Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Intermediate Infield Update

The Shuffle Up series continues with the middle infielders. This is how I would rank the group of players if I were entering a fantasy baseball draft today. What has happened so far is just an audition. Assume a 5×5 scoring system as usual.

Salaries are linked to data and observations, but of a non-scientific nature. This is not a formulaic exercise. The goal is to show where pockets of value cluster. Players with the same salary are considered equal.

Respectful disagreements? That is good. That’s why we play. Find me on Twitter/X: @scott_pianowski.

And there we go.

The big tickets

Witt would have a strong case for being the No. 1 overall pick today across the entire player pool. He became a superstar at the age of 24 and his stats are all deserved – your batted ball profile suggests a .335 average and a ridiculous .649 slugging percentage, and he’s the fastest player in baseball. And Kansas City’s lineup was more useful than expected; royalty ranks seventh in runs per game.

Henderson’s development is easy to follow: he walks more, strikes less, hits hard more often and pulls the ball more often. I’ve always considered Adley Rutschman to be the most likely future MVP on this Baltimore roster, but maybe Henderson will get there first. He will be parked in the first round for the foreseeable future.

Betts has always had a streaky profile in his time in Los Angeles, and that’s been the story in 2024. He posted an absurd .368/.477/.624 slash line in the opening month, he was normal in May (.735 OPS), and he’s batting just .150 in five June games, although he did hit a home run in the Pittsburgh series. Betts has too much class for fantasy managers to do anything rash with him, but it’s fair to wonder if the stress of playing shortstop – and he has been below average in the field, too – it’s affecting him at the base. I would prefer to see Betts back in his comfortable outfield next year, if not sooner; it’s possible the Dodgers could resolve this issue at the trade deadline.

Legitimate building blocks

Semien’s average is below par and he’s not running much this year, but he’s still on pace for 118 runs and 91 RBI, and he’s one of those players who wants to play every day. Some fantasy managers consider Semien’s played resume a bug, thinking he will get hurt in one of these seasons. Although anyone can get injured, I think Semien’s diary is more of a characteristic, a symbol of a professional who knows how to take care of his body and face the long and demanding season. He’s still welcome on all my lists.

Westburg officials would love to see the Orioles face more lefties because he opens up the lead when these games happen. Westburg’s profile is a good reminder that being aggressive It doesn’t have to be a bad word on the plate – despite mediocre strike zone judgment, he earned a .299 average, 23 points more than your real number. It’s almost unfair to see a secondary prospect like Westburg click in Baltimore (he’s never been ranked in the top 70 on major draft boards), given how many blue-chippers this organization currently has. Assuming a reasonable health crisis, the Orioles are prepared to bully the American League for the rest of the decade.

Bill James taught us a long time ago that versatile players are often underrated, while specialists tend to be overrated, and this underrated picture applies to García. The Kansas City infielder is providing value in four of the five major categories, and at least he’s non-zero in the home run column. When he wants a base, he takes it — Garcia is 14 of 14 steals this year, and the Royals talk openly about being an aggressive team.

Talk to them, talk to them

I wish I had a better explanation for Lindor. He is still only 30 years old. He’s making a lot of contact and very difficult contact — your expected average should be 44 points higher. He’s still providing energy for the division, on pace for 26 homers and 25 steals. If you believe the average is correct, you raise it to 20 years. If you believe what’s on the back of the baseball card right now, the power and speed still warrant a spot in the teens.

Toronto ranks 24th in runs per game and Bichette is one of the offense’s biggest disappointments. He is also a below-average defender, leading to speculation that he will eventually move on from the position. Heck, there’s even talk that the disappointing Blue Jays should consider blowing up their core at the trade deadline, reset and start again. Bichette’s approach statistics don’t look much different from previous years and his career shows a consistent pattern of rising in the second half (OPS up 68 points), so maybe there’s an increase coming. But if I were entering a new fantasy draft tonight, I wouldn’t be able to proactively take anyone from Toronto’s roster. Also, keep in mind that the restructured Rogers Center has already operated as a pitcher’s field for two seasons.

As long as the Cubs don’t go sour on Morel, I won’t — his batted ball profile suggests a .265 average and .509 slugging. He was comically unlucky up to this point. And he’s on pace for 31 homers and 15 steals. Patience please.

Some plausible advantages

Gonzales had some prospects ahead of the 2022 season (increasing as high as the number 20 on some scouting clipboards), so his fast start in Pittsburgh isn’t a huge surprise. His plate discipline is ordinary, but good things happen when he hits, with hard-hit metrics all pegged to the right (he posted a .302 and .515 batting average). He is also skilled as a runner, capable of stealing around 10 bases in a full season. Gonzales probably won’t maintain that .885 OPS all year, but he feels like a full-season starter and fantasy contributor.

The Brewers rank an impressive fifth in runs per game and the surprising Ortiz is part of the story. His 147 OPS+ is second-best on the team, and he’s only struck out twice more than his walk total — any time that ratio is close to one, we’re talking about a good offensive player. The Brewers can’t decide where they want to put Ortiz in the lineup – he was outplayed in all positions except cleaning this year. But it also shows the versatility of his offensive game – great OBP skills, some pop. The Corbin Burnes trade doesn’t hurt today like it did for Milwaukee fans four months ago.

Bargain box

Injured player ratings – not up for debate