2011 Fantasy Projection No. 47: Don't Underestimate Atlanta Braves' Martin Prado

Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one-by-one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

Question: Who leads second basemen in batting average since 2008?

Chase Utley? Robinson Cano? Dustin Pedroia?

Wrong times three.

Actually, Martin Prado leads all two-baggers with a .309 batting clip since 2008. But that’s not all…

In 2010, Prado appeared on track to hit 20 HRs for the first time in his career, until a finger injury forced him to miss nearly three weeks in August, thus zapping his power stroke.

He finished with 15 HRs and 100 runs in just 140 games, and at times last season performed as a top-25 fantasy player.

Prado’s uncanny ability to put his bat on the ball gives him a world of opportunity batting in front of Jason Heyward, Chipper Jones, Brian McCann and Dan Uggla.

Last season, Prado ranked 11th among qualified batters in swinging strike rate (3.9 percent), and owned the 10th best contact rate (90.5 percent).

With the recent acquisition of Dan Uggla, Prado will be moved to left field this season. The home-grown second baseman has limited outfield experience (a grand total of five games between his minor and major league careers), but avid Braves fan and follower of the site, Josh Kullen, believes Prado will make the transition with ease:

“He’s played every position except catcher and center field with the Braves. Prado is a fighter and a dynamic team player, plus he’s going to get plenty of reps in left field this spring.”

Entering his age-27 season (a.k.a. his prime), there’s every reason to believe Prado will produce top-five numbers at the second base position.

Rotowire (148 ranking), the Yahoo! “experts” (91 ranking) and Mock Draft Central’s ADP (76.20) have failed to realize this, so consider yourself lucky.

Martin Prado is a top-50 asset that comes equipped with second base, third base and outfield eligibility. Draft him with confidence.

	PA	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG
2010 Stats	651	100	15	66	5	.307
Three-Year Average	469	67	9	49	3	.309
2011 FBI Forecast	675	105	18	70	5	.315

IMAGE COURTESY OF: FANTASY BASEBALL INSIDERS

Fantasy Baseball Insiders’ 2011 Big Board:

• Nos. 1-10: Is Pujols Still The Top Pick?
• Nos. 11-20: Where Do Votto, A-Rod and Halladay Fit In?
• Nos. 21-30: Hernandez, Lincecum or Wainwright?
• Nos. 31-40: Heyward, Upton or McCutchen?
• No. 41: Clayton Kershaw
• No. 42: Alex Rios
• No. 43: Brian McCann
• No. 44: Drew Stubbs
• No. 45: Ichiro Suzuki
• No. 46: Andre Ethier

MLB Trades: Fantasy Impact:

• Frank Francisco Traded to the Blue Jays, Who Will Be The Team’s Closer?
• Mike Napoli Traded to the Texas Rangers: Fantasy Impact
• Vernon Wells Traded to the Los Angeles Angels: Fantasy Impact 
• Adrian Beltre Traded to the Texas Rangers: Fantasy Impact

Previous articles from Fantasy Baseball Insiders:

• Guerrero to Baltimore: Why He’s Better Off in Camden Yards than Rangers Ballpark
• The Sub-2.50 ERA Curse: Why Five Elite Starting Pitchers May Regress in 2011
• 2010 Batting Average on Balls in Play Leaders: What to Expect in 2011?
• 2011 Closer’s Corner: Papelbon, Cordero & Rivera Are the Only Reliable Options