Baseball season’s cranking up for 2010, and we’ve got a long road ahead as the MLB season begins on April 4 and the Yankees face the Red Sox.

Nice matchup … incidentally, I was more excited when I saw the game listed on ESPN’s schedule before that — Seattle at San Francisco, otherwise known as a prospective season-opening pitching matchup between Felix Hernandez and Tim Lincecum, the two best young pitchers in the game today. Drool.

Alas, it was a preseason game. Pity.

But as the Yankees, Red Sox and 28 other teams get ready to make a push to the playoffs, many of us are doing the same. It’s fantasy baseball season after all!

So assuming I’ve earned any level of trust with you people at all over the last few years (a large assumption, to say the least), I’ll offer up some of the guys I’m dying to get on my team this season.

Brett Anderson, SP, Oakland – As just a 21-year old rookie last year, Anderson made the Major Leagues his playground in the second half of 2009. He’s a lefthander with great control and one that can dial up the heat with the best of them. 105 strikeouts in his last 106 innings, and a 2.96 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in that span. His overall numbers aren’t as sparkly, so you can still get him sometime after round 10.

Manny Ramirez, OF, LA Dodgers – Repeat after me: Manny’s playing for money. Manny’s playing for money. Manny’s playing for money. I don’t care how old he is, Manny can hit until proven otherwise.

Gordon Beckham, 2B/ 3B, Chicago White Sox – A top 10 draftee in 2008, Beckham was up to the bigs after less than 60 minor league games, total, a pretty solid indicator that he’d be special. That he produced at a nice rate is icing on the cake. You can get him between rounds 8-10, maybe even later if you want to live dangerously, and you might get top 20 production.

Tim Lincecum, SP, San Francisco – A layup pick, but he’s so far ahead of everyone else in strikeouts that I think it’s worth taking him in the first.

He’s a once in a generation pitcher, he’ll win the Cy Young again, he’ll earn you bank in everything but saves.

Vladimir Guerrero, DH, Texas – Vlad may be old, but he’s in Texas now, playing in a lineup and a park that seems to coax career seasons out of any hitter who finds himself there. He’s not the same Vlad, which is to say you won’t get the 40 homers and 140 RBIs he might have produced in his prime in Texas. But he’s still capable of a huge year and again, he’s a guy left for dead by many.

Julio Borbon, OF, Texas – Another Ranger, and one who might steal 50 bases if he leads off all season. Borbon had only 157 at-bats last year, yet managed to steal 19 bags. He got on base at a .376 rate, and he’s only 24. He’ll also score one-quintrillion runs (maybe a few less). Draft him.

Adrian Gonzalez, SD – I’m always an advocate of drafting Gonzalez because everybody forgets about him since he’s a Padre, yet he’ll probably just swat 40 home runs again. And if he ever escapes San Diego’s Petco Park? Call it off – he absolutely mashes on the road.

Others I like: Roy Halladay (switch to NL should beef up his numbers even more), Billy Butler, Matt Wieters, Yovani Gallardo, Cliff Lee, Nick Johnson (very late), Jay Bruce, Elvis Andrus, Clay Buchholz.