A few days ago, MLB announced the 2022 MLB All-Star Game starters. For the most part, MLB and the fans got the voting right. As usual, there are the inevitable All-Star snubs. There will be some nostalgia seeing future Hall-of-Famers Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera take part in the festivities. Last week we took a look at the updated shortstop ranks coming into July, which made reference to a couple of our fantasy first-half MVP’s Dansby Swanson and Tommy Edman. This week we’ll be taking a look at some middle infielders who have been all-stars for our fantasy teams while only costing a late-round draft pick and/or waiver wire pickup:
Jeff McNeil – Mets – McNeil is slashing 38/4/35/.315/.376/2 while spending time at second base, third base, and outfield this season. McNeil has always possessed good plate discipline and is one of the reasons the Mets are on top of their division this year. While the power is lacking, the rest of his stats are great from a middle infield spot and are in line with his expected stats. If Jazz Chisholm Jr. skips the All-Star game due to his back injury, perhaps McNeil enters as a reserve, as Ozzie Albies is expected to be out until August.
Brendan Donovan – Cardinals – If it weren’t for a strong NL rookie class headlined by MacKenzie Gore, Michael Harris II, and Spencer Strider, Brendan Donovan would garner some ROY consideration as he owns a 28/2/26/.285/.392 line. While Donovan has been a fantasy Swiss-Army knife with 1B/2B/3B/SS/OF eligibility and has been setting the table for the Cardinals big bats, I’d be trying to sell high as his xBA is .259 and his xSLG ranks in the bottom 5% of the league.
Jon Berti – Marlins – Berti is having the season we expected from him last year, batting 31/2/18/.267/.357/26. He was undrafted in many leagues, even in some deep leagues due to playing time issues. We knew Berti had game-changing speed, and 26 stolen bases in 180 at-bats have propelled a lot of teams to the top of their respective standings. Berti should remain a productive player and should see plenty of playing time, especially as the Marlins do their usual midseason selling at the deadline.
Luis Arraez – Twins – Arraez is another specialist of sorts, slashing 20/4/29/.355/.426. We’ve known for a few years what type of player Arraez is, but most years the batting average leader isn’t able to be drafted as late as he has. If you have Arraez in a roto league, hopefully, you have paired him with Kyle Schwarber to balance out your stats.
Matt Carpenter – Yankees – I would say no one loves the Yankee Stadium short porch more than Matt Carpenter has this season, as the Yankees latest reclamation project has revitalized his career, batting 15/9/20/.328/.431 in 73 plate appearances this year. The playing time has been sporadic, but if you’re in a deep enough league that has daily moves, I’d ride the wave for now. A note of caution, Carpenter’s xBA is .238 and the Yankees are poised to be their usual buying selves before the Trade Deadline, which would further cut into his playing time. As of now, the Yanks are linked to Royals outfielder Andrew Benintendi.
Brandon Drury – Reds – Speaking of revitalized careers, Drury is enjoying a career year in the hitter-friendly Great American Small Ball Park, batting 52/18/50/.278/.335/2. The expected stats back up his numbers. Drury’s xBA is .266, his Max EV is in the 86th percentile, and his HardHit% and xSLG are both in the 77th percentile of the league. Not bad for a waiver-wire pickup who is likely on a lot of fantasy playoff teams! Expect Drury to keep chugging along this season.
Thairo Estrada – Giants – The Giants and their reclamation projects. Estrada is batting 40/6/31/.253/.380/12. Not the greatest profile or stat line, but in a season where the overall MLB batting average is .242 and the fact that steals remain scarce, you might be as surprised as I was to find out that Estrada ranks #116 on the Razzball Player Rater as of this piece.
Have a great week!
