Michael Bourn

2013

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2012

Bourn enters 2012 as Atlanta's center fielder and leadoff hitter and is a key fantasy player due to his speed. Bourn began last season strong for the Astros by hitting .303 with 39 stolen bases before he was traded at the end of July to Atlanta. He hit just .278 with Atlanta, but still was given the green light on the basepaths with 22 steals in 53 games. Bourn has great speed which gives him outstanding range in the outfield and makes him a terror on the basepaths (81 percent success rate last season). Although his walk rate was down last season (to 7.3 percent from 9.8 percent in 2010), he typically draws enough walks to make his speed useful on the basepaths and overcome his lack of power. However, his high strikeout totals and average contact rate are always a worry. Still, he showed he'll still steal bases in Atlanta and that will make him an impact player in most fantasy formats.

2011

Bourn started 2010 hot, hitting over .300 into the middle of May before reaching a season low batting average of .244 in August. He finished the season strong, hitting .339 over his final 59 at-bats, and recording a .897 OPS in the process. After all was said and done, Bourn's batting average wound up 20 points lower (.265) than it was in 2009, reducing him to effectively a one-category player. Overall, there are still positives here as his contact rate (80 percent) and walk rate (10 percent) were improved over 2009, and he'll remain the leadoff hitter in a Houston offensive that will continue to give him the green light on the basepaths.

2010

After a .229/.288/.300 2008 campaign, there weren't many believers that Bourn could ever become a viable major league starter. Astros manager Cecil Cooper gave him a shot -- first in the bottom half of the order, and once Kaz Matsui hit the DL, at the top of Astros' lineup. Bourn didn't disappoint, hitting .285 with 12 triples and 61 steals. Bourn applies his speed as well as any player in the game, and now that he has finally figured out how to get on base, that speed is translating into runs (97 for an Astros team that finished 14th in runs scored in the NL). Sure, the strikeouts are disconcerting, but he should continue to be an effective top-of-the-order weapon and among the NL leaders in stolen bases in 2010.

2009

Bourn entered the year with his first chance to be an everyday player, and while he got the majority of the starts in center field, there were plenty of downs in his 2008 campaign. He ended up losing the job to Darin Erstad in July when his batting average dipped down to .218. He won the spot back later in the year, and ended up climbing back up to .229 with five homers and 29 RBI. His speed makes him lethal on the basepaths and if he can develop into a more reliable contact guy -- he struck out 111 times in 467 at-bats -- and learn to take more walks (37), he could be a very profitable player in fantasy. Until then, he’ll never be able to fully take advantage of his strongest asset.

2008

Bourn was limited to mostly a pinch-running role, but still managed to steal 18 bases in 19 tries as a reserve for the Phillies in 2007. He will most likely be the Astros' Opening Day starter in center field after being traded to Houston in the Brad Lidge deal, though the acquisition of Darin Erstad makes his role a little less certain. With a full season of at-bats, the 24-year-old has the pure speed and baserunning skills to light up the basepaths and become the major league stolen-base champ, assuming he can improve his on-base skills.

2007

Bourn is about to earn a shot in Philadelphia's outfield after spending the last two years in the upper minors. He has good speed (46 steals) and uses it well, being caught just seven times. Aaron Rowand will return as the Phillies' center fielder, but given his injury history, expect Bourn to come up at some point and get 200 or so at-bats. Long-term, Bourn still needs to add power (just five homers in 2006) to his game to be an everyday player.

2006

Bourn has speed and good range in center, but his offensive game is a work in progress. He needs to make better contact and drive the ball more consistently in Triple-A to get a shot in Philadelphia this year.

2005

This young Phillies outfielder ran wild in the low Single-A Sally League, leading it with 58 steals and 85 walks while hitting .315. Bourn is a left-handed hitter who makes good contact. He could well be a major league regular, but we won't have a better idea until he hits at Double-A. As someone with three years of college ball under his belt, he will be on the fast track in 2005.