We’re moving along with the Shuffle Up series — my version of tiered rankings — for the new fantasy baseball draft season. The dollar values you’ll see below are unscientific in nature but reflect how I see the clusters of talent for players who qualify in the middle infield (second base, shortstop or both).
Have some disagreements? Good, that’s why we have a game. I welcome your reasoned disagreement over at X (@scott_pianowski) or on Blue Sky (@pianow.bsky.social).
Shortstop is a deeper position for fantasy purposes, and it also has more star power at the front. There’s a good chance your Utility Middle (if required) will be someone with that SS tag.
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2025 MLB season]
Second base is an average depth position; not overflowing with right answers, but likely more deep than first base and third base. Of course, this is my perception talking — it’s possible you view the market differently than I do. Again, that’s what the game is.
The Big Tickets
-
$44 Bobby Witt Jr.
-
$40 Elly De La Cruz
-
$40 Gunnar Henderson
-
$38 Francisco Lindor
-
$35 Mookie Betts
-
$35 Trea Turner
-
$31 Corey Seager
-
$30 Ketel Marte
If you want to select Witt first overall, you won’t receive any argument from me. He’s capable of leading the A.L. in any of the five roto categories we use in our game, and he’s merely entering his age-25 season. The offense around Witt is also on the upswing.
De La Cruz got better at everything last year. More walks, fewer strikeouts, better slash line. He led the majors in both steals and attempts, so he’s a blast on the bases. De La Cruz is entering his age-23 season and he plays in a glorious hitter’s park. Shoot for the moon, gamers.
Henderson was a five-category overlord in his age-23 season and his Baseball Savant page is full of delicious sliders pushed to the right. He’s already a perfect player and a perfect fantasy pick. The Baltimore park adjustments are to left field, which ostensibly won’t help Henderson that much, as a left-handed hitter. But maybe it gives the lineup more buoyancy. It’s fun to go after players still on the escalator.
These are the floor seasons for Betts, as he no longer runs aggressively (though the efficiency is there) and the loaded Dodgers have the luxury of being careful with any player who’s dinged up during the year. Los Angeles has given us a top-five scoring offense for seven straight seasons, which underscores how appealing any slot in the LAD lineup is — especially those at…