Tom Kessenich is the event director of the NBC Sports National Fantasy Baseball Championship and the managing editor of Fantasy Sports Magazine. Call him at 1-800-726-9966, ext. 13653 if you're interested in signing up for the NFBC.

If a new baseball season is upon us, that means the rookies are once again the rage. Finding that top young prospect who's on the verge of stardom is a time-honored fantasy tradition.

This season is no different. Fantasy owners have a number of rookies on their radar as they begin their Draft Day preparations. We conducted three drafts (a pair of 12-team drafts and a 15-team NFBC draft) for our second issue of Fantasy Sports Magazine and some of these rookies were hot commodities.

Here's a look at the Top 10 rookies to target in drafts this year, including a look at where they went in our three most recent magazine drafts.

1. Matt Wieters, C, Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles are in rebuilding mode and one of their brightest young stars is Matt Wieters, the team's first-round draft pick in 2007. Rated by Baseball America as the top prospect in the Carolina, Eastern and Arizona Fall leagues and named Fantasy Sports Magazine's Minor League Player of the Year in 2008, Wieters is the complete package in all aspects of the game. He is a switch-hitter who is capable of hitting for both average and power in the middle of the lineup. He ranked fifth in the minors with a .355 average, third with a .454 on-base percentage and 10th with a .600 slugging percentage. He also swatted a combined 27 home runs with 91 RBIs between stints at Class A Frederick and Double-A Bowie. With Ramon Hernandez in Cincinnati, the path has been cleared for Wieters to be the team's starter on Opening Day. Fantasy owners have been well aware of that and targeting him after the top catchers are off the board. In our three most recent magazine drafts, Wieters was chosen 137th overall (15-team NFBC draft), 110th (12-team NFBC draft) and 12st (12-team industry draft).


2. David Price, SP, Tampa Bay Rays
Price, like Wieters, was a first-round pick in 2007 that did not sign in time that summer to make his pro debut. And similar to the Orioles' receiver, the left-hander out of Vanderbilt had little difficulty proving all the hype was justified. After opening the season on the shelf with some minor elbow tenderness, Price blazed through the top three levels of the Tampa Bay farm system by winning his first 11 pro decisions, going 12-1 with a 2.30 ERA in 19 starts.
The story became more remarkable when Price emerged as one of the Rays' best bullpen options throughout the postseason after twirling in only three games with the big league club in September. The Rays cleared a spot in their rotation over the offseason by trading Edwin Jackson to the Detroit Tigers. Price will fill the void and could emerge as Tampa Bay's third starter by the middle of the season as he becomes a solid MLB starter on a playoff-contending team. He's been a hot sleeper pick in preseason drafts, going 124th, 116th and 131st in our three magazine drafts.

3 Cameron Maybin, OF, Florida Marlins
The biggest deal prior to the start of the 2008 season was the trade that sent Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to the Tigers for Maybin and pitcher Andrew Miller. Most fans of the Fish were certain Maybin would start in center field last summer, yet the Marlins demonstrated patience after realizing in spring training that the 10th overall pick in the 2005 draft had been rushed to the big leagues by Detroit late in 2007. A few minor injuries as well as the need to improve upon some fundamentals led to his spending most of last year at Double-A Carolina, where he hit .277 with 13 home runs and 21 steals. He then went 16-for-32 in eight September games with Florida, and he's now first in line to be the team's full-time center fielder in 2009. He is expected to bring speed, power and defense to the Marlins and should contribute right away. 175th, 232nd and 213th in our three drafts.

4 Travis Snider, OF, Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays' first-round draft pick in 2006, Snider is a productive hitter with solid power potential. The 20-year-old left-handed hitter clubbed 25 home runs at four different levels last year, including two after he reached Toronto in September while hitting .301.
Snider has ranked as the Blue Jays' top prospect in each of the past two seasons and is on the verge of becoming a permanent part in the middle of the Toronto lineup. He could start 2009 at Triple-A Las Vegas, but Snider will be a fixture in Toronto soon and for a long time to come. 271st in our 15-team NFBC draft and 287th in the 12-team NFBC draft.

5 Elvis Andrus, SS, Texas Rangers
Michael Young has reluctantly agreed to move to third base if needed as the Rangers are convinced that Andrus is the future shortstop for this franchise. While Young's presence in Texas means Andrus could open the 2009 season at Triple-A Oklahoma City, all signs point to him starting at shortstop with Young moving to third base. Scouts compare him to a young Edgar Renteria, which means he should provide fantasy owners with solid numbers in the runs and steals categories while also contributing in batting average and RBIs. With his performance and his energetic, infectious approach to the game, Andrus' major league debut is imminent, as he will shine in 2009. He went 115th, 294th and 236th in our three drafts.

6. Colby Rasmus, OF, St. Louis Cardinals
There was some belief early last spring that the Cardinals dispatched Jim Edmonds to San Diego in order to clear the way for Rasmus as the starting center fielder. As it turned out, Edmonds looked like little more than a shell of his former self while with the Padres and Rasmus was sent to Triple-A Memphis in order to receive additional experience. He wound up battling injuries with his knee and groin, which limited him to a modest .251 average with 11 home runs and 36 RBIs in 90 games and cost him a chance to play for Team USA in the Beijing Olympics. Despite his difficulties last year, Rasmus still managed to rank as the top prospect in the Pacific Coast League. He possesses all of the tools scouts like to see, headed by his plus power and the ability to drive the ball to all fields from the left side of the plate. He also has excellent speed, particularly for a potential run producer, and uses his legs to cover a vast amount of territory in the outfield while running the bases with aplomb. The key for Rasmus is to simply stay healthy. Should he win a starting job, Rasmus could be a solid NL Rookie of the Year candidate this season. He went 288th in the 15-team draft and 317th in the 12-team NFBC draft.

7. Mat Gamel, 3B, Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers understand that not all minor-league infielders remain in place at the major-league level. Ryan Braun made the shift from third base to left field, while former Milwaukee prospect Matt LaPorta moved from first to the outfield. Gamel might follow suit, particularly after leading the minors with 53 errors in 2007 before committing 30 errors last summer. Yet if he continues to hit the way he has since being drafted by the Brewers in the fourth round in 2005, Gamel will find his niche at the game's top level. He may not have the power of LaPorta, but he may be a better all-around hitter. At Double-A Huntsville last year, the left-handed hitter batted .329-19-55 and was ranked by Baseball America as the Southern League's seventh-best prospect. Gamel's bat will earn him a job in the big leagues but where he lands remains to be seen. With the Brewers lacking a legitimate starter at 3B, our NFBC participants pursued him as an End Game pick as he went 323rd in the 15-team draft and 297th in the 12-team NFBC draft.

8. Chris Getz, 2B, Chicago White Sox
With Alexei Ramirez moving to shortstop, Getz is in line to start at second base if the White Sox don't land a veteran second baseman. The 2005 fourth-round pick out of Michigan saw limited action late last year with the White Sox because of a fractured bone he suffered in his left wrist, but they like his defensive skills and believe he can handle the fulltime job. During 111 games at Triple-A Charlotte last year, he hit .302 with 11 homers, 52 RBIs and 11 stolen bases, while posting a solid .366 on-base percentage. Then during 10 games with the White Sox, he hit .286 with one RBI and one stolen base. He's one of the top rookies to target on Draft Day right now because of his potential starting job at second base. If he earns this job out of spring training, his defense will keep him in the lineup the rest of the way, making him a worthy late round pick in mixed leagues. Owners are taking a wait and see approach with him so far as he went undrafted in our three drafts.

9. Alcides Escobar, SS, Milwaukee Brewers
Even though J.J. Hardy is considered one of the premier young shortstops in the game, Escobar has been mentioned as a future replacement in Milwaukee. His defense ranks among the best among all shortstops at any level, displaying incredible range, sure hands and a cannon of an arm. His offensive productivity has also remained high, even though his overall power isn't impressive. Escobar could start 2009 at Triple-A to get more seasoning after a solid Double-A campaign (.329-8-76 with 35 stolen bases and 95 runs in 131 games), but the 22-year-old will be in Milwaukee at some time and could even move to second base if needed to shore up the defense. He has great upside, even with a very good player ahead of him at his position. He was not selected in our three drafts.

10. Reid Brignac, SS, Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays reached their first World Series in franchise history with Jason Bartlett in his first season as the team's starting shortstop. But Brignac is on the cusp of contributing at the major league level. Brignac made his major league debut in 2008 and went hitless in 10 at-bats. He also suffered a broken wrist in August and wound up hitting just .250 with nine homers and 43 RBIs. That performance may necessitate a short return to Triple-A Durham to open the 2009 season, unless the Rays trade Bartlett. Either way, Brignac may be a little ways from contributing significantly in the fantasy ranks, but his long-term potential is among the best regarding future major league shortstops. He went undrafted in our three drafts.

Ten More To Watch:
Jason Donald, 2B/SS, Philadelphia
Tommy Hanson, SP, Atlanta
Matt LaPorta, OF, Cleveland
Andrew McCutchen, OF, Pittsburgh
Dexter Fowler, OF, Colorado
Pedro Alvarez, 3B, Pittsburgh
Neftali Feliz, SP, Texas
Eric Young Jr., 2B, Colorado
Jordan Schafer, OF, Atlanta
Jordan Zimmerman, SP, Washington