Sleepers and flops: Fields vs. Crede
Along with established stars like Chipper Jones, Aramis Ramirez, Mike Lowell, Chone Figgins, Adrian Beltre and Pedro Feliz, you now also have impressive youngsters such as last year's Rookie of the Year Ryan Braun, Washington's Ryan Zimmerman and Colorado's Garrett Atkins.
Not to be outdone, veterans like Troy Glaus and Scott Rolen are looking to get back healthy again where they can get the All-Star numbers back to where they used to be.
That leaves little room for newbies to make their mark, but it still seems to be happening more and more often, especially at the hot corner.
Sleepers
Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay
Most fantasy veterans have been awaiting the arrival of Tampa Bay's most prized prospect for a year and a half now. Once Delmon Young and Elijah Dukes were traded away, Longoria immediately became the team's premier star in the making. Well, after going for 18 home runs, 58 RBI and a .315 average in under 300 minor league at-bats in '07 (just 62 games), he's going to be getting his chance at the bigs this season. Tampa looks to have their most talented lineup in their organization's history this season, which can only help his development as he hits amongst guys like Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, B.J. Upton and Akinori Iwamura. If he's given a full season to do his thing, there's no reason he can't put up 20 homers, 75-85 RBI and a .290-.300 average with the Rays.
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Edwin Encarnacion, Cincinnati
Fantasy players know his name, but unfortunately so do many doctors around the Cincinnati area. He's been an RBI machine when he actually gets himself on the field, but that's been a consistent problem for him. Well, he's healthy now, and the Reds suddenly look to have their most dangerous lineup in more than 15 years. Stick Encarnacion between Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey, Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto and Ryan Freel, and you have the makings for a lot of runs being scored. Despite missing 23 games last year, he still hit nearly .300, had 76 RBI and even stole eight bases. This year, I can see him approaching 25 HR, 100 RBI and scoring about 90 times.
Josh Fields, Chicago White Sox
He's gone for 24 homers in less than 400 career major league at-bats, yet because he's struggling at the plate this spring, and because Joe Crede is still a member of the Sox, Fields may actually be heading down to the minors to start the year — according to some media sources. I can't see that happening, though. This kid is Chicago's No. 1 prospect, and when Crede was out last year, Fields came up and started pounding out dingers like there was no tomorrow. The other option is to play him in left field while the Sox find a new home for Crede. That certainly seems possible. Either way, even if he does go down to the farm for a while, it won't last long. This kid is the future of the franchise, and he'll go relatively high in drafts. You can still expect 25 home runs and about 70-90 RBI.
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| Kevin Kouzmanoff could be a fixture at the hot corner in San Diego for years. (Stephen Dunn / Getty Images) |
Kevin Kouzmanoff, San Diego
Yeah, I know he hits in one of the worst offensive parks in the bigs, but I don't give a rip. The Kouz is one of the true up and comers in baseball right now, and many people don't know it since he plays way out here in nowhere land. In his first full season last year, he went for 18 home runs, 74 ribbies and a .275 average in less than 500 at-bats. Give him another year of experience under his belt, and there's no reason why he shouldn't be going for 25-30 dingers and 100 RBI, even in Petco Park. The team likes Chase Headley's potential as well, but Kouzmanoff's not going anywhere anytime soon. He won't blow anyone away, but he certainly won't disappoint, either. You'll probably be able to pick him up on the cheap considering the fact nobody likes drafting Padre players, so take advantage of it in the later rounds.
Flops
Joe Crede, Chicago White Sox
As of now, Crede's the starting third baseman for the White Sox. The chance of that being the case in another month or two, however? Probably not very good. He sat out much of last season with an injury, and even though he seems to be healthy going into Opening Day, he'll have Fields breathing down his neck from day one. Even if he does play everyday, he'll likely be pressing, which will affect his numbers adversely. I only consider him in the last couple rounds of any my drafts this year, and only as a bench player. He may prove me wrong, but there's just too much risk involved to deal with him.
Mark Reynolds, Arizona
If you're like me, Reynolds gave your team a big-time push late last season. He took over at third for the second half of the year in Arizona and went for 17 home runs, 62 RBI and scored 62 times in just 366 at-bats in the D-Backs' surge to the NLCS. However, Chad Tracy is now back, and you know he's going to get him some playing time again. No matter how good Reynolds was in '07, there's virtually no way his numbers get any better this time around. That's a shame, since he obviously has the talent to be a No. 1 guy in this league, but he also strikes out at a higher rate than any player in the game, so Tracy will be stealing plate appearances from him often.
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