Pedro Feliz

Feliz got off to a hot start last year and managed to work his way out of a platoon with Greg Dobbs at third base. He's a good defender, but has seen his power decline since leaving San Francisco as a free agent after 2007. That is an odd occurrence as Feliz played in Citizen's Bank Park for the past two years in an environment that is credited with increasing home runs for hitters. He signed a one-year deal with Houston and will take over as the starter at third base for the Astros thanks to his defense, but his offensive game has become very mediocre now that he seems unable to top 20 home runs a year.

Feliz had reached at least 20 home runs and 72 RBI in his previous four seasons in San Francisco but didn't pull through with the jump in numbers that many expected when he moved to the hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park. On the contrary, his numbers regressed, as he ended up batting .249 with 14 home runs and 58 RBI, very mediocre totals, as Philadelphia's starting third baseman for most of the year. Feliz should remain Philadelphia's starting third baseman, though he could be pushed by Greg Dobbs, and is not a great fantasy option either way.

Feliz has been nearly an identical hitter for three straight years now, finishing with OPS' of .717, .709, and .708 the past three seasons. He’s also smacked 20, 22 and 20 homers in each year during that span as well. He lost 26 RBI from his 2006 total last year, but that was due largely to batting lower in the order and having the slowest runner in the game (Bengie Molina) hitting in front of him. Feliz’s career .288 OBP and high strikeout rate reveal a pretty poor hitter, but he’s a terrific defender at third base, so he'll eventually earn a deal somewhere based on his defensive skills.

Feliz had a career-high 98 RBI last season, masking a horrific .281 OBP. It's clear he's never going to become the superstar the Giants brass once envisioned, but because he's one of the better defensive third basemen in the game, San Francisco was content in bringing him back for one more year. As long as the Giants bat him in the lower half of the lineup, his poor on-base skills shouldn't hurt the team too much. For fantasy purposes, expect more of the same poor batting average with decent home run and RBI production.

The odd player who's better in most fantasy leagues than in real life, because his horrible plate discipline doesn't hurt as much as his playing time and power help. If only he were still shortstop-eligible. Hard to believe he's already 31. Feliz will become the everyday third baseman after the trade of Edgardo Alfonzo.

Feliz appeared in a career-high 140 games and also set highs in HR, RBI and batting average in 2004. The Giants have committed to finding him a full-time role in 2005, but when the team exercised its contract option on J.T. Snow, that promise became uncertain. He's too good a player to ride the bench, however, so the Giants are bound to find him a regular spot somehow.

Feliz established himself as a low-OBP power source in 2003, and as an occasional starter at all four corner spots, he can help a team. His complete inability to get on base keeps him from a bigger role on the Giants. Feliz's value to you depends on your league's depth; he is worth a cornerman spot in NL-only leagues of at least ten teams, if only for the 15 homers he'll hit.

If you take Feliz' 366 at bats in 2000-01 and extrapolate them to a full season, you get something like .238-12-48 (with only 22 walks), which isn't adequate for a major league third baseman. Still, check him in the spring to see how Felipe Alou intends to use him; if he looks as if he'll get quasi-regular playing time, feel free to speculate a dollar on him in deep NL leagues, but no more. AGE NOTE: birthdate was adjusted from 4/27/77 to 4/27/75 in the spring of 2003.