Fantasy 40/40: 2011 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Danny Espinosa
Danny Espinosa 2B, WAS
The Washington Nationals rookie got the September call up last season and introduced himself to the league with a hot start which included a 2 HR, 6 RBI performance against the New York Mets. Weird. He finished 2010 with a bit of a flameout and had off-season surgery to fix the hamate bone in his hand; a surgery notoriously known for sapping power from players for months.
However, he’s healthy now, reportedly, and should get the opening nod at second base. He’s only 23 (24 in April) and has shown that fantasy power/speed combo. Espinosa put together a 18/29 season in the minors in ‘09 and had a 28/25 campaign last season if you add up his totals in AA, AAA and his 28 games in the Majors. His .214 BA will not stick around, yet I don’t think he’ll ever be a .300 hitter, either. Rather, a .240 to a possible .260 is more likely. But his strikeout to walk ratio is something to look at and may indicate a career free-swinger.
- 129 SO: 74 BB in ‘09
- 146 SO: 50 BB in ‘10 (Minors+Majors)
Moving on, check out his career slugging percentages:
- ‘08 – .359 in 64 ABs – Level: A-
- ‘09 – .460 in 474 ABs – Level: A+
- ‘10 – .464 in 386 ABs – Level: AA
- ‘10 – .463 in 85 ABs – Level: AAA
- ‘10 – .447 in 103 ABs – Level: Majors
I say sleeper because he could be a middle infield option who goes for 20/20 and slugs .460 (that’s the career slugging average for Dustin Pedroia by the way). I say sleeper because his name is Danny Espinosa and he plays for the Washington Nationals. Who? And you can probably draft him later in mixed leagues, if not on the waiver wire in shallower leagues.
Yes, there may be a little risk and a slow gallop out of the gate because of the surgery, but I expect Espinosa to get all the necessary time to adjust to his position defensively, along with all the growing pains that come with a full major league season. Worst case? He plays sub-par to start the season, hitting .214 and he loses his job. I say not likely.
One day, depending on his lineup spot, I see a .270/28/80/80/20 guy with a fantasy ceiling of say, Brandon Phillips? That would make him a TOP 6 option at 2B. A bit optimistic? Sure. Will it be in 2011? Maybe. Likely not. But hey, no risk, no reward.
