Comments on: Mailbag: Prince vs Cabrera, Pablo Sandoval

By: B N

B N — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 09:30:18 +0000

As a side node, while I am not expecting to field Sandoval next year in any leagues due to his high selection cost- his BABIP is not a valid reason to do so. In both the majors and the minors he has sustained a very solid BABIP. Much better than I would ever expect from such a big guy. I have a feeling this has something to do with either:

A. Line drives
B. Hit placement
C. Hustle (just kidding, that only works for Pete Rose)

Also, his patience has improved since hitting the majors. He’s been taking more walks than previously. While he certainly could take hits in due to low walks or bad BABIP, I don’t see those as overly likely. I’d say the big hit against him remains his lineup. For such a good hitter, he is not going to produce much R or RBI, and no steals. Last year, in a great year, he scored about 80 R and 90 RBI. With a bit of a slump, he could end up more at the 70-80 range. On the whole, I might prefer to roll the dice with Markakis unless you think you can trade him for a good return (due to the positional scarcity at 3B). Though personally, I think the chances of getting a better return for him than Markakis might be slim.

By: Zach Sanders

Zach Sanders — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:09:30 +0000

I had to cut part of the email to make it shorter, but it mentioned not being able to keep Cabrera and Fielder because of their rankings and the league’s keeper rules.

If I had to cut one part, it was going to be that one because I assumed people would understand it.

Obviously if you could keep both you would.

By: JoeIQ

JoeIQ — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:51:22 +0000

Kemp beats Markakis at this point I think.

By: JoeIQ

JoeIQ — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:49:06 +0000

Are you seriously considering keeping sandoval over Mi Cab for the Util spot?

Sandoval might reach those projections, but he has lots of “downside”. i.e. a chance to sophomore slump, or to not have such a high babip. It’s very possible he only hits 300. He’s more likely to get worse than better. Staying the same is a best case scenerio.

He has horrible strike zone command also. It hasn’t cost him yet but it’s something to worry about.

Lose AJ and the closer, and cut loose Sandoval.

Mi Cab, Prince, Carpenter, Kershaw, Markakis, and the desperate housewife.

By: Jimbo

Jimbo — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:42:58 +0000

Prince seems to be improving as a hitter, so I’m optimistic he can beat a .290 avg. Wouldn’t count on it, but if the choice is ‘close’ between him and Miguel with a .290 avg…I’d say he has some upside there. Not so sure Miguel hits 40 HR (or drives in 120 with the team they’ll be fielding).

He had the best BB/K rate of his career, has decreased his O-Swing % for three years, while increasing O-Contact %. Is it the low IFFB% causing the projections to show decline? The .322 BABIP? That’s been trending up as well. Perhaps his selectivity is allowing him to get better contact on what he does swing at (fewer weak groundouts). A lot of power hitters sustain high BABIPs. His .322 doesn’t strike me as a ‘career best.’

I have the 3rd overall pick in our draft. Considering a move to 6th or 7th with one of these two in mind (although my gut says to take Kemp). It is a choice I’ve pondered extensively. Migs = safe, better avg. Prince = unproven upside, massive power. Now I’m just waiting to see the Tigers projected lineup…