Twice a year we project the upcoming season for the most important hitters and pitchers. First, we run the earliest projections in The Bill James Handbook. Then we run them again around this time of year, updating them for the latest transactions and playing time estimates. We do it because it's fun and we learn something from it. Below we show the highlights from The Bill James Handbook: Projections Update 2009 Excel spreadsheet available at BaseballInfoSolutions.com.
| Hitter | Age | 2009 Team | Runs Created |
| Albert Pujols | 29 | Cardinals | 159 |
| Miguel Cabrera | 26 | Tigers | 135 |
| Ryan Braun | 25 | Brewers | 134 |
| David Wright | 26 | Mets | 134 |
| Josh Hamilton | 28 | Rangers | 131 |
| Hanley Ramirez | 25 | Marlins | 131 |
| Ryan Howard | 29 | Phillies | 130 |
| Mark Teixeira | 29 | Yankees | 130 |
| Alex Rodriguez | 33 | Yankees | 128 |
| Lance Berkman | 33 | Astros | 127 |
Note: Age is seasonal as of June 30, 2009.