3B Sleeper Alert - Jorge Cantu

The Florida Marlins have placed 3B Jose Castillo on waivers, more or less guaranteeing the starting job to Jorge Cantu. The thought was early on that Castillo and Cantu would split time at 3B with Castillo being used more for his defense and Cantu positioned there more for his bat, than his glove.

FANTASY IMPACT

We have been high on Cantu winning this job this spring, but never expected the Marlins to dump Castillo in the process. Cantu last had a good season in 2005, when he hit.286 with 28HR and 117RBI. Since then a combination of injuries, bad luck and depth in front of him have cost him playing time. If he is indeed the Marlins starting 3B and getting consistent at bats to boot, he should have a very fine fantasy season.

The Marlins will struggle a bit offensively, between the loss of Miguel Cabrera and the constant struggle for Jeremy Hermida to stay healthy, so Cantu could wind up being a significant piece to the offensive puzzle in Florida. Don't expect 2005 numbers again, but 20HR and 80RBI certainly are not out of the question. Fine numbers especially for someone who by now, has been forgotten by many fantasy owners and can be had cheaply come draft time.