Asdrubal Cabrera thread

[brock middlebrook]

Good start so far

He's one of those guys who was said to have bulked up in the off-season
The Indians O seems to be credible this year


What does everybody think of his prospects for the 2011 campaign

[thejusman1]

Relying on him to shoulder the load in my main money league now that JJ Hardy is gone. I am optimistic that he can have a 15-20 homer season with maybe a .260 average.

[striderex]

I think he can hit 280 or maybe 290

[DbacksRback]

here's a good article on him:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.js ... p&c_id=cle

[MTUCache]

I was really high on him last year, getting him on multiple teams, and was really dissapointed to see him miss so much time.

This year, after the forearm injury, I was pretty wary (knowing that guys with wrist surgeries often have even less power the following year). But, he seems to have recovered nicely, and I've already picked him up in one of my leagues since Nishioka got hurt.

Hoping for a big year out of two Indians this season (ACab and Santana)... that may be asking for trouble, but it's working out pretty well so far.

[brock middlebrook]

Relying on him to shoulder the load in my main money league now that JJ Hardy is gone. I am optimistic that he can have a 15-20 homer season with maybe a .260 average.

Isn't he .285 lifetime?

Plus he stole like 17 bases year before last

[047]

I, for one, am glad to see this thread started now instead of late March...would've ruined a real nice draft day upside pick who fell a bit under the radar

Actually had a long discussion just recently with a fellow manager about Cabrera and why I think we're going to see a breakout season (this was last week, before the last few games). He's got some legitimate things working in his favor:

1. Age - he's in the ideal age range for a sudden progression. Doesn't turn 26 until November but has had nearly 1,500 career AB so has been through the classic adjust-counteradjust game with pitchers already

2. Lineup - the overall lineup isn't the '27 Yanks, but I like his spot at #2. Brantley has upside in terms of on-base skills and obvious speed; also has 2 professional hitters behind him in Choo and Santana

3. Discipline - has demonstrated a reasonable knowledge and command of the strike zone (career OBP: .347) with a walk rate just under 10%

4. History - the old "if he's done it once, he could do it again" argument: we've already seen him hit .308 with 17 SB and 42 doubles in a full season; even at those numbers he's solid

5. Spring - yeah, that's right, spring training baby Usually means nothing, may mean nothing here too...but just saying, he did go .364, 3 HR, 4 SB in 55 AB

I think he essentially duplicates what we've already seen (.285-.295) with some speed, but a lot of those doubles are going to turn into HR this year. My fearless prediction from 2 weeks ago: .300-20-20 wouldn't shock me, nor would it shock me if Choo barely out-produces him in 5x5 value (and even then, probably because of lineup spot).

[garf112]

I, for one, am glad to see this thread started now instead of late March...would've ruined a real nice draft day upside pick who fell a bit under the radar

Actually had a long discussion just recently with a fellow manager about Cabrera and why I think we're going to see a breakout season (this was last week, before the last few games). He's got some legitimate things working in his favor:

1. Age - he's in the ideal age range for a sudden progression. Doesn't turn 26 until November but has had nearly 1,500 career AB so has been through the classic adjust-counteradjust game with pitchers already

2. Lineup - the overall lineup isn't the '27 Yanks, but I like his spot at #2. Brantley has upside in terms of on-base skills and obvious speed; also has 2 professional hitters behind him in Choo and Santana

3. Discipline - has demonstrated a reasonable knowledge and command of the strike zone (career OBP: .347) with a walk rate just under 10%

4. History - the old "if he's done it once, he could do it again" argument: we've already seen him hit .308 with 17 SB and 42 doubles in a full season; even at those numbers he's solid

5. Spring - yeah, that's right, spring training baby Usually means nothing, may mean nothing here too...but just saying, he did go .364, 3 HR, 4 SB in 55 AB

I think he essentially duplicates what we've already seen (.285-.295) with some speed, but a lot of those doubles are going to turn into HR this year. My fearless prediction from 2 weeks ago: .300-20-20 wouldn't shock me, nor would it shock me if Choo barely out-produces him in 5x5 value (and even then, probably because of lineup spot).

Not to mention that he is coming off of a wrist injury, which was bothering him all of last year. I think this is the biggest piece that people miss out on. It was the same thing as Vernon Wells at the beginning of last year.

[dmattingly23]

yeah I liked him alot, but another guy who wasn't as under the radar as I would have thought. Alot of people were high on him.

I wanted either him or A. Escobar and of course I got Escobar in most leagues. And now Cabrera's doing great and Escobar can't hit the ball out of the infield.

[047]

yeah I liked him alot, but another guy who wasn't as under the radar as I would have thought. Alot of people were high on him.

I wanted either him or A. Escobar and of course I got Escobar in most leagues. And now Cabrera's doing great and Escobar can't hit the ball out of the infield.

Surprises me a little...most mock and then actual drafts I did this year, Cabrera certainly wasn't ignored but I didn't see anyone reaching for him, either. Thought he was a nice value pick for this year while some other AL middle infielders got more love as new/bounce-back guys (Nishioka, Hardy, A. Escobar, Yahoo guys seemed to love Brignac, etc.)

As mentioned, the injury last year seemed to stunt (or delay) any growth we might have seen, but he obviously appears healthy now; the fact that he's willing to take a "do some damage" swing in hitters' counts more is encouraging, too. I don't recall too many MI-types who have posted .300+ AVG with 40+ doubles and never turned in a 20+ HR year at some point. Especially not when they posted those numbers at the age of 23.

A. Escobar seems to have a long swing for a guy whose game is built on speed. Obviously I'm no scout , but I have watched 3-4 of the KC games so far and it just looks to the naked eye that he should shorten up a bit. Certainly has the raw tools to develop, though.