Key Stats: Martin Prado had 18 three-hit games last season. He finished 11th in baseball in total hits despite missing time in August with an injured pinkie and missing the last couple games of 2011 with a hip pointer and pulled oblique. He ended up finishing 9th in MVP voting, but it is conceivable that he would have been a top five candidate if he had stayed healthy. The reason he was so valuable in both fantasy and real baseball last season was because of his versatility. Prado slid right into the third base position once Chipper Jones went down, and this season expects to play the outfield if Chipper can stay healthy. That means in 2011 he will be eligible at second, third and in the outfield. Good luck finding another one of those players who also gets 200 hits.

Skeptics Say: Walks were down, strikeouts were up, and the HR:FB rate were higher than they were in 2009. Three bad ratios. Perhaps the most telling statistic that Prado was in trouble as far as his strikeout to walk rate was that he swung at more than 26% of pitches that were out of the strikezone. In 2009, he swung at under 21% of pitches that were out of the strike zone.

Projection: Despite all the injuries, the 140 games Prado appeared in was a career high. In September he showed signs of wearing down by having his lowest OPS and average month of the season. Look for him to come back stronger and ready to play a full season in 2011.

104 R 16 HR 60 RBI 3 SB .314 AVG .830 OPS