Fantasy Baseball's "Back to Earth Players": Middle Infielders

Here’s a look at some middle infielders who could should see a regression in 2010.


Jason Bartlett, Tampa Bay Rays

Bartlett had nothing on his resume that would have hinted at the .320/90/14/66/30 line he produced last year. While I would still take him as a starting shortstop, I won’t likely end up with him if people are drafting him based on last year’s numbers. I think the main numbers that will be in decline are his average and his SB's.


Asdrubal Cabrera, Cleveland Indians

I'm not sure the average or the speed are believable. Cabrera hit .308 last year with 17 SBs. In his previous 511 at bats he hit .266. In 1632 minor league at bats he hit .287. In fact, .287 is his career average for both the majors and the minors. 

In his 511 ABs Cabrera had 4 SBs. He had just 52 SBs in his 1632 minor league at bats. That's 127.8 and 31.4 ABs/SB compared to last year's 30.8. I would expect him to steal about 12-15 bases.


Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays

It’s not that I think Hill will have a bad season, but I just don’t think he can live up to the standard he set last year. Hill’s 36 HR's in 682 at bats were eight more than he hit in his first 1720 at bats. He had a solid season in 2007 in which he hit 17 HR's with 78 RBIs. I think he’ll end up somewhere in between 2007’s 17/75 and last year’s 36/108.


Adam Kennedy, Washington Nationals

Once Ian Desmond is ready, he’ll man the shortstop position with Cristian Guzman sliding over to second base. Kennedy will assume the utility player role. With limited AB's, it will hard to reach the .289/65/11/63/20 line he produced last year, specifically the 20 SB's.


Felipe Lopez, St. Louis Cardinals

Lopez had 187 hits and 88 runs for the Brewers and Diamondbacks last year. I’m not positive he’ll get enough AB's with St. Louis to reach those totals. Since he doesn’t provide much power or speed, his value is extremely limited.


Marco Scutaro, Boston Red Sox

Usually signing with the Red Sox should be a positive influence on someone’s fantasy value. This may be the exception. The Sox have been playing roulette at the position since the Nomar era. At 34, I’m not sure Scutaro is the answer. His 100 runs last year were 26 more than his previous career high. His 14 SB's were, and his 12 HR's were nearly double his previous career high. I see a regression in 2010.


Miguel Tejada, Baltimore Orioles

Tejada returns to Baltimore. This time to play third base. Aside from adjusting to a new position, age could start catching up with him. I can’t imagine another .313/83/14/86/5 season from Miggy at 36.

Back to Earth Catchers
Back to Earth Corner Infielders

Originally published at LestersLegends.com .