 |
| Will Longoria stay healthy this season? (photo courtesy of Mike McCann's Field of Fotos) |
Felipe M
TOP TIER
1. Miguel Cabrera: MVP, Triple-Crown Winner: what more can be said?
2. Adrian Beltre: He will be 34 this year. He can still rake, however. Should be good for another 30/100 season.
3. David Wright: Mr. Met is a solid player to have at this position. He can even steal 15+ bases. The difference between him and Beltre is that the latter has slightly better contact skills.
4. Evan Longoria: So young and full of talent. If only he could stay healthy. If he does stay healthy, you can expect a 30/100 season, .300 average, and a .935 OPS.
5. Ryan Zimmerman: Just like Longoria, Zimmerman is starting to get a reputation of being injury-proned. However, when healthy, he can provide plenty of power and just enough contact on the ball to help with the batting average.
SECOND TIER
6. Aramis Ramirez: At 35, we know what we're getting in Ramirez. He also has a reputation for being a slow-starter and/or a player who seems to produce the most when the pressure is off of him. He can be very productive, nonetheless.
7. Chase Headley: Last year, around this time, many projected Headly to hit 10 homeruns, SLG% .392, and an OPS of .742. He ended up with 30 homers, SLG% .498, and produce an OPS of .875. I don't think he'll go on that power surge again, but Petco is supposed to move in their fences. He is also good for 15 stolen bases. 20/90 and .820 OPS is more realistic.
8. Brett Lawrie: A lot of publications have Lawrie in this slot, but be forewarned: he's still undergoing development. A lot of the hype comes from his untapped potential and 20/20 projections, but he still is undisciplined at the plate and had a groundball rate of 51% in 2012. He does provide solid contact skills, but needs to provide more power.
9. Hanley Ramirez: We've mentioned how much of a headache Hanley can be on our SS list. Depending on what you need, he can still be a 25/25 player, but provides relatively low on-base% and OPS.
10. Pablo Sandoval: The World Series MVP will be on high demand in most drafts this year. However, there are some concerns with this "Panda": injuries, playing for the Giants and their massive ballpark, and his weight. Despite those concerns, Sandoval is only 26 and ready to enter his prime years and has the ability to hist 25+ homers and provide massive OPS.
11. Martin Prado: Probably the "safest" player on the list: he's versatile, garners lots of at bats, and has great patience at the plate, and superior contact skills. He won't provide much power, but he does have on-base skills and can still be a 15/15 player.
THIRD TIER
The rest of the field:
- Kevin Youkilis
- David Freese
- Todd Frazier
- Kyle Seager
- Will Middlebrooks
- Michael Young
- Mike Moustakas
- Manny Machado
Keep an eye on:
No comments:
Post a Comment