Fantasy Baseball 2020: Ranking Nolan Arenado, Trea Turner, Top Infielders

The left side of the infield should be one of the first positional targets in fantasy baseball drafts. 

A majority of the top infielders play either third base or shortstop, and in order to secure a premier player at those positions, they should be targeted in the first three rounds. 

Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado and Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner are among the top infielders available.

Arenado and teammate Trevor Story could be one of two left-sided infield pairs chosen early in drafts, with the Cleveland Indians duo of Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez the other.

Fantasy Baseball Infield Rankings

1. Nolan Arenado, 3B, Colorado

2. Francisco Lindor, SS, Cleveland

3. Trea Turner, SS, Washington

4. Trevor Story, SS, Colorado

5. Freddie Freeman, 1B, Atlanta

6. Jose Ramirez, 3B, Cleveland

7. Alex Bregman, 3B, Houston

8. Anthony Rendon, 3B, Los Angeles Angels

9. Fernando Tatis Jr., SS, San Diego

10. Rafael Devers, 3B, Boston

Nolan Arenado, 3B, Colorado

Gregory Bull/Associated Press

Arenado is a lock to land somewhere in the first round because of the consistent power he has displayed for the Rockies. 

Since 2015, the third baseman has recorded at least 35 home runs and 110 RBI in every season.

He is coming off a 41-homer, 118 RBI campaign in 2019 in which he earned career highs in batting average, on-base percentage and OPS. 

In 12-team leagues, Arenado would be a perfect pickup at the back end of the first round once the top outfielders and Gerrit Cole are chosen. 

The 28-year-old could also land in that area in a 10-team league since a strong case can be made that he is a top 10 fantasy player. 

Arenado has benefited from playing at Coors Field, as he hit .351 with 21 home runs and 70 RBI there in 2019, but he has performed well on the road, too.

Although his batting average dipped to .277 on the road, Arenado produced 20 home runs on his travels in eight fewer plate appearances. 

Arenado should also benefit from the strong lineup around him that includes Story, Daniel Murphy and Charlie Blackmon.

With threats in all parts of the Colorado order, it will be hard for opposing hurlers to pitch around Arenado.

Trea Turner, SS, Washington

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

What Turner lacks in power he makes up for with his speed and on-base percentage.

Turner has stolen at least 35 bases in each of the previous three seasons and produced the second-best on-base percentage of his career in 2019. 

The 26-year-old has four straight seasons with 100 hits and was four runs away from crossing home plate over 100 times two years running. 

Since he doesn't possess the power of other top infielders, Turner may drop into the start of the second round. 

In that situation, he could be combined with Arenado, or a premier pitcher or outfielder, like teammates Max Scherzer and Juan Soto.

If Turner hits in front of Soto for a majority of the season, his runs total will remain high since Soto is coming off a season with 110 RBI.

Turner will likely hit fewer than 20 home runs again, but if he makes up for that in other stat categories, he will be well worth the high selection.

Francisco Lindor, SS, Cleveland

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

The power alternative to Turner at shortstop is Lindor, who has been a home-run hitting machine for the Indians. 

The 26-year-old has hit 30 home runs in each of the last three campaigns and has consistently reached base throughout his career. 

Lindor put up 100 hits in each of his five seasons with the Indians, and after scoring 99 times in 2016 and 2017, he produced back-to-back 100-run years. 

If that was not enough to persuade you in his direction, he also has two straight seasons with 20 stolen bases and an OPS over .850. 

As long as he continues to receive support from Ramirez and others further down the order, Lindor should have another strong season across all stat categories. 

Arenado has a slight edge over Lindor when it comes to being the top infielder off the board because he has more home-run power.

The Cleveland shortstop should be chosen soon after Arenado as either a late-first- or early-second-round pick.

After choosing Lindor, you could look at Alex Bregman, Anthony Rendon or Rafael Devers to fill out the left side of the infield. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Statistics obtained from Baseball Reference