Fantasy baseball analyst Dalton Del Don circles the bases to identify which infielders drafters should avoid at their lofty prices this season. Click here for even more fades.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Ketel Marte, 2B
Marte now carries a top-30 ADP after coming off a career-best season, so proceed with caution. He hasn’t reached double-digit stolen bases since 2019 (when he had 10), and he’s missed an average of 34 games over the last four seasons. Marte was legitimately awesome in 2024, posting a 151 wRC+ that ranked top 10 in baseball. But he owns a career 118 wRC+, and OOPSY projects Marte to come back down to 25 home runs in 2025 (over an optimistic 147 games played).
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Chicago White Sox: Andrew Vaughn, 1B
A depleted White Sox roster gives few options here, and it also hurts Vaughn’s counting stats. He managed just 55 runs scored and 70 RBI over 619 plate appearances last season. Vaughn is a fine floor pick if you need to fill first base, but he’s never reached 70 runs scored or surpassed 80 RBI or 21 homers during his career. Vaughn has three career stolen bases. Chicago’s lineup could become even uglier if/when Luis Robert Jr. gets traded. The White Sox are projected to once again score the fewest runs in baseball in 2025.
Houston Astros: José Altuve, 2B
Altuve is a rock-solid fantasy player, but a fourth-round pick is too early. Altuve reached his most plate appearances (682) last year since 2016, yet it still resulted in relatively modest counting stats. The compiling helped his fantasy line, but Altuve showed signs of decline at the plate, which is more concerning entering his age-35 season. Altuve will also be learning a new position with his move to left field. THE BAT X projects Altuve to go .258-79-17-67-15, which would be a reach as a top 45 pick in Yahoo drafts.
Los Angeles Angels: Logan O’Hoppe, C
O’Hoppe hit just .196/.266/.312 with a 64 wRC+ after the All-Star break last season, when his K% also skyrocketed to 38.2%. Injuries may have contributed, but O’Hoppe is now in danger of losing at-bats after the Angels signed Travis d’Arnaud during the offseason. D’Arnaud’s 105 wRC+ ranks 11th among all qualified catchers since 2022. O’Hoppe’s .244 BA came with a .318 BABIP that was 68 points higher than his 2023 hit rate. O’Hoppe is at risk of platooning far more in 2025, yet he’s being drafted next to J.T. Realmuto.