RADIO
Kyle Bishop suggests five middle infield targets for week 9, second basemen (2B) and shortstops (SS), for fantasy baseball owners to consider adding to their rosters in 2018.
A programming note: This column will be published on Sunday rather than Monday moving forward. We’re making this change because some of you, for reasons which escape my understanding, play in weekly leagues where waivers process on Sunday night. My snobbery aside, this column is more useful to more people when it runs on Sundays, so that’s when it runs now.
Every Sunday until the end of the season, we'll look at the best middle infielders available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo leagues. These are based on standard 5x5 scoring; adjust accordingly for your specific setup.
Let’s get to it.
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Week 9 Middle Infield (MI) Waiver Wire Targets
Josh Harrison, 2B/3B/OF, Pittsburgh Pirates (47% owned)
Harrison returned to action last Sunday after missing five weeks with a broken hand. While he has yet to hit a home run or steal a base, he has collected multiple hits in three of six games since coming off the disabled list. The veteran has averaged 10 HR and 15 SB since becoming a full-time player in 2014, even though he’s never amassed 600 plate appearances. He should be a solid source of batting average and runs as the Pirates’ leadoff hitter and remains useful for his positional flexibility.
Ian Kinsler, 2B, Los Angeles Angels (41% owned)
Kinsler is currently hitting .182/.255/.270 and will turn 36 years old next month. An odd player to include in this space, perhaps. But Kinsler is also a guy who averaged 97 runs, 18 homers, and 14 steals over the previous five seasons, and there is nothing in his profile to support his current .191 BABIP or 3.3 HR/FB%. After being briefly dropped to the lower third of the Angels’ order, Kinsler is back in the leadoff spot for one of the better offensive clubs in baseball. Fantasy owners are beginning to give up on him, but you shouldn’t write him off just yet.
Jose Peraza, 2B/SS, Cincinnati Reds (40% owned)
At the risk of blowing your mind, Peraza is not a good hitter. Oh sure, he makes a ton of contact, but most of it is harmless, as evidenced by his career .651 OPS. He is, however, one of the faster players in baseball, and has stolen five bases in six tries this month. The Reds have given Peraza some looks in the leadoff spot recently, and if he can manage to stick in that role, he should contribute solidly in runs. The eligibility at both middle infield positions is nice as well.
Jedd Gyorko, 1B/2B/3B, St. Louis Cardinals (21% owned)
Paul DeJong’s broken hand will keep him out for at least the next month, and manager Mike Matheny has already announced that Gyorko will receive the bulk of the starts at shortstop in his absence. That’s good news for fantasy owners. Gyorko has averaged 32 HR/600 PA since joining the Cardinals in 2016 as a super sub, and once he regains shortstop eligibility he’ll be playable at every infield spot except catcher. He’s currently hitting .279/.364/.453 and has been slotting fifth in the lineup recently.
Daniel Robertson, 2B/3B/SS, Tampa Bay Rays (21% owned)
Robertson is threatening to take up permanent residency on this list. As regular readers know, I try to avoid featuring the same players in consecutive weeks, but Robertson just keeps hitting – and keeps being ignored by the fantasy community writ large. He remains available in four out of five leagues despite hitting .278/.421/.460. The plate discipline is legitimate, and the newfound pop might be as well. Per StatCast, he’s overachieving only slightly with a .377 xWOBA versus his actual .386 mark.
