NL Top 10 RotoValue 2012

For a 4×4 league, Braun was the runaway winner:
I’m assuming a 10 team league, starting 10 pitchers, 2 catchers, 3 corner infielders, 3 middle infielders, and 5 outfielders with a 4 person bench. Each team has a $260 salary cap.
Braun was a genuine 4 category star, dominating the competition. Andrew McCutcheon similarly excelled in all categories, but lagged Braun in both power and speed. Chase Headley was 4th, followed by actual MVP Posey, who lacked speed, but won the NL batting title and provided excellent power at catcher. Posey’s stats were great in any event, but had he been an OF, his RotoValue would have worked out to $26.72, so he gained $5.61 in value from his position.
NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey was the top pitcher in 5th place, on the strength of  20 wins and great ERA and WHIP in a league leading 233.67 innings. But pitchers typically contribute in at most 3 categories, which limits their value relative to top batters.
Yadier Molina made it two catchers in the top 10 with a strong all-around offensive year – 22 HR, 12 SB, 76 RBI, and a .315 average in 503 AB from the tough backstop position ranking just ahead of better offensive numbers from Aramis Ramirez, David Wright, and Aaron Hill, the year’s top middle infielder. Rounding out the top 10 was a huge year from saves leader Craig Kimbrel, who pitched just 62.67 innings but posted a microscopic 0.654 WHIP and 1.01 ERA, so he still helped fantasy teams considerably there.
The 5×5 rankings are largely similar:
 Now Braun’s lead is narrower, as Andrew McCutcheon nearly matched him in runs scored, with Chase Headley still third. But adding strikeouts as a category boosts starting pitchers, especially relatively, so R.A. Dickey, who led the league edges past Posey by a hair. The rest of the top 10 is almost identical, with last year’s Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw replacing Kimbrel because of a much higher strikeout total. Just as Posey slipped a bit because of a relatively low total of runs scored, Yadier Molina drops in the 5×5 ranking, but still stays in the top 10.
Click on either image to go to a dynamic page which lets you search for players by position, name, or team, as well as sort results by category. While there is much overlap between 4×4 and 5×5 leagues, player values do differ between them. Scoring categories are the most important factor, but roster sizes and position eligibility also factor in valuations. If you only started 10 catchers in a 10 team league, catchers would be worth less in aggregate.
I’ve previously discussed the top AL Roto position players and pitchers for 2012, while I next plan to review the top NL pitchers. Spoiler: R.A. Dickey came out on top.