to be on the shelf at some point(s) during the season. Crisp is probably the better Major League option at this point due to his outstanding defense. WAVE is projecting .276/64/7/46/19 in 416 AB.

BOS: Jacoby Ellsbury - .297/.359/.417

• As much as Crisp may be the better ML option, Ellsbury is the better fantasy option, and the guy you should be rooting for to win the starting CF job. He should provide a solid AVG and plenty of stolen bases. WAVE has him at .297/60/8/51/34 in 425 AB.

NYY: Johnny Damon - .283/.355/.421

• JD should provide fantasy owners with more of the same in '08. WAVE: .283/102/14/69/24 in 566 AB.

NYY: Melky Cabrera - .292/.353/.408

• Cabrera actually performed worse in '08 than he did in '07. At merely 23 years of age, that shouldn't be a continuing trend. Power is supposed to eventually develop. WAVE projects .292/78/8/74/14 in 559 AB.

NYY: Bobby Abreu - .287/.391/.461

• Abreu poured it on after the All-Star break, hitting .305 with 11 HR and 60 RBI. With the exception of the major decline in walks last season, Abreu's numbers were in line with career norms, so I'm not concerned that he has begun to decline as some are. The BB total should jump back up in '08. WAVE: .287/114/18/103/28 in 588 AB.

NYY: Hideki Matsui - .299/.375/.500

• Matsui is likely to spend much of the year DH-ing. Considering the Yankees "win-it-now" approach, I'm surprised they haven't looked to move Melky Cabrera in a trade to free up outfield space. Matsui has been talked about as the odd man out, which is ridiculous considering he is arguably the best outfielder on the team. WAVE projects .299/107/25/111/4 in 582 AB.

TB: Carl Crawford - .308/.346/.470

• Crawford has yet to show a consistent 20 HR bat, but considering he's still only 26, it could yet come. There aren't too many players in baseball that are considered a lock for a .300 AVG and 50 steals, with the potential to grow in the power department. In fact, I can't think of any. WAVE: .308/97/14/82/53 in 626 AB.

TB: BJ Upton - .318/.403/.520

• Enjoy Upton's last season of infield eligibility. What impressed me most with BJ's breakout 2007 campaign, was his ability to draw the walk. He's a potential 30/30 man, and should improve across the board in 2008. WAVE likes him to hit .318/112/28/102/32 in 604 AB.

TB: Rocco Baldelli - .274/.324/.471

• Injuries have derailed a once promising young career. If Rocco manages to stay healthy for 471 AB, this is what WAVE sees happening: .274/66/18/57/15

TB: Cliff Floyd - .264/.348/.428

• Brought in mostly as veteran leadership, Floyd should still get some AB's behind injury prone outfielder Rocco Baldelli, as well as some starts at DH. WAVE: .264/50/14/55/4 in 353 AB.

TOR: Vernon Wells - .263/.318/.447

• 2007 makes 3 of the last 4 seasons dissapointing ones for Vernon. He's likely to go for more money than he's worth on draft day, but who knows? Maybe he'll return to '03/'06 form. WAVE doesn't think so, projecting him at .263/85/22/89/11 in 598 AB.

TOR: Alex Rios - .313/.370/.531

• Rios should improve over last season, believe it or not. 2008 will be his age 27 season. Alex was once viewed as a potential batting title contender, and WAVE likes him to raise that AVG up in '08: .313/120/25/100/20 in 639 AB.

TOR: Reed Johnson - .259/.326/.374

• Yes, he's "scrappy". Yes, he plays outstanding defense. No, he's not more than a 4th outfielder. The Blue Jays need to put an end to the 5 year Reed Johnson experiment, and the Shannon Stewart signing may be a hint that it's about to happen. Ideally, Adam Lind will show he's ready for the starting left field gig this Spring, but he seemed to regress last season. WAVE: .259/40/4/26/4 in 294 AB.

TOR: Shannon Stewart - .295/.350/.408

• Stewart exceeded expectations last season with OAK, and may have an opportunity to log regular AB's with TOR in '08. WAVE projects .295/66/10/45/9 in 481 AB.