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2011 brings a fresh crop of youngster looking to break into the bigs. Here's a few who stand a chance of seeing the spotlight in 2011:
Mike Moustakas - The Royals 3B of the future finally delivered on the promise of a #2 overall selection by tearing up the Texas League and earning a call to AAA. He doesn't walk much and what little walking he did vanished in AAA. He balances that by not striking out a ton, especially for a power hitter. He'll provide power as soon as he arrives and could be a good source of AVG too. The lack of walks will limit the runs and the lineup around him will limit his RBI. He will likely take some time to adjust to major league pitching but once he does he could join the likes of Wright, Longoria and Zimmerman among the game's top fantasy three baggers.
more after the jump...
Zachary Britton - Britton is the latest in a charge of hot-shot Orioles pitching prospects. He has elite groundball skills which might help him in the homer- happy AL East but he lacks the strikeout punch to be a real fantasy star. Unless you're in a league that tracks GB it's best to lower expectations on him. He'll be a fine pitcher in real-life value but unless he finds a way to get batters out on strikes he likely won't hold much fantasy value.
Desmond Jennings - Many expected Jennings to start the year in Tampa after the departure of Carl Crawford. It looks like the acquisition of Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez will push Desmond back to the minors for the time being and his value in 2011 takes a major hit. Jennings remains a key piece of the Rays future OF plans so he should see a chunk of time in the majors in 2011. Expect him to have a starting role by then end of the season where he'll provide solid SB totals and a .270+ AVG with little power.
Simon Castro - Castro should get the call to the majors once a spot opens up in San Diego and he could be a nice addition. He does a good job of missing bats and keeps the ball down. Starting in 2009 he has dramatically improved his command. If he can strike out more than 7 per 9 in the majors he should produce solid numbers and that K-rate will go a long way in determining just how good he'll end up. If Cory Luebke has success in 2011 it may delay Castro's arrival but I'm not too worried about it. He should be a solid #2 behind Mat Latos in the not too distant future.
Alex White - Cleveland is looking for anything to point to a brighter future and White might benefit by getting a shot in the majors. There's no one standing in his way on the Indians and a solid showing in AA could mean a promotion to the big club. He likely won't be roster worthy for your fantasy team when he arrives due to a poor team and limited strike out ability but there's a good chance he can get and hold a job in the rotation and will be worth following for that reason alone. Looking to the future he'll probably end up being a back of the rotation guy on your fantasy team. Carlos Carrasco and Justin Masterson are better bets for anyone looking for an Indian starter to bank on.