Jaimer Candelario is a 24 year old switch-hitting 3B who came up through the Cubs system but found himself blocked several ways at the Cubs MLB level. The Tigers liberated him last midseason with a trade that sent Justin Wilson and Alex Avila to the Cubs. Candelario went on a tear after getting Calle up to Detroit with a .330 BA. He's unlikely to hit .330 for a full season but he's an excellent hitter with gap+ power and a relatively rare ability to maintain strong walk and contact rates. Gap+ power does not really do him justice as he is an extra base machine. Last season he had exactly 600 PA'a over 2 levels with 2 organizations and hit 45 doubles, 4 triples and 18 HR's with 9.2 BB% and 21.1 K%. Through most of his minor league career, he maintained double digit walk rates while keeping his K rate under 20%.
It looks like the Tigers are willing to move Nick Castellanos off 3B to make room for Candelario which is good for prospective fantasy baseball owners. He should be the full time starter at 3B. He is better batting RH, but no slouch from the left side of the plate either. He may have more value in OBP leagues than standard 5X5's.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Off topic, but just had a thought: does a Chris Shaw swap for Christian Yelich make sense for either team?
ReplyDeleteDoes for us! Over the past three seasons he's put up 11.4 WAR (2.4 then 4.5 then 4.5). And in 2014, it was another 4.5 WAR season making it 15.9 WAR over the past four years. :) OTOH, power hitting 1B are not exactly a scare commodity and many struggled last year and are struggling this year to find a home.
DeleteYet quality CFers have become, today, what quality shortstops were in the past -- hard to find and worth their weight in $100 bills.
Honestly, I think if were to get Yelich, we'd have to give up Ramos and at least one or two more quality prospects or someone like Panik.
Chris Shaw might be part of a package for Christian Yelich but it would take much more than that and the conversation would start with Heliot Ramos. Frankly, I doubt the Giants could put together a package that would bring back Yelich at all.
Delete