When the Baltimore Orioles signed former San Diego Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera, the common thought was, “eh?” Most people remember Cabrera for having a 50-game suspension for PED use, once and for all demonstrating that even a guy that averages two home runs a year may still look for ways to cheat.
All jokes aside, owners never draft Cabrera for his power; they draft him for his speed and his ability to get on base.
After his 50-game suspension Cabrera had a very sub-par 2014 and was eventually let go by the Padres. Following a podcast, the question came up asking, “Is Everth Cabrera a buy-low candidate?” Well, let us take a look and see if he really is a good buy-low candidate.
Cabrera is fast, knows how to steal a base, and has never been known for his contact ability. His career .248/.319/.333 slash line is as average as average can be, but that .319 OBP is actually his most interesting stat to keep an eye on. With his main value in speed, his ability to get on base is actually a very important, and his career 8.7% walk rate is a good sign that he can keep that up.
On the flip side, we have seen improvement in his pitch recognition, and he has decreased the number of strikeouts. Yes, a 20.9% strikeout rate is still higher than teams would like to see from a potential leadoff hitter, but it is still at the league average at least. With little power to speak of from Cabrera, owners have to rely on his speed to get value, and he supplied that in spades until 2014 came around.
Now to the question at hand: Is Cabrera fantasy-relevant in 2015? Why would he be? The answer is simply where he signed makes him very interesting. Jonathan Schoop is the Orioles' current second baseman, and while Schoop has power, 16 home runs in 2014, he also hit only .209/.244/.354.
Given that Schoop is no more reliable than Cabrera in the batting average department, the team is likely to keep Schoop on a very short leash. Cabrera has a better ability to get on base and can provide some much needed speed. In a lineup that is in desperate for some speed, he could move into some serious playtime. Given the team and his abilities, Cabrera could be a very interesting buy-low candidate for cheap steals for fantasy owners.
For owners that have interest in Cabrera, how do they go about getting him? As intriguing as Cabrera is, he is not a starter just yet and should not be drafted unless it is late in the draft. Cabrera does not have secure playing time at the time, and we do not know exactly what Cabrera will do. There are just too many question marks on Cabrera to make him draftable.
On the other hand, that does not mean he is unownable. If he signs, he will get playing time. The best suggestion is that if owners are dead set on going after him, they should put him on a watch list and track the Orioles' use of him. If Cabrera starts playing more games consecutively, a sign he is getting regular time, then go ahead and pick him up, but bench him.
