Tag: Melky Cabrera

Melky Cabrera notched his third home run of the season Sunday afternoon against the New York Yankees.

Analysis: Melky has 3 home runs through 7 games this year… he had 3 home runs all of last year in 88 games. Who knows if Melky is back on his “vitamins” or if last year was just an injury plagued off year? What we do know is that the Melk Man is a solid ballplayer and that he is leading off for the Blue Jays which will mean his run total should be great considering his lifetime OBP is a respectable .337 and he has Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion to drive him in each game.

Melky Cabrera can produce in all five categories as a solid middle tier fantasy outfielder. He was banged up for most of last year and it is easy to forget that the Melk Man is just twenty-nine years old. Currently, Melky Cabrera is available in 30-60% of fantasy leagues. He’s not likely to sustain this kind of power but he is capable of 15-20 bombs, a solid batting average, some speed and plenty of runs.

Melky Cabrera is being dropped from leagues across the country, so… should you stick with him?

Analysis: Melky is hitting .258 this year with 1 home run and 2 stolen bases. Obviously there is room for improvement but his last few games have been impressive. Melky has compiled 7 hits, 1 home run and 3 RBI in his last four games. He still offers a lower tier power/speed combo that will be valuable going forward considering his batting average will rise. Cabrera’s BABIP this year is 15 points below his career average and 50 points below his BABIP over his last two years.

There are a few negatives here. Melky’s isolated power is significantly down from his career average. He’s also striking out at a 16% clip which is the highest of his career but keep in mind the small sample size and the fact that 16% isn’t all that bad to begin with. A once universally owned outfielder is now available in 12-20% of fantasy leagues. No one quite knows what to make of Melky thus far but he has been a valuable fantasy option three of his last four years in baseball. Hope for the best in regards to his power numbers and bank on the average and stolen bases becoming an asset.

Melky Cabrera is leading the National League in hitting with a .374 batting average but it will not last for long.

Analysis: Melky Cabrera’s .415 BABIP is the fourth highest in all of baseball and is .108 points above his career average. Thus, he’s due for a big drop off. Cabrera’s walk and strikeout rates this year are virtually identical to his career averages so he isn’t improving in those areas. He is coming off of a career year which saw him hit .305 with 18 HR, 102 R and 87 RBI for the Royals. However, 2011 was a bit inflated as well. His BABIP was still .25 points above his career average and it was his only season as a professional that he has hit over .280. Cabrera’s power is peaking, I’ll give you that but he isn’t a .310-.320 type of hitter. He does just about all of his damage off of fastballs and he’s still swinging at too many balls outside of the strike zone(32.3%).

The Melk Man’s fantasy value will not get any higher and now is the perfect time to capitalize on those owners who just cannot resist the flavor of the week. Expect a .290 batting average going forward to go along with eight to ten more home runs and ten steals.