In the near future, Friday will be the day on which I write my weekly Help Me Help You blog answering any fantasy baseball related questions I receive via email to sandlotsabermetrics@gmail.com during the week. Since I have not yet received any questions, I will take this opportunity to talk about prospect Michael Stanton.
Stanton, the Marlins outfielder, has been one of the most anticipated call ups this year, second to only Stephen Strasburg. Unlike Strasburg, Stanton has paid his dues in the minors, playing three years while advancing through the Marlins system. He reached Double-A to start this year and has batted .306 with 17 home runs and 44 RBI's in just 43 games.
Stanton's RBI total surpasses that of everyone on the Marlins Major League roster. Though this is true, he has yet to prove himself at the Triple-A level. Still, the Marlins seem prepared to take the risk of calling him straight to the Majors.
This approach has been employed before, with varying degrees of success. It seems like a desperation move by the Marlins who are playing .500 baseball. They are currently three games out of the competitive NL East Division, but without Stanton they fear they could quickly fall out of the race.
Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said Thursday, "I don't want him feeling he is the savior, who is here to save the season." To me, that is exactly what this feels like. Stanton should be up within the next two weeks but will start out hitting in the 7th spot in the order to reduce the initial pressure on him to produce.
Fantasy wise, I see Stanton as an average outfielder in his first MLB season. He should move up in the Marlins lineup and get more RBI opportunities as the season moves forward. He is an intriguing option in all mixed leagues because of his high ceiling.
Though I don't think Stanton will even scratch his potential this season, this top prospect could easily be a viable 4th or 5th outfielder in mixed formats. Add him if he is still available in your league, but don't expect a superstar performance in his first season above Double-A.
Feel free to email me at sandlotsabermetrics@gmail.com with fantasy questions to feature in my weekly Help Me Help You blog.
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