LestersLegends.com

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Freddy Sanchez has seven hits in his first fifteen at bats, which is good for a .467 batting average. He has scored three runs, smacked a home run, and collected three RBI. That begs the question, is he just a fast starter or is he for real?
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Sanchez’s career monthy numbers look like this:
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• April:  .281 batting average, .745 OPS
• May:  .314, .768
• June:  .289, .725
• July:  .263, .658
• August:  .333, .854
• September:  .305, .755

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His career batting average is .299 and his career OPS is .752. The past three years his numbers have been:
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• April:  .272, .704
• May:  .296, .749
• June:  .255, .658
• July:  .239, .570
• August:  .329, .826
• September:  .316, .775

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He is just a steady producer. He won’t know  your socks off, but he can certainly hit for average. He’s not a guy that gets out of the gates quick and then fades. He historically has had a little dip in July before finishing strong.
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His main concern is his durability. Sanchez played in 111 games in each of the past two years. He played in 145 and 147 in his previous two seasons. He’ll never be the player he was in 2006 when he broke on the scene hitting .344 with 85 runs and 85 RBI, but he’s a solid middle infield option and backup second baseman. He’s not going to continue to hit .400+, but he’s a strong be to finish the month with a batting average north of .300.

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Brandon Belt will start the season as the Giants’ starting first basemen. The promising young star hit .319 and .323 in his two years at the University of Texas. He tore up Single-A+ pitching to the tune of a .383 batting average and a 1.120 OPS last year. He jumped to Double-A Richmond and continued to produce hitting .337 with a 1.036 OPS. He wasn’t as successful with Triple-A Fresno hitting .229, but managed a .956 OPS. His combined numbers over the three levels are .352, 99 runs, 23 HR, 112 RBI, and 22 stolen bases in 492 at bats.
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He hasn’t let up this spring hitting .282 with ten runs, three HRs, 13 RBI, and two SBs in 71 at bats. The question is whether on not his hot hitting can carry over the regular season. Given the way he’s handled himself with the bat at every level he has played, I wouldn’t put it past him. If you’re looking for some a player on your waiver wire with big upside, consider Belt.

Click here to enter the 2011 Fantasy Baseball Team Name Contest
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Pablo Sandoval was one of the most disappointing players in all of baseball last year. He went from posting a .330-79-25-90-5 line to a .268-61-13-63-3 one. His slugging percentage dropped from .556 to .409, his OPS from .943 to .732. In short, it was a disaster. Sure, he won a World Series ring, but that did no give his fantasy owners any solace.
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Things should turn around for Kung Fu Panda in 2011 though. He has lost nearly 40 pounds in the offseason. He is by no means a scrawny little thing, but losing that weight should pay big dividends. He should be quicker on the basepaths. He should be much better at avoiding fatigue. He’s still has enough mass to hit for power.
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Not only did he lose a bunch of weight, but he should be more sound mentally and emotionally. Last year Panda went through a bitter divorce. It’s hard to measure how much of a toll it took, but Sandoval struggled with it. Shortly after the divorce was final, Panda had easily his best month of the season. He hit .312 in August with six home runs and 16 RBI.
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His struggles would return in September as he hit .207, but I’m convinced he’ll be more prepared mentally and physically in 2011. He also worked with Barry Bonds this winter to improve his approach at the plate. Say what you want about Barry, but he was one of the fiercest batters in baseball history.
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You won’t have to use as early a pick on Panda either this year. His average draft position, according to Mock Draft Central, is 139, which is 12th highest among third basemen. Given that the position is so shallow, getting a player who can hit .300+ with 20+ HRs in the 12th round is an absolute steal.
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There are few players that can bounce back as far as Panda can. I’m sold on the rebound. How about you?
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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

Images courtesy of Icon SMI

Barry Zito had a revival or sorts last year. After struggling with a combined 21-30 record with a 4.83 ERA, he rebounded with a 10-13 record and a 4.03 ERA. Perhaps even more impressive were the 154 strikeouts, which were the most for Zito since 2005.

He was brilliant from mid-July through August with a 4-2 record and a 1.92 ERA. He had 45 strikeouts in 56.3 innings (7.2 K/9). 

Things aren’t all peachy though as he closed out 1-2 with a 4.55 ERA. Even with a few rough outings down the stretch, to go along with a rough April and June, there were positives to take away from Zito’s 2009 season.

I don’t see him bouncing back to pre-San Francisco Giants numbers, but I do think he can be used as a spot starter. I wouldn’t necessarily draft him, but I would monitor him. He was streaky last year, and if he shows signs of heating up, go ahead and ride him while he’s hot.

Prediction:  11-14, 4.10 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 140 Ks

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
Detroit Tigers: Miguel Cabrera
Florida Marlins: Cameron Maybin
Houston Astros: Lance Berkman
Kansas City Royals: Billy Butler
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Howie Kendrick
Los Angeles Dodgers: James Loney
Milwaukee Brewers: Corey Hart
Minnesota Twins: Joe Nathan
New York Mets: Jason Bay
New York Yankees: Robinson Cano
Oakland A’s: Kevin Kouzmanoff
Philadelphia Phillies: Jimmy Rollins
Pittsburgh Pirates: Octavio Dotel
San Diego Padres: Everth Cabrera