Tim McLeod, he of Tout Wars and many Fantasy Baseball conferences, as well as the wonderful Fantasy Baseball 361 podcast, has a terrific axiom. “I do not touch my team until mid may.” He trusts his draft. He ignores way too early results. But you, my dear reader, may have taken Caleb Durbin or Luke Keaschall and are ready to just freak out. I get it. I really do. So let’s see which middle infielders are going to help carry you through that tough day at the draft table.
Second Base:
Chase Meidroth CWS: Meidroth is a pest. He gets on base, and hits leadoff. He even had an opening day bomb. He’s not a top 10 guy yet, but here’s the thing. The White Sox are terrible, but they will score 600 runs this year. Someone has to score those runs. And the most likely candidate is the former Red Sox prospect. Meidroth has SS and 3B eligibility as well.
David Hamilton, MIL: The utility guy in the Durbin deal that sent Kyle Harrison to Milwaukee, Hamilton is one of the fastest guys in baseball. He won’t produce much power, but is already at 4 SB in 6 games. Combine that with the fact that the Brewers hot corner alternative is Luis Rengifo, who is not very good at Major League Baseball, and you see an opportunity for Hamilton to get you a cheap 30-40 steals this year. Hamilton is also SS eligible.
Nolan Gorman, STL: Gorman is good for hitting bombs. That’s what he does. That’s pretty much all he can do. And he’s got 2 bombs on the year. He’s hitting 5th in a bad Cardinals lineup, so he’ll get plenty of opportunities.
Short Stop:
Carlos Correa, Hou: Why am I recommending you go pick up an old guy from the waiver wire? I’m not. You shouldn’t be using the waiver wire for position players this early. Correa is putting himself in position for a very fine season. He’s hitting cleanup and has already driven in 7. The way it’s shaking out looks like he could be in line for a renaissance season.
Andres Gimenez, Tor: I was not a fan of Gimenez coming into the year, but a situation changed that has led me to recommend him to you. And that is his situation. He’s batting leadoff in a powerful Toronto lineup. They score a lot of runs, and he is in the perfect position to take advantage of that, already scoring 6 so far. Fantasy baseball is not always about who is the most talented or who has the most left in the tank. It’s opportunity and taking advantage of situations, which Gimenez is. He’s also 2B eligible.
LONG TERM STASH:
Cooper Pratt, MIL: Pratt and the Brewers surprised the baseball world by agreeing to a 6 year, $50MM deal, with two option years. What exactly does this mean? It means that when Rengifo fails, Pratt has jumped Jett Williams in line for the call-up. Pratt is a minor league gold glove SS and held his own as a 19 year old in AA last year. He has the frame to develop power, which will materialize, and looks like his ceiling is prime JJ Hardy.
