Peaks and valleys are a part of life and baseball. With that in mind, some of the guys on the list below are on the normal path of decline, some are young guys with long careers ahead of them, and one is still great, just not as much. However, all five of them deserve at least a slight drop in MLB 09: The Show.

5. Todd Helton - After taking advantage of Coors Field for the past decade or so, eventually Todd Helton was going to cool off. His home run totals have dipped over the years, but his batting average and on-base acumen were more than enough to keep his spot in the lineup. However, last year had to be tough for Helton. He missed half the season due to a back injury, and he only hit .264 when he was active. With a lot of players up in the air and Matt Holliday no longer slugging in Colorado, Helton could go to a team in need of a quick fix. If you try to trade for him in your franchise, be wary of his no-trade clause.

4. Troy Tulowitzki - I made the same mistake many of you did, picking Troy Tulowitzki early in my fantasy baseball league. I won the league, but I could not attribute anything to Tulowitzki. The weekly roster updates in MLB 08 meant you missed Tulo the entire month of May and most of June. When he was in the lineup, he did not fare so well -- his home run totals and average dropped significantly. Still, Rockies fans should not get too depressed because at least Tulowitzki has plenty of time to improve. But I would be a bit worried considering how short the Clint Barmes era was.

3. Brad Penny - After starting in the All-Star game for the National League in 2007, Brad Penny spent a good portion of his 2008 campaign on the disabled list. His ERA doubled and he gave up almost the same amount of hits in less than half of the innings. The Red Sox have a deep rotation at the moment, so it is hard to tell where you will find him in the middle of April. If your MLB 09 franchise is hurting in May, you might be able to pick up Penny for nearly the same price. He will not turn your rotation into a powerhouse, but another live arm can never hurt.

2. Justin Verlander - Miguel Cabrera, Edgar Renteria, Jacque Jones. All three were brought in to compete with the Yankees and Red Sox in the offensive output categories. However, the Tigers pitching let them down. The 2008 Tigers were picked by many to win at least the AL Central. Instead, they finished dead last behind Cleveland and Kansas City. Justin Verlander came off a Cy Young-caliber 2007 with a forgettable 2008. He started one more game and pitched about the same amount of innings so it is hard to say what happened to Verlander in 2008. Either way, if you ever face Detroit online, you will still be hitting against him. The only way your opponents pick Dontrelle Willis is if they think Dontrelle is pitching in the Home Run Derby.

1. Robinson Cano - You could blame Joe Girardi, the makeshift pitching staff, injuries or anything else on the mess that was the 2008 Yankees. Plenty of people in the Bronx would point the finger at Robinson Cano. Cano was being touted as the next big thing in New York City. He hit .342 in 2006 but came down to .271 in 2008. Cano also averaged one walk a week during the season. Some say Larry Bowa leaving for Los Angeles did him in during 2008, others say it was his late nights with Melky Cabrera. While none of those things will affect his virtual self, Robinson Cano should get lower ratings in MLB 09 in 2009. The Yankees did improve on offense, but monster production from their second basemen would make them easily the most used team online.

Someone to Watch For: Jimmy Rollins - I cannot argue with how the Philadelphia Phillies performed in 2008. They should have an even better 2009, but it will be interesting to see where Jimmy Rollins stands in the equation. While some of his numbers did go up (stolen bases and on-base percentage for example), his power numbers dropped quite a bit. His role in the lineup does not call for many home runs, but we will have to find out if the 2009 Jimmy Rollins is closer to last year or his MVP 2007 season. I still would not give him something to hit in MLB 09.


In the future I will be taking a look at the MLB 2K9 ratings and doing a similar article since now the ratings for that game are out in the open.