Sleeper Fantasy Short Stops:

Read the Case for Evereth Cabrera on WaiverSharks Main Blog Here!

The Case for Alcides Escobar

While his prolific speed wasn’t really highlighted during his 47 game audition last year in Beerville, this sure-handed 23-year old native of La Sabana, Venezuela showed enough confidence to prompt the Milwaukee brass to give the under achieving J.J. Hardy his walking papers, setting the tone for the confident youngster to take over the starting roster spot.

Escobar won’t be sending Bernie Brewerdown the famous home run slide at Miller Park with tremendous frequency; however, he does have extra base punch, and the ability to use his legs to turn a double into a triple, or challenge the arms of unaware outfielders’ not familiar with his fine motor skills.

While Escobar only swiped 4 bases during his brief time in the bigs, he was a thief 176 times in 676 minor league games (74.3% success rate) and could run more in an offense that could use a base running threat.

No one is exactly sure where this slick hitting skinny wonder will hit in the Brewers, be it at the top of the order where his speed and ability to create run driving opportunities for the power bats that follow, or if he will settle in the number 8 spot that he seemed to call home in the final quarter of 2009. One way or the other, the manager that uses a secondary pick to grab Alcides could end up smiling the biggest and widest proverbial Cheshire Cat grin of all - after he potentially scores upwards of 75 runs and grabs 30+ bags in the process.

The Case for Elvis Andrus

Believed to be the speediest of the bunch, (and also the youngest at a Love Me Tender 21-years of age) this Texas Rangerstepped into the role of starting SS in a line-up filled with mashers and bashers and made a seamless transition after a successful 3+ seasons in the minors.

Being called safe 33 of 39 times (success rate of 84.6%) signifies the type of break-neck speed captured in the wheelhouse that could form an incredible 1-2 punch with Julio Borbon, should he get a legitimate shot at an everyday spot in Texas . Back to Andrus though, after showing prolific speed in the minors at a clip of 124 of 174 swipes (71.3% success) to go with a .275 average, Andrus was hurried along though for his tremendous defensive capabilities that many have called “off the charts”.

His arm strength and growth at the dish have propelled him up the charts in his production and worth and look for him to be a gold-glove candidate and leadoff hitter extraordinaire for many years to come.

FANTALYTICS FINAL CALL

This trio of undrafted, but highly free agent finds certainly carry around quite a buzz as the definition of the prototypical shortstop may be returning to its’ more familiar roots. Are the days of projecting .300/100/30/100/25 type seasons by a shortstop going by the wayside? Is this the turn of the tide where the position and the players that dominate it have jostled their way to the top of the order with their speed and base running instincts, along with dare I say…THEIR GLOVE FIRST???

Don’t get too down, we’re still not going to promote the “defense only”/Adam Everett player here, but what we can say is that teams can re-shift their focus to a more complete, exciting and run creating shortstop, as opposed to the need to have a shortie be a run producer.

While many fantasy managers gasp at the sound of such harshness, as if I am some kind of “Blue Caterpillar” dropping the bad news. However, as go the seasons where the juice is no longer loose, it seems as if baseball is creeping its’ way out of the “deep, dark hole”, a point where the middle of the infield may be more tolerable to that of the smallish and certainly more lean (er…and clean) hustle kings.

With that being said, expect the youngster of this bunch to exceed all expectations once again and lead the charge of the youthful, motor bunch.

By dashing his way into the hearts and stat-lines of all that care to watch, I proudly declare Elvis Andrus as the King of this speedy edition! And not because it’s Elvis Andrus Bobbleheadnight April 24th when the Rangers play host to the Detroit Tigers. (Actually the Padres Everth Cabrera gets a Bobbleheadin 2010 as well. Note to Brewers marketing group: Wouldn’t an Alcides Escobar Bobblehead day have made more sense than a C.C. Sabathia Bobblehead? Seriously, C.C. pitched for the Brew Crew for a couple months & than went and signed with beloved New York Yankees! How does that make him worthy of a Brewers Bobblehead?

Okay, back to Fantasy Baseball - Really though, drafting any one of these three would be a move that would not necessarily be made by “Tweedledee or Tweedledum” as they each have the potential to provide necessary numbers to push you to the brink of fantasy success.

To the naysayers, I say…”Off with your bobblehead!”

Elvis Andrus’ Fearless Forsyth Foreshadow :
(152 games) 597 AB, .271 AVG, 107R, 8 HR, 63 RBI, 58 SB (and a

FANTALYTICS – VOLUME 6

Welcome back for another round of FANTALYTICS.

This time we will be reviewing a pair of middle infielders with oodles of upside, in their own unique way. One is a big fish in a small pond, er…market, the other a lanky sock in a drawer full of power?  What the heck does that mean?

Anyways, both bring a different approach to the game, both to the plate and on the field for that matter and I am here to provide you with the positives and negatives to make the choice that fits your fantasy line-up best.

The Case for Dan Uggla

Hitting out of the five spot in a decent Marlins line-up may not seem lucrative to most, but Uggla has thrived and has definitely found a niche in the sunny state.  Uggla has become a reliable power option at a position with few power options to pick from.  He has shown that he can be depended on for around 100 runs, 30 dingers and 90 RBI’s consistently ranking in the top-three among major league second basemen since becoming an everyday player.

While his average is nothing to get excited about though he isn’t a .282 hitter like his rookie season, nor is he the .245 hitter in his follow up season. He is more like the one from last season, settling in at around the .260 mark. Please take note that due to his aggression at the plate (3.85AB/K) the knock in his average is in fact just part of the deal in owning him.

The Case for Alexei Ramirez

This White Sox sophomore has taken a hold of the SS position and while he struggled to get his first hit this season, (singled in his 15th AB) lately he has been showing signs that he is able to battle his way out of a slump (hitting .352 in his last 5 games). This awakening is great news for the White Sox, as a sophomore slump was the last thing that their anemic at times offense needed.

One note of concern is that it took 56 at-bats to hit his first long ball of 2009 after hitting 21 in last seasons’ breakout.  While he may not be expected to hit 20+ HR’s at the major league level every season, the drastic power outage can be considered worrisome to fantasy owners worldwide.  Even in his struggles to this point of the season, he hasn’t been striking out at an alarming rate which gives me the confidence that he will continue to work out of his slump and get back on track for better overall numbers.

FANTALYTICS FINAL CALL

While Ramirez has found a home at short this season, he still boasts multi-position eligibility from last seasons’ shuffle ‘round (2B, SS, 3B and CF), which makes him even more appealing. On the other hand many believe that owning a player like Uggla, who brings a dangerous K rate, forces the addition of a pure hitter to compensate for his low AVG., and can even scare away many of owners.

Don’t be too harsh because Ramirez probably won’t be a career plus .300 hitter either, and while both have above average power, Uggla will provide better physical numbers by leaps and bounds. Even with the boost in speed, Ramirez is still a second fiddle to the rare power contribution from a middle infield position.

With that being said, I personally am not sold on Alexei Ramirez yet, and while I may regret the decision…my personal vendetta against believing in Ramirez must be heard. Even though I find his position flexibility appealing, the power numbers of Uggla are just too tempting. Add to the fact that the White Sox depend on the long ball too much, and hitting 8th in a line-up full of power will affect his peripherals.

LUCKILY FOR UGGLA, DEFENSE ISN’T TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT…

On the other hand Uggla is a sneaky run producer (both scoring and driving them in), who has successfully scored an average of 105 runs on an always underestimated Marlins offence. Uggla is creeping his way up year after year in homers and could eventually be a 35+ HR per year type, which would put him in the elite of the games’ all-time second basemen.