2010 Fantasy Baseball Draft Profile: Justin Morneau, 1B, Minnesota Twins
Submitted by Imaginary Diamond Blog
We will be rolling out plenty of 2010 fantasy baseball coverage in the coming days, weeks and months, but let’s start right here with player-by-player profiles of our rough top 100 preseason rankings. Stay tuned to the site for more player profiles, draft kit information, rankings, sleepers, busts, etc. as the regular season approaches.
Justin Morneau, 1B, Minnesota Twins
Overview: Season ended in mid-September after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his back … injury caused his numbers to take a serious dip in the second half of the season … still managed to reach the 30-HR and 100-RBI plateaus, however … is expected to be fully recovered in 2010, but back problems tend to linger.
2009 numbers: .274 avg, 30 HRs, 100 RBIs, 85 runs in 135 games.
Key splits and trends: Hit .311 with 21 HRs and 70 RBIs before the All-Star break … Morneau’s average dipped more than .100 points in the second half, hitting just .201 with 9 HRs … was hitting just .077 in September before being shut down … got off to a hot start in 2009, though, hitting .342 with 14 HRs and 47 RBIs.
Strengths: Before this season, was as durable as any first baseman in the majors … AL MVP candidate year-in and year-out … capable of 30 HRs and 120 RBIs in any given year … considerably low amount of strikeouts for a power hitter.
Weaknesses: Morneau is coming off a debilitating back injury that forced his season to end early and seriously limited his production … has a career high of just 76 walks … hasn’t swiped a bag since 2007 … move to an outdoor stadium could cause a slow start to the season.
Bold prediction for 2010: Gets off to a slow start, but rebounds to finish with a .290 avg., 28 HRs and 100 RBIs.
