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Infield Fantasy Preview
February 28th, 2007 (09:18 am)
I know the season is still a ways off and Spring Training is just about to begin. I just thought it would be interesting to take a look at the fantasy projections for the 2007 season. I got the information from the MLB’s Fantasy Preview.
Year AB AVG R HR RBI SB OBP SLG OPS
Michael Barrett 2006 375 .307 54 16 53 0 .368 .517 .885
Proj. 425 .289 62 18 71 0 .345 .494 .839
Michael is fifth amongst the fantasy catchers. Joe Mauer is first, Brian McCann is second, Victor Martinez is third and Mike Piazza is fourth. I found that A.J. Pierzynski is fourteenth. I guess A.J. is getting past his prime and they project him to decline in numbers. I have to say that I am surprised that he is not in the top ten. My thought on Barrett is that he will have another good year and may even prove to some of the top catchers that he belongs in the same league. I think that Michael will be able to go beyond these projected numbers and I think he could even steal a base or two. (Especially with Lou’s aggressiveness)
Year AB AVG R HR RBI SB OBP SLG OPS
Derrek Lee 2006 175 .286 30 8 30 8 .368 .474 .842
Proj. 550 .303 96 34 94 14 .383 .568 .952
Derrek has one thing going for him this year and that is for him to rebound from an absent season. Derrek is a competitor and he would like nothing else than to get back up to the plate and make is normal swings. Derrek has perfected a swing that is so natural that he struggled to even find it at the end of the year last year. I am very confident that Derek will have an opportunity to play the entire season and he will most likely have better numbers than even 2005. He is ranked seventh in the fantasy previews but everyone knows in the back of their minds that Derrek is definitely Albert Pujols material.
Year AB AVG R HR RBI SB OBP SLG OPS
Mark DeRosa 2006 520 .296 78 13 74 4 .357 .456 .812
Proj. 500 .266 70 12 64 3 .323 .406 .730
Mark is much like Todd Walker with consistency that is probably why he is only ranked at 30th. His numbers last year were unusually good but he still has a lot to prove to major league baseball. If he can make his new consistency like last year he is well on his way. He will have plenty of coaching help with Gerald Perry as a hitting coach. I think that Mark won’t fall as low as what they project. I think he will be a solid second baseman that more teams will want to look for in a veteran infielder.
Year AB AVG R HR RBI SB OBP SLG OPS
Ryan Theriot 2006 134 .328 34 3 16 13 .412 .522 .934
Proj. 250 .284 38 3 35 10 .333 .354 .687
Ryan has something that Cub fans haven’t seen since 1984 in Ryne Sandberg. I think that this off season was filled with plenty of practice. I actually would project him to do better than these numbers. Watching Theriot hit the ball was like art work last year. Sure he didn’t hit many home runs but he got the hits when runners were on. I think Theriot should be ranked higher than 55th but he is only a rookie. I think that he will provide good competition at second base and even in the outfield. The big thing will be is if his bat will hold up for a complete season. Again, I think this is where Gerald Perry will come in handy.
Year AB AVG R HR RBI SB OBP SLG OPS
Ronny Cedeno 2006 534 .245 51 6 41 8 .271 .339 .610
Proj. 200 .252 21 2 15 3 .278 .344 .622
These numbers don’t lie! Ronny has struggled in his first full season and he has not found a groove yet. He may have to revisit the minors to get back to what he is capable of. Ronny can be a very spunky short stop or second baseman and he is probably one of the best in fielding those positions. When he is in the field it is really difficult to hit up the middle on him. His bat is too silent to have in the lineup right now but I think that can be fixed to make him a good guy to put in, in the 8th or 9th inning for close games. Ronny has a lot to learn about batting but I think he will come around with time.
Year AB AVG R HR RBI SB OBP SLG OPS
Cesar Izturis 2006 192 .245 14 1 18 1 .295 .318 .612
Proj. 550 .280 74 3 47 15 .322 .360 .682
Cesar is ranked 31st and provided Cesar is healthy the whole season he has the potential to come up with some good batting numbers and stolen bases. He is a gold-glover and that will allow him to work the field good. He is also an All Star so he has definite potential to make a re-visit to the All Star game. Unless something breaks down I think Cesar has something to prove this year. It will all depend on that ham string but Nomar is kind of in the same boat and he is ranked 19th with the first basemen. I think if Cesar gets injured Ronny will get plenty of practice to over come his frustration.
Year AB AVG R HR RBI SB OBP SLG OPS
Aramis Ramirez 2006 594 .291 93 38 119 2 .352 .561 .912
Proj. 525 .304 93 42 110 1 .357 .569 .926
Aramis will most likely be more aggressive this year in his running. Don’t expect too much from him as far being a base runner. He is a pull hitter and he relies on his hits to get him where he needs to go on the base paths. If you ask me I would much rather see him jog the bases more this year. (That would mean more home runs and less injuries) Aramis will have less pressure on him this year because when Lee went down last year all the weight was put on him. This year if Lee were to go down then there is the likes of Daryl Ward and Cliff Floyd that will ease the pressure for him at the plate. That will make him a much better hitter. I look for Aramis to excel even more than he did last year because he will be more relaxed at the plate and will drive more balls out of the park. He is ranked fourth for third basemen.
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