Aubrey Huff

Huff continued his trend of alternating strong seasons with poor ones, as he followed up a 2010 campaign when he received MVP votes with a 2011 effort in which he posted a .246/.306/.370 line, hitting just 12 homers with 59 RBI over 521 at-bats. He admitted he wasn't in great shape, and now entering the final year of his contract with options like Brandon Belt pushing him for playing time, Huff will likely show up for 2012 focused. At age 35, that's hardly a guarantee he'll bounce back. Still, San Francisco will give him a chance to prove himself, at least early on. After last year, Huff might make for something of a buy-low, at least in NL-only leagues.

Signed cheaply after posting a .694 OPS in 2009, Huff responded with a terrific first year in San Francisco. He walked nearly as many times as he struck out and was equally as effective against lefties as righties, actually finishing seventh in the NL MVP voting. Huff has alternated great seasons with bad ones each of the past four years, and it would be unwise to expect a repeat of his 2010 at age 34, but he's sneaky productive and unlikely to cost a high draft pick in most fantasy leagues. The Giants re-signed Huff to a two-year, $22 million contract during the offseason, and while it remains to be seen whether he'll play mostly first base or left field, he'll be a fixture in the middle of the team's lineup.

After putting together a stellar 2008 campaign, Huff took a step back last year. He hit .253/.321/.405 in 430 at-bats with the Orioles before collapsing to the tune of .189/.265/.302 in his 40-game stint with the Tigers. Not exactly the type of season you want to put together in a contract year. Joining a free-agent field already littered with DH types, Huff will have a hard time finding an everyday spot in a lineup, but he could catch on somewhere in a platoon role. Depending on his 2010 destination, Huff might make a decent late-round flier for those looking at rebound candidates, but his days as a regular contributor appear to be nearing an end.

After nearly turning into a pedestrian player, Huff turned in one of the most surprising seasons of anyone in 2008, hitting .304 with 32 home runs and career highs in RBI (108) and doubles (48). Normally we would call Huff's 2008 season a career year with the belief that he can't repeat, but that isn't necessarily true here for a number of reasons. 1) At 32, Huff should still have several years of baseball left in him. 2) The 2008 season wasn't a contract year; 2009 is. 3) Huff has produced similar numbers before. Meanwhile, if the Orioles are not able to compete in 2009, Huff might be traded to a team with a better lineup. Huff should be eligible at first and third base in many leagues and he could be snatched up on the relative cheap and prove to be a nice bargain.

The Orioles took a reasonable gamble that Huff would regain the power that he displayed back in 2002-2004 with the Devil Rays, but instead he had his worst power output since 2001, hitting just 15 homers and slugging .442. He has a reputation of being a slow starter, and once again that held true last year, with nine of his homers coming after the All-Star break. Slow starts or not, however, it's looking less likely that he'll approach his peak output.

Huff hit .266 with 21 homers and 65 RBI with the Devil Rays and Astros combined in 2006. The Astros brought him in at the trade deadline to supplant Morgan Ensberg at third base, where he hit just .250 with 13 home runs and 38 RBI in 68 games. He signed with Baltimore and will get everyday playing time between left field and at first base, along with some time at third base and DH. The short porch in right field at Camden Yards should help the lefty.

In some ways, Huff is Tampa Bay's Alvin Davis. He was all the Rays had for three years, but when he finally got a semblance of a supporting cast in 2005, his numbers dropped precipitously, especially at home. Put him in a home park that really helps left-handed sluggers (Texas, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Comiskey in Chicago) and he could still put up big numbers next season, however.

Huff historically gets off to poor starts only to turn into a fantasy stud in the second half of the season. Part of the problem may be that the Rays have changed defensive positions on him in either March or April each of the last three seasons, so Lou Piniella promises to tell Huff in February what position he'll play and use him there every day in spring training. The Rocco Baldelli injury may complicate such best-laid plans, however. If his position isn't resolved early, consider planning to buy low on Huff in May or June and then reap the rewards in the summer because the big dawg can hit.

Lordy, can this guy hit, and few outside of Tampa Bay realize it. Huff was in the top ten in the AL last year in slugging, homers, doubles and RBI (the last a tough feat, given the low OBPs at the top of the Rays' batting order). Opponents know all about him (Huff was third in the league in IBB last year, trailing just Ramirez and Delgado), but most fans don't; a local sportswriter came up with the best analogy when writing about Huff, "somewhere, in a small town you'll never go, in a place you'll never visit, someone is playing guitar like you've never heard." The best is yet to come. He'll play every day, and Lou Piniella will try to use him in the field occasionally (either right field or first base before he eventually settles in at left field in a few years) in order not to make a full-time DH of him too soon. He's not that bad with a glove, either; Huff had five assists last year, good for sixth amongst AL right fielders. In spring training, we finished this outlook with the comment "you'll never see him at third base again, however"; however, a week into the season, the Rays started utilizing Huff regularly at third base, at least when they faced right-handers.

Huff Daddy was arguably the most productive DH in the American League last year; the only thing holding back his fantasy value is the rest of Tampa Bay's offense (23 homers and 25 doubles last year, but only 59 RBI and 67 runs scored). He should be eligible at either first base or third base in your leagues in 2003. Going into spring training, Lou Piniella intends to play Huff at first base every day (he'll probably see very little action at third, unless the Rays play in an NL park and opt to play their DH in the field). Only 26 in the 2003 season, and it looks as if he's already worked through his sophomore slump (.287 average in his 2000 debut, dip to .248 in 2001, up to .313 in 2002).