Kuzul

Since they traded Nomar Garciaparra at the 2004 trading deadline, the Boston Red Sox have had a revolving door at shortstop.  Marco Scutaro was the most recent attempt to fill the position, but the Red Sox have also tried Orlando Cabrera, Edgar Renteria and Julio Lugo, among others.

In an attempt to finally stop the constant turnover, the Red Sox signed Cuban defector Jose Iglesias in 2009 to a four-year, $8.25 million contract.  Iglesias is currently ranked by Baseball America as the team’s second-best prospect for 2011, so you wonder how much longer the Red Sox will wait before giving him an opportunity.

Iglesias is known for his glove, which many people consider Major League ready at 20 years old (he’ll turn 21 in January).  His bat, however, brings some question marks. 

In his first professional season (spending time for a short season team, though mostly at Double-A), Iglesias posted the following line (he did miss a few months due to a broken finger): 261 AB, .295 BA (77 H), 0 HR, 20 RBI, 37 R, 7 SB, .333 OBP, .379 SLG, .377 BABIP.

At first sight the numbers bring back memories of Rey Ordonez, but Iglesias is young so he can definitely improve.  Right now the average is just not believable, and when you couple the strikeouts (21.8 percent) with his lack of power, there is a lot of concern.

In general he needs to learn to work the strike zone considerably better, having walked just 5.4 percent of the time.  However, before we get too concerned about the average, let’s take a look at what Baseball America recently said about him:

“With good bat speed and hand-eye coordination to go with a line-drive stroke, Iglesias should hit for average with some gap power once he adds some strength. He attacks pitches early in the count, an aggressive approach that won’t lead to many walks. He’s an average runner.”

While that will help ease the concerns about his inflated average in 2010, it seems like there isn’t much hope in him being able to hit home runs or steal many bases.  That on its own is going to limit his potential fantasy value, both in the short and long term.

No matter where Iglesias hits in the Red Sox lineup, he should bring some potential to score runs, but it’s hard to imagine him hitting anywhere but near the bottom.  That certainly is going to limit his potential contributions there.

So, we have a slick fielding shortstop with little power and speed who, we hope, has the potential to hit for a good average.  Again, visions of Rey Ordonez are dancing in my head.

Ordonez never hit for a good average (career .246 hitter), so Iglesias will likely outperform him there, but that’s about his only redeeming upside right now.

Chances are he opens the 2011 season in the minor leagues, so there is little reason to focus on him in your draft.  As far as long term, it seems like he’s not going to bring enough to the table to make him a star option, even at a shallow position.  Still, he’s worth watching closely in order to see if he can develop into a better hitting option.

What are your thoughts on Iglesias?  Do you see him having fantasy value?  Why or why not?

Make sure to check out our other Prospect Reports as we wrap up 2010 and head towards 2011:

• Archer, Chris
• Kipnis, Jason
• Lawrie, Brett
• Mesoraco, Devin
• Pineda, Michael
• Revere, Ben

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

There was a flurry of activity yesterday, as the General Managers Meetings were in full swing.  Let’s take a look at the fantasy fallout from the various moves:

The Oakland A’s Traded Rajai Davis to Toronto

After the acquisition of David DeJesus, we all knew that the A’s had excess in the outfield that they needed to do something about. 

This was the first strike as Oakland acquired Double-A relief pitchers Trystan Magnuson and Daniel Farquhar in exchange for the center fielder.

Magnuson, who stands at 6′7″, posted a 2.58 ERA and struck out 63 batters in 73.1 innings.  Farquhar posted a 3.52 ERA and struck out 79 batters in 76.2 innings.  Neither possess fantasy appeal.

Davis has a ton of speed, with 91 stolen bases over the past two seasons.  He hits for a decent average (.284 in ‘10, but there is room for improvement after a .322 BABIP), but he doesn’t walk nearly enough for a leadoff type (4.6% in ‘10).  The A’s clearly preferred Coco Crisp as their leadoff hitter, making Davis expendable.

With Edwin Encarnacion gone, it would appear that Jose Bautista will move to 3B.  That would free up a spot in their outfield for Davis, who also provides their best option in the leadoff spot (despite the lack of walks) given his speed. 

He should be given plenty of opportunities to score runs atop the Blue Jays lineup, which must intrigue owners. 

That makes him a good option late in your drafts if you are in need of speed (though it is a risk, one we will look at later in the offseason).

Joaquin Benoit Signs with the Detroit Tigers

According to ESPN’s Enrique Rojas (via Twitter), the deal is for three years and $16.5 million.  That just seems like an excessive amount of money, unless they view him as a potential closer at some point down the line. 

The Tigers’ closer, Jose Valverde, is signed for $7 million in 2011 with a $9 million option for 2012, so that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Benoit posted impressive numbers in 2010 with a 1.34 ERA, 0.68 WHIP and 11.2 K/9 over 60.1 innings for the Rays.  However, he benefited from a .201 BABIP and 95.1% strand rate, two numbers that are extremely unlikely to be repeated. 

His BB/9 of 1.6 is also doubtful, considering his career 3.3 mark and having only once before being under 3.1 (in 2004, when he was still spending time as a starting pitcher).

He also is two years removed from a 5.00 ERA and 1.67 WHIP for the Rangers (he did not pitch in the Majors in 2009 due to rotator cuff surgery).

A regression is coming and, as a middle reliever, he’s got no value for fantasy owners in 2011.

John Buck Signs with the Florida Marlins

Ken Rosenthal (via Twitter) reported that Buck agreed to a three year, $18 million deal with the Marlins.  Buck, like many of the Blue Jays hitters, enjoyed a big year in 2010.  He hit .281 with 20 HR, 66 RBI and 53 R in 409 AB.

He benefited from a .335 BABIP and with a 27.1% strikeout rate (right along the lines of his 27.0% career mark), and the chances of him maintaining that type of average is unlikely. 

That’s the big concern, as the power should remain.  He actually hit more home runs on the road (11) then he did at home (9).  We all figured that his average was going to regress anyways (he’s a career .248 hitter), so the way we value him should remain unchanged.

The big winner is J.P. Arencibia, who made a splash in his Major League debut and now figures to get the everyday job in Toronto (barring another move). 

He hit .301 with 32 HR and 85 RBI in 412 AB at Triple-A (it was in the Pacific Coast League) and you have to figure he’ll be able to maintain that power in the Major Leagues.

Baseball America currently has him ranked as the Blue Jays’ seventh-best prospect saying, “Arencibia’s carrying tool is his power to all fields, which is at least above-average and draws 70 grades on the 20-80 scale from some scouts.” 

There are questions about his defense and we will look into him in much more detail later in the offseason.

What are your thoughts on these moves?  Who is the big winner?  Who is the big loser?

Make sure to check out our early 2011 rankings:

• Top 15 Catchers
• Top 15 First Basemen
• Top 15 Second Basemen
• Top 15 Third Basemen
• Top 15 Shortstops
• 2011 Fantasy Draft First Round Breakdown

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Atlanta Braves have acquired second baseman Dan Uggla from the Florida Marlins in exchange for infielder Omar Infante and pitcher Michael Dunn, according to mlb.com (click here for the article).

Uggla is clearly the biggest piece of this deal.  He’s coming off a season where he hit .287 with 33 H, 105 RBI, 100 R and 4 SB in 589 AB—his fourth consecutive season of at least 30 HR.  He did benefit from a .330 BABIP, but he also lowered his strikeout rate for the third consecutive season:

• 2008 – 32.2%
• 2009 – 26.6%
• 2010 – 25.3%

It’s hard to imagine being able to maintain the BABIP, meaning a regression could come in the average department, even if he could maintain his improved strikeout rate.  Consider that his averages the prior three seasons were .245, .260 and .243, and the chances are likely that he regresses there.

However, he has always excelled in Turner Field:

• 2008 – 31 AB, .484, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 12 R
• 2009 – 34 AB, .353, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 7 R
• 2010 – 35 AB, .343, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R

His value does not change much, as he is going to continue to be a threat in the middle of the lineup.  Our initial rankings had him at sixth.  There is a chance that he moves up a spot (fifth was Brandon Phillips), but time will tell.

As for the rest of the fallout for the Braves, Martin Prado likely shifts to third base, if Chipper Jones is still out of action.  If Jones is healthy, Prado should move to the outfield.  In other words, they scored a huge victory and strengthened their lineup significantly.

For the Marlins, Infante is going to step into the starting second baseman job.  He represents a significant downgrade, however.  He offers little power, coming off a season with 8 HR and 47 RBI in 471 AB.

His average was his biggest asset, with a .321 mark in 2010.  Of course, it also came courtesy of a .355 BABIP.  If that regresses (which it likely will), we are looking at a player with little to no fantasy appeal.  Even if he were to hit .300, without power or speed (his career high is 13 SB in 2004) he brings no fantasy appeal.

He was in line to be an everyday player for the Braves, so this doesn’t bring much of a change to his value.  Maybe, if he ultimately hits second in Florida, he’ll score a few more runs, but that’s about it.  He’s not a player you want to target in your drafts.

Dunn is a strikeout machine, posting a 12.2 K/9 in 47.1 innings at Triple-A and a 12.8 K/9 in 19.0 innings for the Braves.  Of course, he has no control.  At Triple-A he posted a BB/9 of 4.8 and for the Braves a BB/9 of 8.1.

You have to like the upside he brings, as the Marlins continue to accumulate options for their middle relief corps (click here to view my write-up on the Marlins trades from the weekend), but from a fantasy perspective he’s not going to have value.  If he can’t consistently throw strikes, he’s a disaster waiting to happen.

On paper, it certainly appears like the Braves got a huge bargain and are the clear-cut winners in this trade.  What do you think?  Did the Braves get a big steal?

Make sure to check out our early 2011 rankings:

• Top 15 Catchers
• Top 15 First Basemen
• Top 15 Second Basemen
• Top 15 Third Basemen
• Top 15 Shortstops
• 2011 Fantasy Draft First Round Breakdown

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Shortstop is a position that has a lot of players with the potential to excel and make fantasy owners look brilliant, but very few certainties. 

Even among some of the top options, you have to wonder what you are going to get.  Let’s take a look at how things currently look on our Top 15 rankings:

1. Hanley Ramirez – Florida Marlins
2. Troy Tulowitzki – Colorado Rockies
3. Jose Reyes – New York Mets
4. Elvis Andrus – Texas Rangers
5. Jimmy Rollins – Philadelphia Phillies
6. Derek Jeter – New York Yankees
7. Alexei Ramirez – Chicago White Sox
8. Starlin Castro – Chicago Cubs
9. Stephen Drew – Arizona Cardinals
10. Rafael Furcal – Los Angeles Dodgers
11. Jhonny Peralta – Detroit Tigers
12. Ian Desmond – Washington Nationals
13. Juan Uribe – San Francisco Giants
14. Alcides Escobar – Milwaukee Brewers
15. Yunel Escobar – Toronto Blue Jays

Thoughts:

• Shortstop has quickly developed into as shallow a position as there is in baseball.  Yes, there are decent players at the bottom of the rankings, but there is only so much quality and then a ton of question marks.
• Headlining the questions is Jimmy Rollins.  If he stays healthy, he is a stud option, but at this point it is far from a lock that he does so.  While the average has struggled the past two seasons, so has his BABIP (.251, .246).  He’s not likely to produce like 2007, but he’ll score runs and is worth the gamble.
• Speaking of staying healthy, Rafael Furcal anyone?  He has had over 400 AB just once in the past three seasons, so if you are going to draft him, I’d make sure I have an Ian Desmond or Juan Uribe on my bench.  In other words, make sure you have someone you can plug into your lineup for a few weeks, just in case.
• It will be easy to argue Andrus’ spot in these rankings, but I stand by my opinion of him.  This is a debate that we’ll have in the near future.
• If you can stomach a poor April, Alexei Ramirez has proven that he has the ability to be among the better shortstops in the league.  Just don’t panic when he’s hitting .200 on May 1.
• We can all tell that Derek Jeter is slowing down, but he’s still hitting atop a loaded Yankees lineup.  That means all he has to do is hit .270 and he’ll be near 100 runs scored.  If he is able to rebound at all, he could easily top 110 and maybe even approach 120.  There’s a lot to be said about that.
• Yesterday I posted my projection for Jose Reyes, which you can view by clicking here.

What are your thoughts on these rankings?  Who’s too high?  Who’s too low?

Make sure to check out our early 2011 rankings:

• Top 15 Catchers
• Top 15 First Basemen
• Top 15 Second Basemen
• Top 15 Third Basemen
• 2011 Fantasy Draft First Round Breakdown

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Jose Reyes has frustrated fantasy owners in recent years.  After stealing at least 56 bases from 2005-2008 (topping out at 78 in 2007), Reyes has struggled mightily with injuries the past two seasons and totaled just 41 stolen bases in 710 AB.

In 2010 he struggled with an oblique injury that kept him in and out of the lineup. For a while it seemed to always impact his play.  However, he still managed to post the following line:

563 At Bats
.282 Batting Average (159 Hits)
11 Home Runs
54 RBI
83 Runs
30 Stolen Bases
.321 On Base Percentage
.428 Slugging Percentage
.301 Batting Average on Balls in Play

The fact of the matter is that his days as a 50-plus stolen-base player are likely behind him.  With the injuries he has suffered the past two years, the Mets are likely to rein him in as a way to keep him healthy.  That’s not to say that he’s not going to run at all, but he’s not likely a threat to run every time he gets on base.

I would think that he should still be a 30 SB fixture, but 40-45 would be more his peak then a foregone conclusion.  There were only 17 players with at least 30 SB in 2010, so that certainly still has value. But his elite stolen base status is likely no longer there.

Outside of that, as long as he is healthy, Reyes appears to be the same type of player that he always has been.  His speed, coupled with the dimensions of Citi Field, makes him one of the elite triples threats in the league.  He was one of only eight players to post double-digit triples in 2010 and, if he stays healthy, he is a good candidate to lead the league.

That certainly helps his ability to score runs.  Whenever you can get yourself into scoring position on your own, the chance of scoring increases exponentially.  Of course, it would help if the middle of the Mets lineup could get itself healthy and produce as we would expect.

Carlos Beltran and Jason Bay both struggled when in the lineup and missed time due to injury.  You have to think that the new regime will do what it has to do to get the middle of the lineup potent. But even if they did nothing, you would have to expect a rebound is coming.  The Mets were so desperate in 2010 that they toyed with Jose Reyes in the third spot, something I wouldn’t anticipate them doing again.

Hitting atop the Mets lineup should give him a great chance to score runs.  From 2006-2008, his low in runs scored was 113.  Obviously that was a different time.  The likely decline in stolen bases is going to hurt him, as is the weakness in the middle of the Mets lineup.  Still, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him approach the 100 run plateau, assuming he can stay on the field.

He also has a little bit of pop in his bat, reaching double-digit home runs on four different occasions.  If he’s healthy, there’s no reason to think that he can’t achieve that once again, even in Citi Field.

Now, let’s take a look at where I would project him for 2011:

.290 (174-600), 12 HR, 55 RBI, 100 R, 34 SB, .314 BABIP, .356 OBP, .458 SLG

Maybe I’m being optimistic with the number of at bats, but he did come close to this mark in 2010 despite missing time with injuries.

The bottom line with Reyes is this: While he’s not one of the elite shortstops in the league anymore (those honors go to Hanley Ramirez and Troy Tulowitzki), he’s as good of an option as you are going to be able to get after the top two come off the board. 

There is some risk, and he’s no longer the stolen base threat that he once was, but he should steal more than enough bases to make him a great option.  He also has the potential to score a ton of runs with a little bit of power, giving him all-around appeal.

At one time we talked about him as a top three-or-four choice, but that’s no longer the case.  Now he’s probably a late second-round or third-round pick, depending on a few factors.  At that point, he’s a solid pick in my book.

What about you?  What are you expecting from Reyes in 2011?  Where would you be comfortable drafting him?

Make sure to check out some of our other 2011 projections:

• Butler, Billy
• Freese, David
• Jaso, John
• Morrow, Brandon
• Willingham, Josh
• Young, Michael

This article is also featured on www.rotoprofessor.com

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Cleveland Indians currently have a bit of a void at second base.  That’s not to say that they don’t have options on the Major League roster, but none of them seem to fit the bill:

• Luis Valbuena hit .193 with two HR in 275 AB in 2010 and his ability to play 2B, SS and 3B make him much more palatable as a utility infielder then an everyday player
• Asbrubal Cabrera is in place as the team’s starting shortstop
• Jason Donald played only 88 games in 2010 (splitting time between 2B and SS) hitting .253 in 296 AB

Enter Jason Kipnis, who split time between Double and Triple-A in 2010 and posted impressive numbers:

518 At Bats
.307 Batting Average (159 Hits)
16 Home Runs
74 RBI
96 Runs
9 Stolen Bases
.386 On Base Percentage
.492 Slugging Percentage
.362 Batting Average on Balls in Play

Drafted in the second round of the 2009 draft out of Arizona State University (63rd overall), we have little background information to base our assumptions on.  It certainly would appear that the BABIP is inflated, making it tough for the 23-year-old to maintain a .300 plus batting average.

However, at all three levels he’s played since being drafted, he has been at .300 or better.  It is in only 629 AB, however, so it’s not the biggest sample size.  When you couple the BABIP with his 2010 strikeout rate (20.7 percent), there certainly is reason to be skeptical about his ability to hit for a high average in the Major Leagues.

In regards to the strikeout rate, there is reason to be hopeful as it actually decreased once he moved to Triple-A:

• Double-A—22.7 percent in 203 AB
• Triple-A—19.4 percent in 315 AB

Of course, that is not to say that he’s not going to be a usable average hitter regardless.  It’s just that, in his rookie year, he’s not likely to be a .300 hitter.  It is very likely that he comes in at the .275 range, however, which is more then usable.

Just to back that up, assuming his strikeout rate and power stayed the same, a .319 BABIP would yield a .274 average.  There is the chance that he regresses in the strikeout department, but given what he showed at Triple-A, I wouldn’t expect a huge number.

Baseball America, who ranked him as the Indians’ tenth best prospect prior to the season, said, “Kipnis has good bat speed, a quick trigger and a loose, flat swing that stays in the zone a long time. There’s occasional length to his swing, but he centers the ball consistently, uses the whole field and handles lefties and righties.”

As far as his power, there is some pop in his bat.  He had 56 extra base hits in 2010, with 32 doubles, eight triples and 16 home runs.  I wouldn’t project him to be a 20-25 HR hitter at this point, but with full-time duty he certainly should be a 12-16 home run hitter, at least, with the upside of about 20.

He also has moderate speed, making it possible that he reaches 10 SB, depending on where he hits in the batting order.  That will also determine how many R and RBI he is able to produce, but if he finds himself hitting second (which could be possible by the end of the year), he’ll be able to score 80-90 runs.

I’ll give a full projection on him later on, but a moderate projection, with full-time at bats, would be a 15/10 middle infielder with a solid average and the ability to far outperform the projections.  Second base is a deeper position then it once was, but for those in formats that require a middle infielder, this is one prospect that needs to be on your watch list.  He has the potential to be a great sleeper on draft day.

What are your thoughts on Kipnis?  Could he win the second base job in Spring Training?  What do you think his upside is?

Make sure to check out our other Prospect Reports as we wrap up 2010 and head towards 2011:

• Archer, Chris
• Lawrie, Brett
• Mesoraco, Devin
• Pineda, Michael
• Revere, Ben

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Florida Marlins‘ haul when they traded away Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera was questionable at the time.  Now, in the past two days, the two key components that they received have been sent packing in separate deals.

Yesterday the team traded left-handed pitcher Andrew Miller to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Dustin Richardson, according to mlb.com (click here for the article).

Miller has never lived up to expectations, going 15-26 with a 5.84 ERA and 1.74 WHIP over 294.1 career Major League innings.  His control has always been the major issue, with a walk rate of 5.3.  However, the sixth overall selection in the 2006 draft has a ton of potential.  He stands at 6′7″, and taller pitchers tend to take a little bit longer to figure things out.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him mature in Boston, though his upside in 2011 is minimal, at best.

Richardson was a fifth-round selection in the 2006 draft and has only pitched 16.1 Major League innings.  He has a career minor league K/9 of 10.0 to go with a 3.95 ERA and 1.31 WHIP.  He certainly has potential, but has been working strictly as a bullpen arm since 2009.  He’s likely going to be a middle reliever in Florida, meaning he’s a name we can ignore for now.

Now, onto today’s trade, where the Marlins shipped Cameron Maybin to the San Diego Padres, according to Tom Krasovic via Twitter.  In return, the Marlins will receive relief pitchers Ryan Webb and Edward Mujica.

From a fantasy perspective, neither will have much value unless they develop into a closer (the Marlins job is certainly wide open at this point).  Still, you have to like the strides the Marlins are taking to solidify their middle relief corps.  If they can find a way to cover those last few innings successfully, their elite starting pitchers like Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco will look significantly more attractive.

As for Maybin, he has been a perennial disappointment.  He has hit .246 with 13 HR and 19 SB in 548 AB over parts of four seasons.  His defense is what most likely appeals to the Padres, but the wide expanses of Petco Park could help Maybin maximize his speed.

Don’t look for power, but if he can put the ball into the gaps and out of the air (he actually has a career flyball rate of 31.2 percent), there is reason to believe that he can utilize his speed and improve his outlook.  I’ll take a much more detailed look at him in the near future, but he certainly should be viewed as a high-upside sleeper in deeper formats at this point.

In Other News

The A’s claimed Edwin Encarnacion off waivers, all but ending Kevin Kouzmanoff’s tenure in Oakland.  Unfortunately for Encarnacion owners, he goes to a park that is extremely tough on power hitters, so don’t anticipate his power surge from 2010 to be replicated.

What are your thoughts on these moves?  Who is the big winner?  Who is the big loser?

Make sure to check out our early 2011 rankings:

Top 15 Catchers

Top 15 First Basemen

Top 15 Second Basemen

Top 15 Third Basemen

2011 Fantasy Draft First-Round Breakdown

This article is also featured on WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Wednesday marked one of the first strikes of what should amount to an intriguing offseason as multiple sources reported that the Kansas City Royals have traded outfielder David DeJesus to the Oakland A’s for pitchers Vin Mazzaro and Justin Marks.

Having won the rights to Japanese right-hander Hisahi Iwakumi (assuming they can reach a contract agreement with him) to go along with Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez and Dallas Braden, the A’s had excessive starting pitching. 

The Royals, who are a team rebuilding with their future coming up through the minor leagues, really had no need for the 30-year-old DeJesus (he’ll turn 31 in December).

When you look at it in that perspective the trade makes sense for both teams.  However, let’s take a look at the fantasy fallout of the move and who is ultimately affected.

Mazzaro has the talent to be a middle-to-back of the rotation pitcher, despite his 4.27 ERA in 122.1 innings for the A’s in 2010 (based on a realistic BABIP of .289 and strand rate of 71.9 percent).  The 2005 third round pick posted a career minor league ERA of 3.98 and WHIP of 1.37.  The biggest negative is that his strikeout rate was a meager 6.8 and walk rate was 3.2.

The strikeouts are concerning because it gives us reason to believe that his K/9 of 5.8 in 2010 is realistic, but there is upside with a fastball that tops out in the mid-90s. It’s hard to project until we see it. 

That certainly hurts his value, and it doesn’t look like he’s going to be a good value pick in Kansas City.  He’s not likely to get many victories, and without strikeouts it’s going to take a lot of luck to make him usable.  He’s still better left for the waiver wire.

Marks split time between two levels of the Minor Leagues, going 6-13 with a 4.87 ERA and 136 K over 129.1 innings.  At this point he’s a non-factor.

The deal from Oakland’s side is a little more interesting.  They certainly weren’t in need of an outfielder, with Rajai Davis, Coco Crisp, Ryan Sweeney, Conor Jackson and Jack Cust already in the mix.  Granted, Jackson and Cust both could be cut loose, but where are the A’s getting power out of the outfield?

With Daric Barton at first base and no power option in the outfield, they certainly appear to be a team built around small ball.  The move also tells us that the A’s do not believe Chris Carter is ready for regular playing time, unless he is going to be the full-time DH (though there has been talk of them signing a veteran to fill that role). 

He is the potential power bat that the team desperately needs, so that wouldn’t be a huge surprise but we’ll need to wait until the rest of the offseason plays out.

As for DeJesus himself, he was a low-end fantasy option prior to the trade.  Yes, he hit .318 in 2010, but that came courtesy of a .355 BABIP so it’s hard to imagine him being able to replicate it.  He had little power, with a career high of 13 HR, and now he’s moving to a cavernous ballpark.  He also brings little speed to the table, with a career high of 11 SB.

In other words, if you are lucky, you are getting an outfielder who is 10/10 with a moderate average.  What’s to like about that?

What are your thoughts on the deal?  Who is the big winner?  Who is the big loser?

Make sure to check out some of our 2011 Projections:

• Butler, Billy
• Freese, David
• Jaso, John
• Morrow, Brandon
• Willingham, Josh
• Young, Michael

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Miguel Olivo’s time in Colorado is over, being traded to Toronto last week (though, his option was declined by the Blue Jays granting him free agency).  Barring another move, which is always possible, it appears that Chris Iannetta is in line to open the 2011 season as the Rockies starting catcher.

This isn’t the first time fantasy owners have been captivated by the allure of Iannetta being handed the starting job, so the question is if he can finally realize his potential.  Before we can answer if he is going to hold value for fantasy owners, let’s take a look at what he did in 2010:

188 At Bats
.197 Batting Average (37 Hits)
9 Home Runs
27 RBI
20 Runs
1 Stolen Base
.318 On Base Percentage
.383 Slugging Percentage
.212 Batting Average on Balls in Play

He got off to a terrible start, going 4-30 with two HR and two RBI in April before being sent down to Triple-A.  He excelled there, hitting .349 with five HR (as well as seven doubles) and 21 RBI in 63 AB, but the damage had already been done.

Even upon his return to the Major Leagues, he never received more then 43 AB in a month (August).  It’s hard to get anything going offensively when you are getting so few opportunities, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that his season was virtually a complete waste.

The Rockies gave up on the 27-year-old after just 30 AB, never giving him a chance to recover from his early season slump.  You could easily say he lost confidence because of this and just never got on track.

However, entering the 2011 season as the starting option, with little competition, would change all that.  It certainly is too early to declare him a great sleeper or not, because the Rockies offseason strategy will go a long way in shaping that.

If he opens the season as the starting option, he is going to be a viable option, especially in all two-catcher formats.  Even with his disastrous 2010 campaign, he still showed the same power that helped grab fantasy owners’ attention.  Just look at his HR/FB rates from the past three seasons:

• 2008 – 18.2 percent
• 2009 – 14.0 percent
• 2010 – 14.1 percent

His fly ball rates have been a little unpredictable, but he’s been at 40 percent or better the past few seasons.  In other words, when you put his fly ball rate with his HR/FB rate, you have a player with the potential to hit 25 home runs or more. 

Yes, we would like a steadier FB percent (he’s gone from 40.7 percent to 52.1 percent to 45.4 percent), but he has never given us a full season of AB to get a good read of the “real” Chris Iannetta.

The most at bats he’s had in a season has been 333, coming in 2008.  Until we get a season with everyday playing time and see what he can do, it’s going to be a guessing game.

The BABIP in 2010 was obviously an unlucky number (as it was in 2009 when he posted a .245 mark), which helps to explain the terrible average.  Again, it’s a fairly small sample size, which makes it tough.

You can easily argue that he has the potential to be a similar player to Mike Napoli (circa 2009), though he does have a bit of a better eye at the plate (Iannetta has a career walk rate of 13.1 percent and strikeout rate of 26.8 percent vs. Napoli’s 11.1 percent and 29.9 percent).  In ‘09 Napoli hit .272 with 20 HR and 56 RBI in 382 AB.

It would appear that he has the stuff to hit .260 or better, with 25+ HR.  That’s a player who would have value in all formats, so the offseason is going to be extremely important to how we value him.  This is certainly a player that we’ll touch on again as the season comes closer.

What are your thoughts of Iannetta?  Would you take the gamble on him in 2011?  How do you see him performing?

Make sure to check out some of our 2011 Projections:

• Butler, Billy
• Freese, David
• Jaso, John
• Morrow, Brandon
• Willingham, Josh
• Young, Michael

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Alexei Ramirez made a splash in his rookie season of 2008, hitting .290 with 21 HR, 77 RBI, 65 R and 13 SB.  After regressing a bit in 2009, he came back strong last season:

585 At Bats
.282 Batting Average (165 Hits)
18 Home Runs
70 RBI
83 Runs
13 Stolen Bases
.313 On Base Percentage
.431 Slugging Percentage
.300 Batting Average on Balls in Play

He has improved in runs scored in each of his three seasons in the Major Leagues.  Last season he spent most of his time near the bottom of the order (278 AB hitting seventh or eighth), but also got a shot near the top of the order.

Ramirez was started in the second slot for 179 AB, hitting .279 with 5 HR, 25 RBI, 27 R and 2 SB.  It’s not a new move for the White Sox (he had 249 AB in the second hole in 2009), but a more permanent move there would do a lot for his prospective value.

Playing in the American League generally means more runs scored, but it’s hard to imagine him replicating his 80+ runs hitting seventh or eighth.  Of course, if he doesn’t find a way to get on base more, where he hits is going to be irrelevant.  Just look at his walk rates over his three years:

• 2008—3.5%
• 2009—8.1%
• 2010—4.3%

While we can hope that he can rediscover the 2009 rate, it is looking like the exception, not the rule.  Though he’s proven that he can hit for a solid average (career .283 hitter), he needs to walk significantly more to develop into a good run scorer.

That he will maintain said average is extremely believable.  Over his three seasons he’s posted BABIPs of .294, .288 and last season’s .300.  His strikeout rates have also been consistent, with marks of 12.7%, 12.2% and 14.0%.  There’s no reason to think that he won’t post a similar mark in 2011.

In fact, he could improve on his average with more power.  The 29-year-old saw his HR/FB rebound to 10.8% in 2010, but his fly ball rate fall to 33.3%.  While he did post a career high line drive rate of 18.7%, he also had a career high groundball rate of 48.0%.

What does all that mean?  There is reason to believe that he can maintain the elevated line drive rate, while also increasing the fly ball rate.  If that were to happen, his power would increase.  More home runs mean fewer balls in play, which in turn means a higher average.

Did you get all that?

Let’s put it this way…

There is reason to believe that Ramirez will increase both his power and his average.  If that were to happen, he could maintain his run total with or without an increase in walks.

The bottom line is that Alexei Ramirez appears to be an extremely attractive option for fantasy owners.  While he may start slowly (he hit .221 with 1 HR and 8 RBI in April), don’t panic.  He’s become a notoriously slow starter, but before long he is going to get things going.

He’s not one of the elite shortstops in the league, but he should be among the better options in the second tier.

What are your thoughts of Ramirez?  Is he a player you plan on targeting?  Why or why not?

Make sure to check out some of our 2011 Projections:

• Butler, Billy
• Freese, David
• Jaso, John
• Morrow, Brandon
• Willingham, Josh
• Young, Michael

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com