I would like to take this opportunity in the last Chronicle of the 2008 season to thank you for reading. Whether you read from the beginning in March, or picked up at any point through the season, I hope that I was of assistance in your pursuit for fantasy glory.
My goal was not only to bring you trends in player performance, but to go deeper into the numbers and present a more rounded look into a players’ ability, whether they were in the minor leagues, on your waiver wire, or in your starting lineup.
As we finish up 2008, what better is there to do than to start preparing for 2009? We have discussed all of the current major-league worthy fantasy players all season, so this time lets take a look into some names that I have discussed in the Futures Market section, and some new names that have yet to be discussed that could make an impact in 2009.
Each season, we all want to know who will be the next great rookie that we can find cheap and will help us win the big prize at the end of the season. So, without further ado, who will be next season’s Evan Longoria, Alexei Ramirez, Joba Chamberlain, Armando Galarraga, Mike Aviles, Jacoby Ellsbury, Chris Davis, Brad Ziegler, Nick Blackburn, Ben Francisco, David Murphy, Denard Span, or Matt Joyce?
That may be a long list, but there are always numerous rookies that at various times throughout a season are important factors in a fantasy season. This was most of them from the American League this year. Here is a list of who may be mentioned in this same manner next year.
Catcher—Matt Wieters, BAL
If you’ve read my column this summer, you know how much I love Matt Wieters. I would even dare say that he could become the top fantasy catcher as soon as he has the full-time job in Baltimore. All he did this season was destroy minor-league pitching at a .355/.454/.600 clip.
Those splits include 27 home runs, 91 RBI, 89 runs scored, and an excellent 82-to-76 walk-to-strikeout ratio. And he didn’t even falter upon his promotion to AA Bowie. There, Wieters hit for a higher average (.365 to .345), higher OBP (.460 to .448), and higher SLG (.625 to .576).
Looking deeper, Wieters hit for an excellent .383 BABIP at both Single-A Fredricktown and AA Bowie, had a combined 15.8 percent walk rate, a combined 17.4 percent strikeout rate (only 13 percent in AA), a groundball rate of 48 percent, and a home run every 16.1 at-bats. With these rates, it is easier to see why he is already being compared to Mike Piazza.
The question entering 2009 will be if he is the starting catcher from day one or if it will be later in the season. However, it seems a forgone conclusion that it will be next year, as he manhandled AA pitching at the age of 22. With that said, pay attention to his name, because if Ramon Hernandez does get traded this offseason, Wieters needs to be in your top-five catchers come draft time.
First Base—Kila Ka’aihue, KC
Alright, raise your hand if you had heard of Ka’aihue before this season. I bet there are not many of you who do. Heck, I hadn’t heard of him either. He was a career .256 hitter in the minor leagues, with a career high of 21 home runs.
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