Fantasy 40/40: 2011 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana C, CLE
The main piece of the Casey Blake trade with the Dodgers, he shares his name with a Grammy Award winner (insert corny music comparison here). I nicknamed him Smooth last season. Why Smooth? Anyway, I drafted him in two different keeper leagues – to be my catcher for the next ten years – and waited for his arrival last season almost like an actual Indian’s fan. Well, he got the call up and impressed in his short stint (and of course I traded my man crush last year in one league to make a run for it….SMILE).
His numbers:
- ‘09 – AA – .290-23-97-91-2 in 428 AB.
- ‘10 – AAA – .316-13-51-39-6 in 196 AB.
- ‘10 – MLB – .260-6-22-23-3 in 150 AB.
His stats in AA were ridiculous for a catcher and he was on pace for another special season in ‘10 before his injury. By the way, after reading a bit, his surgery went well and he’s reportedly healthy and ready to go.
Moving on, this switch-hitting backstop also walked more than he struck out last year. You read that right. His patience is mature for his age and getting better – walking 37 times compared to his 29 punchouts in 192 plate appearances with the Indians.
Various 2011 projections have him ranked anywhere as high as #4 to as low as #10.
- ESPN – #5 catcher – .276-21-81-73-3 in 434 AB.
- CBS – #7 catcher – .253-19-66-65-5 in 450 AB.
- Bill James – .280-22-91-83-7 in 528 AB.
- Fangraphs – .279-19-97-80-6 in 462 AB.
Now, if you’ve read past posts and understand my drafting methods and strategies, you’ll know that like punters and defenses in fantasy football, I pass until very, very late for a catcher. They’re basically all the same, except for the elite options. But I’d rather draft a position player early rather than waste a pick on a catcher. Adam Vinatieri is Mason Crosby is Nate Kaeding. (Sidenote: can you name the scoring leader for kickers in fantasy ‘10? Answer at the end of the post). But, if you’re a catcher guy, and want to draft a catcher, you can grab Santana later in the draft. Instead of taking Mauer, Martinez, McCann or Posey with a top 6 round pick, take another hitter and pick up Santana in the 12th or 13th. He’ll put up similar numbers and will cost a lot less.
Would you rather have McCann/Torres or Heyward/Santana? Mauer/Nolasco or Lester/Santana? Martinez/Aramis or Beltre/Santana? Get it? If you pass on the big boys early, scoop up Santana later. Better value.
(David Akers followed by Sebastian Janikowski)
