On draft day, position scarcity can be a motivator to make drastic decisions in the early rounds. Usually, this tends to result in fantasy owners going after middle infielders that are considered to be better than the majority of the field. Yet this practice can lead to missing out on solid producers at positions that are often considered to have more depth. For example, if an owner decides to wait on the often considered scarce middle infielders, what options are out there? Let’s take a look at several players that may be able to exceed expectations in 2015.
When looking at second base this season most fantasy owners are stumbling over Jose Altuve who is coming off of a breakout season (debates ensue as to whether he can repeat last year’s numbers), and perennial top choice Robinson Cano whose power has disappeared with the move to Safeco. Howie Kendrick makes the move from the Los Angeles Angels all of the way over to the Los Angeles Dodgers. One can argue that Dodger Stadium and most of the NL West for that matter is not all that favorable to hitters; however Kendrick is well accustomed to huge ballparks from his time the AL West. Kendrick is possibly the most boring fantasy player in baseball, and season after season usually flies under the radar. Over the past 3 seasons Kendrick has batted .290 and averaged 9 HRs, and 11 SBs per season. One question to ask is what about the lineup around him? Yes, Matt Kemp packed his bags and headed south, but let’s not forget that Yasiel Puig, is still in town. Also, Jimmy Rollins is now in the lineup and Adrian Gonzalez consistently drives in runs; Kendrick may just be in the best position to shine in his career.
If Kendrick is not available and a fantasy owner still finds themselves with a gaping hole at 2B there may still be options available. Take for instance Joe Panik. The Giants infielder looks to start regularly at second base this season, and may offer surprising consistency for fantasy owners playing in deep leagues. Panik batted .321 with moderate power at AAA in 14′ before getting the call to join the Giants. The 24 year-old rewarded the Giants with a .305 AVG and was getting on base at a .343 clip over 269 AB to close out the season. There are signs of caution for fantasy owners however as Panik did not show a great deal of patience in his first half season of work with a 5.6% walk rate (8.3% walk rate in the minors). Also, is likely that his average will decrease following a .343 BABIP which may not be sustainable. Panik may have received the call for his elite glove, yet his bat may afford him plenty of opportunities to score and drive in runs for his owners in 2015.
Although the reality of positional scarcity may indeed exist at certain positions in fantasy baseball, an owner does not necessarily need to panic and make a decision to chase the 2B position. While counting stats are likely to be less than those found in the earlier rounds, fantasy owners should always take into account the overall production a player brings to their team, and not necessarily an individual positional need in the early rounds. There are options deeper in the draft that may be more than serviceable for fantasy owners this season.
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