Melky Cabrera, LF, Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox left fielder had an offseason compared to his past numbers, leaving him being owned by 66.9 percent of ESPN fantasy teams, but for the numbers he put up for his career, Cabrera has a chance to bounce back in ’16.
Last season, Cabrera had a batting average of just .273 with a .314 on-base percentage and .394 slugging percentage in 158 games in his first season with the White Sox, numbers lower than what he had become accustomed to in recent seasons, especially in ’14 with the Toronto Blue Jays where he batted .301 with 171 hits, 35 doubles, three triples and 16 home runs.
The questions with Cabrera is was last season a fluke, or was it a sign of things to come?
This spring in 17 games (before Saturday), despite only having a .222 batting average, Cabrera’s slugging percentage is at .333 with an on-base percentage of .308. What really makes Cabrera undervalued is the fact the White Sox lineup is much better than last season, and batters in the order should see better pitches with the addition of Brett Lawrie and Todd Frazier in the lineup, along with Jose Abreu leading the way.
In the past five seasons, Cabrera has batted over the .300 mark three times for a season, and he plays in a lot of games, so he’ll keep a roster spot occupied on a fantasy roster as well, as the past two seasons he played in 139 and 158 games.
Cabrera is a player to watch to have an upswing statically in ’16, and he could (or should) bring more value than expected to a lineup once the season begins.
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