Below are the second base rankings...I expanded the criteria to grab the top 30 players by plate appearance for the season when ranking them. Still some holes in that this isn't factoring players that have recently gotten picked up such as Kolten Wong and a few will be flagged due to injury....
Tier 1:
1-Ian Kinsler
2-Robinson Cano
3-Brian Dozier
4-Jose Altuve
5-Dee Gordon
6-Scooter Gennett
7-Howie Kendrick
As the Brewers have slipped massively, so has Gennett's ownership listing amongst fantasy owners as he's seen a 2% decrease over the last day. While he has not been immune to these struggles (he's been held hit less over the last two days), one thing that keeps him higher on here as that there is some indication he may be one of those players that's able to keep his BABIP above average as he's done this over a couple consecutive seasons.
If given a full season (650 PA), I could see him keeping the batting average in the .315-.320 range with enough pop and a favorable enough ball park to get home runs into double figures
Tier 2:
8-Daniel Murphy
9-Mike Aviles
10-Neil Walker
11-DJ LeMahieu
12-Brian Roberts
Note: Brett Lawrie would be ranked between Murphy & Aviles if he was not on the disabled list
While Walker has never been a star, he has always had a way of quietly being productive at second base where offense stats are at a premium. If you are looking for an upgrade at second and your in one of the 35% of leagues where he's still available, he would be a good pick up but you may have to act fast as he's got a nice five game hitting streak going on. I think he's a good bet to maintain his average in the high .270s and maybe break the 20 home run threshold when all is said and done.
Brian Roberts may only be owned in 3% of leagues but he is a bit under-rated. His average/power numbers aren't going to turn out great .264/9 homers but could see him make enough stolen base & run contributions to be an option worth considering.
Mike Aviles is another deeper cut player (9%) ownership that may be under-valued. He is in the same boat as Roberts where mediocre power/average numbers can be made up somewhat in the stolen base category.
Tier 3:
13-Chase Utley
14-Jason Kipnis
15-Darwin Barney
16-Ben Zobrist
17-Jonathan Schoop
Emilio Bonifacio would be ranked between Schoop and Infante if he was not on disabled list
18-Omar Infante
19-Logan Forsythe
20-Dustin Pedroia
21-Gordan Beckham
Brandon Phillips would be ranked between Beckham and Hicks if he was not on the disabled list
22-Brandon Hicks
23-Luis Valbuena
Despite going hitless yesterday, Infante is on a recent good stretch as this was preceeded by four consecutive multi-hit games. He is sort of a lower end version of Neil Walker as he can be counted for a decent average, probably about half the power (10-12 homers) and tends to be little performance variance year over year
Tier 4:
24-Danny Espinosa
25-Alexi Amarista
26-Aaron Hill
27-Jedd Gyorko
Hill may have gotten hits in the last couple games and there is some promise of power based on prior seasons but i'm not sold on him being a good value. I think going forward his average maxes out at .260 and I don't see the power numbers getting past a dozen homers.
Showing posts with label Omar Infante. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Omar Infante. Show all posts
Friday, July 11, 2014
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Likely Available Waiver Wire Talent: Anthony Rendon, Kelly Johnson, Omar Infante, Kolten Wong, Emilio Bonifacio
Anthony Rendon (44% Ownership)
Rendon was the #6 overall pick in the 2011 draft and got his first taste of major league action in 2013. During his 98 games, he showed he can handle major league pitching but didn't put up superstar numbers .265/.329/.396 99 OPS+ 7 hrs.
He's one of those players that is capable of doing more. He was listed as a top 30 prospect in 2012 & 2013 and only played in 79 minor league games before going to the bigs. He basically crushed minor league pitching to the tune of .939 OPS.
Part of this seems to be helped by a discerning eye as he drew 55 walks in 326 minor league plate appearances. While I think his OBP is going to be strong, i'm not sure he's necessarily going to help owners from the batting average side. I do think he will hit for some more power in 2014 and approach the 15 home run mark.
Kelly Johnson (43% Ownership)
If Johnson is going to provide value, it's going to be from the home run side. It seems like its between Kelly Johnson & Brian Roberts in who's going to fill up the second base spot and do their best to replace Robinson Cano so it would be helpful to monitor how that competition goes in spring training.
Assuming Johnson gets a regular stream of plate appearances in 2014, he could be an inexpensive source of power. I don't think he's ever going to help on the batting average side but with a proven track record of about 15 homers per year, plus being a left hand hitter combined with that short right field porch at Yankee stadium, 25 to 30 homers isn't out of the question if things break right.
Even if he falls short of that, he's still going to do better than his top comparable through age 31, Bill Hall. He played 7 games in his age 32 season (2012) and his career seems to be done after a promising couple of seasons in 2005 & 2006.
Omar Infante (34% Ownership)
Infante is going to be starting on a 4 year/$30 million deal with the Royals. Over the last few years he's been an average to slightly below average hitter. He provides decent returns in batting average and may even throw in about a dozen homers if things break right. Out of players that may be available, he's one of the more consistent but not necessarily spectacular options out there.
Through age 31, his most similar player is Jimmy Dykes. Dykes had a solid age 32 season .327/.412/.539, I don't see Infante putting numbers up that high (especially on the slugging percentage but he could still have a few decent if not spectacular seasons ahead of him.
Kolten Wong (15% Ownership)
The one thing that Wong could be relied upon if he gets regular playing time is helping in the stolen base category as he can run and run very fast. The main question is whether he can figure out major league pitching (he had a 3 OPS+ in 62 plate appearances) and a base running blunder that ended a World Series game.
Still, that's a small performance sample size, he's only 23, he's a top 100 prospect and the Cardinals (frustratingly) know what they are doing. He's had respectable offensive numbers in the minors (.811 OPS in 280 games). If he ends up getting regular playing time, I think he'll struggle some this year but he's definitely a better hitter than his sample size from last year indicates. If you need some stolen base help and can take potential hits in average and power, he may be a viable option.
Emilio Bonifacio (10% Ownership)
The question for the Cubs is whether they are willing to give Bonifacio and his career 79 OPS+ anything resembling regular playing time. The question for fantasy owners is whether a possible 30 or so stolen bases makes up for the fact that he's an otherwise underwhelming player on offense.
His most similar player through age 28 is Alan Bannister. In his age 29 season, he had 250 plate appearances and didn't play very well in those (.641 OPS/86 OPS+). For this year, I would be surprised if Bonifacio kept a regular starting gig throught the season. If your looking for some stolen bases but willing to take a hit in performance you'd be better off taking a risk with someone with more upside such as Kolten Wong.
All numbers, comparisons, etc. found on baseball-reference.com
Rendon was the #6 overall pick in the 2011 draft and got his first taste of major league action in 2013. During his 98 games, he showed he can handle major league pitching but didn't put up superstar numbers .265/.329/.396 99 OPS+ 7 hrs.
He's one of those players that is capable of doing more. He was listed as a top 30 prospect in 2012 & 2013 and only played in 79 minor league games before going to the bigs. He basically crushed minor league pitching to the tune of .939 OPS.
Part of this seems to be helped by a discerning eye as he drew 55 walks in 326 minor league plate appearances. While I think his OBP is going to be strong, i'm not sure he's necessarily going to help owners from the batting average side. I do think he will hit for some more power in 2014 and approach the 15 home run mark.
Kelly Johnson (43% Ownership)
If Johnson is going to provide value, it's going to be from the home run side. It seems like its between Kelly Johnson & Brian Roberts in who's going to fill up the second base spot and do their best to replace Robinson Cano so it would be helpful to monitor how that competition goes in spring training.
Assuming Johnson gets a regular stream of plate appearances in 2014, he could be an inexpensive source of power. I don't think he's ever going to help on the batting average side but with a proven track record of about 15 homers per year, plus being a left hand hitter combined with that short right field porch at Yankee stadium, 25 to 30 homers isn't out of the question if things break right.
Even if he falls short of that, he's still going to do better than his top comparable through age 31, Bill Hall. He played 7 games in his age 32 season (2012) and his career seems to be done after a promising couple of seasons in 2005 & 2006.
Omar Infante (34% Ownership)
Infante is going to be starting on a 4 year/$30 million deal with the Royals. Over the last few years he's been an average to slightly below average hitter. He provides decent returns in batting average and may even throw in about a dozen homers if things break right. Out of players that may be available, he's one of the more consistent but not necessarily spectacular options out there.
Through age 31, his most similar player is Jimmy Dykes. Dykes had a solid age 32 season .327/.412/.539, I don't see Infante putting numbers up that high (especially on the slugging percentage but he could still have a few decent if not spectacular seasons ahead of him.
Kolten Wong (15% Ownership)
The one thing that Wong could be relied upon if he gets regular playing time is helping in the stolen base category as he can run and run very fast. The main question is whether he can figure out major league pitching (he had a 3 OPS+ in 62 plate appearances) and a base running blunder that ended a World Series game.
Still, that's a small performance sample size, he's only 23, he's a top 100 prospect and the Cardinals (frustratingly) know what they are doing. He's had respectable offensive numbers in the minors (.811 OPS in 280 games). If he ends up getting regular playing time, I think he'll struggle some this year but he's definitely a better hitter than his sample size from last year indicates. If you need some stolen base help and can take potential hits in average and power, he may be a viable option.
Emilio Bonifacio (10% Ownership)
The question for the Cubs is whether they are willing to give Bonifacio and his career 79 OPS+ anything resembling regular playing time. The question for fantasy owners is whether a possible 30 or so stolen bases makes up for the fact that he's an otherwise underwhelming player on offense.
His most similar player through age 28 is Alan Bannister. In his age 29 season, he had 250 plate appearances and didn't play very well in those (.641 OPS/86 OPS+). For this year, I would be surprised if Bonifacio kept a regular starting gig throught the season. If your looking for some stolen bases but willing to take a hit in performance you'd be better off taking a risk with someone with more upside such as Kolten Wong.
All numbers, comparisons, etc. found on baseball-reference.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)