I was faced w/the same scenario last year. I had the 1st pick overall in the 1st year of my 12-team keeper league and I ended-up going with Hanley Ramirez.
My reasoning was Ramirez is nearly 4-years younger than Pujols, possesses some amazing speed and the other main clincher is that there's a major drop-off at SS compared to 1B. Case in point….I managed to snag Prince Fielder in the 2nd round and his along w/about 3 other 1B stats turned out to be comparable to that of Pujols.
My main long-term concern on Pujols is that he's currently enduring those lingering back issues and that's critical for a 30-year power-hitting 1B who is entering his prime. I had 2 back surgeries myself and still have immense pain (especially in colder climates) and Pujols at 1B has to be extremely agile and that would compound further strain. Also, what shouldn't be overlooked that it very well could limit his swing which would obviously detract/take a toll from his power numbers.
Ramirez is sickening in the fact that as a SS, he can go 30/40 which sets him apart from the rest of the pack. True, he only had 27 SB last season, but out of a mere 35 attempts. I believe he should receive the greenlight more frequently this season and revert back to his 45+ SB ways. Then in turn…who is even close to those heights at his respective position? Jimmy Rollins and Troy Tulowitzki aren't even close while Jose Reyes is on the decline and Derek Jeter only has about 2-years remaining at an elite level.
I've been so inclined to want to rank HanRam #1 overall, but want to see if he carries over his Grapefruit League stats into the regular season and see if Pujols back problems will have such a major impact on him that I actually envision it will. Also, if he's running on all full cylinders on the basepaths, then Ramirez is a must.
Another question is…..what is the exact scoring categories and modifiers? I still would go with HanRam at this point regardless….
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