Rotoprofessor

Cameron Maybin has long been considered one of the top prospects in all of baseball, though he didn’t always show it in the minor leagues this season.  At Double A, he hit .277 in 390 AB (108-390) to go along with 13 HR, 49 RBI, 73 R and 21 SB.

Those are good numbers, but they certainly aren’t going to make you stand up and proclaim him the next big thing in major league baseball.  He was significantly better in the Tigers organization in 2007, hitting .316 with 14 HR and 25 SB in 323 AB before he got called up to the majors in a desperation move.  He was ineffective, to say the least, in 49 AB, hitting just .143 with 1 HR and 5 SB.

Maybe that cup of coffee stunted his growth a bit, it certainly is possible.  Prior to 2008, Baseball America pegged him as the #6 prospect in all of baseball, behing only Jay Bruce, Evan Longoria, Joba Chamberlain, Clay Buchholz and Colby Rasmus.  Minor League Baseball’s official website was even more optimistic, putting him at #3, behind only Bruce and Longoria.

No matter how you slice it, the people who evaluate this type of young talent is nearly unanimous that he is going to ultimately develop into one of the games brightest stars.  The biggest question is, how soon will that actually take place?

He had hits in each of his first four games this season, the first of which didn’t come until 9/17, and he has been a real sparkplug atop the Marlins line-up,  Included in his outburst is a pair of 4-hit games, while he has scored in his first 4 games (for a total of 7 runs).  So, threw 4 games he was 10-16, good for a .625 average, though all 10 hits were singles.

He also threw in a 2 SB game for good measure, though his speed was never in question.  He has stolen at least 20 bases every season in the minor leagues and there is reason to believe that with regular AB’s, he could put up 30-35 SB, minimum, at the major league level.

The player to compare him to for 2009 is probably Carlos Gomez, who started the season as the CF for the Twins.  Prior to Sunday, he was hitting .256 with 7 HR, 55 RBI, 75 R and 31 SB.  The biggest difference is that Gomez never had shown any power in the minor leagues, it was more that experts had projected him to start hitting for more power.  While Maybin hasn’t shown excessive power, he has shown the ability to hit 15 or more in less then 350 AB.  Over a full major league season, there’s no reason to think that he can’t reach that level again, with the potential to surpass it.

I wouldn’t judge Maybin by his blazing hot finish at the major league level this season.  I see him hitting more in the .260-.275 range, though he certainly has the ability to surpass that.  I also see him giving some decent power, though 12-15 HR next season should be what you expect.  Again, he could eclipse that range, but to go into the season expecting it would be a miscalculation.  You would certainly be overvaluing a player who has the potential to fall far short of it.

What you can safely expect is a player who can run like the wind and should swipe 30+ bases.

Obviously, this is all dependent on him winning the CF job out of spring training, which is by far no guarantee.  If he does, however, he should be a late round flyer in all formats.  He’s also certainly worth stashing away in all keeper leagues, if he’s available.  He has the potential to provide Rookie of the Year type talent, making him a tremendous option in all formats.

Just temper your expectations, because it certainly is possible he falls well short of them.  As we move closer to draft day, he is certainly a player that I will give full projections on.