X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

ADP Reflections - Middle Infielders

Sam Chinitz offers his thoughts on the fantasy baseball draft ADP of select middle infielders (2B or SS) and analyzes who is going too high or low in terms of value.

With spring training underway and the start of the MLB season less than one month away, fantasy baseball draft preparation season is in full swing. As the MLB season draws near, player ADPs will shift as expectations change and more drafts are completed.

Drafting early leaves more room for injuries to hurt fantasy teams, but can also provide a better opportunity for fantasy owners to find underpriced players. This year’s middle infield group has a number of those opportunities, as well as a handful of players that fantasy owners are better off avoiding at their current prices.

Second base and shortstop can be two of the more difficult positions at which to find viable fantasy options. Below are some thoughts about how middle infielders have been valued so far that should help.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

The Overpriced

Keston Hiura (2B, MIL) - MI14, 43 ADP

Hiura burst onto the major league scene last season with a .303/.368/.570 slash line in 84 games, but his 43 ADP is too rich given his contact struggles and likely regression. Hiura posted a high 30.8% strikeout rate last year, a mark that could’ve been even higher based on his ridiculous 17.5% swinging-strike rate. Additionally, Hiura’s .402 BABIP from last season is unsustainable and will likely drop towards .350 in 2020. An .850-.900 OPS with around 25 home runs and a 30% strikeout rate just isn’t good enough for 43 overall, so fantasy owners should pass on Hiura at his current price.

Elvis Andrus (SS, TEX) - MI29, 138 ADP

After posting an OPS+ north of 100 in both 2016 and 2017, Andrus saw it drop to 78 in each of the past two seasons. With a .307 xwOBA and a .336 xwOBA on contact last season, fantasy owners shouldn’t expect more than a .750 OPS out of Andrus in 2020. Andrus’ value really comes from stolen bases (31 last season) and a low 14.8% strikeout rate, but with Corey Seager and Jorge Polanco still on the board at Andrus’ ADP, that’s not enough to make Andrus worthwhile. Stolen bases can be found in later rounds (Mallex Smith is going at 167); fantasy owners are better off going with the better overall production from other shortstops at Andrus’ price.

Garrett Hampson (2B/SS/OF, COL) - MI33, 170 ADP

Hampson boasts an advanced plate approach (23% chase rate last year) and solid contact skills (79% contact rate), but limited power and a lack of clear everyday playing time make him overpriced at 170. In 105 games last season, Hampson posted a paltry 83.2 mph average exit velocity, 25.7% hard-hit rate, and 3.7% barrel rate. Hampson’s career-best ISO in the minor leagues was a mediocre .151, so it’s unlikely that the 25-year-old will experience a sudden boost in power in 2020. That lack of power likely caps Hampson’s potential OPS ceiling at around .800, even with the hitter-friendly effects of Coors Field. Combined with the fact that Hampson enters the season without clear consistent playing time, fantasy owners are better off staying away from Hampson so early in drafts.

 

The Undervalued

Didi Gregorius (SS, PHI) - MI39, 200 ADP

Injuries tainted Gregorius’ 2019 season, but the 30-year-old is only a season removed from a .268/.335/.494 slash line and is a bargain at his 200 ADP. Gregorius doesn’t hit the ball particularly hard with an 86.5 mph average exit velocity in 2018, but his propensity to hit the ball in the air (0.67 career GB/FB ratio) and avoid strikeouts (14.2% career strikeout rate) give Gregorius a relatively high floor and room for upside. Gregorius has increased his hard-hit rate on flyballs in each of the past two seasons, and if he can continue that trend then a .850 OPS is achievable. Still, Gregorius is unlikely to post an OPS below .750 and is underpriced as a result.

Andrelton Simmons (SS, LAA) - MI59, 334 ADP

An ankle injury hampered Simmons in 2019, but the shortstop posted an OPS north of .750 in both 2017 and 2018. Encouragingly, Simmon’s power improvements stuck in 2019 with his 87.7 mph average exit velocity effectively matching his 87.8 mph mark from the previous season. The issue for Simmons last year was his launch angle. Simmons got too far under the ball too frequently last year, resulting in a 21% IF/FB ratio and helping push his xwOBA on contact down to a disappointing .263. Now fully healthy, Simmons has a legitimate chance at bouncing back in 2020 with an OPS around .750.

Niko Goodrum (1B/2B/SS/OF, DET) - MI49, 279 ADP

Goodrum owns a .392 xwOBA on contact over the past two seasons, a comfortably above-average mark that is tough to come by at his 279 ADP. Goodrum has also seen his average exit velocity (89.3 mph) and hard-hit rate (41.5%) increase in each of the past two seasons, and additional improvements in 2020 would bode well for his fantasy value. With a near 30% strikeout rate last season, Goodrum’s primary issue is strikeouts. Even with a 30% strikeout rate though, Goodrum is a fairly safe bet to post an OPS around .750 thanks to his contact quality. Combined with his 24 steals over the past two years and everyday playing time, Goodrum should easily return value at his current price.

More 2020 Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Griffin Conine

To Have Shoulder Surgery On Tuesday
Luke Keaschall

Twins Prospect Luke Keaschall Suffers Broken Forearm
Logan Gilbert

Leaves Friday's Start With Forearm Tightness

Vikings Select Tai Felton To Finish Day 2

Seahawks Select Quarterback Jalen Milroe With The 92nd Pick Overall

Browns Select Dillon Gabriel 94th Overall

Packers Pick Savion Williams At No. 87 overall

Steelers Snag Kaleb Johnson In Round 3

Broncos Select Wide Receiver Pat Bryant With The 74th Overall Pick

Texans Select Jaylin Noel With 79th Pick

Lions Select Wide Receiver Isaac TeSlaa With The 70th Overall Pick
Jack Leiter

To Start On Sunday

Patriots Add Wide Receiver Kyle Williams In Round 3

Browns Draft Harold Fannin Jr. With 67th Pick
Garrett Mitchell

Makes Early Exit
Luke Keaschall

Removed Early On Friday
Blake Snell

Likely Avoids Major Injury
Cole Ragans

Dealing With Mild Groin Strain

Broncos Add RJ Harvey To Backfield With 60th Pick

Raiders Select Jack Bech With 58th Pick

Chargers Add Wide Receiver Tre Harris In Round 2
Detroit Lions

Lions Acquire 57th Pick From Broncos

Seahawks Draft Elijah Arroyo 50th Overall
Carolina Panthers

Panthers Acquire 51st Pick From Broncos
Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Snag Will Johnson At No. 47

Jets Add A Pass-Catcher With Mason Taylor At No. 42

Rams Select Terrance Ferguson With 46th Pick
Houston Texans

Texans Acquire 48th Pick From Raiders, Draft Aireontae Ersery

Saints Snag Tyler Shough At No. 40
Brenton Doyle

Out For Personal Reasons On Friday
Brandin Podziemski

Not On Injury Report For Game 3
Jimmy Butler III

Warriors Optimistic About Jimmy Butler III Playing Saturday
Jae'Sean Tate

To Remain Out Saturday
Jock Landale

Unavailable For Game 3
Terry Rozier

Out On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Ruled Out For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Orlando
Kevin Love

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Available For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Magic
Gary Payton II

Iffy For Saturday's Action
Jayson Tatum

Officially Available On Friday For Game 3 Against Magic
Will Smith

Back From Injury On Friday
Luke Kennard

Questionable For Game 4 On Saturday
Darius Garland

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Ja Morant

To Miss Game 4 On Saturday
Rui Hachimura

Available For Game 3 In Minnesota
Aaron Ekblad

Available To Return Saturday
Erik Swanson

Ryan Burr Progressing
Daulton Varsho

To Return On Tuesday At The Latest
Max Scherzer

Takes Positive Step On Friday
Aleksander Barkov

Questionable For Saturday
Gabriel Landeskog

Set For Larger Role In Game 4
Calvin Pickard

To Start Game 3 For Oilers
Randy Arozarena

Resting For First Time This Year
Jonas Siegenthaler

To Play Limited Minutes In Game 3
MLB

Red Sox-Guardians Game Postponed On Friday
Luke Hughes

Remains Out On Friday
MLB

Tigers-Orioles Postponed On Friday
Patrik Laine

A Game-Time Decision Friday
Yainer Diaz

Out On Friday Against Royals
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Hopes To Start Rehab Assignment Next Week
Salvador Perez

Sitting Out For First Time This Season
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 3 On Friday
Brendan Donovan

Back In Action On Friday
Jimmy Butler III

Could Miss Game 3 On Saturday
Coby Mayo

Getting On A Roll At Triple-A
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Cade Cunningham

Collects Double-Double In Loss
Jalen Brunson

Drops 30 Points In Game 3
Karl-Anthony Towns

Leads All Scorers In Game 3 Victory
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF