For the sixth and final installment of a full division’s worth of players, I offer you the high quality NL West.
Even where performance is lacking in the NL West, there’s name value – even in lowly Colorado. Chances are, you drafted regularly from this pool of players, so let’s review their seasons so far and whether your draft decision is turning out to be a good one.
Any position eligibility I reference is based on NFBC eligibility. All stats I reference in this article are as of end of play on 7-1-25.
The depth chart (according to MLB.com) of the 2B and SS positions for each team:
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS – deeper than you might have thought
If the Diamondbacks decide to sell at the deadline, they have some nice talent throughout their middle infield depth chart to give run to. Obviously, the front line guys have been great this year, but I’m also interested in the backups.
2B: Ketel Marte, Tim Tawa, Ildemaro Vargas (IL)
SS: Geraldo Perdomo, Ildemargo Vargas (IL), Blaze Alexander
A promising prospect, Blaze Alexander has largely been blocked by other players at his positions, so he’s spent little time at the major league level. He’s just been recalled to the Dbacks, and the short opportunity he got last year showed he can make some noise (though his plate discipline is not great). If he gets real playing time at any point, I’m interested in deep leagues. Until that point, though, he probably shouldn’t be on anyone’s radar.
Ketel Marte is a stud. In the times I’ve written about him this season (see articles on March 20th, April 17th, and June 5th), I have made no secret that I love his game. I’ve also made no secret about my fear he’ll end up on the IL at some point soon. While he’s healthy, he’s wonderful to have, but understand that an injury is likely lurking somewhere around the corner.
I wrote about Geraldo Perdomo just last week, suggesting that it was time to reconsider his hot start in the light of his recent performance:
If Perdomo is indeed a 12 HR / 15 SB player, there may not be much more coming from him in terms of helpful counting stats. I would continue to roster Perdomo, but I would definitely be watching his performance and not just automatically putting him in my lineup.
Perdomo has been a boon for anyone who picked him up early in the season. I have a number of leagues where I roster him, and as you might imagine, those teams are doing well. But my modest prediction for his rest of season performance is based on his lack of real power and his mediocre speed. I just don’t think he’ll keep up the early season performance, and the underlying stats support that belief.
Since that article dropped a week ago, Perdomo has proceeded to go 6 of 16 at the plate, including both a double and a HR, with 4 Rs, 6 RBIs, and 1 SB. My bad, Mr. Perdomo, point made. That said, his game-by-game EV numbers during the last week (85.1, 86.3, 83.3, 90.9, 87.1, and 88 mph) don’t suggest he’s hitting the ball with particular authority; in fact, his HH% is exactly the same today (31.9%) as it was a week ago.
Long story short: this is why I don’t want to drop Perdomo – he has a nice spot in a good lineup, and I think he’ll put together positive streaks like he has for the last week. The question is: Can you get him on your roster in time to take advantage of those good streaks?
If you, like me, have not been paying attention to Tim Tawa, let me encourage you to change that. He has come into the league and hit the ball with authority. His 40.2% HH%, EV of 88.3 mph, and maxEV of 111 mph complement a less-than-ideal launch angle (6.4°), but he has still managed 6 HRs in 164 PAs. He’s also been a nice source of speed, with 7 SBs. His .205 AVG reflects his lack of plate discipline, especially when it comes to his contact metrics and swinging outside the strike zone at a 33.2% clip. But his xBA of .230 tells us that he’s likely not going to be quite Mendoza level damaging to your AVG as the season moves forward.
Playing time is his issue. But once either Ketel Marte gets injured (which is virtually guaranteed) or Eugenio Suarez is traded (the Cubs seem to be kicking the tires there), Tawa’s playing time likely increases nicely. When that happens, I’ll be looking to roster him.
Ildemaro Vargas (IL)
Ildemaro Vargas doesn’t get enough PAs to be particularly interesting though he’s shown himself to have HH skills when he does play. But his current IL stint, his lack of playing time overall, and his horrifyingly bad swing discipline all make him not a consideration for any rosters at this point.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS – surprisingly piecemeal at times, but there’s still Mookie, right?
When I imagine the wealthier-than-God Dodgers franchise, I do not imagine being so underwhelmed by a positional depth chart. This group of players is shockingly meh unless Mookie finds a way to discover his old power stroke.
2B: Tommy Edman, Hyeseong Kim, Enrique Hernandez, Miguel Rojas
SS: Mookie Betts, Miguel Rojas, Tommy Edman, Enrique Hernandez, Hyesong Kim
Mookie Betts is still a solid player, but he does not appear to be the beast that he was just 2 seasons ago. His power metrics have collapsed since then: He’s lost 13.5 points from his HH%, 6.9 points from his Barrel%, 2.9 mph from his maxEV, 4 mph from his EV, and 3.5° off his LA, not to mention smaller drops in FB%, Pull%, LD%, and Contact%. Yikes.
If I can deal Betts to someone who still believes in him and would give me value close to what drafters paid for him, I’d be interested. Otherwise, I would adjust my expectations – he looks like more of a RD 10 pick than a RD 1-2 turn pick.
I wrote about Tommy Edman just last week, suggesting that his hot start, especially in power, was more mirage than real. After that strong start and then 3 weeks on the IL, he has been less than stellar. As I explained last week:
Since his return on May 18th, he’s managed to hit only 2 HRs in his 115 PAs. His HH% has dipped 10% since his power month, and his pull rate has cratered. He is hitting the ball on the ground over 15% more often than he did in March/April, and his FB% has dipped from 42.1% all the way down to 26.3% in June.
If you’re still rostering Edman hoping for his early season power surge to show itself again, you might find yourself disappointed. He’s still hitting for a decent AVG, and he’s amassed 10 Rs and 10 RBIs in June. Notably, the former speedster has just 1 SB in June and just 3 this season. If you’re happy with a player on a season-long pace of 12 HRs, 60 Rs, 60 RBIs, and 7-8 SBs, Tommy Edman is your guy. But if you’re putting him in your lineup due to his strong start to the season, it may be time to reconsider.
Over the last week, nothing has really changed for the better. I’m barely able to keep rostering Edman at this rate, much less play him. I’d be watching him closely if you’re depending on him – and ready to cut and run if necessary.
I want someone, anyone, to love me as much as the LA Dodgers love Enrique Hernandez. His last true impact season was 2021 – and even that season felt more like an anomaly than a real thing, but the team with the highest payroll in the game keeps sending him out there. Although he rarely starts a game, he usually gets a couple PAs in each. And as hard as he is for most fantasy players to stomach rostering, he does still put up stats. He’s good for HRs (on a 600 PA pace to hit 25+), and his R & RBI paces still work out to 70ish of each. If you can put up with his AVG drain and you’re in a deep league in need of help at, well, just about any position (he’s eligible at 1B/2B/3B/OF), he might be worth a look.
It seems foolhardy to question what the Dodgers’ front office does, but I very much wish they’d give Dave Roberts the green light to let Hyeseong Kim play more often. He certainly has holes in his game (lack of plate discipline and hard hit skills are front and center), but he seems to do something good anytime he’s in the game. His .369 AVG, 2 HR, 16 R, 12 RBI, and 7 SB have come from a measly 90 PAs. That’s impact. But as a part-time player who is also limited to the strong side of a platoon in those part-time PAs, he’s not terribly helpful to roster at this point.
Compare Kim’s numbers to those of Miguel Rojas, who has roughly the same lack of power but who doesn’t have the speed. He gets a few more PAs than Kim, but is even less helpful to roster in fantasy.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS – the victim of unrealistic expectations?
There is some interesting talent in the Giants’ middle infield depth chart with Koss and Schmitt, and I think fantasy managers have been too harsh in their judgment of Adames. I like what this group offers.
2B: Christian Koss (IL), Casey Schmitt (IL), Brett Wisely
SS: Willy Adames, Christian Koss (IL), Tyler Fitzgerald
Willy Adames is the poster child for how fantasy players’ expectations get blown out of proportion due to career seasons. Try to find an Adames manager who isn’t disappointed in his output so far this year. But why? Last year’s 32 HRs and 21 SBs were both career highs. The HR total was just 1 better than his 2022 total of 31, but he hasn’t hit more than 25 any other season. This year, he’s on pace to hit roughly 20 or so HR after moving to a park where hitting HRs is more difficult to do. Last year’s SB total was more than double his second best season total of 8. Did we really think he was going to run like he did last year in Milwaukee? In a walk year?
To add to my confusion about fantasy managers’ disappointment with Adames, his RBI and R paces are right in line with career norms, as are both his BB% and his K%. His HH% is better than last year’s by almost 4%, and his EV has also gone up. What exactly is it we want from Adames? Yes, he got off to a slow start, but he’s basically doing Willy Adames things while having some bad BABIP luck. For those who drafted him in the 9th or 10th RD, maybe his current numbers aren’t exactly what they had hoped for, but his performance is certainly within the range of what we might have reasonably expected.
If you look around your league and see that the current Adames manager is fed up with this totally predictable performance, I would absolutely make them an offer to get those steady numbers on your roster for cheaper than RD 9 or 10 value in return.
Similar to Adames drafters, fantasy players drafted Tyler Fitzgerald with 20 HR / 20 SB expectations. While the most bullish preseason projection systems largely agreed that 20 / 20 was reasonable, others (including Razzball’s and Grey’s projections) put his HR total at closer to 15. All but one system agreed that his AVG, at best, would reach .240, likely due to Fitzgerald’s high K%, poor contact metrics, and questionable swing decisions. His current AVG: .234. His current 600 PA pace for SBs: 25ish. Right on the money. Fitzgerald’s HR total has lagged behind projections’ expectations, probably due to his Barrel% currently being at less than half of last year’s 8.2%, as well as his dip in HH%, EV, and maxEV. He has made poor contact this year, which is always a risk for players with shaky plate discipline.
After a quick trip to the minors, Fitzgerald is back with the Giants and has had EVs of 102.2 and 99.1 in his two games back in the majors. So chances are that his HR pace will bump back up slightly to get closer to a pace of 10-12 for a 600 PA season; otherwise, this is who Fitzgerald is. As such, if he gets consistent playing time and I’m in need of steals, I’m absolutely interested in picking him up off waivers. But I’m not going to expect him to hit even close to last year’s totals of a .280 AVG and 15 HRs.
Christian Koss (IL)
Christian Koss has managed to put together a couple of stretches of playing time, and in those periods, he’s looked worthy of more as he’s demonstrated speed and capable hitting stats. He’s currently on the IL, and when he returns, he’ll have plenty of competition for PAs. But if he ends up getting real run, I’ll be interested in possibly rostering him in deeper leagues.
Casey Schmitt (IL)
Casey Schmitt also finds himself on the IL, but his 112 PAs in 2025 have been promising to say the least. His HH% of 50%, EV of 91.2 mph, and maxEV of 111.6 all definitely have my attention. As does his nice looking Barrel% of 10%. His shaky plate discipline numbers make me question how consistent he can be, but his quality of contact gives me hope. Once he gets off the IL, I’ll be keeping my eye on him.
Brett Wisely has been the beneficiary of only 27 PAs so far this year. With Schmitt and Koss on the IL, maybe those PAs increase for a bit, but based on his underwhelming numbers in his 403 PAs during 2023-2024, he isn’t on my radar currently.
SAN DIEGO PADRES – better than Padres’ fans think
The Padres middle infield has dealt with some injuries and age-related decline, causing many fantasy players to think these players are underperforming. If we have reasonable expectations, though, there’s value here.
2B: Jake Cronenworth, Jose Iglesias, Tyler Wade
SS: Xander Bogaerts, Jose Iglesias, Tyler Wade
In my initial middle infield rankings, I put Xander Bogaerts at 18th and predicted he would give us a steady 18 HR / 12 SB season. It looks like I should have flipped those numbers as he’s on pace to give us more like 10 HR / 20-25 SB. I’ve heard lots of fantasy players and Padres’ fans upset with Xander’s performance, but if we can realign our expectations with who he is now, do you really have a problem with a player who is going to give you a .255 AVG, 10 HR, 65-75 R & RBI, and 20-25 SB? Maybe that isn’t what I drafted him for, but those stats are still helpful to my team.
After Jake Cronenworth’s mini-renaissance last season that provided plenty of profit for anyone who drafted him late in the draft, the expectations for this season may have been a bit too high. Again, I’ve heard fantasy players and Padres’ fans expressing their discontent over what Cronenworth is doing, but he’s on pace to do almost exactly what he did last season. If you’re in a 12- to 15-team league or larger, just put him in your lineup and close your eyes. It may not be pretty, but his 15-20 HR, 70-80 R & RBI, 5 SB pace will probably fill your needs just fine.
Jose Iglesias has received way more PAs this season than anyone would want him to, and he has demonstrated that he is certainly not an impactful player. He’s playing a little over half the time for a usually solid offensive lineup, so there’s value there for the deepest of leagues. Otherwise, Iglesias is likely off your radar.
Tyler Wade has received way more PAs this season than anyone would want him to…. Yeah, I’ll just stop writing there. Go back and read the Iglesias paragraph, reduce the total PAs, and you have Wade. He isn’t a consideration except maybe for NL only leagues.
COLORADO ROCKIES – the island of misfit toys
The middle infield depth chart for the Rockies is packed with mediocre players and re-treads (with the exception of Tovar) who all have sneaky ways of contributing to fantasy stats if / when they find themselves in the lineup.
2B: Thairo Estrada, Orlando Arcia, Kyle Farmer, Tyler Freeman
SS: Ezequiel Tovar (IL), Ryan Ritter, Kyle Farmer, Orlando Arcia, Tyler Freeman
Orlando Arcia surprisingly found himself with the starting shortstop gig in Atlanta in 2023-2024 and even started the 2025 season in that role. But anyone paying attention to Arcia’s offensive prowess – or lack thereof – knew that would come to an end sooner rather than later. While his 2023 made it look like Atlanta had made a good baseball decision with his .264 AVG and 17 HR, those numbers were aided by a bloated .301 BABIP, a number he hasn’t been close to since 2020 and hasn’t met since 2018.
In 2025, his limited offensive skills have combined with significant dips in his HH%, Barrel%, and EV to make him an offensive liability in an age when shortstops are now among the main offensive forces in professional baseball. His fielding percentage and arm strength have been enough to keep him in the lineup when Tovar isn’t available, so with Tovar’s current IL stint, Arcia is a deep league desperation play if you’re in need of PAs. Otherwise, there isn’t much here to see.
Back-to-back 14 HR / 20 SB seasons in 2022-2023 made Thairo Estrada a draft darling in 2024. Unfortunately, those who drafted Estrada last year came to regret it as his offensive output collapsed, leading to his demotion to the minors before being released from the Giants. As I look at Estrada’s underlying numbers from 2024, it honestly looks like last year was impacted by injury and bad luck. While his power metrics dipped some in 2024 compared to 2022-2023, the dip isn’t big enough to explain why his results were so bad last year, especially considering that his plate discipline metrics were up last year. The performance downturn may have been mostly statistical noise.
Colorado’s front office isn’t exactly known for savvy moves, but signing Estrada in the offseason may prove to be a steal for them. He has amassed only around 100 PAs into his season, but his rates look in line with previous years. His HH% is down again (to 30% this year after 31.7% last year and 33.7% in 2023), but both his EV and maxEV are up slightly. He is swinging at a 3.4% higher rate than he did last year, and his K% shows that he’s not exactly trying to murder the ball. I see no reason Estrada can’t get back to the 12-15 HR / 20-25 SB pace he had in 2022-2023. And while the Rockies’ offense isn’t what I’d like to call good – or even competent – Estrada consistently hits somewhere in the top 5 of the order. As long as he’s healthy, he seems like a reasonable flyer to take if he’s out there on your waiver wire for 12-team leagues and larger.
Somehow, Kyle Farmer puts together somewhere between 350 and just under 600 PAs in most years, and this year he’s on pace to have somewhere just south of 400. He’s made a career of being that mediocre guy that just finds himself in the lineup on most days, and his mediocre play usually adds up to a pace of 15 HR / 5 SB per 600 PAs. Those stats aren’t helpful in shallow leagues, but if you’re in 15-team leagues or deeper, he’s someone who can put numbers in categories if you’re in need due to injury.
Tyler Freeman’s playing time has increased to the point that he put together around 100 PAs in June alone. He’s a steady source of speed when he’s playing – his 9 SBs are bolstered by his 28.2 ft/s speed. While he currently has only 1 HR, it isn’t because he doesn’t hit the ball hard: his 41.8% HH% and 90.5 mph EV make it clear that he can hit the ball out of the park when he gets it in the air. His 9.3° LA and low 28.4% FB% explain why his HR total is so low, but it also helps him carry his .311 xBA (though that would be a massive jump from his previous seasons’ AVGs). If he’s on my waiver wire in just about any sized league and I need speed, I would definitely pick him up while he’s getting playing time. Maybe he’ll even end up helping in AVG if he somehow maintains his significant gains in both hard hit and plate discipline metrics.
Ryan Ritter hasn’t shown much yet in his 70 MLB PAs, but his minor league numbers suggest there’s some power upside that he just hasn’t figured out how to get to yet. If he somehow finds himself with any type of consistent playing time (his 70 June PAs would put him on a 400+ PA pace over a full season), I’d at least keep my eye on him to see if he figures out how to bring his minor league power stroke to the majors. But I wouldn’t be looking to pick him up anywhere at this point.
Ezequiel Tovar (IL)
I wasn’t exactly excited to roster Ezequiel Tover at his draft season price. I ranked him 26th in my pre-season middle infield rankings, and the tier I put him in tells you everything you need to know about how I feel about him as a player: Market-Perceived Values, But with Downsides.
Tovar’s plate discipline problems are what keep me off him as an option to roster. In all fairness, though, Tovar has improved some of his plate issues this season: his BB% is up to 5.1% (hard to believe that’s an improved number) from 3.3% in 2024, and his K% has dipped significantly, from 28.8% to 21.7%. With these improvements has also come better HH metrics: he’s raised his HH% from 39.7% to 44% and increased his EV and maxEV. With numbers like that, most would think that his overall stats would have improved, but his slow start (3 HRs, 2 SBs in 138 PAs) seems to be due to hitting the ball on the ground too much. His LA has dropped badly – from 18.9° to 11.8°, and his FB% has dropped by more than 14%. The upside is his LD% is looking great, but his strong xBA and xSLG both suggest he may have run into some unlucky BABIP results.
The numbers tell me that his AVG should come up, and if he can figure out his LA issues, then his HRs should come back. But between this shaky start and his multiple injury absences this season, it looks like fading him in draft season may have been the (lucky) right call. But… if the Tovar manager in your league is sick of him, I would definitely see if you can get him at a discount – I don’t think this slow start will stick around all season since he’s just hitting the ball too well overall.
That’s the list for this week. I hope you were able to find a player or two that can help you when you hit a lineup snag. Until next time. – ADHamley
I’m curious why you’re worried about Tyler Freeman’s playing time.
I’m definitely less concerned now. But, for years, the Rockies have been Rockies-ing when it comes to playing time for their young players. Freeman wasn’t getting a ton of PAs to start with, but as I noted above, those PAs have recently picked up.
But even with the increase, during the week before I wrote the article (so just 2 days of games in the new week), he had been benched for one game and then pinch hit for in at least one other game. Since he’s a righty for an organization that isn’t serious about developing young talent, I’m not willing to say I’m totally confident he’s going to maintain the nearly everyday playing time. But while he does play that often, I’m definitely using him.
Ballz call on Mookie and his sub .700 OPS. Most of the industry’s so called, quote unquote experts, have been reluctant and slow on the draw to acknowledge the obvious about the future first round HOF’er. I too have the ballz of a bull but haven’t yet pulled the trigger on exchanging via WW Estrada for Mookie. Mookie is currently my 2B and his SS/ OF eligibility is an enormous advantage albeit he will lose his 2b/OF eligibility for ‘26. Before you state the obvious and suggest trading Mookie, he’s been on my trade block with nary a bite. Seems like most fantasy players are well aware of Mookie’s demise, the only ones holding the bag on Mookie are again, the experts. I’m *thisclose* to making that move with Estrada, what you say?
Estrada is a tough call. He’s going to give you a couple of good things (particularly steals, probably a few HRs here and there, maybe even some AVG when playing at home), but I personally would still stick with Mookie there.
Estrada usually hits somewhere in the top 5 in the lineup, but usually that’s closer to the 5-hole than any higher spots. Mookie bats in the 2-hole every single day that he’s healthy. Estrada may or may not score runs with that AAA lineup in Colorado. Mookie is going to get knocked in a high proportion of the time he gets on base (He has 51 Rs — that’s damn helpful). Estrada may get RBIs with that AAA lineup, but someone is on base all the time with the Dodgers (Mookie has 42 RBIs). Mookie’s AVG is down, but his BABIP is also down, and Statcast has his xBA at .265. If Betts’s AVG sneaks closer to that, he’s still a player worth having — he’s just not what you hoped for when drafting.
The player rater has Mookie worth $10+ so far this year. That isn’t world beater, but it’s helpful. Estrada is listed at $-18, which is a little misleading because he’s had so few PAs so far. But do you really think Estrada gives you $10 in value with another 200 PAs? I’m not so sure. He looks pretty average to me, and Mookie is still a reasonably solid player, just not a great one.
Is there anyone else on your roster you can cut to pick up Estrada and just play him in his home starts? His value should be pretty decent over the aggregate if you’re only playing him at home. I’m not so sure about his road value though…
Totally in agreement with you that Mookie sits between arguably two of the best hitters in baseball and that’s worth something for sure. Having said that, you still have to get on base. The repeated 0 fers are a problem. I like Thairo’s upcoming schedule even on the road @ Cincy @ Boston. Then it’s back to Mike High after the break with a trip to Balt mixed in ( mouth watering to face O’s pitching.)