By Darryl Reina YES, it's time for batters to hit, run, & score, and for pitchers to record their K's. The 2006 season is here, and we can't wait to get started. With that being said, we present our FIRST RealGM.com Player Rankings of the year. This Week (Last Year) 1.(1.) Alex Rodriquez: A-Rod remains the best overall player in MLB today. The Yankee 3B will continue to produce huge numbers. 2.(4.) Albert Pujols: The Cardinal 1B had a productive spring and is ready for a quick start for a talented St. Louis club. 3.(2.) David Ortiz: The Boston lineup continues to change, but Ortiz will continue to drive in those game-winning runs for the Red Sox. 4. (17.) Mark Teixeira: The Ranger slugger is primed for another outstanding year at the plate. 5. (12.) Vladimir Guerrero: The Angels need a healthy season to edge out Oakland in the AL-West. 6.(6.) Derrek Lee: The 2005 NL batting champion should pickup right where he left off. 7.(20.) Johan Santana: My choice for the 2006 AL Cy Young award. 8.(10.) Manny Ramirez: One of these years Manny will not end up back in Boston. 9.(NL): Carlos Beltran: Beltran will once again show his star qualities. 10.(HM): Miquel Tejada: One of the more consistent players in the AL. 11.(NL): Ichiro Suzuki: His WBC success will jump-start his 2006 season. 12.(15.) Michael Young: The 2005 AL batting champion can flat out hit. 13.(14.) Derek Jeter: The Yankee captain is ready to lead New York to the post-season. 14.(NL) Carl Crawford: A true star on a lousy team. 15.(HM.) David Wright: Another quality player playing in NYC. 16.(HM.) Bobby Abreu: Is this his year to really shine? 17.(24.) Miquel Cabrera: Can he keep his head on straight this year? 18.(11.) Gary Sheffield: Can he avoid those nagging injuries this season? Watch out, if he does. 19.(3.) Andruw Jones: Can Andruw produce those same numbers in 2006? Probably not. 20.(5.) Chris Carpenter: The 2005 NL Cy Young winner should once again lead St. Louis hurlers. 21.(HM.) Carlos Zambrano: The true workhorse of the Cubs pitching staff should win 20+ games this season. 22.(HM.) Carlos Lee: This should be a banner year for this Brewer slugger. 23.(HM.) Jake Peavy: The leader of the Padres pitching staff. 24.(HM.) Jimmy Rollins: The hits just keep on coming. 25.(HM.) Barry Bonds: Lights, camera, action! How long will he take to pass Ruth & Aaron? Honorable Mention: Jason Bay, Pedro Martinez, Travis Hafner, Chase Utley, Chone Figgins, Todd Helton, Jose Reyes, Aramis Ramirez, Roy Oswalt, Adam Dunn, Mariano Rivera, Paul Konerko, and Randy Johnson.