LestersLegends.com

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Perhaps the happiest fantasy baseball players out there are those that hold Miguel Cabrera’s rights in keeper leagues. Even prior to the Prince Fielder signing, he was a consensus top three pick. Suddenly, he just became even more attractive to fantasy owners, which is hard to believe could even be possible.
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For starters, adding a bat like Fielder’s means Cabrera is going to get pitched to more frequently. They form a 1-2 punch that is even better than the combination that he formed with Ryan Braun in Milwaukee.
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You know Cabrera credentials. He is a lifetime .317 hitter. He doesn’t give you gaudy HR numbers, with a career high of 38, but he is consistent, averaging 33.1 over the past eight years. He has also hit .320 during that span with averages of 101.6 runs, 115.3 RBI and even 3.6 stolen bases. Cabrera had his two lowest RBI totals during full seasons in the past three years, but Fielder’s presence should get him back 115+ RBI territory.
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It’s not just Fielder’s bat that likely propels Cabrera to the number one spot in most leagues. While Fielder and Cabrera will likely each take terms at designated hitter, it’s Cabrera’s return to third base that puts him over the top.
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When you compare his numbers to Albert Pujols, Adrian Gonzalez, Prince Fielder, and Joey Votto, there isn’t much difference. If Mark Teixeira could get his batting average figured out, he could enter the discussion as well.
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However, when you put him up against the likes of David Wright, Adrian Beltre and Evan Longoria, not to mention the quick, steep dropoff, you’re looking at the biggest positional differential in the league, and it’s not even close.
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Also check out:

• 2012 Fantasy Baseball First Base Rankings
• 2012 Fantasy Baseball Second Base Rankings
• Additional 2012 Fantasy Baseball First Base Options

LestersLegends.com is teaming up with EE Sports World.com to break down all the divisions in baseball. My assignment was the AL Central. I’ll review the teams in the order I expect them to finish.
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First Place:  Minnesota Twins
The key to the Twins success is the health of Justin Morneau and Joe Nathan. Minnesota did an excellent job piecing things together last year with Jim Thome, Michael Cuddyer and company, but if they want to repeat as American League Central Champions, they’ll need Morneau’s bat. The Twins always seem to get by at closer so this isn’t nearly as primary a concern. Even if he falters, they have Matt Capps as an insurance policy.
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The Twins added Tsuyoshi Nishioka in the offseason to bolster their middle infield. The rest of their moves were just securing their free agents, namely Carl Pavano and Jim Thome. Delmon Young and Danny Valencia were pleasant surprises for the Twins last year while Michael Cuddyer once again showed his versatility. Denard Span struggled at times, but should bounce back.
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Francisco Liriano shined in the rotation, which will be the key to the Twins success. If they can get strong efforts from Liriano, Pavano, Scott Baker, and company there is a good chance that Ron Gardenhire pulls the right strings again to maintain A.L. Central dominance.
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Second Place:  Chicago White Sox
The White Sox added some firepower in the offseason by bringing in Adam Dunn to join the likes of Alex Rios, Paul Konerko, Alexei Ramirez, and Carlos Quentin. Juan Pierre will once again set the table, and Gordon Beckham looks to break out.
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The White Sox have a solid rotation, and should get a nice boost when Jake Peavy returns from shoulder surgery around the All-Star Break. Until then, it will be up to John Danks, Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd, and Edwin Jackson to carry the load. The White Sox lost Bobby Jenks in the bullpen, but Matt Thornton and Chris Sale should be up to the task.
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Ozzie Guillen will be entertaining, or annoying depending on your point of view, once again. You cannot accuse him of not speaking his mind. The White Sox seem to have a mental block that keeps them from getting past the Twins. If they can overcome it, the division is theirs for the taking.
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Third Place:  Detroit Tigers
Miguel Cabrera is the most talented player in the division, but he may also be the most troubled. Good news for Tigers fans and his fantasy owners that his arrest happened before the season started. He’s dealing with a serious issue though that is bigger than baseball. Fortunately the structure of the season could be what he needs to keep his life in order.
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On a less serious note, the addition of Victor Martinez gives the team a little more firepower. With Austin Jackson, Ryan Raburn, Carlos Guillen, and Jhonny Peralta, the Tigers could have a potent offense in 2011. Justin Verlander anchors the pitching staff with Max Scherzer living up to his promise. There are question marks in the back end of their rotation, which makes it hard for me to imagine they can surpass the Twins or the White Sox.
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Fourth Place:  Cleveland Indians
The Indians could actually surprise some people this year. Shin-Soo Choo is one of the most underrated players in the American League. Grady Sizemore is trying to recover from knee surgery. He was one of the most exciting players in baseball, and could really help their offense. Carlos Santana looks like one of the best young catchers in the league while Orlando Cabrera will provide veteran leadership. If players like Michael Brantley and Matt LaPorta can take the next step, the Tribe have an outside shot of taking third place.
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That is, if they get the pitching they need. Fausto Carmona had a strong year, but if he loses his mechanics on his sinker, he can go south fast. Justin Masterson has the goods, he just needs to work on his control issues. Too many free passes lead to big innings. Chris Perez is a solid closer, but the rest of the pitching staff is loaded with question marks.
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Fifth Place:  Kansas City Royals
Zack Greinke is gone. Jeff Francis, Luke Hochevar, Kyle Davies, and Vin Mazzaro do not intimidate opposing batters. Joakim Soria is one of the best closers in the American League, but how many leads will he be able to protect? Speaking of protecting, who is going to protect Billy Butler in the Royals’ lineup? Mike Aviles had a strong finish to last year and Kila Ka’aihue has a cool name and some pop, but this is a team that is going to struggle to avoid 100 losses.
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Also check out:

• 2011 Fantasy Baseball Profiles
• 2011 Fantasy First Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy A.L. Only First Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy N.L. Only First Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Second Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Third Basemen Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Shortstop Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Catcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Outfielder Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Starting Pitcher Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Closer Rankings

Image courtesy of Icon SMI

Miguel Cabrera‘s 2009 season with the Tigers couldn’t have ended on a more sour note. He spent three months getting help with an alcohol addition. Assuming his life is in order, he’ll resume doing what he’s been doing for year now…clobbering opposing pitchers.

The past six years he’s averaged 98.5 runs, 32.8 HRs, and 115.2 RBIs, all while hitting a robust .315. The scary thing is the fact that he’s only 27 (on April 18th anyway).

The question is, where do you rank him among his peers.

Obviously Albert Pujols is in a league of his own. He is without peers. He’s clearly the number one overall player, let alone first basemen.

In my estimation, Miguel Cabrera is in tier 1-A with three other first basemen. Those 1Bs, in no particular order, are Mark Teixeira, Ryan Howard, and Prince Fielder. You can’t really go wrong with them, it’s just a matter of preference.  Let’s break down their recent averages.

Cabrera (2004-2009):  .315, 98.5 runs, 32.8 HRs, 115.2 RBIs, 4 SBs
Howard (2006-2009):  .278, 102 runs, 49.5 HRs, 143 RBIs, 2.5 SBs
Teixeira (2004-2009):  .295, 100.8 runs, 36 HRs, 119 RBIs, 2.3 SBs
Fielder (2007-2009):  .288, 99.3 runs, 43.3 HRs,  121.3 RBIs, 2.3 SBs

Looking at these players and you can quickly eliminate runs and SBs from the equation as they are practically the same number for each performer. Two numbers stand out from the crowd. Miguel Cabrera’s batting average and Ryan Howard’s RBI total.

I know Ryan Howard’s 2008 average (.251) and his first-half 2009 average (.257) were tough on fantasy owners, but overall they don’t kill you. In fact, when I adjust my initial first base rankings (click to see), I think I’m going to have to put Howard at #2. I know he strikes out a ton, but the number of HRs and RBIs he brings to the table is just too valuable.

So that leaves us with Tex, Prince, and Cabrera. There isn’t much of a difference between Teixeira and Cabrera’s numbers since 2004. I give Tex a slight bump simply because of the lineup his in and the ballpark they play in.

That brings us to Prince and Cabrera. Fielder is obviously a bigger power threat. Cabrera has the ability to hit 30 or 40 points higher than Prince. Fielder’s RBI totals are higher, but they are skewed by the 141 he had last year. Cabrera’s were skewed in the wrong direction with the 103 he had last year.

Like I said, it’s a matter of preference between these guys. I happen to like what Cabrera brings to the table a little more. That doesn’t mean I think you’re wrong if you like Prince better.

Prediction:  .335, 100 runs, 35 HRs, 120 RBIs

Past profiles:
Arizona Diamondbacks:  Brandon Webb
Atlanta Braves: Yunel Escobar
Baltimore Orioles:  Adam Jones
Boston Red Sox:  Clay Buchholz
Chicago Cubs:  Geovany Soto
Chicago White Sox:  Jake Peavy
Cincinnati Reds:  Joey Votto
Cleveland Indians:  Grady Sizemore
Colorado Rockies: Ubaldo Jimenez

Thursday, August 7th
Lastings Milledge went 3 for 4 with 2 Runs, 2 HRs, and 4 RBI.  Miguel Cabrera (3 RBI) Garrett Atkins (3 RBI), David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Jeff Kent, Joey Votto, Carlos Lee, Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, Marlon Byrd, and Paul Konerko each had 3 Hits.  Hunter Pence and Mark Reynolds each had 3 RBI.   Carlos Guillen scored 3 Runs.

Mike Mussina tossed 7 scoreless Innings with 6 Ks to improve to 15-7 with a 3.27 ERA.  Charlie Morton threw 7 scoreless Innings giving up5 Hits to improve to 3-5.  Chris Volstad gave up 3 Hits in 6 scoreless Innings to improve to 3-2 with a 2.67 ERA.  Clayton Kershaw gave up 1 Run on 3 Hits in 7 Innings with 7 Ks to improve to 2-3 with a 3.71 ERA.  Jason Bergmann gave up 1 Run in 7 Innings with 7 Ks to improve to 2-8.  Roy Oswalt gave up 1 Run in 7 Innings to improve to 9-8.  Odalis Perez gave up 2 Runs in 6 Innings to improve to 5-8.  Zach Miner gave up 1 Earned Run in 6 Innings to improve to 6-4 with a 3.57 ERA.   Johan Santana gave up 2 Runs in 7 Innings with 7 Ks, but got a no-decision.  Who would have guessed the Mets would do him more wrong with their bats than the Twins did?  Felix Hernandez (8 Innings, 4 Hits, 1 Run, 5 Ks) and Andy Sonnanstine (7-1/3 Innings, 5 Hits, 1 Run) also got no-decisions. Cole Hamels gave up 2 Earned Runs in 6-1/3 Innings with 7 Ks, but lost.  Scott Feldman gave up 2 Runs in 7 Innings, but lost.

Saturday, August 2nd
Kevin Youkilis hit a pair of HRs and drove in 4 Runs.  Prince Fielder and Matt Holliday each hit a pair of HRs and had 3 RBI.  Ryan Doumit, Reed Johnson, Mike Aviles, Esteban German (3 RBI), Billy Butler, Miguel Olivo, Ross Gload, Jose Molina (3 Runs), Miguel Cabrera, Jason Bartlett, Evan Longoria (3 RBI), David Dellucci, Austin Kearns, Alberto Gonzalez, and Adam Jones each had 3 Hits.  Jason Bay, Joey Votto, John Baker, and Jed Lowrie each had 3 RBI.  Lastings Milledge scored 3 Runs.

Barry Zito tossed 8 scoreless 3-Hit Innings with 5 Ks to improve to 6-13.  Jeremy Guthrie threw a Complete Game allowing 1 Run on 4 Hits to improve to 8-8 with a 3.35 ERA,  C.C. Sabathia gave up 2 Runs on 6 Hits in 8-1/3 Innings with 9 Ks to improve to 5-0 with a 1.87 ERA with Milwaukee.  Charlie Morton gave up 2 Runs on 4 Hits in 7 Innings, but took the loss.  Ted Lilly gave up 1 Run in 6-1/3 Innings with 5 Ks to improve to 11-6.  Mike Mussina gave up 1 Earned Run on 2 Hits in 7 Innings with 5 Ks to improve to 14-7 with a 3.44 ERA.  Andy Sonnanstine gave up 2 Runs in 6 Innings with 6 Ks to improve to 11-6.  Jon Lester gave up 2 Runs in 7 Innings with 5 Ks to improve to 10-3 with a 3.14 ERA.  Paul “Free as a” Byrd gave up 1 Run in 7 Innings to improve to 6-10.  Ricky Nolasco gave up 3 Runs in 8 Innings with 13 Ks to improve to 11-6 with a 3.691 ERA.  Joe Blanton gave up 1 Run on 4 Hits in 7 Innings to win his first game with the Phillies (6-12 overall).  Braden Looper gave up 2 Runs on 3 Hits, but took the Loss.  Jake Peavy gave up 1 Run on 5 hits with 7 Ks in 7 Innings, but took the Loss.  Johan Santana gave up 1 Run on 3 Hits in 6-1/3 Innings, but got a no-decision.  Hiroki Kuroda gave up 1 Run on 4 Hits in 7-1/3 Innings with 6 Ks to improve to 6-8.