Nomar Mazara, 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

I know what you’re thinking, haven’t we already called Nomar Mazara a sleeper?  So?  We can’t ever call a guy a sleeper again after calling him one?  I know, this is so logical it’s absolutely nuts.  Crazy Town, population: My Stache.  “I think you should get into government.”  “Why?”  “Because you’re the only one living in Crazy Town, and you can shore up the vote pretty easily.”  That’s some local townspeople and My Stache discussing My Stache getting into government.  Nomar Mazara is so forgotten he’s behind this blank space              and you need one of those special highlighters to rub over the space to reveal his name.  Mezuzah was hung at the door of “Breakout” two years ago and has been collecting dust ever since.  Last year, in his attempt to deflate any optimism about his career, he hit 20 HRs, stole 2 bags and .253.  Hit the snooze alarm, I’m getting drowsy.  “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the most boring player?”  “Hmm, does that say Ramon or Nomar?  It’s hard to read in a mirror.”  So, what can we expect from Nomar Mazara for 2018 fantasy baseball and what makes him a sleeper?

Two years is an awfully short period of time to write someone off, especially when the player is Nomar Mazara.  He’s only 22 years old.  Read that last sentence again.  He’s barely able to buy Tito’s vodka at the five and dime without his dad’s backwards ID.  Most players would’ve, ya know, been hitting in the minors the last two years.  He barely saw a few weeks in Triple-A in his entire professional career.  Here’s what I’ve said previously about him, “He won’t struggle to hit .220.  He won’t be a liability anywhere.  He kinda reminds me of a young Matt Holliday, though from the other side of the dish.  I watched some of his YouTube highlights and he doesn’t struggle to hit balls a long way, but also doesn’t look like a fat turd that can’t make it to first.  I’m no scout, but watching him makes me think this is what scouts call sexy.  I’ve seen him compared to Miguel Cabrera.  Okay, no one is Miguel Cabrera until they are Miguel Cabrera, if you catch my drift, but Mazara doesn’t look like a guy that is going to disappoint.  .280 with 30 homers a season for many years, that’s what he profiles as.”  And that’s me quoting me!  Only catch, I said that two years ago!  So, he didn’t become Holliday or Miggy out of the gate.  Um, so?  Tommy Pham didn’t just breakout until the age of 29.  That’s the opposite extreme, but Mazara might not breakout until 25, but it will happen at some point.  Steamer projects Mazara to increase his power by 30% for 2018.  This is Steamer who is usually very conservative.  Out of curiosity, or simply a curio if any grandmothers are reading, I sorted the last 17 years for players who were promoted at the age of 21 or younger.  There’s more future Hall of Famers there than there’s flameouts.  For every three Trouts, there’s a Rocco Baldelli.  For every three Pujols (Poo-eye?), there’s a Delmon Young.  It is way too early to write off Mazara and I’m absolutely drafting him everywhere this year.  For 2018, I’ll give Nomar Mazara the projections of 81/27/93/.278/3 in 571 ABs.