FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The American League thought it was done with Alfonso Soriano after he signed an eight-year deal with the Cubs in the offseason. Wishful thinking. No, the Cubs are not talking with any AL teams about a deal that would send Soriano out of the senior circuit. The Detroit Tigers have a Soriano clone in their farm system and his name is Cameron Maybin.
Maybin, the Tigers' 2005 first round pick, caught everyone's attention after he hit .429 in 17 spring games. There was no need to keep him in the majors since he was just 19 at the time. So off to their Class A affiliate -- the Lakeland Flying Tigers -- he went. I had the chance to see Maybin up close on Monday and Tuesday as his team took on the Fort Myers Miracle. Let me tell you something; this kid has future All-Star written all over him.
The 6-4, 205-pounder hits second for the Flying Tigers, but with his great combination of speed and power, he can easily bat leadoff and fill the stat sheet like Soriano. Maybin is going to be the reason that the Tigers eventually move Curtis Granderson down the lineup. He started the season 0-for-11, but broke out of his slump by hitting homers on three consecutive nights from April 11-13. Through 12 games, he is hitting .282 with four homers, seven RBI and four stolen bases. He has the potential to be a 40-40 guy and that is just music to the ears of Fantasy owners. The only problem -- Maybin likely won't arrive in the majors until 2008 at the earliest. Make sure to remember his name. This kid has all the tools to succeed.
While scouting Maybin, I also had the chance to eyeball another one of the Tigers' prized prospects -- left-handed pitcher Andrew Miller. He first appeared on the national radar while leading North Carolina to the College World Series in 2006. After being selected sixth overall by the Tigers in last year's draft, Miller wound up in the majors as per a stipulation in his contract. Miller pitched just 10 1/3 major league innings in '06, so it was unlikely he was going to make the jump straight from college. Although after watching him Monday, he might be one of the few who could do it.
Miller pitched an eight-inning, complete game loss in chilly conditions. He only took the 1-0 loss because two errors led to an unearned run. But his stuff was just filthy. Out of the first nine hitters, only one got the ball out of the infield. He allowed just three hits while striking out six and snapping off curveballs well into the eighth inning. As the game went on, he just kept getting stronger. He sets up very fast after every pitch, reminiscent of Roy Halladay, and he is going to have the same Fantasy impact, if not better. He is on the fast track to the majors unlike Maybin, and we might see him make his first major league start this season. He could climb through the ranks as fast as Matt Garza did for the Twins last season.
Maybin & Miller. It's not a law firm, but perhaps the future of Fantasy.
Randy Johnson is a free agent in my league. What can we realistically expect from him when he returns? -- Matt Barrett, St Louis, Mo.
MH: Old age is catching up with him, but he is still good for the occasional win and quality strikeout game. If he ever finds the cutter that used to run in on right-handers, he could be better than expected. Don't hesitate in grabbing Johnson off waivers. He might not be a frontline Fantasy starter, but he is no slouch either.
Who would you rather have in a Rotisserie format -- Ryan Zimmerman or Alex Gordon? -Michael Farley, Huntsville, Ala.
MH: Neither player is doing particularly well at this time, but we have seen Zimmerman succeed at this level, and we are told that Gordon will do the same. Both players are great, but just based on long-term potential, I would go with Gordon. Also, he is going to steal a lot more bases than Zimmerman and that is definitely of help in Rotisserie formats.
What should I do with Ryan Howard? Should I try to trade him or should I just keep him? --Michael Cheretes, Clifton, N.J.
MH: Keep him, despite his current injury. I am getting a ton of correspondence asking about trading Howard and Albert Pujols. These guys are great power hitters; they are just stuck in a funk to open the season. They will come around. Trust me. I know how frustrating it can be to see early-round picks flounder, but like I said before, if this were the middle of the season there would be far less panic.
If Armando Benitez loses his closer's job with the Giants, who will take over? --Jim Martin, Oregon
MH: It looked as though Brian Wilson would be the guy coming out of spring training, but the team optioned him to Triple-A to get more work in as a closer. He still could be the guy called on when or if something goes wrong with Benitez. Or the team could look to lefty Jonathan Sanchez since he is already on the major league roster.
Should I start to worry about Stephen Drew? --Ryan Forman, Reston, Va.
MH: No. He is still adjusting to life as a leadoff hitter in the majors, but he is too good of a player to be in a long-term slump. The Diamondbacks will work with him and he will get his confidence back. I would think about benching him until he starts to come around, but he is a solid young ball player and is going to help Fantasy owners a lot.
I heard great things about the Padres rookie 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff, so I drafted him as my sleeper pick. What is your take on him? --Jason Beaudry, North Bay, Ontario
MH: Kouzmanoff is the reason why the Padres shipped Josh Barfield to Cleveland. He isn't off to a great start with a .135 batting average through Tuesday, but he is getting everyday at-bats. I think you summed it up perfectly. You drafted him as a sleeper pick and that was the right way to look at it. He is going to have his struggles in his first full year in the bigs, but he has the potential to hit for a decent average and knock in some runs.
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