Emilio Bonifacio

Everyone who has played fantasy baseball for a while has owned Bonifacio at some point, but rarely is it a long, committed relationship. He typically starts the season hot, stealing plenty of bases in the process, but that only serves to keep him rostered for a chunk of his inevitable slump. Then his major league team benches him. Then that major league team trades him. Then his prior owners get sucked into thinking he will get more stolen bases with his new club. Then he doesn't. He's back in Atlanta on a one-year deal, and the last time he was there (for half a season in 2014) he stole 12 bases in 128 plate appearances, and the Braves might be just bad enough to give him enough big league playing time for him to rope in fantasy owners once again.

Bonifacio certainly came out of the gates hot, slashing .337/.385/.406 with nine steals in his first 24 games of the 2014 campaign, but his numbers fell off dramatically in May and an oblique injury, suffered in mid-June, ended up costing him more than a month of action. The Cubs shipped Bonifacio to Atlanta at the deadline, where he transitioned to a part-time role, playing mostly in center field but also seeing time at second base, shortstop, and in the corner outfield. Overall, Bonifacio hit .259/.305/.345 with three homers, 47 runs scored, 24 RBI and 26 steals in 34 attempts. While his .305 OBP represented an improvement from 2013 (.295), it was still well below his career mark of .324 in the National League, and his walk rate of 6.1% was a career-low. He'll turn 30 in April, but Bonifacio still has plenty of speed, and although his plate discipline seems to be diminishing, he'll be in the mix to open the season as the White Sox's starting second baseman after signing a one-year deal in January.

Traded to Toronto prior to the 2013 season as part of the Jose Reyes blockbuster deal, Bonifacio opened the year as the Blue Jays' primary utility man, serving as help in both the infield and outfield. He struggled with the inconsistent playing time, and through 94 games and 275 plate appearances, he posted a slash line of .218/.258/.321 with an underwhelming 12 stolen bases and just a 66.7 percent success rate. The Blue Jays were happy to dish him off to the Royals just prior to the trade deadline, and while he was originally slated for more utility duty, the team's glaring hole at second base beckoned, and Bonifacio kicked his game into a higher gear once he was given a full-time opportunity. Over 42 games, he hit .285 with a .352 on-base percentage and swiped 16 bags, while getting caught just twice, numbers reminiscent of a 2011 campaign that saw him bat .293 with 40 stolen bases. Though Bonifacio's performance appeared to earn him the right to open the season at the keystone for the Royals, the signing of Omar Infante probably relegates him to a utilityman role once again.

Bonifacio came out of the gates blazing in 2012, swiping 20 bases over his first 39 games while posting a respectable .268 average and .351 OBP over 170 plate appearances before making his first trip to the DL in late May with a thumb injury. He returned in mid-July following surgery, but lasted just 22 games before aggravating the injury, and subsequently suffering a knee injury that ended his season. The Blue Jays' new utility man will put his plus-speed (30-for-33 on stolen-base attempts with 244 at-bats last season) on display in a suddenly loaded Blue Jays lineup, although he played just 15 games at second base last season and may not qualify there in some leagues to begin the year.

Bonifacio finally learned how to take a walk and make the most of his blazing speed, and as a result he enters 2012 with a higher price tag than in recent seasons. He's penciled in as the center fielder, but injuries could move him around the diamond as needed. Wherever he plays, so long as he keeps slapping grounders and drawing walks, he'll be stealing bases by the bushel. Keep an eye on his placement in manager Ozzie Guillen's lineup, as getting a chance to lead off in front of the likes of Jose Reyes, Hanley Ramirez and Giancarlo Stanton would pay huge dividends.

Bonifacio's conversion to utility player was completed in 2010, as he played at least five games at six different positions. He was also a perfect 12-for-12 on the base paths, but beyond speed and flexibility he really doesn't offer much. With question marks for the Marlins in center field and at second and third base heading into spring training, there are plenty of avenues for Bonifacio to get at-bats and starts, but he's purely a one category player.

Bonifacio exploded onto the scene with a fantastic first week of the season in which he hit everything thrown his way and stole bases with a Vince Coleman-like abandon. Then reality set in and he reverted to type, that type being "guy with great speed who can't get on base often enough to use it." If the Marlins part ways with Dan Uggla, Bonifacio is probably the favorite to inherit the starting second-base job, and he did steal 21 bases in mostly regular duty in 2009 so he would have some fantasy value as a one-category player. He's better suited to replace Alfredo Amezaga as the team's jack-of-most-trades, though.

Traded to the Marlins, Bonifacio is truly a wild card. He could wind up starting at second base, third base or being a supersub. Starting 2009 at Triple-A isn't out of the question either. His stolen base numbers have not been impressive the last two seasons, and he's got nothing else going for him offensively, so even if he does see significant big league action he's got to demonstrate he can translate his wheels into steals before he'll be worth much to a fantasy team.

Orlando Hudson's hand injury and Alberto Callaspo's ineffectiveness opened the door for Bonifacio to make the leap from Double-A Mobile to the big leagues and enjoy a brief stint as the everyday second baseman. Bonifacio has plus speed -- with 209 steals across all levels in his five years as a pro -- and he could eventually replace Hudson while fitting in the leadoff spot ahead of the team's powerful young outfielders. A season as the team's utility infielder isn't out of the question if he performs well this spring and the D-Backs believe they can get him enough at-bats without sending him to Triple-A.

Bonifacio is a tiny second baseman who runs like the wind and is already a four-year veteran of pro ball. The power spike last year could be developmental or it could be Lancaster; a great hitters' environment. Even without that kind of power, Bonifacio is a real prospect, comparable to Luis Castillo with two good legs.