Greetings all, we’re a week into March which can only mean one thing: draft season is in full swing! This week I thought we’d take a look at middle infielders, with an eye on a few potential targets later in a draft. We won’t go quite as deep as we have the last couple of weeks, but we will stay outside the top 225 players being drafted according to overall NFBC ADP for all 2025 drafts so far. (I’m also going to include positional NFBC positional eligibility for each player, as well as ADP that includes only the last two weeks of drafts for each player so that we can see whose draft stock has risen of late).
First, let’s take a quick look at the overall middle infield draft landscape as we head into the season. As you’d probably have easily guessed, there are more shortstops flying off the board early than there are second basemen, and it’s not even close. Of the top 15 hitters being drafted in NFBC leagues, a full third of them are shortstops (counting Mookie Betts, who of course also qualifies at outfield), while you have to drop all the way down to hitter #25 to find your first second baseman. When we look at the top forty hitters, almost a quarter of them (nine, to be exact) are shortstops, while there are a grand total of two players in that group that qualify at second.
It makes sense to be aware of who might be out there later in a draft or auction, regardless of your league parameters. Maybe you’re in a shallow league and know you will splurge on both a top shortstop and second baseman but want to wait and try to find a late bargain on middle infield. Maybe you know you want a top shortstop but will wait on second, or perhaps you just want a backup plan if your top targets end up being a little pricier than you’d expected. And maybe you’re in a deeper league where you want to spend as much draft capital as possible on outfielders, corner infielders, and/or pitching, and are going into your draft knowing you’ll be taking leftovers when it comes to your middle infield. Whatever your league format, on to the names:
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Willi Castro (2B/SS/3B/OF; ADP #226; last two weeks ADP #207). Castro is a good player to start this particular list with, as he qualifies as both second and short (as well as outfield and third) in most leagues, so he can give us some perspective on where he’s being drafted in relation to other middle infielders. Specifically, Castro is the 19th player off the board that qualifies at second, and the 22nd that qualifies at short. I’m not as high on him overall as I am on a couple guys lower on this list until we get a better idea of how playing time shakes out for the Twins. There’s also the concern that even if he plays a full season (which he did last year: 158 games/558 at bats) there’s just not a ton of upside here even with his power/speed combo (he went 12/14 last year). That being said, that 4-way positional eligibility is really nice perk, more so for some leagues than others, and Castro could be a sensible pick at this price for many formats.
Brandon Lowe (2B; #227, #207). As you can see, Lowe’s ADP has risen since drafting began, and I’ve grabbed a couple shares myself. There’s obviously a decent-sized injury risk, but it made my eyes pop a little bit when I realized that he hit 21 homers in just 107 games last year. He’s also not likely to chip in more than single-digit steals (5 last year), but on the right roster, he could be a solid pick at a weak position.
Brendan Donovan (2B/OF; #236, #236). Donovan is fantasy-boring but if he can stay healthy, he should be a solid stats accumulator; I’ve already drafted him once as an escape-hatch pick at second in a deeper league. The average/OBP could be sneaky helpful, but it’s hard to imagine him fitting in on any standard mixed league roster given his limited power and even more limited speed.
Tyler Fitzgerald (SS; #238, #251). I had Fitzgerald as a soft target heading into draft season and am surprised he isn’t on more of my teams already. He was limited early in camp due to a sore back so has been even more under the radar than usual, but the playing time situation is looking pretty bright for him (and it also looks like he should pick up second base eligibility this year, which could be a solid value boost). Plus, the additions of Willy Adames and Matt Chapman should lift all Giants hitters to some extent. There is a chance Fitzgerald could completely bust, and he was likely playing over his head last year, as he had a couple almost comical hot streaks and it seems unlikely he’ll hit close to .280 again. That being said (and while warning myself about pro-rating while I’m doing it), it’s really hard not to see the 15 homers and 17 steals he had in only 96 games last year and not feel like there could be some serious value here this late in a draft.
Carlos Correa (SS; #239, #225). I haven’t really considered drafting Correa this year, but now that I’m looking at things in context and his current price, I can see him fitting in nicely on the right roster. There aren’t too many situations where you’ll want even a back-up shortstop or middle infielder who doesn’t run at all. But, it could happen, especially if you have a team that includes a couple of the top burners and is suddenly looking for some help in average with a little pop. Health is obviously a factor here, but even the 86 games Correa played last year were enough to help on the right fantasy team, given that they came with a .310 average and 14 homers.
Colt Keith (2B; #240, #247). I was soooo into Keith last year, and it all worked out… for the months of May and July. He was pretty mid otherwise, and I’m just having trouble gauging who he really is as an MLB player, to the point where I’m skeptical to draft him. He’s supposedly going to be playing first this year, which I guess is good for eligibility purposes, but one has to worry that getting used to a new position, on a team with a little more pressure on it to succeed than it used to have after its surprisingly strong finish to 2024, could be a net negative if it affects his hitting. I’ll probably get at least one share before draft season is over since I do think there’s some serious talent here and I could regret it if I don’t… but I’m just not targeting him like I was last year.
Jonathan India (2B; #246, #236). India is actually one of my favorite players on this list when it comes to risk vs. potential reward, but I’ve only drafted him once. I guess that’s because I feel like he’s the last middle infielder I’d want to trust as a starter even in deeper leagues, and I was a) not so high on him that I was willing to reach, and b) too scared to wait and hope that he’d be there later, so I grabbed someone else earlier. He should deliver a helpful amount of power and speed for the cost, without hurting your average, and just feels like a decent candidate for a change-of-scenery boost given that it sounds like the Royals envision a prominent role for him, including perhaps playing both infield and outfield.
Like I said, that’s about it when it comes to players I’d feel comfortable going into a season with as a starter, and the NFBC community seems to agree to some extent as there’s a significant drop in ADP before we come to additional middle infielders. Before we wrap up, though, let’s scan down the list a bit further for a few more names in case we are stuck in a middle infield pickle in deeper leagues:
Maybe I gave up on Jake Cronenworth (1B/2B, #281/283) too soon; he’s not a standard mixed league name but should probably be on the deep league radar, especially since it sounds like the playing time will continue to be there this year for the Padres. Jose Caballero (2B/SS/3B, #310, #342) is hard to ignore completely for the speed potential alone (44 SBs last year if you weren’t paying attention), as long as you remember that the speed potential alone is what you are drafting. Kristian Campbell (2B; #319, #291) is the higher risk pick with actual serious upside, should the major league job materialize in a very complicated Red Sox mix.
After that, we drop way down again, to Otto Lopez (2B; #386, #447) who I don’t mind as a very late flier. He may have more playing time competition in Miami as they try to figure out what might stick for the future (and Lopez isn’t the youngest of the bunch at 26), but he was able to emerge for a stretch last year as a solid average/speed option. There’s also Dylan Moore (2B/SS/3B/OF), who always seems to find playing time in Seattle and deliver a little pop and a lot of speed, albeit with a soul-crushing average. I’ve also drafted the A’s Jacob Wilson (SS; #437, #438) a couple times in my deeper leagues in case he’s an everyday player and isn’t horrible. Gavin Lux (2B; #442, #437) may end up being a steal at this price if he ends up with regular playing time in Cincinnati. And dropping all the way down to guys being taking closer to pick 500 overall, Michael Massey (2B; #466/#509), Ernie Clement (SS/3B; #483, #490), and Josh Smith (SS/3B; #463, #492) might end up being of some use in very deep leagues.
That’s it for this week, enjoy that draft prep and please say hello or drop a question in the comments if you’re so inclined!
