Rafael Furcal

2013

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2012

Furcal looked just about done when the Cardinals acquired him from Los Angeles in July, but he showed surprising pop by hitting seven home runs in his 50 games with St. Louis. Aside from the home runs, however, he didn't do much in his stint with the Redbirds, finishing with a .735 OPS with St. Louis and .646 overall. He's already 34 and had two month-long stints on the DL last year, but the Cardinals ponied up to keep him for two more years. Considering that Tyler Greene was the top alternative, that wasn't unexpected. Just don't expect him to be the Furcal of old, and keep an eye on him this spring as he's making his way back from surgery to repair a hernia.

2011

Furcal failed to reach 100 games played for the second time in three seasons, batting a solid .300/.366/.460 but doing so in just 383 at-bats. He did manage to swipe 22 bases (up from 12 in 150 games in 2009), so he still has speed when healthy. Furcal's fantasy value is tied directly to his unreliable health, but at least so far this offseason, all signs point to him being 100 percent healthy on Opening Day. He'll be the starting shortstop for the Dodgers again and enters the final year of his contract.

2010

Although he managed to stay healthy enough to play in 150 games for the first time since 2006, it's likely Furcal's lingering ankle and back issues contributed to his middling .269/.335/.375 line in 2009, including nine homers and just 12 stolen bases. Encouragingly, Furcal did finish strong, batting .330 after Aug. 31 and stealing five bases in the season's final month. Look for improved fantasy numbers across the board in 2010, particularly in the stolen bases category.

2009

In a season limited to 143 at-bats due to a back injury that required surgery in July, Furcal batted .357/.439/.573, returning in time to bat .258 in the playoffs with a key homer in the NLCS off Jamie Moyer. The Dodgers brought him back with a three-year contract in December, after the two sides agreed to a vesting option instead of a guaranteed fourth year. Assuming he's 100 percent next season, Furcal should again be a top fantasy shortstop, though at age 31, there's little doubt his stolen base numbers peaked in 2005 (46 with Atlanta).

2008

A sprained ankle suffered during spring training limited Furcal for a good portion of the year, holding his numbers to a career-worst .270/.333/.355, including just six home runs and 25 stolen bases. The steals could have been a lot worse if not for September, when Furcal swiped 12 bags despite hitting just .210 for the month. Furcal should benefit from an offseason of rest and therapy for his ankle and back (a seemingly minor injury suffered in September) and could be a nice value if others don't take his injuries into account. He's set to be the everyday shortstop for the Dodgers again and is in the final year of his contract.

2007

Furcal has been a model of consistency recently, scoring at least 100 runs, hitting about a dozen homers and driving in 60 or so runs in each of the last four seasons. He's also ran more the last couple years and hit .300 for the first time in his career in 2006 despite getting off to a painfully slow start for the third consecutive season. Monitor the Dodgers' lineup plans this offseason as the team is toying with moving Furcal from the leadoff slot, a move that could negatively impact his stolen base total (while potentially increasing his RBI).

2006

Furcal's production has become consistent the last three seasons with 10+ home runs, an OBA around .350, a batting average always above .275 and at least 25 steals. After signing a $39 million, three-year deal with the Dodgers, we'd expect about the same level of production, but the move to pitching-friendly Dodger Stadium will reduce his power numbers. However, that may be offset by playing in a lineup that may need to manufacture runs, which could give him the green light enough to repeat his career-high 46 steals. That speed makes him a top-tier fantasy shortstop.

2005

Furcal basically duplicated his 2003 season and has shown more power the last two seasons. About the only negative to his 2004 was the jail time he served after the season for an October DUI arrest. That incident isn't expected to affect his status on the field next spring. As long as he doesn't return to his 2002 strikeout total of 114, he's as good a bet as any to steal 25 bases, which makes him a top-tier shortstop.

2004

Furcal had an unexpected career season in 2003 and enters 2004 as the Braves' leadoff hitter and shortstop. Furcal ended three years of declining walk totals and cut his strikeouts nearly in half. Additionally, Furcal increased his power, hitting a career-best 15 homers as well as career highs in double and triples. Furcal also improved on the basepaths by getting thrown out just two times in 27 chances. The key for Furcal is to see him drawing walks and not striking out as frequently as in 2002. When he falls in love with his power stroke, his ability to get on base suffers. If he can draw walks, he's a solid bet to steal 20 bases again and remain one of the best NL fantasy shortstops.

2003

Furcal rebounded from a shoulder injury that nearly wiped out his previous season and posted solid, if not spectacular numbers. He struggled in the first month of the season with his fielding and nearly got benched, but by the end of the season he had Bobby Cox's confidence again with his glove. Furcal provides valuable speed from the shortstop position and has some pop in his bat - 10+ home runs are not out of the question. The alarming trend is that his ability to draw walks has disappeared. After drawing nearly as many walks as strikeouts in his rookie season and posting a .394 OBA, Furcal had an OBA of .323 last season and his strikeout total jumped to 114. Worse yet, he drew just 17 walks in the second half of the season for a .309 OBA. Maybe he's fallen in love with his power stroke. Drawing walks is the key to the high steals totals most fantasy owners will be overpaying for. There was some talk Furcal could be moved to second base to make room for Wilson Betemit at shortstop, but that faded with Betemit's struggles. He's set to be a starter this year, but with the worsening plate discipline and the Betemit risk, let someone else overpay.