Points Leagues: May Infield Rankings

Last time we did this, it was after less than two weeks of action. Now we’ve got over a month of games to work with. As a result, there’s a bit more movement than there was last time. It may still not be as aggressive as you might like. That’s ok. If you really believe in someone I don’t rate as highly or are ready to cut someone I have in the top-10 of a position, do what you have to do. You know your team’s situation and how your league reacts to hot and cold streaks. I’m here to try and provide another voice to at least make you think for a second before you rage drop Ketel Marte or trade Manny Machado to acquire Miguel Vargas. So let’s take a look at the state of things around the horn.

Catcher

• In April, I was hesitant to put Rice up at the top because it seemed like the Yankees were hesitant to use him against lefties. That is no longer the case. Not only is he facing them, he’s crushing them. That said, he left Sunday’s game with a hand contusion. Word at the time of writing is that x-rays were negative. Hopefully, he’s not forced to miss more than a day or two.
• Herrera is currently hitting .250. Everything under the hood looks good. Be patient. Good times are coming.
• I like Will Smith. The presence of Dalton Rushing means he’s not going to produce the volume you want in this format. And I really like Rushing. But until the Dodgers show they’re committed to getting him in the lineup more frequently than they have so far, he misses out.
• Adley had a rough season and a half, and started this year out with an injury. Recently, he’s shown signs of life. Based on current production, no, he doesn’t belong above Hicks. I still struggle to fully buy Hicks improving his OPS by 231 points over last season. But considering he wasn’t anywhere on the radar before the season starts, even where he is quite the come up. Injuries and horrible play by the likes of Francisco Alvarez and Gabriel Moreno play a part, but still. The Marlins demoting Agustin Ramirez seems to say something about the confidence they have in him.

First Base

• Yandy hasn’t played for a couple days due to oblique soreness. They say he’s day to day. I’m not saying I don’t entirely believe them. I’m just saying I’m mentioning it here, which is being written before any further news comes out Monday.
• Devers looks completely lost. The track record says he’ll turn it around. I’m usually someone who puts a fair amount of stock in that. I don’t have as much confidence in Devers being who you (and I) drafted him to be as I wish I did.

Second Base

• Can’t say I saw FTJ picking up second base eligibility, but here we are. In April’s outfield rankings, I mentioned that all his underlying metrics looked very good, except that he was only pulling 18.6% of his fly balls. His current Pull Air% is a truly shocking 5.5%. He’s been trending down in that metric since 2021, but that’s just absurd. He currently has 0 HR, being outpaced by the likes of Xavier Edwards and Jose Cabellero. Can’t imagine that continues. Hard to envision 30 homers, too, but he doesn’t need to do that to be good.
• The young Cardinal has been on a tear recently. It would be nice if his average came up a little bit, since more hits equals more points. But so far he’s been as advertised, and that’s nice.
• Do I think the 34-year-old with a career .259 AVG and 86 OPS+ is going to continue at his current .388 and 196 pace? Not even a little bit. Would I be benching him if I had him right now? Not a chance.

Third Base

• The rookies this year are good. If you want to argue that I have McGonigle too low, I won’t stop you. He has been phenomenal so far, while Manny, and Garcia have struggled. However, Manny isn’t going to hit .219 all season and I still like Garcia. Would I trade McGonigle for either of them if offered? Probably not. It’s a paradox, I admit. Just enjoy what he’s doing, ok?
• Riley and Bichette have been…not good. At all. Even by the standards of 3B they need to step it up soon.

Shortstop

• Witt is so talented that he could still end the year number one at SS. But if Elly stays healthy, he’s not going to make it easy on him. He’s so good.
• I don’t remember why I was lower on Abrams than the consensus before the season. I’m sure I had my reasons. So far, he’s making me look foolish. Good for him, truly. I will mention that for his career, he’s hit .267 with a .789 OPS in the first half while going .230 and .649 in the second. That doesn’t mean he can’t keep up the quality production all season, of course, but I think it’s worth having there in the back of your mind as the year goes.
• The injured vets will, presumably, be higher than this when they’re healthy. It’s just a question of when that will be.

Guys I Like Despite Not Ranking Them

I just wanted to give a shoutout to Colson Montgomery, Carlos Correa, and Josh Jung. They all have flaws and enough questions about their long-term outlook that they just miss out being in the top 15 in their respective categories, but I am intrigued by each of them. I would absolutely be willing to use them if I have a need due to injury. Or, if you’d like to play the hot hand and bench someone like Bichette or Riley, I get it.

Next week: Outfielders