Fielder Signs In Detroit — Fantasy Implications

The Tigers made by far the biggest splash to date in 2012 when they inked former Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder to a massive nine-year deal on Tuesday.  Several players will see a change in fantasy value due to the Son of Cecil’s arrival in Motown.  Let’s examine the changes that savvy fantasy owners should be aware of:

Prince Fielder: Prince already ranked among the league’s elite hitters, and joining the Tigers ensures that he’ll have every chance to stay in that group for several seasons.  Hitting in tandem with Miguel Cabrera should allow him to produce similar numbers to when he was hitting behind Ryan Braun, and the rest of the Tigers lineup is arguably better than the one he leaves behind in Milwaukee.  Keeper league owners will appreciate the fact that Fielder can move to DH when he hits his mid-30′s.  Comerica Park isn’t going to do him any favors, but this is an elite power hitter who can knock ‘em out of pretty much any park on a regular basis.

Miguel Cabrera: It seems that Cabrera will gain third base eligibility in most leagues by the middle of April.  That fact alone makes the Fielder signing a boon to Cabrera’s fantasy value.  Talented hitters at the hot corner are harder to come by than first base, and there’s now an argument that Cabrera should be the No. 1 pick in 2012 drafts.  In terms of offensive numbers, adding Fielder provides Cabrera outstanding lineup protection and should help him have one of his best seasons in 2012.  Don’t forget that Victor Martinez – the man Fielder replaces in Detroit’s lineup – was no slouch last season.  Fielder could help Cabrera’s numbers a bit, but Martinez was already doing a good job of supporting the Tigers’ top slugger.

No. 1: In my opinion, Cabrera is in a virtual tie for the top pick with Matt Kemp and Albert Pujols.  I’d take him ahead of Pujols because of the new eligibility and less change during the offseason.  But, I’d strongly consider Kemp over either player because he offers speed, power and batting average.  For owners who want the safest possible first-rounder, Miggy is the choice.

Brennan Boesch: Whoever hits second in Detroit is going to score a lot of runs in 2012.  I’m guessing that will be Boesch, who hit well for two-thirds of a season in 2011 and could have a true breakout this year.  My best guess for Detroit’s batting order is: Austin Jackson, Boesch, Cabrera, Fielder, Delmon Young, Jhonny Peralta, the DH, Alex Avila, the 2B (Ryan Raburn/Ramon Santiago).   Young is also a candidate to hit second, but my guess is that Boesch will get first crack at the slot.

Justin Verlander and friends: The Fielder signing is a double-edged sword for Detroit’s starting staff.  On the positive side, he’ll help their win totals by providing even more offensive support.  Detroit appears to be further ahead of the rest of their division than any other team in baseball, giving Verlander a great chance to win 20 games for a second straight season.  But, the defense behind Detroit’s hurlers will be subpar when Cabrera is at the hot corner instead of Brandon Inge.  Peralta is not a top defensive shortstop and Raburn isn’t great at second, so the Tigers will have a weak defensive infield on many days.  It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Tigers give up more runs in 2012, especially when grounder-reliant hurlers Rick Porcello and Doug Fister are on the mound.

The third base “problem”: It’s been well-documented that fantasy options at the hot corner ain’t what they used to be.  Personally, I think the problem has been overblown.  Each fantasy owner needs to roster only one third baseman and can choose to use two or three first baseman to fill the corner infield and utility slots.  At the moment, 20 of my top 45 corner infielders have third base eligibility.  That’s plenty for every owner in a 15-team league to find a third baseman, and some owners will even own two of them.  Adding Cabrera to that group provides even more depth.

For 2012, a top tier of Cabrera, Evan Longoria and Jose Bautista is very strong at third base.  A second tier of Adrian Beltre, David Wright, Ryan Zimmerman and Brett Lawrie gives fantasy owners plenty of options in rounds 3-5.  And, names like Pablo Sandoval, Mark Reynolds, Alex Rodriguez, Kevin Youkilis, Aramis Ramirez and Michael Young are waiting in the middle rounds.  That’s 13 names owners should feel comfortable starting, not to mention several sleepers waiting in the later rounds for those who neglect the position early.