Aubrey Huff, OF, Houston Astros

July 13, 2006 @ 16:00:00

By Jeffrey Rake
Edited by Ryan Dodson

After being dangled around as trade bait at the All-Star break for the last few seasons, 1B/3B/OF Aubrey Huff finally has a new home, as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays traded him July 12 to the Houston Astros for a pair of prospects.

The trade should be a good move for the Astros for a couple of reasons. First off, the prospects they gave up – infielder Ben Zobrist and right-handed pitcher Mitch Talbot – weren't even highly regarded and need a lot of development before they can even sniff the big leagues. Because they didn't have to sell the farm to get Huff, the Astros should have plenty of tradable prospects left to acquire another bat, or possibly another starter. The obvious reason, of course, is the fact that the Astros can really use a player of Huff's caliber.

Huff is batting .283 with 8 home runs and 28 RBI in 63 games. He missed three weeks early on in the year after a freak injury forced him to the disabled list. Though Huff started off the season slow, he's really come on as of late, batting .359 in June and going 3-for-3 in his last game as a Devil Ray.

To say that the Astros, a team that's batting an NL-worst .256, could use Huff's bat in the lineup is an understatement. And the timing is perfect. Huff has historically been a terrific hitter after the All-Star break, as he's a .302 career hitter in the second-half.

Early indications were that the Astros would platoon Huff with OF Jason Lane, because Lane has been terrible against righties (.196, .310, .351). But the Astros quickly put that notion to rest July 13, when they designated Lane for assignment.

Now, it appears as though Huff will definitely be an everyday starter and will play just about everywhere – from first base, to third base, to right field. That should give manager Phil Garner plenty of options, because Morgan Ensberg is at third base and first baseman/outfielder Lance Berkman can play multiple positions, so it shouldn't be hard to get all three players in the everyday lineup.

This move will undoubtedly hurt corner infielder Mike Lamb's playing time, even though he's having an amazing season with a .342 average, eight homers and 28 RBI in 202 at-bats. Berkman has first base solidified, the outfield is now capable and Ensberg and Lamb should lose some playing time to each other.

Table: Aubrey Huff batting statistics (2001-2005)

Year	Team	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG.
2001	TB	411	42	102	8	45	.248
2002	TB	454	67	142	23	59	.313
2003	TB	636	91	198	34	107	.311
2004	TB	600	92	178	29	104	.297
2005	TB	575	70	150	22	92	.261

From a fantasy perspective, Huff is definitely a player worth picking up if he's still available in your league. He should feel right at home playing in Houston. He played high school baseball and attended junior college at Texas.

While many experts will say that Huff should provide your team with a lot of power, we don't really expect that in Houston. He should end up somewhere around 21 home runs, which is about his average over the last four years. (Note: See KFFL's revamped 2006 projections for every critical fantasy player's projected output, which is soon to be released.)

If the guys ahead of him are able to find ways to get on base – particularly second baseman Craig Biggio and outfielder Willy Taveras (both of whom are struggling), he should have plenty of RBI opportunities in the Astros lineup.

Expect a lot of hits into the large gap in right-center field at Minute Maid Park, and with any luck, Huff can bring a spark to both the Astros' anemic lineup and your fantasy lineup as well.

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Jeffrey Rake

Jeffrey Rake is a KFFL contributer who offers a unique perspective in the NFL/MLB. He's a die-hard Chiefs & Cubs fan and has never seen his team win a championship. Jeff promises to bring you updated information that is accurate and reliable.

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