Fantasy Impact: Asdrubal Cabrera Slated to Start in 2008

October 26, 2007 @ 08:38:03

By Steve Ungrey
Edited by Ryan Dodson

And the winner of the second base sweepstakes in Cleveland is...

Asdrubal Cabrera?

Cabrera came over with outfielder Shin-Soo Choo from the Seattle Mariners for first baseman Ben Broussard last year. Entering the season, Cabrera was tagged as the 15th-best prospect in the Indians' system. Cabrera, who will turn 22 Nov. 13, had success in the minors in the last two years. His numbers are detailed below.

Table: Asdrubal Cabrera, 2B, Cleveland Indians - Stats since 2006

Year	Level	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	BA
2006	AAA	390	52	4	35	11	.251
2007	AA	368	78	8	54	23	.310
2007	AAA	38	6	0	3	2	.316
2007	MLB	159	30	3	22	0	.283

With a first name easy to mispronounce, not to mention a sketchy track record that made many Cleveland Indians fans scratch their heads when the decision to bring him up was announced, the consensus among Tribe Nation was that general manager Mark Shapiro may have made a mistake in jumbling up the infield.

Needless to say, no one is thinking that now, but it does beg the question - do the Indians have one too many infielders on their roster?

It was an infield that appeared to be set at the start of the season with Casey Blake at third, Jhonny Peralta at shortstop, Josh Barfield at second and Ryan Garko playing first. Catcher Victor Martinez and designated hitter Travis Hafner were also available for infield duty as needed.

Then Barfield got off to a horrible start at the plate (.162 BA in April) before righting the ship in both May (.278) and June (.317). His renaissance wasn't meant to be, however, as Barfield barely stayed above the Mendoza line the rest of the way. Barfield, who came over to the Indians in a trade with the San Diego Padres during the offseason, looked lost at the plate.

It wasn't difficult to see why Cleveland wanted Barfield in the first place. A decent average and okay power numbers (.280-13-58) with the Padres in 2006 convinced Cleveland that Barfield would be a good fit. Yet his average dropped 37 points from 2006, and he suffered dramatic brown-outs in power (three homers, compared to 13).

When Cabrera was called up to the parent club from Triple-A Buffalo in early August, no one knew how he would react to life in the big leagues. The answer turned out to be a positive one. He had hits in three of his first four games and five multi-hit games in one week (Aug. 18-25) in finishing with a .286 BA in August. Combine that with a .281 mark in September, and it wasn't hard to see the writing on the wall.

After Cleveland's seven-game elimination in the American League Championship Series, talk turned to next year. The various media outlets around Cleveland, including the city's flagship newspaper (The Plain Dealer) all mentioned talk about 2008, and Barfield was nowhere to be found. Instead, the little nugget about Cabrera having a bigger role next year set Indians fans' tongues wagging.

Where to play Cabrera? He has eligibility at second base, shortstop and third base. Let's be realistic here. Peralta's .270 batting average and 21 homers aren't going anywhere at shortstop, and he hasn't played third base in three years.

Blake (.270-18-78) can play first, third and in the outfield, but 145 of his games came at third base, and moving him to first would bump Garko (.289-21-61) out of a full-time job.

The weak link is Barfield, whose sub-par 2007 season may have sealed a ticket out of Cleveland in a worst-case scenario or relegated him to part-time duty in 2008. The fact Barfield plays only second base could hurt his chances. Had Barfield seen some duty at third base, there may have been a chance for backup duty behind Blake if Andy Marte flamed out in spring training and was released.

Cabrera's future looks bright at second base. He can field (one error in 220 chances). But - and this is a big but for his fantasy value - can he hit?

His power numbers are average at best. Translated over a full season, all Cabrera will get you is around 10-12 home runs and 70-80 RBI. These numbers aren't bad, but they're not stellar either. Still, the RBI totals are similar to others posted by players like Blake and Garko, so he fits in nicely to the lineup.

In 45 games, Cabrera had 45 hits. He won't hit every game, otherwise Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hit streak would look like papier mache when Cabrera was done with it. If he averaged around 150 hits a year, however, he'd already be worth his weight in gold.

Fantasy-wise, Cabrera's .283 batting average is a plus in leagues where batting points are scored. Power-wise, he won't win many awards, but Cabrera should be monitored as a sleeper entering 2008 given his ability to hit lefties (.348 BA) and play good baseball in general.

KFFLians are saying....

Comment

 

---

What do you think? We want to hear from you!

Name: E-mail: Please, enter the number that you see

Comment Guidelines

Steve Ungrey

Steve Ungrey has been playing fantasy baseball since 1994. An avid baseball nut, he may be one of the only people who starts the spring training countdown immediately after the final out of the World Series. If there's a fantasy baseball or baseball preview magazine for 2003, chances are he has it. A sportswriter at The Grand Rapids Press, Steve has written for KFFL since 2001, concentrating on improving the site's baseball coverage but also helping the site with its unparalleled football coverage.

Talk Sports 24/7!
KFFL Sports Forums: Over 24,000 strong and growing!

One Day FREE Fantasy Contest - $350 in cash prizes (05/24)
Fantasy Baseball Player Prospecting: Danny Hultzen, Roger Kieschnick, more (05/24)
Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market: Austin Jackson headed to DL (05/24)
Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat: Addison Reed, J.J. Putz, Ernesto Frieri, more (05/24)
Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market: Brian Roberts seeing the light at the end of the rehab tunnel (05/24)
Fantasy baseball closer depth charts - AL (05/24)
Fantasy baseball closer depth charts - NL (05/24)
Fantasy baseball players in the news (05/24)
Fantasy football players in the news (05/24)
Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market: Dee Gordon's problems at bat (05/23)