Rotoprofessor

The Milwaukee Brewers have a ton of offense, with much of the attention rightfully going to Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun.  They have another key player in Corey Hart who deserves a ton of respect, though rarely is it thrown his way.  Let’s take a look at the numbers he posted last season:

612 AB
.268 AVG (155 H)
20 HR
91 RBI
76 R
23 SB
.298 BABIP
.300 OBP
.459 SLG

Those numbers were down from what he posted in 2007, but it was his second consecutive 20/20 campaign, having hit 24 HR and stolen 23 bases the prior season.  That is the type of OF’er that fantasy owners should be looking for as a #2 or 3, because he has the potential to help you across the board.

Yes, his 2008 average was down a little bit, but that could be credited to an awful close to the season.  In 98 AB’s in September, Hart managed to hit just .173, a number that certainly dragged down his overall performance.  Prior to the All-Star Break he was hitting .289, showing how productive he could be.

He also failed to hit a HR in September, meaning that it was a completely lost month.  In 2007 he hit .330 with 6 HR over the final month of the season, so it certainly isn’t a trend for him to fold down the stretch.  I would expect him to hit for a little bit more power over the course of the full season, assuming he doesn’t have another outage.

I know with his speed you’d like to see him score a few more runs, but he hits primarily fifth, behind Braun and Fielder.  That gives him plenty of chances to drive in runs (which he did), but it is going to limit his potential to score them.  The mid-80’s may be his limit, unless the Brewers really add a ton of offensive talent behind him.

He’ll also turn that magical age of 27, a season in which a lot of people look for players to have huge offensive breakouts.  Obviously it’s no guarantee, but it is definitely something worth considering.

Let’s take a look at what I would expect from him in ‘09:

.288 (168-584), 28 HR, 93 RBI, 82 R, 23 SB, .308 BABIP, .332 OBP, .526 SLG

Basically, what I’m projecting is more of the same from Hart, with an improved batting average and power stroke.  Given the collapse of last season, I don’t think this is unreasonable at all.  So, if owners in your league opt to ignore him, given his overall numbers last season, do not hesitate to snatch him up.  He’s a great option in all formats, and one cold stretch shouldn’t change that at all.

There was a time that he would have been put in the conversation when people were debating over Alex Rios, Curtis Granderson and Nick Markakis.  Things have changed after he folded last season, and now he can be had rounds later (possibly as many as 3).  That certainly makes him a great value pick, since he has the talent and potential to outperform the others in ‘09.  Considering where he’s getting drafted he’s not a breakout player, but he certainly has a chance to outperform all projections

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