In 2011, he posted a .262/34/87/79/5 line and his .537 SLG percentage was good for sixth among all outfielders.  His plate discipline leaves room for improvement but that’s not a surprise given his age. When he did make contact he made it count with a .314 BABIP and more than half of his hits going for extra bases.

In 2012 he’s expected to be hitting cleanup in a new Marlins lineup behind Jose Reyes, Emilio Bonifacio and Hanley Ramirez, which should improve his RBI opportunities. The new Marlins ballpark could also help the home run totals by removing the high left field wall that was in Sun Life Stadium.

Expecting 35+ HR and 100+ RBI puts him in an elite grouping. He’s no sleeper by any means as his average draft position at Mock Draft Central is 23rd overall and eighth among outfield options. Speed and batting average is what is separating Stanton from the outfielders drafting ahead of him.  Jacoby Ellsbury, Justin Upton and Carlos Gonzalez all feature speed and higher batting averages.  Stanton’s batting average did improve throughout the 2011 season from .255 before the break and .271 in the second half so it may not hurt you but it still won’t be a positive contributor.  A serious case could be made to draft Stanton ahead of Curtis Granderson who will be hard pressed to put up another 40+ HR season and has a low batting average.