Results tagged ‘ Joe Mauer ’
May I Have Another: Guys on Fire
Move over Alicia Keys, these boys are on fire in the month of May:
Mitch Moreland, 1B, Texas Rangers
.347/.407/.796, 17-49, 11 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 8 RBI
Long overlooked as an asset in the Rangers order, Moreland appears to be establishing himself as a valuable piece to a Hamilton-less Rangers offense. His left-handed power is needed in the middle of an order that features Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz along with switch-hitting DH Lance Berkman. Moreland is 27 and in the midst of his prime. While he does feature a pretty ugly .662 career OPS against left-handed pitching, that number has bumped up to .789 in 2013, so he could still make an interesting career out of playing in Texas. He could certainly turn his recent hot streak into a total breakout.
Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels
.340/.393/.720, 17-50, 10 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 11 RBI, 3 SB
After taking the world by storm last season, Trout started the season slower than some fantasy nerds would have liked, posting a .261/.333/.432 triple slash in the first month of the season. He is picking things up, though, in May, displaying the power and speed that made baseball enthusiasts drool last season. Trout could be on his way to posting numbers like this over the rest of the season. Just imagine what he would be doing if Josh Hamilton was alive and breathing for the Angels…if only he could pitch, the Angels might not look like such an embarrassment.
Jose Tabata, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
.522/.542/.783, 12-23, 3 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 SB
Do you need a sleeper? The Pirates are pretty loaded in the outfield with Andrew McCutchen in center and Starling Marte in left; however, right field is a little…Travis Snider-y. Snider is still just 25 but he is under-performing, again, as the Pirates primary right fielder in 2013. His .267/.347/.356 is very weak and Tabata is heating up with the weather. Tabata, himself just 24, is another floundering former top prospect, but his ability to use the gaps and his speed would make him an asset in real-life and fantasy baseball. Clint Hurdle is an interesting manager, to say the least, so it will be interesting to see if he sticks with a strict platoon or gives Tabata a chance.
Joe Mauer, C, Minnesota Twins
.447/.552/.660, 21-47, 13 R, 10 2B, 5 RBI
Mauer continues to prove that his 2009 power surge and MVP season was an anomaly. The Twins are floating around .500 due to Mauer’s production and a whole lot of crappy pitching. If the club was serious about contending, they probably would have done something about Vance Worley and Kevin Correia being their No.1 and No.2 starter prior to the season. With a lot of their talent in their 30′s, including Mauer, the club will be hard pressed for a quick recovery. Oswaldo Arcia has been a nice addition but to even float around being mediocre, Mauer may have to hit .447 over the rest of the 2013 season. He’s hot and he’s a hitting machine.
Aces on Fire
Felix Hernandez, RHP, Seattle Mariners: 2-0, 3 GS, 0.82 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 22 IP, 20:3 K:BB
Clayton Kershaw, LHP, Los Angeles Dodgers: 1-0, 3 GS, 0.79 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 22.2 IP, 20:5 K:BB
Chris Sale, LHP, Chicago White Sox: 2-0, 3 GS, 1.16 ERA, 0.64 WHIP, 23.1 IP, 19:2 K:BB
Jordan Zimmerman, RHP, Washington Nationals: 3-0, 3 GS, 1.19 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 22.2 IP, 20:2 K:BB
Shutdown Surprises
Patrick Corbin, LHP, Arizona Diamondbacks: 3-0, 3 GS, 0.89 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 20.1 IP, 16:10 K:BB
Shelby Miller, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals: 2-0, 2 GS, 0.60 ERA, 0.60 WHIP, 15 IP, 18:1 K:BB
Scott Feldman, RHP, Chicago Cubs: 2-0, 3 GS, 1.23 ERA, 0.68 WHIP, 22 IP, 21:5 K:BB
Related articles
- Why the Texas Rangers need to stick with Mitch Moreland is in Baltimore (sportsblogs.star-telegram.com)
- Beltre and Moreland lead Rangers past Athletics in 10 innings (miamiherald.com)
- Closing Time: The case for Mitch Moreland (sports.yahoo.com)
Sizzling Future Stars: Minor League Report, 5/4
With the season underway and some fans already looking forward to next year, even this early, it is a good time to look down on the farms for some names that you should get to know. Everyone knows who Wil Myers, Dylan Bundy, and Oscar Taveras are at this point, so these are players performing at elite levels who may not be household names…yet.
Danny Salazar, RHP, Cleveland Indians
| Year | Age | Lg | Lev | W | L | GS | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 17 | DOSL | FRk | 5 | 3 | 1.96 | 14 | 64.1 | 52 | 25 | 14 | 1 | 12 | 49 | 0.995 | 7.3 | 4.08 |
| 2008 | 18 | GULF | Rk | 4 | 2 | 2.87 | 11 | 53.1 | 46 | 19 | 17 | 5 | 13 | 43 | 1.106 | 7.8 | 3.31 |
| 2009 | 19 | SALL | A | 5 | 7 | 4.44 | 20 | 107.1 | 114 | 60 | 53 | 10 | 40 | 65 | 1.435 | 9.6 | 1.63 |
| 2010 | 20 | MIDW | A | 1 | 1 | 4.45 | 7 | 32.1 | 34 | 16 | 16 | 7 | 13 | 23 | 1.454 | 9.5 | 1.77 |
| 2011 | 21 | 2 Lgs | A-Rk | 0 | 2 | 3.07 | 8 | 14.2 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 1.227 | 8.6 | 4.50 |
| 2011 | 21 | ARIZ | Rk | 0 | 0 | 2.70 | 5 | 6.2 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 1.200 | 8.1 | 5.50 |
| 2011 | 21 | MIDW | A | 0 | 2 | 3.38 | 3 | 8.0 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1.250 | 9.0 | 3.50 |
| 2012 | 22 | 2 Lgs | A+-AA | 5 | 2 | 2.36 | 22 | 87.2 | 71 | 25 | 23 | 4 | 27 | 76 | 1.118 | 7.3 | 2.81 |
| 2012 | 22 | CARL | A+ | 1 | 2 | 2.68 | 16 | 53.2 | 46 | 17 | 16 | 3 | 19 | 53 | 1.211 | 7.7 | 2.79 |
| 2012 | 22 | EL | AA | 4 | 0 | 1.85 | 6 | 34.0 | 25 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 23 | 0.971 | 6.6 | 2.88 |
| 2013 | 23 | EL | AA | 2 | 3 | 2.83 | 6 | 28.2 | 22 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 9 | 43 | 1.081 | 6.9 | 4.78 |
| 7 Seasons | 22 | 20 | 3.18 | 88 | 388.1 | 353 | 161 | 137 | 29 | 118 | 317 | 1.213 | 8.2 | 2.69 | |||
Salazar had Tommy John surgery and missed nearly two full seasons of development, but since returning for good in 2012, he has a 2.48 ERA over 116.1 innings, a 1.11 WHIP, and a 119:36 K:BB (3.31 K:BB). The Indians, who seemed to have a lot of depth at starting pitcher during the spring, are in need of some talent at the major league roster. Justin Masterson and Zach McAllister have pitched well, but injuries and inconsistency, especially from Ubaldo Jimenez, brings a need of some sort of stability. The Indians could use a little youth and homegrown talent in their rotation, and if Salazar continues pitching this well, he’ll be on his way to Cleveland sooner than later. A 43:9 K:BB in 28.2 innings is downright dominant.
Kyle Gibson, RHP, Minnesota Twins
| Year | Age | Tm | Lev | W | L | GS | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 22 | 3 Teams | AA-A+-AAA | 11 | 6 | 2.96 | 26 | 152.0 | 136 | 55 | 50 | 7 | 39 | 126 | 1.151 | 8.1 | 3.23 |
| 2010 | 22 | Fort Myers | A+ | 4 | 1 | 1.87 | 7 | 43.1 | 33 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 12 | 40 | 1.038 | 6.9 | 3.33 |
| 2010 | 22 | New Britain | AA | 7 | 5 | 3.68 | 16 | 93.0 | 91 | 39 | 38 | 5 | 22 | 77 | 1.215 | 8.8 | 3.50 |
| 2010 | 22 | Rochester | AAA | 0 | 0 | 1.72 | 3 | 15.2 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 1.085 | 6.9 | 1.80 |
| 2011 | 23 | Rochester | AAA | 3 | 8 | 4.81 | 18 | 95.1 | 109 | 57 | 51 | 11 | 27 | 91 | 1.427 | 10.3 | 3.37 |
| 2012 | 24 | 3 Teams | Rk-A+-AAA | 0 | 2 | 4.13 | 11 | 28.1 | 26 | 13 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 33 | 1.129 | 8.3 | 5.50 |
| 2012 | 24 | Twins | Rk | 0 | 0 | 2.45 | 7 | 14.2 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 0.886 | 5.5 | 4.00 |
| 2012 | 24 | Fort Myers | A+ | 0 | 0 | 2.57 | 2 | 7.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1.000 | 7.7 | 7.00 |
| 2012 | 24 | Rochester | AAA | 0 | 2 | 9.45 | 2 | 6.2 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 1.800 | 14.8 | 10.00 |
| 2013 | 25 | Rochester | AAA | 1 | 4 | 4.26 | 6 | 31.2 | 32 | 15 | 15 | 2 | 9 | 27 | 1.295 | 9.1 | 3.00 |
| 4 Seasons | 15 | 20 | 3.78 | 61 | 307.1 | 303 | 140 | 129 | 23 | 81 | 277 | 1.249 | 8.9 | 3.42 | |||
Gibson was an elite talent when he was drafted 22nd overall in the 2009 MLB draft out of the University of Missouri. His stock had fallen a bit due to a stress fracture in his elbow. He proved that he was healthy in 2010 before needing Tommy John surgery in 2011. After rehab, he returned in 2012 with some mediocre numbers, and while his statistics don’t look fantastic this year in Rochester, he has had a couple of short, rough outing out of the six that he has made, allowing five earned runs twice in a little over four innings in two different starts. If you ignore those two starts, Gibson has a 1.99 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP, and 20:8 K:BB over 22.2 innings. The Twins will look for a little more consistency from Gibson before giving him a call, but he would immediately become one of the top two pitchers in their rotation, if not the best.
Stolmy Pimentel, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
| Year | Age | Tm | Lev | W | L | GS | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 17 | Red Sox | FRk | 3 | 1 | 2.90 | 13 | 62.0 | 44 | 20 | 20 | 2 | 22 | 60 | 1.065 | 6.4 | 2.73 |
| 2008 | 18 | Lowell | A- | 5 | 2 | 3.14 | 11 | 63.0 | 51 | 25 | 22 | 7 | 17 | 61 | 1.079 | 7.3 | 3.59 |
| 2009 | 19 | Greenville | A | 10 | 7 | 3.82 | 23 | 117.2 | 135 | 62 | 50 | 12 | 29 | 103 | 1.394 | 10.3 | 3.55 |
| 2010 | 20 | Salem | A+ | 9 | 11 | 4.06 | 26 | 128.2 | 120 | 65 | 58 | 11 | 42 | 102 | 1.259 | 8.4 | 2.43 |
| 2011 | 21 | 2 Teams | A+-AA | 6 | 13 | 6.79 | 25 | 102.0 | 125 | 86 | 77 | 16 | 39 | 65 | 1.608 | 11.0 | 1.67 |
| 2011 | 21 | Salem | A+ | 6 | 4 | 4.53 | 10 | 51.2 | 50 | 29 | 26 | 8 | 16 | 35 | 1.277 | 8.7 | 2.19 |
| 2011 | 21 | Portland | AA | 0 | 9 | 9.12 | 15 | 50.1 | 75 | 57 | 51 | 8 | 23 | 30 | 1.947 | 13.4 | 1.30 |
| 2012 | 22 | Portland | AA | 6 | 7 | 4.59 | 22 | 115.2 | 115 | 66 | 59 | 9 | 42 | 86 | 1.357 | 8.9 | 2.05 |
| 2013 | 23 | Altoona | AA | 2 | 0 | 0.30 | 5 | 30.1 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 28 | 1.088 | 5.6 | 2.00 |
| 7 Seasons | 41 | 41 | 4.17 | 125 | 619.1 | 609 | 325 | 287 | 57 | 205 | 505 | 1.314 | 8.8 | 2.46 | |||
Pimentel doesn’t have a tremendous track record, but when you have a 0.30 ERA after five starts, you’re going to start getting noticed. Acquired from the Boston Red Sox as part of the Joel Hanrahan trade, Pimentel isn’t going to get the hype that Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon garnish, but he appears to have enough stuff to be a decent back-end of the rotation arm. He certainly needed to thrive after not really doing much good since the 2010 season. Since this is his third season in Double-A, maybe expectations should be tempered, even after a tremendous start, but if it continues, he’ll continue to peak interest.
Josmil Pinto, C, Minnesota Twins
| Year | Age | Tm | Lev | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | TB | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 17 | Twins/Blue Jays | FRk | 53 | 195 | 25 | 49 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 30 | 3 | 25 | 27 | .251 | .336 | .344 | .680 | 67 |
| 2007 | 18 | Twins | FRk | 54 | 171 | 18 | 33 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 3 | 29 | 23 | .193 | .327 | .269 | .596 | 46 |
| 2008 | 19 | Twins | Rk | 24 | 85 | 14 | 28 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 9 | 14 | .329 | .394 | .541 | .935 | 46 |
| 2009 | 20 | Elizabethton | Rk | 53 | 205 | 34 | 68 | 14 | 2 | 13 | 55 | 0 | 19 | 39 | .332 | .387 | .610 | .997 | 125 |
| 2010 | 21 | Beloit | A | 100 | 347 | 60 | 78 | 21 | 1 | 10 | 54 | 2 | 32 | 67 | .225 | .295 | .378 | .672 | 131 |
| 2011 | 22 | 2 Teams | A+-A | 73 | 253 | 25 | 66 | 14 | 1 | 6 | 41 | 1 | 14 | 46 | .261 | .301 | .395 | .697 | 100 |
| 2011 | 22 | Beloit | A | 9 | 32 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 10 | .250 | .278 | .438 | .715 | 14 |
| 2011 | 22 | Fort Myers | A+ | 64 | 221 | 21 | 58 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 32 | 1 | 12 | 36 | .262 | .305 | .389 | .694 | 86 |
| 2012 | 23 | 2 Teams | A+-AA | 105 | 396 | 53 | 117 | 26 | 3 | 14 | 60 | 0 | 43 | 73 | .295 | .362 | .482 | .844 | 191 |
| 2012 | 23 | Fort Myers | A+ | 93 | 349 | 45 | 103 | 22 | 2 | 12 | 51 | 0 | 39 | 63 | .295 | .361 | .473 | .834 | 165 |
| 2012 | 23 | New Britain | AA | 12 | 47 | 8 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 10 | .298 | .365 | .553 | .919 | 26 |
| 2013 | 24 | New Britain | AA | 27 | 107 | 21 | 35 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 24 | 0 | 13 | 21 | .327 | .405 | .533 | .938 | 57 |
| 8 Seasons | 489 | 1759 | 250 | 474 | 104 | 13 | 53 | 301 | 10 | 184 | 310 | .269 | .341 | .434 | .775 | 763 | |||
The Minnesota Twins are notoriously slow in their development of players. While they have Joe Mauer locked up for the next century with a seemingly unmovable contract (don’t tell Boston that after last season’s mega-deal), he could move to first base if or when Justin Morneau leaves via free agency for Pinto. At 24, he’s a little on the old side for Double-A, and his numbers overall haven’t been spectular throughout his development, things took a nice turn last year. His plate discipline and gap power seemed to increase, and he has carried that over nicely this season, with 11 extra-base hits and a .938 OPS for New Britain. Ryan Doumit is the “other catcher” on the Twins roster, so if Pinto continues to hit, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him become a useful piece to the Twins roster.
Erik Johnson, RHP, Chicago White Sox
| Year | Age | Tm | Lev | W | L | GS | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 21 | Great Falls | Rk | 0 | 0 | 4.50 | 0 | 2.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2.500 | 18.0 | 2.00 |
| 2012 | 22 | 2 Teams | A+-A | 6 | 5 | 2.53 | 17 | 92.1 | 82 | 34 | 26 | 3 | 29 | 87 | 1.202 | 8.0 | 3.00 |
| 2012 | 22 | Kannapolis | A | 2 | 2 | 2.30 | 9 | 43.0 | 39 | 15 | 11 | 3 | 19 | 39 | 1.349 | 8.2 | 2.05 |
| 2012 | 22 | Winston-Salem | A+ | 4 | 3 | 2.74 | 8 | 49.1 | 43 | 19 | 15 | 0 | 10 | 48 | 1.074 | 7.8 | 4.80 |
| 2013 | 23 | Birmingham | AA | 2 | 1 | 1.44 | 5 | 31.1 | 18 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 32 | 0.862 | 5.2 | 3.56 |
| 3 Seasons | 8 | 6 | 2.29 | 22 | 125.2 | 104 | 41 | 32 | 4 | 39 | 121 | 1.138 | 7.4 | 3.10 | |||
Johnson may not post dominant strikeout numbers, but his ability to keep runners from scoring is impressive. As he has moved up, his tits per nine has dropped at each level and he is not a little over a strikeout per inning, as well. Now in Double-A, the White Sox No.3 prospect, according to MLB.com, appears to be taking another step towards Chicago. While the club mourns the loss of Gavin Floyd to Tommy John surgery, Johnson could become an option later in the 2013 season, especially if he continues to dominate the opposition. The 2011 2nd round pick out of the University of California is certainly worth tracking.
Derek Dietrich, 2B, Miami Marlins
| Year | Age | Tm | Lev | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | TB | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 20 | Hudson Valley | A- | 45 | 179 | 33 | 50 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 20 | 2 | 11 | 42 | .279 | .340 | .419 | .759 | 75 |
| 2011 | 21 | Bowling Green | A | 127 | 480 | 73 | 133 | 34 | 4 | 22 | 81 | 5 | 38 | 128 | .277 | .346 | .502 | .848 | 241 |
| 2012 | 22 | 2 Teams | A+-AA | 132 | 505 | 71 | 141 | 28 | 10 | 14 | 75 | 4 | 32 | 114 | .279 | .338 | .457 | .796 | 231 |
| 2012 | 22 | Charlotte | A+ | 98 | 372 | 49 | 105 | 21 | 9 | 10 | 58 | 4 | 25 | 78 | .282 | .343 | .468 | .811 | 174 |
| 2012 | 22 | Montgomery | AA | 34 | 133 | 22 | 36 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 36 | .271 | .324 | .429 | .753 | 57 |
| 2013 | 23 | Jacksonville | AA | 26 | 94 | 16 | 27 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 2 | 15 | 21 | .287 | .417 | .500 | .917 | 47 |
| 4 Seasons | 330 | 1258 | 193 | 351 | 81 | 18 | 42 | 190 | 13 | 96 | 305 | .279 | .348 | .472 | .820 | 594 | |||
A smart acquisition by the Marlins this offseason in the Yunel Escobar deal, Dietrich is an under-the-radar prospect who seems to do nothing but hit, while playing a premium middle infield position. He was the Marlins No.8 prospect coming into the season (MLB.com), and he is currently 5th in the Southern League in total bases. He appears to have taken a drastically improved approach at the plate, as well, having taken 15 walks already after walking 32 times all season in 2012. With Donovan Solano ahead of him in Miami and a very weak group of talent there, especially with Giancarlo Stanton hurt, Dietrich could make an impact later this season, especially if he continues to rake the way that he has to this point in 2013.
Burch Smith, RHP, San Diego Padres
| Year | Age | Tm | Lev | W | L | GS | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 21 | Padres | Rk | 0 | 0 | 4.50 | 0 | 2.0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2.000 | 13.5 | 4.00 | |
| 2012 | 22 | Lake Elsinore | A+ | 9 | 6 | .600 | 3.85 | 26 | 128.2 | 127 | 62 | 55 | 11 | 27 | 137 | 1.197 | 8.9 | 5.07 |
| 2013 | 23 | San Antonio | AA | 1 | 2 | .333 | 1.15 | 6 | 31.1 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 37 | 0.702 | 4.6 | 6.17 |
| 3 Seasons | 10 | 8 | .556 | 3.33 | 32 | 162.0 | 146 | 72 | 60 | 12 | 34 | 178 | 1.111 | 8.1 | 5.24 | |||
How can you be the 20th ranked prospect (MLB.com) in a pretty weak system, when you’re fastball sits 93-95 while touching 97 and you post numbers as absurd as Smith has? The guy has a 174:33 K:BB over his last 160 innings, and while his 3.85 ERA looks inflated from 2012, he was pitching in the hitter’s paradise California League. Sure, his secondary stuff may be lagging, but Tony Cingrani has looked pretty solid in the majors and throughout his minor league career using a fastball at alarmingly high rates. The fact that dynasty league fantasy baseball players may not be familiar with him is also surprising, considering he will be pitching half of his games in San Diego. Smith has dominated this season, and for a 14th round selection out of Oklahoma, the 6’4″ right-hander has been a smart investment by the Padres.
Related articles
- Eric Mack: Fantasy baseball Prospect Watch — Marcell Ozuna’s surprise major league debut (sportsillustrated.cnn.com)
- 2013 Predictions and Useless Guesses (thebaseballhaven.mlblogs.com)
- Sizzling Future Stars: Minor League Report, 4/24 (thebaseballhaven.mlblogs.com)
Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Catchers
I’ll be compiling lists of the top players at each position for 2012 Fantasy Baseball in the coming weeks. Overall rankings will consist of their value in a points format, earning points for each H, R, 2B, 3B, HR, RBI, basically a formula of Total Bases + RBI + Runs = Total Value. I’ll begin with catchers. You’ll see their stats for 2011 below their names with 2012 Projections in ITALICS
1. Mike Napoli, Texas
.320/.414/.631, 25 2B, 30 HR, 75 RBI, 85/58 K/BB in 369 AB
.295/.389/.560, 30 2B, 27 HR, 81 RBI, 101/68 K/BB in 446 AB
Napoli has always had power but he sat so often for the AMAZING Jeff Mathis on the Angels that he never got a chance to truly breakout. He finally got a chance and became a near-MVP talent in Texas in 2011. He may not repeat the AVG, but the power is real, especially in that lineup and ballpark.
2. Carlos Santana, Cleveland
.239/.351/.457, 35 2B, 27 HR, 79 RBI, 133/97 K/BB in 552 AB
.279/.401/.531, 31 2B, 33 HR, 91 RBI, 123/101 K/BB in 549 AB
I may be higher on Santana than most, but he’ll make more contact in 2012 and he posted these numbers in his first full season. The sky is the limit and the value in Santana is that he plays 1B and DH when he isn’t behind the plate.
3. Alex Avila, Detroit
.295/.389/.506, 33 2B, 19 HR, 82 RBI, 131/73 K/BB in 464 AB
.286/.391/.511, 35 2B, 21 HR, 86 RBI, 124/76 K/BB in 471 AB
4. Yadier Molina, St. Louis
.305/.349/.465, 32 2B, 16 HR, 65 RBI, 44/33 K/BB in 475 AB
.301/.342/.437, 29 2B, 14 HR, 63 RBI, 46/36 K/BB in 461 AB
5. Buster Posey, San Francisco
.311/.374/.521, 31 2B, 23 HR, 82 RBI, 83/65 K/BB in 476 AB
We all know about his injury last year, but reports show he is ready. His 2010 stats were: .305/.357/.505, 23 2B, 18 HR, 67 RBI, 55/30 K/BB in 406 AB. Expect the same, maybe more.
6. Miguel Montero, Arizona
.282/.351/.469, 36 2B, 18 HR, 86 RBI, 97/47 K/BB in 493 AB
.276/.349/.471, 33 2B, 20 HR, 84 RBI, 101/56 K/BB in 489 AB
7. Brian McCann, Atlanta
.270/.351/466, 19 2B, 24 HR, 71 RBI, 89/57 K/BB in 466 AB
.281/.363/.485, 21 2B, 22 HR, 79 RBI, 81/71 K/BB in 483 AB
8. Matt Wieters, Baltimore
.262/.328/.450, 28 2B, 22 HR, 68 RBI, 84/48 K/BB in 500 AB
.276/.339/.490, 29 2B, 27 HR, 84 RBI, 97/61 K/BB in 506 AB
9. Joe Mauer, Minnesota
.287/.360/.368, 15 2B, 3 HR, 30 RBI, 38/32 K/BB in 296 AB
.313/.394/.411, 31 2B, 8 HR, 71 RBI, 79/76 K/BB in 496 AB
It’s well documented about Mauer’s knee issues last season. I can see him taking a Carlos Santana/Victor Martinez approach to stay in the lineup. He won’t ever come close to his 2009 power outburst, but he can have value due to the ability to drive the ball in the gaps of Target Field.
10. Devin Mesoraco, Cincinnati
.180/.226/.360, 3 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 10/3 K/BB in 50 AB
.265/.329/.449, 18 2B, 14 HR, 59 RBI, 72/21 K/BB in 374 AB
Mesoraco will be a top catcher once he isn’t sharing the position. He’s capable of hitting 15 homers in about 350 AB, and will settle into the Cincinnati lineup near Votto and Bruce to see plenty of good pitches. He’s someone to watch in Keeper Leagues, but he’ll have value right away.
11. Geovany Soto, Chicago (N.L.)
.228/.310/.411, 26 2B, 17 HR, 54 RBI, 124/45 K/BB in 421 AB
.268/.335/.445, 28 2B, 23 HR, 73 RBI, 147/56 K/BB in 447 AB
Shoulder woes have sapped Soto’s value and possibly led to some offensive struggles, particularly with strikeouts, in 2011. He may become a trade chip for the rebuilding Cubs in 2012, but he needs to build his value and show that he is healthy. He can still hit, but can he do it consistently?
12. Jonathan LuCroy, Milwaukee
.265/.313/.391, 16 2B, 12 HR, 59 RBI, 99/29 K/BB in 430 AB
.269/.318/.401, 21 2B, 13 HR, 54 RBI, 112/41 K/BB in 456 AB
13. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Boston
.235/.288/.450, 23 2B, 16 HR, 56 RBI, 119/24 K/BB in 358 AB
.251/.301/.450, 27 2B, 19 HR, 62 RBI, 126/38 K/BB in 438 AB
It wasn’t always pretty last year for “Salty,” but he shows enough power and plays in the right lineup, so he has value. He has always been huge and awkward behind the plate, but the Red Sox only have Ryan Lavarnway ready, and he isn’t ready defensively, and may never be ready defensively, to steal time from him.
14. J.P. Arencibia, Toronto
.219/.282/.438, 20 2B, 23 HR, 78 RBI, 133/36 K/BB in 443 AB
.231/.313/.479, 25 2B, 24 HR, 83 RBI, 145/31 K/BB in 471 AB
Arencibia doesn’t have a whole lot of time to hold down this job. If he doesn’t show that he can make consistent contact in 2012, he may lose time to Travis d’Arnaud really soon. Even being young, he may find himself as trade bait or moved off of the position. We’ll see if that is enough motivation for him.
15. Russell Martin, New York (A.L.)
.237/.324/.408, 17 2B, 18 HR, 65 RBI, 81/50 K/BB in 417 AB
.249/.337/.415, 19 2B, 15 HR, 61 RBI, 80/61 K/BB in 443 AB
16. Wilson Ramos, Washington
.267/.334/.445, 22 2B, 15 HR, 52 RBI, 76/38 K/BB in 389 AB
.271/.339/.456, 24 2B, 19 HR, 68 RBI, 91/49 K/BB in 467 AB
17. Chris Ianetta, Los Angeles (A.L.)
.238/.370/.414, 17 2B, 14 HR, 55 RBI, 89/70 K/BB in 345 AB
.242/.359/.408, 19 2B, 12 HR, 57 RBI, 91/76 K/BB in 453 AB
18. Kurt Suzuki, Oakland
.237/.301/.385, 26 2B, 14 HR, 44 RBI, 64/38 K/BB in 460 AB
.229/.291/.376, 21 2B, 10 HR, 38 RBI, 71/31 K/BB in 398 AB
19. Miguel Olivo, Seattle
.224/.253/.388, 19 2B, 19 HR, 62 RBI, 140/20 K/BB in 477 AB
.212/.239/.371, 17 2B, 12 HR, 39 RBI, 131/16 K/BB in 348 AB
20. John Buck, Miami
.227/.316/.367, 16 2B, 15 HR, 57 RBI, 115/54 K/BB in 466 AB
.234/.327/.381, 18 2B, 16 HR, 54 RBI, 111/58 K/BB in 439 AB
KEEPER LEAGUE PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Travis d’Arnaud – TOR
Wilin Rosario – COL
Jesus Monter0 – SEA: He’d be a top 10 talent “IF” he gets Catcher Eligibility
Yasmani Grandal – SD
Christian Bethancourt – ATL
Sebastian Valle – PHI
Gary Sanchez - NY (A.L.)
Derek Norris – OAK
Andrew Susac – SF
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Laughin' All The Way To The Bank...and Trainer's Table
Joe Mauer is fantastic for the Minnesota Twins. He was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on April 19, 1983. He was drafted #1 overall in the 2001 MLB Draft by the Twins, passing up a scholarship to play Quarterback at Florida State to stay home and become the eventual face of the franchise. Outside of the hometown deal, the Twins aren’t getting their money-worth in the contract. It’s been a very disappointing season for Mauer and a possible sign of the worst contract in baseball history. There are several contracts that can be viewed as terrible (Bobby Bonilla and Vernon Wells are great examples), but not everyone can hit their 2nd homerun of the season on September 4th and be making $23 million in the same season.
Big money contracts were and have been given to those who showed continued dominance for a long period of time, excluding the Yankees terrible contracts to A.J. Burnett (5 yr/$82.5 million) and Kei Igawa (5 yr/$20 million, plus a $26 million posting fee to get negotiating rights), the likes of Alex Rodriguez, C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, Roy Halladay, and Miguel Cabrera are at the top with several rotting, overpaid types (Wells, Johan Santana, Todd Helton, Carlos Lee, Barry Zito and Mauer). Wells, Helton, Lee, Santana, and Zito have one thing in common, though – they all were considered elite at their position due to continued production prior to the contracts:
Carlos Lee averaged 29 homers and 100 RBI from 2000-2006 before his deal, Wells averaged 26 homers and 96 RBI from 2002-2007, Helton re-worked his contract to defer money but he had 7 straight elite seasons in the middle of his payday, Santana was 82-35 with 2 Cy Young awards from 2003-2007, and Zito was 102-63 from 2000-2006 with 1 Cy Young.
Mauer was a great catcher from 2004-2009, rating well above averaged defensively. He’s won the Gold Glove each of the last three seasons, he was the Silver Slugger at catcher in 2006 and 2008-2010, and an All-Star in each of those seasons, as well. However, Mauer is different from the guys listed above. He isn’t an elite run producer. He broke out in 2009 and hit 28 homers and drove in 96 runs. If you take that season away, he averages 9 homers and 72 RBI. Granted, his career batting average is .324 and his career on-base percentage is .403, but imagine if Casey Kotchman was getting paid $23 million for the Rays this year. Kotchman is hitting .317/.383/.437 this season with 8 homers and 41 RBI. He is a slap-hitting, on-base-type who plays wicked-awesome defense. Is he worth that type of investment? If he was doing that for 6 seasons, would he have been worth that type of investment? No.
Joe Mauer has shown a lot of things this season: 1) He doesn’t play hurt, 2) He wasn’t worth the money, 3) He needs to move off of catcher to EVER be worth $23 million per season (so he can play 162 games), and 4) You never pay a catcher elite money because if Johnny Bench, Yogi Berra, Mike Piazza, and Ivan Rodriguez didn’t age well (and they ALWAYS hit as elite players), then what was going to become of Mauer. He was bound to fail based on his production leading up to 2009, prior to the breakout, and what he had shown. He totally cashed in on his potential to hit the free market and the Twins fear of losing a homegrown talent. As Mauer mocks Troy Palamalu in shampoo commercials and is the posterboy of video games, he is collecting a check that he can cash. He shouldn’t have ever received a contract worth $184 million from a small-market team. He is going to eventually destroy the franchise…the same franchise that the owner was willing to eliminate on his own several years ago…Target Field isn’t helping the Twins offensively and neither is Joe Mauer, until his contract runs out in 2018.
