10 Spring Training Position Battles With Major Fantasy Baseball Implications
Chicago Cubs' Middle Infield
Joe Maddon loves him some versatile hitters. And he's certainly got it with this year's Chicago Cubs. It's just going to make for some dicey maneuvering in fantasy baseball.
Roster Resource currently projects both Ian Happ and Ben Zobrist to be on the short side of platoons this season. Both guys can play the infield and the outfield, so it makes sense that they would be the swingmen. But it's really putting a cap on Happ hype after an impressive rookie season.
So, how do we handle this glob of Cubs all fighting for a finite number of spots? The best plan may be just to bet on talent and hope that those players win out. Let's take a look at some of the peripheral offensive numbers of the guys vying for various spots this spring.
| In 2017 | NFBC ADP | K% | BB% | Hard% | Fly-Ball% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Javier Baez | 100.03 | 28.3% | 5.9% | 32.4% | 36.0% |
| Ian Happ | 133.09 | 31.2% | 9.4% | 32.8% | 39.7% |
| Kyle Schwarber | 174.00 | 30.9% | 12.1% | 36.4% | 46.5% |
| Addison Russell | 262.34 | 23.6% | 7.5% | 32.2% | 36.8% |
| Albert Almora Jr. | 372.85 | 16.4% | 5.9% | 29.5% | 29.8% |
| Jason Heyward | 405.78 | 13.9% | 8.5% | 25.5% | 32.7% |
| Ben Zobrist | 457.79 | 14.3% | 10.9% | 32.2% | 33.3% |
The big number there is the ADP. A lot of these guys are basically fliers. But you can't quite put Happ and Javier Baez in that bucket. Are they worth their current slots?
Happ's a bit uncomfortable because he may not be an every-day starter at any one spot, but he can play all over the diamond. Additionally, his strikeout rate was just 23.3% in Triple-A last year and 21.9% in Double-A in 2016. If he's able to make contact more often, he's a pretty nifty player. He had 33 homers and 10 steals between Triple-A and the majors last year, so it's pretty easy to justify him at his slot even without additional assurances.
Baez also plays multiple slots and posted average Ultimate Zone Rating numbers at both second base and shortstop last year. The price may be a tad high given Baez's dinger potential relative to that of Happ, but his playing-time floor is at least decent.
That said, Addison Russell may be the true name to track here. Russell just turned 24 in January, and he has already had two seasons of at least 500 plate appearances in the majors (one more than Baez). Although his stats last year lagged behind, Russell has a better strikeout rate than Baez and similar batted-ball data. It's possible we're getting a discount based on a poor season, and given Russell's youth, now may not be a bad time to invest.
