Lind becomes fantasy fan favorite

By Joe Lanane, The Associated Press

TORONTO September 29, 2009 10:31 am

— Adam Lind has been called many things over his career: Indiana Mr. Baseball, the Toronto Blue Jays top prospect and now fantasy baseball sleeper of the year.
Many fantasy sports enthusiasts cling to America’s pastime during the summer months, and there are no signs of slowing for this growing fandom. Every year, unheralded players emerge to provide a statistical outburst for fortunate fantasy owners, and this season it has been Lind putting teams over the top.
The Anderson resident is nearing the completion of his first full season professionally, and Lind has already exceeded initial expectations. Having compiled more than 30 home runs and 100 RBIs this season, considered a milestone in major league baseball, the future is bright for the 26-year-old if he continues at the same pace.
Fantasy baseball guru Troy Patterson ranked Lind among three top sleepers this season, along with Arizona’s Mark Reynolds and teammate Aaron Hill. As the season nears its end, Patterson said he is even more inclined to side with Lind.
“You could debate each one — and I considered Reynolds my No. 1 sleeper headed into the season, but Lind was probably the biggest because he had yet to get a full shot yet while both Reynolds and Hill had had good seasons previously,” Patterson said.
Lind’s potential long-term success will prevent him from flying under the radar again next fantasy season, but given his numbers before this year it is a wonder why he was not more highly touted before 2009.
“(Lind’s) minor league and major league numbers show him as a player capable of this year in and year out,” Patterson said. “I’m sure many projections in 2010 will have a small amount of regression planned for him, but I doubt many will project anything less than 25 homers.”
With two weeks remaining this regular season, Patterson said Lind’s statistics already surpass preseason estimates. Even Patterson admitted to undervaluing Lind’s potent swing, placing him among the many fantasy experts who did not foresee Lind’s breakout year.
“His minor league numbers, when equated to major league equivalencies showed he could have slugging numbers over .500, but none of the projection systems saw him beating .500,” Patterson said. “Power is often tough to project, and many systems are conservative when it comes to power numbers.”
Any doubt about Lind’s power was dispelled last week when he cracked home run No. 30 in a road contest at Yankee Stadium. Cementing his name among many greats, the 30-100 accolade is among many achievements attached to Lind’s name this season.
Lind told Canada’s National Post the following day that he was aware of the feat, but that “I haven’t had time to think about it.”
Over the last month, Lind has averaged slightly less than an RBI per game — tops in the American League over that span. It is a run consistent with his year-round performance, hitting around .300 all season. That average includes his 46 doubles, which places him in a tie for third among all major leaguers.
His 8-RBI performance against Texas on Aug. 31 helped Lind also earn co-American League Player of the Week honors, further adding to his nationwide recognition. Once an unknown name, Lind’s success comes as no surprise to his college mentor.
Drafted by Toronto five years ago, Lind previously competed at the University of South Alabama under Steve Kittrell’s tutelage. The longtime Jaguars skipper remembered several games when South Alabama was lifted from certain defeat by Lind’s bat.
“He was one of the best pure hitters to come through our program since I’ve been here,” said Kittrell, who has coached several future pros in his 25 years at South Alabama. “You could just tell he was going to be an outstanding major league player someday.”
Kitrell was sad to see Lind go after two years at South Alabama, where he garnered Freshman Second Team All-American honors. He followed that honor his sophomore season by being named to the Sun Belt All-Conference team. Had he stayed longer, Kittrell said he was confident Lind would have raised his draft stock beyond his third-round status.
Intently following his breakthrough season, he said Lind ultimately made the right decision — just do not expect Kittrell to be drafting his former player in any fantasy baseball drafts.
“I do not follow fantasy baseball. I just know when I look at that box score that I usually see a couple hits, a double and a couple RBIs,” Kittrell said.

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