2013 RotoRob MLB Draft Kit: Third Base Rankings

/ 2013 RotoRob MLB Draft Kit, Baseball, Cheat sheets, Tim McLeod

He had his first 200-hit season, his fifth 40-double campaign and third year with a BA of at least .330. Cabrera remains on the good side of 30 yet is already closing in on 1,000 runs, 2,000 hits, 350 homers and 1,200 RBI. Oh, and he’s nearly a .320 hitter for his career. Is it too soon to decree him one of the greatest to ever play the game? The reigning AL MVP is going off the board in the top two picks in this year’s drafts — especially now that he has third base eligibility. Let’s nitpick: Cabrera’s walk rate dropped to its lowest level since 2008. What a freaking stiff! Did we mention he set a new career high with 139 RBI? Like we said… a total dud here, folks. Nothing to see.

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2013 RotoRob MLB Draft Kit: Top 60 Prospects, Part II

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Well, the former UTA star moved up to Double-A last year, but he left much of his power in the low minors. Choice remains one of the top prospects in the A’s system, but the 10th overall pick from 2010 had his 2012 season derailed by a busted hand. Oakland has way more depth in the outfield now than it did a year ago, so there is no reason to rush Choice, which is good, because clearly lots more seasoning is in order. Last year, he only managed a third the number of homers he had smoked in 2011, and while his prospect status was tarnished in the minds of many, we have kept him steady and decided to give him a mulligan. Choice is still only 23, so the snag in the road that was 2012 is not nearly enough to completely derail his chances. But assuming his extra-base power recovers this year, he should start bouncing back on the prospect lists. There is just no way you can give up on power like Choice has. And if his contact skills ever improve even just a tad, look out. At 6’0″, 215 pounds, this kid is built to mash and this season will tell us much about whether he’ll become a star or fade into obscurity.

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2013 RotoRob MLB Draft Kit: Top 60 Prospects, Part I

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The Twins have done a great job of developing outfielders over the years, and Hicks is poised to continue that tradition. He’s athletic, but his less than inspired performance in the Venezuela Winter League suggests that some seasoning at Triple-A might be in order. Still, Hicks’ huge 2012 campaign has definitely helped shoot him up this list after entering last season as barely a top 75 prospect. The 23-year-old, taken 14th overall in 2008, is an extremely patient hitter, but he’ll need to improve his contact skills if he’s going to stick as a top of the order threat. We love the step forward this switchhitter took at the plate last year as his developing power put him on the map as a legitimate five-tool prospect. Hicks’ walk rates have always been top notch, but last year he showed tremendous progress in his basestealing success rate.

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2013 RotoRob MLB Draft Kit: Shortstop Rankings

/ 2013 RotoRob MLB Draft Kit, Baseball, Cheat sheets, Tim McLeod

Well, his extra-base pop wasn’t quite as good as it was in Miami, but he definitely did bring power to the west coast. Ramirez was having a decent comeback effort with the Fish, but his run total surprisingly went down after joining what was a more stacked Dodger lineup – at least on paper. Overall, he did hit better last year, but he’s still nowhere near the player he was from 2006 to 2010. Ramirez went to the Dominican Winter League, and while a shoulder woe kept him at DH and 3B, he did hit well. The Dodgers, however, wanted him to play more shortstop in anticipation of the upcoming season. To make matters worse, the solid work did not carry over to the Caribbean Series, making him a bit of a risk pending a clear health report. The fact that he also hurt his knee in the final Carribbean Series game is another worry, although it was reportedly not serious. You get the point, though: H-Ram is a tad fragile of late. And while Ramirez’s extra-base power recovered somewhat last season, a shoulder issue would make it difficult for him to return to his days of a .200+ ISO. Ramirez is also listed in our Third Base Rankings, coming shortly.

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2013 RotoRob MLB Draft Kit: Texas Rangers Top 23 Prospects

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Surprisingly, the Rangers are considering letting Olt stay with the big club even if an everyday job is unavailable when camp breaks. Cruz’s situation will prompt Texas to give Olt some outfield reps this spring, and that will improve his ability to make the team. Another highly hyped Ranger prospect, Olt has some experience in the outfield, so the move wouldn’t be a tough transition. He didn’t hit well in the Dominican Winter League, but he excelled for a long enough stretch at Double-A to make us believe he’s ready for the bigs. Olt has stupendous power potential, but he’s definitely going to struggle to make contact. He’s going to spend most of 2013 at the age of 23, meaning that he still has several years of power growth ahead of him.

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2013 RotoRob MLB Draft Kit: Second Base Rankings

/ 2013 RotoRob MLB Draft Kit, Baseball, Cheat sheets, Tim McLeod

Still, he remains a key source of power for a Bronx Bomber squad that may actually need more pop this season. Last year, Cano set a career high in runs while enjoying his best power season yet. Yes, the Yanks exercised their $15 million option on him for 2013, but this is his walk season, so that’s a story that will need to be closely monitored. The slam dunk first keystone corner dude off the board, Cano is likely going in the middle of the first round after setting a career high in wRC+. Sure, he stunk it up in the playoffs, but over the course of an entire season, no one is in Cano’s class at second base.

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