Roto Chronicles: American League, Sept. 29

What a difference a year makes. Time will only tell, but Ka’aihue’s breakout is slightly reminiscent of Geovanny Soto’s 2007 breakout from obscurity.

Before Ka’aihue’s September call-up to the Royals, in which he hit .286 with a home run in 21 at-bats, Ka’aihue hit .314 with 37 home runs and 100 RBI between AA and AAA.

He not only continued to showcase an excellent command of the strike zone, walking 20.5 percent of the time and only striking out 16.7 percent of the time, but his BABIP bounced back to a more standard .300-plus average, which allowed his batting average to recover.

The road is fairly open for the Hawaiian slugger, with only Ross Gload and Ryan Shealy in front of him. I am certainly not counting on either of them to keep the gig throughout 2009.

So, when you hear Ka’aihue named as the starting first baseman in Kansas City, it may end up being bigger news than you initially think. At least that’s what some of us looking for sleepers are hoping.

Second Base—Eric Patterson, OAK

In a light position for prospect talent in the American League, I had to dip a little deeper. Not actually to be considered a rookie for 2009 (he will be eight at-bats over the limit), Eric Patterson is a young middle infielder to watch, who will get regular playing time in the Oakland infield, as Mark Ellis is likely a parting free agent.

Patterson does not have the potential to become a top-of-the-line second baseman statistically, but in terms of his draft status going into 2009, he could become a sleeper pick because of his good speed and rather unfortunate .192 batting average this season.

That was partially because of a low .258 BABIP, when his standard has been over .330. He also has a solid history of hitting over .300 in the minor leagues with an OPS of .840.

The only drawback to Patterson is that he struck out an unusually high 25 percent of the time this season, as compared to a usual 16-20 percent range. If he can get that back to a manageable rate, he could be a .275 hitter with 10-15 home runs and 20-30 steals. Not bad potential for someone who likely will be undrafted next year.

Third Base—Wes Hodges, CLE

The Indians are currently void of anything remotely representing a fantasy player at the hot corner. They traded away their only productive third baseman in Casey Blake at the deadline, and Andy Marte can officially be written off as a bust. With that said, where do the Indians go for help?

Will they resign Blake in the offseason? Will they move Peralta to third, as some have suggested they should? Well, the answer may be right in front of them.

The Indians’ farm system has two third baseman, Beau Mills and Wes Hodges, that should be ready in the next two years, with Hodges likely ready to log some time in the Indians infield next season, if no free agent is signed from a really weak class at the position.

Hodges is a former second-round pick from 2006 that played this season in AA Akron, hitting .290 with 18 home runs and 97 RBI. He does not project to have much more than average power at the position, but is a hitter who has plus on-base skills.

He will initially only be worth tracking in AL-only leagues, but the potential is there to be more than a waiver wire player.

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