MLB Fantasy Baseball's Same Faces in New Places: Infielders

Chone Figgins, 3B, Seattle Mariners.   I might not agree with the amount of money he got in his free agent contract, but Figgins still has a decent amount of value in fantasy circles.  Figgins has stolen at least 40 bases in four of the last five seasons, but he doesn't help you in many other categories. 

His average is good but not great, and he has had trouble staying healthy in the last three seasons.  He isn't in the top five at his position, but with his speed Figgins is worth a spot on your roster after the elite players are gone at third base and he will give you a great edge in the stolen base category.  Be wary of his time on the DL lately, but Figgins is still worth a pick in the 7th-10th rounds. 

Adrian Beltre, 3B, Boston Red Sox .   I can't say that I completely understand the Red Sox interest in Adrian Beltre, but regardless of my feelings he is their new third baseman.  Beltre will always be considered a disappointment after his inability to match his 48 homer season in 2004. 

Truth is, if you take out that year Beltre has been a pretty consistent performer and my guess is that he will likely get back to those stats after a tremendously disappointing 2009.   Taking out his very good year and his injury plagued season last year, Beltre has been between 21-26 homers and 75-99 RBI with a batting average around .265. 

With a nice hitters ballpark in Boston and a much improved lineup around him, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see Beltre's final numbers to fall back in that range again in 2010.  He isn't an elite 3B, but if you don't get one of the top five or six, Beltre isn't a bad fall back plan. 

Mark DeRosa, UTIL, San Francisco Giants .  After a pretty non-descript career, DeRosa did something I always say never happens and broke out in his 30s.  He now has hit at least 20 home runs in back to back seasons and has driven in at least 70 runs in four straight years. 

His batting average took a plunge last year down to .250, but he and the rest of the Indians got off to a horrible start that the fact that he finished there was a little surprising. 

But he made the most of his time with St. Louis and although where he will play in the field for the Giants remains up in the air, his bat should remains strong part of the team.  I expect DeRosa to hit around .270 with 19-23 home runs and drive in around 80 runs and with the likely position flexibility, he will be a guy worth having again in 2010. 

Jake Fox, C/1B/3B, Oakland A's.   When I first heard the news of the trade of Fox to the A's, man was I excited.  Fox proved last season that when given the opportunity to get on the field he could be lethal with the bat.  In just over 200 at-bats Fox pounded out 11 homers and drove in 44 runs. 

Of course he struck out a ton and hit only .259 but the kid definitely showed the promise that was expected of him. 

However, with all of the positions he played covered in Chicago he was destined for either AAA or the bench.  The recent trade of Kevin Kouzmanoff (see below) to Oakland means that Fox isn't playing third, and he isn't going to supplant Kurt Suzuki behind the plate or Jack Cust at DH (although I am sure he will DH some). 

Fox's best chance to play now comes at first base, where he can play and doesn't have much competition at the position.  If Fox is given 550 at bats he could be a steal of the draft as he could easily hit 30+ homers and drive in 85+ runs.  He will hurt your batting average, but it should be worth it for the power he brings.  Keep a sharp eye on Oakland in Spring Training to see what role Jake Fox might play. 

Garrett Atkins, 3B, Baltimore Orioles.   Atkins is coming off his fourth straight season of declining statistics, and the drop off last year was nothing short of alarming as he went from 21 homers and 99 RBI down to nine jacks and just 48 driven in with a .226 average.  Granted he didn't play in all 162 games, but still this was just down right putrid.

I have a hard time believing that a guy at age 30 is just totally done, and perhaps the change of scenery (and one year contract) will motivate Atkins to turn his act around and get back to his near All-Star playing level of just a couple of seasons ago. 

You should be able to get him much later in drafts than in the past, and given the depth at third base, he likely isn't going to be a bad choice.  I think he is a shoe in to at least double his numbers from last season, if not do even better than that.  I'm not saying to expect the .329/29/120 from 2006, but reaching the 20 tater mark with 85 RBI should be attainable.  A great corner infield position filler or even a utility spot for smaller rosters. 

Adam LaRoche, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks.   Although I have to admit that I am not a big fan, LaRoche seems to be one of the more underrated players in fantasy sports.  Sure he isn't an exciting guy, and he's been stuck in Pittsburgh forever, but he has consistently been in the mid-20s in home runs and mid-80s in RBI with a batting average in the .270s. 

However, it still seems that no one ever wants this guy, me included.  Not saying that it is a good idea to have him as your starting first baseman unless the rest of your team is really stacked, but if your league requires a corner infielder or a utility spot, LaRoche is not a bad guy for that at all.  He could lose a little in the home run department with the move to spacious Chase Field, but I wouldn't expect a huge dropoff at all. 

Kevin Kouzmanoff, 3B, Oakland Athletics .  On the other side of the coin from LaRoche, Kouzmanoff is a guy that I have liked since his rookie season but he has yet to live up to the potential that he showed in the minors and early in his major league career.  After pounding out 22 home runs in just 94 games at AA and AAA, it seemed that Kouz was ready to star for the Padres.

However, he has topped out at 23 bombs in his three pro seasons, and has been in the .255-.275 range.  You would think that a move to Oakland could effect his power numbers even more, but let's remember that his previous home park was PetCo where every fly ball goes to die.  I still hold out hope that he takes the next step, but in the goal of being honest, I expect Kouzmanoff's numbers to look like they have the past three seasons.   

Nick Johnson, 1B/DH, New York Yankees.   Talk about going from the outhouse to the penthouse, Johnson leaves Washington after four seasons and now moves to the Big Apple to play with the world champion Yankees.  There is no doubt that Johnson will get plenty more chances to drive in runs in the New York batting order, and he generally hits in the high .280s or even .290. 

The only question with Johnson this season is whether or not he can stay healthy, and unfortunately for him, that is a pretty big question.  However, if he is on the field Johnson seems to be a no brainer for 20 home runs and 90 RBI with an average around .290 and he is a nice later round addition to your team. 

Placido Polanco, 3B, Philadelphia Phillies.   Here is a guy who could really be helped out by a move to his new team, as Placido Polanco goes to a new league, with a smaller ball park, and a MUCH better lineup around him.  I do have to say that I am not a Polanco fan, however, even with his improved numbers last season.

He will help you out in average if he has a great year (and generally hits around .290 even if he doesn't), but to me, that's where his value really ends.  He does drive in a pretty decent number of runs for a guy who played second base, but he is moving to third this year and if he doesn't retain that 2B eligibility in 2010 his value will drop. 

But will that be counteracted by a move to Philadephia with all of those great hitters around him in a stadium that is conducive to offense?  Time will tell, but Polanco is someone that I will be avoiding come draft day. 

Kelly Johnson, 2B, Arizona Diamondbacks.   I've never really gotten the thrill of Kelly Johnson.  Not that people think that he is on par with Chase Utley and Ian Kinsler, but I just don't feel that he is really worth being anything but a guy if your league needs a middle infielder or bench guy in case of injury.  Johnson's average is usually in the .260s with his power numbers in the teens. 

He does bring a little bit of speed, but he has only gotten to double digits in swipes once in his career.  He was a colossal disappointment in 2009, and while he should be better than that I still very few circumstances that I would draft Johnson. 

J.J. Hardy, SS, Minnesota Twins.   Few players made me look or feel more stupid than Hardy in 2009.  I came into the season saying that he was a great option at shortstop after averaging 25 homers the previous two seasons.  Unfortunately for me, Hardy's season was a total disaster and it was so bad that he was eventually sent down to the minors for top prospect Alcides Escobar. 

I am hoping that the change in scenery will help Hardy get back to his statistics from 2007 and 2008, but I really can't advise picking him as your starting shortstop this season.  He should be a great mid to late round pick as injury insurance on your team with a chance to be a steal in the draft if he is able to hit 25 home runs again.

Marco Scutaro, SS, Boston Red Sox.   OVERRATED, clap clap, clap clap clap.  Scutaro tied or broke career highs in every single main fantasy category in 2009 and it paid off handsomely for him as he will now be the starting shortstop for the Boston Red Sox.  However, I am here to tell you folks that there is a 99.999999 percent chance that he will not approach last year's statistics, even in a much better situation with the Sox. 

Outside of scoring 100 runs, let's be honest, his season last year wasn't all that spectacular.  Sure, 12 homers and 14 steals are nice, but is that guy winning you a fantasy title?  Certainly not.

Scutaro is possible free agency fodder or best case scenario end of the bench kind of guy, and that is only because the middle infield positions tend to be thin.  Let someone else chase this thirtysomething's career season, don't be that guy. 

Kelly Shoppach, C, Tampa Bay Rays.   Shoppach has shown one thing in his short major league career, when given the opportunity to play, he can be a bat for a pitcher to fear.  He has hit 33 home runs over the past two years, and that is in just 201 games.  However, he has also shown that he really can't hit for any kind of consistent average, which has been his problem. 

I thought he needed a change of scenery to get a chance, but being moved to the Rays means he has to compete with Dioner Navarro for playing time now.  I think there isn't much of a question who is a better run producer, but Navarro is a better defensive catcher and hits for a better batting average.  It seems like Shoppach is in line for another platoon which will keep his fantasy value very limited. 

Aubrey Huff, 1B/3B, San Francisco Giants .  Even at age 33, I would say that the best years of Huff's career are definitely behind him.  After a it seemed like he had a resurgence in 2008, it proved to be just a tease as in 2009 his average plummeted 60 points and his home runs went from 31 all the way down 15.

Truth be told, I think Huff should be somewhere between his 2008 and 2009 seasons, and you can expect him to hit around .265 with 18-21 homers and about 80 RBI.  Not a horrible choice at a utility position or a nice bench option.  His move to the National League could help him reach just a bit higher. 

Mark Teahen, 3B, Chicago White Sox.   Teahen is a guy that you don't really ever count on with your fantasy team, but he is known to get on a hot streak or two during the season and he is worth owning for short periods of time while he is on one of those streaks.

His move to the starting third baseman for the White Sox could increase his power numbers slightly, but he isn't going to get up to 20 taters in a season.  Teahen hasn't hit over .280 in two seasons and he has never driven in 70 runs in a season.

So, unless you are in a 16+ team league, don't worry about Teahen on draft day, but keep an eye on him in the box scores once the games start and pounce on him (but keep expectations in check) when he gets hot, but be ready to ditch him when the cold spots come.

Akinora Iwamura, 2B, Pittsburgh Pirates .  This is another guy who always seems to be on fantasy rosters and I can never figure out why.  Iwamura really doesn't make an impact in any one single category, and in fact, is quite lacking in most.  He has never scored 100 runs, his career high in stolen bases is 12, he has hit 14 home runs in three seasons while never having more than 50 RBI.

Please explain to me why people continue to own him when he has never even hit .300?  A move to Pittsburgh I think only brings him down more as now he will have even fewer opportunities to drive in runs, and now he doesn't have hitters behind him to drive him in when he does get on base.  Even though he will be eligible at second base which isn't the deepest position, I see no reason for him to find his way on to a fantasy team. 

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