It’s almost March, so that can mean only one thing: Read Across America Day (Dr. Seuss’ birthday) is right around the corner! Oh, and baseball is back!
It’s time to start devising your strategy for the fantasy season, and Roto Files is here to start your draft prep with a look at corner infielders.
Here’s what we already know: Paul Goldschmidt will be the first first baseman (maybe the first player) taken, and likely will be followed by some combination of Anthony Rizzo, Miguel Cabrera, Edwin Encarnacion or Jose Abreu.
We also know the top five third basemen, no matter what order you rank them, are Josh Donaldson, Nolan Arenado, Manny Machado, Kris Bryant and Todd Frazier.
Regardless of how many of the big names you are able to grab early, you still need to add balance and depth to your roster, and finding value in the mid-to-late rounds is key.
The perfect example is Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas, who Roto Files named the best fantasy bargain last season. The 27-year-old had a career year, setting career marks in batting average (.284), homers (22), RBIs (82), OPS (.817) and, well, pretty much every statistical category.
Will his batting average will regress? Probably, he is a career .247 hitter and expecting another .280-plus season may be a bit much, but you shouldn’t be wary of a post-breakout funk. He is a full-time starter with some pop in a lineup that makes a ton of contact, and with an average draft position of 164.3, according to fantasypros.com, Moose is the quintessential mid-round value pick.
Here are some other valuable corner infielders to gun for late in drafts:
Before Yoenis Cespedes arrived, Lucas Duda (160.3 ADP) hit .240 with 18 homers, 45 RBIs and a .797 in 359 at-bats. In 35 games with Cespedes, Duda hit .259 with nine homers and 28 RBIs with a .967 OPS. That is production worth drafting in the middle rounds.
From 2012-15, Byung-Ho Park hit 173 home runs and drove in 492 runs while playing in Korea. How his game will translate in Minnesota is anyone’s guess, but with an ADP of 196.8 you should be willing to take a chance.
Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland never has had 500 at-bats in a season, strikes out in 20 percent or more of his at-bats and walks in just 7.8 percent of the time. So questioning whether he can repeat his unexpected 2015 campaign — in which he hit .278 with 23 homers, 85 RBIs and a .812 OPS — is valid. But, with an ADP of 245.8, are you really going to pass up the opportunity to find out?
In 2015, Justin Bour went 15-for-68 (.221) with no homers, nine RBIs and a .573 OPS against left-handed pitchers, but went 92-for-341 (.270) with 23 homers, 64 RBIs and a .845 OPS. The 27-year-old is not being drafted as your primary first-base option, but selecting him late (284.0 ADP) to plug in versus righties is a no-brainer.
Yangervis Solarte (284.3 ADP) could be the best and most versatile late-round option. Not only is he eligible at both corner positions, he is coming off a season in which he hit .270 with 14 homers and 63 RBIs. Need more convincing? He hit from the No. 1 or No. 2 spot in the Padres’ lineup almost 70 percent of the time, while striking out in just 9.8 percent of his 526 at-bats (sixth-lowest in the league). He also made contact 88.2 percent of the time (13th best in the league) en route to 142 hits last season.
Draft him late, you will be happy to have him on your bench.
Did Blue Jays first baseman Chris Colabello (298.0 ADP) get lucky last season, when he hit .321 with 15 homers and 54 RBIs? His insane .411 batting average on balls in play (BaBIP) indicates he did (heck, he was a career .214 hitter entering the season). But, when you’re hitting behind Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Troy Tulowitzki, you might get lucky, too. This is about as low risk/high reward as you get.
Though you should always draft for today, if you’re in a keeper/dynasty league, you would be remiss if you didn’t look toward tomorrow. Drafting and stashing potential future stars like Rangers third base prospect Joey Gallo (325.5) or Astros first baseman A.J. Reed (317.0) should be part of your draft-day strategy.
