Apr 5, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Chicago White Sox second basemen
Marcus Semien(5) at bat against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Welcome back to “Off The Deep End”, where I will give you fantasy baseball tips on who to pick up in deeper leagues. For people who play standard leagues, drop/add columns are easy for you to find, but for those of you that love deeper leagues, advice can be harder to come by. That is where I can help. All of these players are available in 85% or more of ESPN leagues.
This piece will focus on middle infielders worth picking up in AL or NL only leagues, or leagues that start two of every position, or 20 teams leagues. Any league in which more than 200 players are owned. Tune in tomorrow for the outfielders!
Second Base:
Marcus Semien, White Sox: Semien has been spending a bulk of his time at second base so far this year, and while he still has third base eligibility, he is probably more valuable at second. Semien has cooled off some, but he is still batting second in a pretty potent White Sox lineup.
Danny Espinosa, Nationals: With Ryan Zimmerman out, Anthony Rendon has moved over to third base. That means Danny Espinosa has free reign at second base. He has struggled badly at times during his stints in the majors, but his power/speed potential and a guaranteed spot in the lineup every day makes him worth picking up. He is hitting .400, with two doubles, a triple, and a stolen base since Zimmerman went down. That makes him worthy of starting in your lineup as well.
Omar Infante, Royals: Infante has one of the Royals’ two home runs all season. While nearly the entire team has been in a slump, Infante is the exception, hitting .297 on the season. He won’t pick up many more home runs this season, but he is solid enough to plug in in leagues that use two second basemen.
Dan Uggla, Braves: Yes, Uggla kills your average. But if you need power, he can provide it. He showed that with a two homer game on Monday, including a grand slam to win it. His average is .222 on the season, which is pretty good for Uggla lately. He is worth a shot if you need some power in your lineup. He might still just be a matchup play though.
Apr 3, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop
Brandon Crawfordagainst the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Brandon Crawford, Giants: Crawford has been on an absolute tear lately. Five of his last eight hits have gone for extra bases, and he is sporting a .381 average over the last week. People are taking notice. Your opportunity to land Crawford for nothing are dwindling as you read this….
Alcides Escobar, Royals: Hey, in my defense, SS is a weak position. At a weak position, you sometimes just have to go with a guy that won’t hurt you. Escobar’s last six hits have been singles, but his average is at .313 over the last week, meaning that he is at least getting on base now. With more trips to first base, it means more chances for steals.
Chris Owings, Diamondbacks: The Snakes seem hell-bent on playing Cliff Pennington a few times a week, which cuts in to Owings’ chances. It is disappointing for Owings owners considering he has a .320 average on the season with four steals. The bad news is that he doesn’t offer much for other stats. He has yet to drive in a run in fifty at-bats! Still, he won’t hurt you, and will reward you with the occassional vulture steal since he pinch-runs in most of the games that the does not start.
Come back tomorrow for the outfielders portion of the show!