Tag: JP Arencibia

JP Arencibia Is Still Available

From Buster Posey to Ryan Doumit to Nick Hundley, there certainly are a lot of injuries to catchers right now. JP Arenicibia has been a top ten catcher all year and is still available in over forty percent of fantasy leagues nationwide.

Analysis: Regardless of league format, the fact that JP Arencibia is still available in fantasy leagues is absolutely shocking. We’re talking about a twenty-five year old that is third in the majors among catchers in home runs with eight, eighth in runs with eighteen and fifth in RBI with twenty-six. You just cannot ignore Arencibia’s power, he hit 32 homers in just 104 Triple A games last year. He is easily a top ten catcher right now and in the foreseeable future. Arencibia is currently on a five game hitting streak with four runs and two RBI in that span. You can no longer overlook this power hitting catcher in any fantasy format, period. He is a legit twenty homer a year player that seemingly no one wants to give any love to.

Projection: Expect 20 home runs with 50 runs and 75 RBI as Arencibia’s 2011 totals. His batting average is hovering in the .250 range now and it shouldn’t dip below .240 unless his strike out rate goes up significantly.

Carlos Ruiz To The Rescue?

With Joe Mauer on the 15 day disabled list with “bilateral weakness” in his legs it’s time to find a replacement.

Analysis: Obviously if JP Arencibia is available he is the premier power option on the wire. With Arencibia you’re looking at a guy that has hit 53 bombs in just 220 Triple A games. He seems to be a lock to hit 20 plus jacks this year and he’s available in about half of fantasy leagues. After Arencibia you’ve got the steady Carlos Ruiz. He may not be the best for batting average but he produces. The .263 lifetime hitter is coming off of a 53 RBI year on just 433 plate appearances. He’s not going to light the league on fire but he will get the job done, get his at-bats and put up some numbers that shouldn’t hurt you. He puts the ball in play a ton and that’s all you can ask from a lower tier catcher at this point in the season. The big concern has to be with Mauer though. Does this injury last more than the fifteen days or will he be fine? Will the injury come back and linger all year or will he win another batting title? Regardless, by this time next year JP Arencibia will be a top eight catcher so act now if he is available, if not Ruiz will keep trucking along.