As always, there were a bunch of players who came flying out of nowhere and are now on everyone’s watch list. Should you jump the gun and snag one of these small sample size heroes or settle for a more reliable option? This column should prove you with some guidance.

First up is Marlins third baseman Emilio Bonifacio. Ranked first in most formats, Bonifacio has stormed out of the games this season. He is playing third base for Florida, but probably has second base eligibility in your league. So far he has put up a .600 average, four runs, four RBIs, a homer, and three steals. He is leading off in front of the likes of Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla, and Jorge Cantu.

Obviously, Bonifacio won’t hit .600, but will he be good enough to keep on your roster all season? The answer is “possibly”. I say possibly, because, well, the man has no resume of success in the major leagues. However, he has had some success at the minor league level, which leads me to believe he could succeed at the top of the Marlins order.

While he was with Arizona, Bonifacio broke out at the age of 21 back in 2006 while playing advanced-A ball. In 608 plate appearances that season, he stole 61 bases, scored 117 runs, and hit .321. It’s clear that he can get on base (.375 that season) and contribute a ton of steals, but that will always come at the price of absolutely no power. In that 2006 season, he hit just 7 homers and drove in only 50.

Bonifacio was not as impressive in double-A in 2007, hitting .285 with a huge dip in steals (20) and OPS (from .824 to .685). In 2008, he was traded to the Nationals and was impressive in triple-a, again hitting over the .300 mark (.397 OBP), while stealing 21 bases and scoring a ton of runs.

Last season in the major leagues, Bonifacio had 186 plate appearances, hitting .243 with 7 steals in 11 tries. He struck out 46 times and walked 14 times for an on base percentage of only .296.

So what does all that mean to you? It means that if you need help in the speed department, Bonifacio is a guy who you may want to target. The odds are pretty good that he has already been picked up in your league, so I don’t recommend overpaying for him in a trade. If he is still available and you need help at second base, he is worth a shot. I don’t recommend plugging him in at third base unless you’re desperate. Third base is often a position where you need to get some power numbers. Bonifacio is not going to do that for you.
If he sticks at the top of the Marlins order, there is a good chance he will score a ton of runs and steal more than 40 bases. A batting average approaching .290 is also possible. Just know that you’ll be lucky to get seven homers and more than 50 RBIs.