 Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus (left) and Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano (right) will be two of the first middle infielders chosen in fantasy drafts. |
Fantasy baseball columnist Joel Colomby ranks the starting corner infielders for the American and National Leagues. Dollar values are a guide for rotisserie league and head-to-head auctions.
SECOND BASEMEN
$20+
Robinson Cano NYY Stock goes up further if Yanks bat him cleanup
Dustin Pedroia BOS He is Cano, minus about a dozen HRs.
Ian Kinsler TEX Power re-emerged, should be good for another 100 runs
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Dan Uggla ATL Ugly first half fuelled by a staggeringly unlucky 19% BABIP
Brandon Phillips CIN He’ll be hyper-motivated in a contract year
Rickie Weeks MIL Always seems to miss a chunk of games hurt
Ben Zobrist TB Rebounded nicely with a near 20-20 season
$10+
Howie Kendrick LAA We’re looking for his AVG to rebound in 2012
Jemile Weeks OAK A .300 hitter with speed. Power might surprise
Jason Kipnis CLE Power binge a fluke, but should be good for 15-15
Aaron Hill ARIZ Hit .315 after trade from Jays, but will power return?
Ryan Roberts ARIZ Qualifies as a 2B but will start at third.
Dustin Ackley SEA Great discipline, but struggled at home and vs. LHPs
Jose Altuve HOU Was he rushed through the system too quickly?
Neil Walker PIT Makes good contact and will help across the board
Chase Utley PHIL AVG and HRs sliding and opens season on the DL
Kelly Johnson TOR Batting eye gradually regressing, but power remains
Danny Espinosa WAS 20-20 year likely but swings and misses too often
Ryan Raburn DET Infield glove could cost him at-bats, again
Brian Roberts BAL Lingering concussion symptoms a red flag
$1+
Gordon Beckham CHW Convinced last year’s woes were all in his head
Orlando Hudson SD A decent late-round source of steals
Daniel Murphy NYM Playing a new position on wonky knees
Freddy Sanchez SF Onetime NL AVG champ offers little else
Emmanuel Burris SF Starting with Sanchez on DL. Having a huge spring
Johnny Giavotella KC Late callup a line-driver with little speed, power
Alexi Casilla MIN Inability to stay healthy makes him a risky pick
Tyler Greene STL Starting 2B with Schumaker on the DL
Darwin Barney CHC Best you can say is his AVG won’t hurt you
Omar Infante MIA Uses speed to get on, but not a good base-stealer
Mark Ellis LAD Second base was to be an off-season priority. Really?
BEST OF THE BENCH — Robert Andino BAL, Eric Young Jr., COL, Chris Getz KC, Adam Kennedy LAD, Luke Hughes MIN, Justin Turner NYM, Bill Hall NYY. MINOR-LEAGUE WATCH — Taylor Green MIL, Steve Lombardozzi WASH
SHORTSTOPS
$20+
Troy Tulowitzki COL Be prepared to go well over $30 for the clear No. 1 SS
Elvis Andrus TEX Provides everything but HRs, and even that may evolve
Jose Reyes MIA Can he repeat career year on unreliable hamstrings?
Hanley Ramirez MIA Early mock drafts giving him a pass on brutal 2011
Starlin Castro CHC With 200 hits at 21 years old, closing in on stud status
Asdrubal Cabrera CLE Unexpected breakout may be tough to duplicate
$10+
Dee Gordon LAD Stole 24 bases in just 56 games as a rookie
Alexei Ramirez CHW Declining SB totals are the only complaint here
Jimmy Rollins PHIL As long as he stays healthy, you know what you’ll get
Derek Jeter NYY Still a top-10 SS as long he can keep his AVG around .300
J.J. Hardy BAL Won’t repeat 30 HRs of last year, but should still reach 20
Yunel Escobar TOR Could move up with any kind of base-stealing acumen
Ian Desmond WAS Went 60 consecutive games mid-season without an SB
Jhonny Peralta DET Should maintain his stats in middle of Tigers order
Erick Aybar LAA Fantasy stock increases if he can stay in the leadoff role
Zack Cozart CIN Decent power/speed upside after ankle & elbow surgeries
$1+
Stephen Drew ARIZ Last year’s broken ankle keeping him on DL to start ’12
Rafael Furcal STL Veteran has had four trips to the DL since 2010
Jed Lowrie HOU May finally emerge out of Bosox glare, on a non-contender
Alcides Escobar KC Strong September softened disappointing rookie year
Sean Rodriguez TB Has HR/SB potential, but hit only .192 against righties
Marco Scutaro COL He’ll start at 2B in a new hitter-friendly home park
Cliff Pennington OAK Does just enough to make him rosterable
Mike Aviles BOS Has bat to be productive if he can secure the everyday job
Tyler Pastornicky ATL May not be ready, but Braves have no other option
Alex Gonzalez MIL No AVG, but Miller Field might return him to 20 HRs
Jamey Carroll MIN Aging veteran boasts a .278 career AVG but little else
Ruben Tejada NYM For now, expect only a good AVG and OBP
Clint Barmes PIT He’ll provide a little pop as long as he is playing every day.
Jason Bartlett SD Do the 20-plus SBs make up for no power and .240 AVG?
Brendan Ryan SEA Charlie Hustle style resulted in a lot of missed games
Brandon Crawford SF All you’ll get is the occasional RBI or run
BEST OF THE BENCH — Willie Bloomquist ARIZ, Eduardo Nunez NYY, Miguel Tejada SF, Reid Brignac TB. MINOR-LEAGUE WATCH — Jose Iglesias BOS, Brian Dozier MIN, Tim Beckham TB
(Tomorrow: The outfielders)