How Will Asdrubal Cabrera Do For The Tampa Bay Rays?
Last season, Asdrubal Cabrera experienced one of his most challenging years of his career. Not only was he traded away from the Cleveland Indians, but he struggled in limited action with Washington to end the year. The free agent was hoping to earn a sizable payday
, but his lack of production in fantasy baseball really hurt his prospects. He has landed on his feet in Tampa Bay, but now he will be looking to try to get back into the upper half of shortstops in baseball.
Tampa Bay went through quite a few changes over the winter, and Cabrera is now going to be asked to be the starting shortstop for a franchise trying to stay competitive in the American League East. He has done a very good job in spring training with his defense, and that should allow him to stay at the position even if he struggles at the plate. With that being said, a .229 batting average like last season with Washington is not going to keep him in the lineup for long.
In his prime with Cleveland, Cabrera was able to play defense at a Gold Glove level, and he was also able to show some pretty decent power. He probably will never hit 25 home runs again like he did in 2011, but 15 or so is definitely attainable. Couple that with a batting average of at least .270, and you are looking at a guy who could get some All-Star consideration.
The shortstop position isn’t as deep as it has been in the past, so getting back among the top 10 or so shortstops in the game isn’t entirely out of the question for Cabrera. At 29 years old, he has a few years left in his prime to resurrect his career a little bit. People in fantasy baseball should look at him as a very low risk guide to draft late. He isn’t going to get a lot of attention at the beginning of the year, but Tampa Bay already trusts him as the starter.
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