Middle-Tier CFs?

by rmarx on Jun 27, 2010 2:32 PM EDT

There are 3 CFers who have either been called up in the last couple of years, or are back in the minors that I'm looking at right now. I still consider them prospects - maybe you do and maybe you don't. Anyway, I can't see a standout between the 3 of them and was hoping some of you could shed some light on the players. I know some of you LOVE Fowler, and some of you just think he'll be okay. I'm assuming the same thing can be said about the other two players here. So, I'm just curious to see everybody's thoughts on each of the following CFs, who I consider middle-tier guys. Is there an obvious best? Obvious worst? Will one be a superstar? Are they all gold-glovers? What are their best assets?

Here are the 3 players I'm thinking about:

Dexter Fowler

Cameron Maybin

Drew Stubbs

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Comments

I've always had a soft spot for Drew Stubbs

I absolutely believe in the power and I think he can turn himself into a very good player. UZR hasn’t been kind to him this year, but there’s no reason to believe it’s anything but a small sample size issue.

I’d probably rank them:

Fowler
Stubbs (close second)
Maybin (not all that close to the other two)

by Jeff Reese on Jun 27, 2010 2:42 PM EDT reply actions

Maybin

Maybin has really fallen off that much, huh?

by rmarx on Jun 27, 2010 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions

He's young and could reclaim his status at any time

But I’m not as big of a believer as I was.

by Jeff Reese on Jun 27, 2010 2:48 PM EDT up reply actions

I think that Maybin has the most upside of the three

But he’s also the furthest away from reaching his respective upside.

I’d probably rank them the same as jar: Fowler, Stubbs, Maybin

I worry about Fowler’s defense in center (he seems to have the athleticism but his numbers have been iffy) and Stubbs’ ability to make consistent contact, though, and while Maybin probably has the most question marks of any of them, he could vault himself to the top of the group pretty easily.

I think that I have Stubbs and Maybin closer than jar does, though, if he considers them to be pretty far apart.

I like baseball.
I write for Beyond the Box Score and The Hardball Times Fantasy

by Satchel Price on Jun 27, 2010 2:57 PM EDT reply actions

interesting

it seems like we may get votes for each player being the best of the 3. It would be great if John Sickels did some kind of smack-down or something between all 3.

by rmarx on Jun 27, 2010 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions

This

I think that Maybin has the most upside of the three

But he’s also the furthest away from reaching his respective upside.

In the end, I think their career numbers/achievements will fall: Fowler, Maybin, Stubbs

by Archie A on Jun 27, 2010 10:49 PM EDT up reply actions

Fowler

never a big Maybin guy.

by TCapone30 on Jun 27, 2010 4:39 PM EDT reply actions

I have to agree with everyone so far

Fowler then Stubbs then Maybin though I do like Stubbs.

by sjkqw on Jun 27, 2010 5:00 PM EDT reply actions

I find it pretty interesting that everyone is so down on Maybin.

He was ranked in the BA Top 100 in four consecutive years, placing #31 in ‘06, #6 in ’07 and ’08, and #8 in ’09. So he’s obviously a well-regarded prospect.

Factor in the pedigree and the consistently solid minor league numbers, along with the fact that he’ll be 23 the entire season, and I’m surprised to see so little support for Maybin.

I wonder how Marlins fans feel about that return for Miggy Cabrera… Maybin, Andrew Miller, Burke Badenhop, Eulogio De La Cruz, Mike Rabelo, and Dallas Trahern. Not good.

I like baseball.
I write for Beyond the Box Score and The Hardball Times Fantasy

by Satchel Price on Jun 27, 2010 5:17 PM EDT reply actions

Miller is another interesting one

Though I don’t think anybody thought the others were expected to be anything special.

by rmarx on Jun 27, 2010 5:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Well, the other four were kind of filler, but Maybin and Miller were considered potential superstars

But Maybin is in Triple-A because he can’t seem to handle big league pitching, and Miller has regressed to the point where he’s having significant command troubles in Double-A (!) with 30 walks in 32 innings. I know that he’s a lefty with a good pedigree and his stuff used to be pretty awesome and he’s only 25, but he looks like a fraction of that pitcher now.

I like baseball.
I write for Beyond the Box Score and The Hardball Times Fantasy

by Satchel Price on Jun 27, 2010 5:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Still uncertain

It’s still hard to judge the trade, since it’s taking Maybin and Miller a long time to develop. You can’t really just look at the players involved, as the trade was also a salary dump for Dontrelle Willis, plus there was zero chance of the Marlins re-signing Cabrera long-term. So taking that into consideration, I don’t think you can call it a failure just yet. I still believe in Maybin. Miller I’ve lost some faith in, but I haven’t completely given up on.

by OraNge DusTT on Jun 27, 2010 6:52 PM EDT up reply actions

I've given up on Miller

But I think Maybin still has a shot at being a star in a good lineup with HanRam and Stanton (I don’t think Uggla will be on the team much longer).

by rmarx on Jun 27, 2010 7:12 PM EDT up reply actions

Maybe

Maybin’s consistently high rankings is more a function of BA’s tools blind spot than it is his talent. I like Maybin and would love for him to really figure it out in AAA, get called up and keep on rolling. BA loves them some tools, sometimes to the detriment of their projection accuracy.

by ToddyBaseball on Jun 27, 2010 10:51 PM EDT up reply actions

BA loves them some CFers with power.

by ThomasG on Jun 28, 2010 10:52 AM EDT up reply actions

For Years

I’ve been saying that Maybin was one of the most overrated prospects in the game. Too many strikeouts, too many ground balls, too much hype. He will never have hit for the power his supporters thought he had and he will never hit for average. Right now, I’d say his ceiling is a good 4th OF.

Going out on a limb here but I think Stubbs will have a slightly better career than Fowler and Maybin is a AAAA player.

I reject your reality and substitute my own.

by WayneCampbell08 on Jun 28, 2010 2:16 AM EDT up reply actions

My Maybin skepticism was almost as strong as my Miller love a few years ago. I thought then (and still do) that Maybin has the intelligence and skills to make the adjustments necessary to become a regular, but the adjustment period will be tough. Certainly a lot tougher than people imagined looking at his surface numbers and ARL back when he was coming up through the Tigers’ system.

As for Miller, I don’t think we’ll ever see the awesome K/GB potential that he flashed coming out of college. Though let’s not forget that guys with his kind of skills sometimes make it all the way back from the bottom. The recent resurrections (admittedly from less cavernous depths) of Jaime Garcia and Ricky Romero gives me some hope for Miller, who does a lot of the same things when he’s right.

by limozeen on Jun 28, 2010 2:57 AM EDT up reply actions