2011 Fantasy Baseball Player Analyzer: Aramis Ramirez 3B Chicago Cubs

If you were to look at how shallow a certain position is in fantasy baseball this season, you would have your usual suspects such as catcher and shortstop. Certainly on that needs to be added to the list is third base which has gotten very top heavy the last year or so and took a huge hit when Miguel Cabrera lost his eligibility before last season. At the top you got Evan Longoria, David Wright, Alex Rodriguez, and Ryan Zimmerman but after those four are off the board, the value drops quickly (Kevin Youkilis once he gains eligibility deserves to be slotted right after the top five) and you are now looking at guys with question marks such as Adrian Beltre, Michael Young, and Jose Bautista. Also in that group is Chicago Cubs stalwart Aramis Ramirez who has a lot of questions to answer himself coming off yet another injury plagued season. His batting average plummeted when he was the field all the way down to the .241 mark and since he turns 33 this season, many are wondering if he is worth drafting again for 2011. Lets find out what I think Ramirez can supply for this season and what kind of numbers we are looking at.

As far as Ramirez and his game is concerned, there is little doubt that when he is on the field, he truly is one of the better hitters in the game. During his prime years with the Cubs from 2004-2008, Ramirez combined a .300 plus average 30 home run power. No doubt guys that can hit for power with .300 batting averages are very attractive in fantasy baseball and Ramirez lived up to his end of the bargain by supplying top end numbers for the position all through that time period. Than 2009 came around and Ramirez came down with two separate shoulder injuries that only allowed him to accumulate 306 at-bats with 15 homers. It was a disappointing season for sure but one that could be chalked up to some unfortunate health problems that afflict everyone at one time or another. The problem was that 2010 was not much different as Ramirez landed on the DL once again and was only able to grab 465 at-bats with the average taking a nosedive. The positive thing here was that Ramirez was able to swat 25 homers during those at-bats which tells me the shoulder woes have not robbed him of his power yet. But what about the batting average?

Looking at the average a bit closer, its clear that Ramirez suffered from some bad luck here with a lower than usual BABIP which depressed the number. No doubt that once that corrects itself this season, Ramirez should be back in the .280-.300 range like usual. And since the power still was very good last season despite the hurts, a return to a 25-home run/.290 batting average is very well within his grasp.

All in all, Aramis Ramirez is still a good investment in my book due to the dearth of good options with the third base position. The ability to hit for a good average with nice power is always welcome on my team and even though injuries are becoming more frequent, the cheaper price Ramirez will come attached with this season make this a smart draft choice.

2011 PROJECTION: .288 BA 71 R 27 HR 88 RBI 1 SB