Cameron Maybin: Top-30 Outfielder for 2016
By Bill Pivetz
The day before Opening Day of the 2015 season, the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres made a blockbuster trade. Atlanta traded their star closer and outfielder for a couple of average outfielders and minor leaguers. At the end of the 2015 season, the Braves looked to have won that trade because of the success of one player. Cameron Maybin. He had his best season in 2015 and will look to build on that next season.
Before joining the Braves, Maybin was mediocre at best. In his previous eight seasons (561 games), he had 461 hits, 32 home runs, 150 RBI, 93 stolen bases and a .246 average. Like I said, mediocre.
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It wasn’t until he arrived in Atlanta that Cameron Maybin’s full potential was exposed. In 141 games, he had 135 hits, 10 home runs, 59 RBI, 23 stolen bases and a .267 average. The 10 HR, 59 RBI and .267 AVG are all career highs. He was one of the best Braves hitters throughout the season, and the only one to reach double digits in homers and stolen bases.
Cameron Maybin finished as the 34th-best outfielder and 119th-best player overall on the Player Rater. With decline in some players and others being one-dimensional, I rank Maybin as a top-30 outfielder for 2016. He showed signs of power and the speed is still there. He could be drafted as an OF3 in standard leagues.
The Braves offense was, surprisingly, one of the worst in the league. They finished last in runs scored, 24th in hits, last in home runs, last in RBI, and 18th in batting average. While the addition of Maybin helped, but the team still has a lot of holes to fill.
The outfield position is obviously very deep (90 starters). Cameron Maybin is not a household name, so he is likely to fall in drafts. The potential for a 15-30 season is there, despite Maybin turning 29 in April.
Projections: 142 hits, 11 home runs, 60 RBI, 24 stolen bases, .265 average
Draft: Round 14