2009 Prospect Profile: Cameron Maybin
Submitted by Imaginary Diamond Blog
Five-tool players are always appealing in fantasy, especially for youngsters who have sky-high upside. Florida Marlins outfielder Cameron Maybin is as toolsy and talented as any prospect in baseball, but there remains some debate as to just what his ceiling is.
Baseball people have had three seasons to evaluate the 21-year-old’s offensive game, and many are not sold that he can ever put it all together. Strikeouts are still accumulating at an alarming rate, even though Maybin has still been able to flourish in the minor leagues.
Maybin has whiffed 330 times in a 1,093 minor league at-bats
, a rate of one strikeout per 3.3 ABs. He has shown plus power and plus speed over that same time frame, which will prove useful in fantasy even if he struggles to break the .260 mark with his batting average.
Much to our chagrin, ESPN’s Keith Law has already used what we thought was an original comparison to veteran outfielder Mike Cameron. We won’t elaborate on their similarities, rather just make the same connection to big-time tools in a low-average, high-production package.
Cameron is a lifetime .250 hitter, but has five 20/20 seasons under his belt and averages of 22 homers and 24 stolen bases over the last 10 seasons.
Maybin is a good bet for 20/20, but it remains to be seen just how his .297 career average in the minors translates to the biggest stage. A .250 average should be considered a plus if he wins an everyday job in ‘09.
Maybin would have to really struggle to not make the big league club out of spring training. Assuming he gets a majority of the playing time in center field, projections of a .250 average, 18 home runs, 60 RBIs and 22 stolen bases would be worth a last-round flier.
The upside is tantalizing, but reality, at least in his first full season, is that Maybin still has a ways to go before becoming a fantasy star.
July 15th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
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August 6th, 2009 at 3:28 am
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August 7th, 2009 at 3:30 am
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