Top Multi-Position Players (Fantasy Baseball)

It is often said that “Less Is More.” Simplicity makes things more efficient and easily understood. When certain aspects of my life get cluttered, it definitely helps to simplify things. With that said, it often makes life boring by limiting options. Imagine if reality TV and soap operas had less drama? Would you take the guaranteed 3-4 yards from Jerome Bettis or the volatility of Barry Sanders? Do you want more or fewer options? Pro-life or Pro-choice?

We are gluttonous, capitalistic pigs. As Gordon Gecko said, “Greed is good.” Isn’t that what Wrigley’s Doublemint gum was all about? “Double your pleasure, double your fun.” That’s what I’m talking about.

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What’s all this have to do with fantasy baseball? According to NFBC (National Fantasy Baseball Championship), there are 52 players that will be eligible to play more than one position this season, which will allow you to play fantasy baseball like:

Ok, maybe that’s hyperbole, but players with multi-position eligibility do provide more options for roster construction. Here are the best for 2017:

Javier Baez (2B/3B/SS – CHI)
Baez has “light tower” power. If you don’t believe me, click here. We’ve been drooling over this guy for years now. Some of the luster dissipated when he struck out 41% of the time after he was called up to the big club in 2014, but he’s cut that number down to 24%. He’s a straight “Chicks dig the long ball” kind of hitter, as he totally sells out for power. He pulls the ball 45% of the time and only has a 5% walk rate. His swinging strike rate is 16%. That’s Kris Davis/Melvin Upton Jr. territory. Baez is eligible at 2B, 3B, and SS AND he plays for the defending World Series Champion Chicago Cubs. Holla! Therein lies his curse, though. The Mad Scientist, Joe Maddon, loves to get creative and employs Baez as a utility player. As of now, RosterResource.com has this as the Cubs starting lineup:

 
This is a huge deal for Baez, as 200 plate appearances will probably get siphoned off. He does provide 10+ stolen base potential, so the power/speed potential is legitimate. With that said, as of early February, Baez is being drafted, on average, with the 115th overall pick (62 high/152 low). Maikel Franco and Justin Turner could both hit 20+ home runs and receive over 600 plate appearances, yet they are going 10-15 spots later.

Kris Bryant (3B/OF – CHI)
Bryant is the total package. He’s got mesmerizing eyes, a beautiful swing, light tower power, and some speed on the basepaths. He plays half his games in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field, has Anthony Rizzo providing protection, and he’s eligible at both 3B and OF. There are some warts, though. He strikes out a tick above 20%, his swinging strike rate is 13%, and his contact rates are average at best. With that said, he’s still a .270-.280 hitter with an OBP in the .370 range. Oh, he’s also only 25 years old heading into his third full major league season. I’d expect some improvements, especially in the contact rates. I have no issue with where he’s being drafted, which is 4th overall pick on average.

Matt Carpenter (1B/2B/3B – STL)
Carpenter is eligible at 1B, 2B, 3B, and will probably bat third in the Cardinals lineup. When he first came up to the big club in 2012, Carpenter was a solid, all-around hitter at the top of the order; .300 average, .370-ish OBP, 100 runs scored, a couple stolen bases, and 10 home runs. Things changed in 2015, though. The ground ball rate went down over 10%, the fly balls went up 6%, the home run-to-fly ball rate spiked, and the pull percentage went from 32% to 39% to 48% last year. The change in approach helped produce 28 home runs in 2015 and 21 last year, although he only played 129 games in 2016 due to an oblique injury. The strike out rate increased a bit, but nothing too crazy, as that figure is still only around 20%. You are probably looking at a 20+ home run hitter with a .270 average and .370 OBP. Solid, yet unspectacular. Carpenter is being drafted with the 69th overall pick, which is fair, mainly due to his multi-position eligibility.

Willson Contreras (C/OF – CHI)
Contreras plays for the Chicago Cubs. Shocker. Theo Epstein is either a God, a time traveller, or one of the greatest general managers ever. I’m going with time traveller. Contreras is 24 years old and will be eligible at both C and OF. In 76 games last year, he batted .282/.357/.488 with 12 home runs in 283 plate appearances. There are definitely some concerning signs, though. His contact rates are very average (76.6% in the zone and 70.7% overall). The swinging strike rate is 13.9%. The most troubling stats for me are the ground ball-to-fly ball rate and home run-to-fly ball rate. GB/FB rate was 1.96 with 54.3% ground balls. That figure would have placed him in the Top 20 of MLB. The HR/FB rate was 23.5%. There were only four players last year with a HR/FB over 20% with a GB/FB around 2 (Ryan Braun, Christian Yelich, Eric Hosmer, and Wilson Ramos). Contreras is being selected with the 88th overall pick. That’s crazy to me. I get it. He’s very talented, has multi-position eligibility, and plays for a great team. With that said, he hasn’t played a full season in the majors yet. You know the league is going to adjust and Contreras will have to go through that period. It happens to every player, yet we delude ourselves every year into thinking that it will be different this time. In addition, catchers in 1-catcher leagues, should be viewed as quarterbacks in 1-QB leagues. Did you know that the top catcher last year, Jonathan Lucroy, didn’t even finish in the Top 100 players on ESPNs Player Rater? So tell me why it’s wise to spend the 88th overall pick on Contreras again?

Manny Machado (3B/SS – BAL)
Machado is eligible at 3B and SS. He’s awesome. On to the next player. Seriously, there’s not much to say. He hits .290 with 30+ home runs without striking out. Basically, the perfect player. He didn’t steal a base last season after swiping 20 in 2015. Rarely do you see the pendulum swing so far in each direction, but that looks to be the case here. A realistic expectation for Manny in the SB department should be around seven. There is some injury concern, as he suffered a knee injury in 2013, but he played in all but five games the last two seasons.

Brad Miller (1B/SS – TB)
Miller hit 30 home runs in 2016. Squints at screen. Yep. It’s right there. I remember the narrative of Miller returning home to Florida after being traded from Seattle to Tampa Bay, but come on. Ok, I’m not purely a stats guy. I definitely incorporate the human element into the game and acknowledge that being close to home could have a positive effect for a player, especially for a game that is so mental and predicated on failure. With that said, I would have to attribute the Rays organization for his sudden power outburst. I haven’t done an extensive study on this by any means, but looking at the batted ball profiles for other Rays’ hitters suggests that their philosophical approach to hitting is to pull the ball and try to hit home runs. Miller’s pull % went up 10%, ground ball and fly ball percentages changed 5%, and the home run-to-fly ball ratio went up a whopping 10%! The organization also understands that striking out is a by-product of this philosophy and are fine with that. Miller’s K% went up 5% last year. Miller is being drafted with the 154th overall pick. I’m taking the under on 30 home runs, but 20 is definitely doable. With multi-position eligibility, that does give you some options, but how often would you play him at 1B? I guess you never know. Anyways, this is not my type of player, as Miller will be a drain on your batting average and strike out a lot. With that said, he is a source for some cheap power.

Brandon Moss (1B/OF – KC)
Moss is eligible at 1B and OF. He’s probably not interesting for you weekly folk, but in leagues with daily moves, Moss could be a perfect mercenary. He hit 28 home runs last year with 25 coming against right-handed pitching. If you are drafting him, that’s all you are drafting him for because he provides no speed and will hurt your average. He’s being drafted with the 322nd overall pick, so when I say cheap power, I mean cheap power. Keep in mind, though, that he signed with the Kansas City Royals. That means he will be playing half his games in Kauffman Stadium, a place that is tough for left-handed power. In addition, he’s slated to bat 8th in the lineup.

Daniel Murphy (1B/2B – WAS)
Murphy is an elite hitter. His contact rates are Top 10 in all of baseball and he strikes out less than 10% of the time. He started changing his approach in 2015 to become more of a power hitter. His homers went from 14 in 2015 to 25 last year. Murphy will bat 3rd in the lineup, with Bryce Harper providing protection. With Adam Eaton and Trea Turner setting the table, there should be plenty of opportunities to drive in runs. The only negative things I can think of are that Nationals Park is tough for left-handed power (Murphy did hit 10 of his 25 homers at home) and his BABIP was a very high; .348 last year. Murphy is eligible at 1B and 2B and is being selected with the 35th overall pick. Before delving into Murphy, I was inclined to fade him this year. Looking at things a little more closely, I really like Murphy and his situation. If I can get him in the 3rd round, I’d be ecstatic.

Jose Ramirez (3B/OF – CLE)
Ramirez is eligible at 3B and OF at NFBC. I believe other sites will have him at SS as well. If so, that just makes him so much more valuable than he already is. He’s a double-double machine. Ok, I’ve got NBA on the brain so you’ll have to excuse me. Ramirez can hit around 10 home runs and steal 20 bases. He’s a .290-ish hitter with a .350 OBP. He walks 7% and strikes out 10% of the time. Man, the more I look, the more I start falling in love with this guy. His contact rates are very good, swinging strike rate is around 5%, and he just seems to have an excellent control of the strike zone. He’s slated to bat 6th in the batting order, which does takes some of the shine off. With that said, he’s going at pick 95. I’m good, as Ramirez will be a solid stat stuffer across all the categories.

Miguel Sano (3B/OF – MIN)
Sano is definitely not my kind of player, but…chicks dig the long ball, so I better at least be attentive because Sano slugged 25 home runs in 495 plate appearances last year. Plus, he’s eligible at 3B and OF. Unfortunately, he struck out 36% of the time last year, which led the league by a large margin. Steven Souza Jr. was in second place with a 34% mark. Do I really need to continue? For s@#!s and giggles, he batted .236 last year and is a liability in the field. There’s a real possibility that Sano could be demoted if he struggles. He’s being selected with the 112th overall pick. See, other people realize that chicks dig the long ball. Sano is only 23 years old, so development and maturity at the plate are possibilities. The price seems a little rich for me, though.

Jean Segura (2B/SS – SEA)
Segura is eligible at 2B and SS. What a 2016! 20 home runs, 33 stolen bases, 102 runs scored, 64 RBI, and a .319/.368/.499 slash line. Here’s what I like; sub-15% strikeout rate, has a balanced approach (36% center/31% pull/32% oppo), and swinging strike rate of 7%. It also looks like he’s more patient at the plate, as he chases fewer pitches out of the zone, swings at less pitches in general, and has excellent contact skills. Now for the bad. Well, not bad but troubling. The BABIP was .353. For a speed guy, that’s not too surprising, but he hit fewer ground balls and more fly balls last year. Segura is going to be a polarizing player in 2017. When he first came up in 2013, he showed the power, average, and speed that he displayed last year. That was sandwiched in between two years of low average with little power. There were some off-the-field, family issues he was dealing with during those years, so that may have been the cause of his play. Another thing to consider is the trade that sent him from the Diamondbacks to the Mariners. He’s going to a new environment, a less hitter-friendly park, and is changing leagues, which will require him to learn a new set of pitchers. Personally, I’m bullish on Segura. Keep in mind my biases, as I’ve been fond of him from the get go. With that said, he has speed, very good contact skills, controls the strike zone, has some power, a good approach at the plate, and will bat high in the Mariners order. I’m good with selecting him with the 51st overall pick, which is where he’s averaging in drafts.

Trea Turner (2B/OF – WAS)
Turner is going to be a very hot item in drafts this season. The highly-touted prospect came up last year and lit the league on fire; 13 home runs, 33 stolen bases, and a .342/.370/.567 slash line in 324 plate appearances. He’s 23 years old and is slated to bat second behind Adam Eaton and in front of Daniel Murphy and Bryce Harper. Oh, he’s also eligible at 2B and OF. Cha-ching! I like Turner a lot, but before I go crowning him, he’s far from a perfect player. He only walked 4% of the time and struck out 18% last season. His swinging strike rate was 10% and his contact rates are good, not elite. With that said, he goes up the middle 41% of the time and is only 23 years old. I’d expect improvement in many of those areas I just highlighted. The only thing that gives me pause regarding Turner is where he’s being drafted. In order to get him, you have to spend a Top 10 pick. That seems a little rich for a player that hasn’t even played a full major league season yet.

Jonathan Villar (3B/SS – MIL)
Villar is eligible at 3B, SB, and is slated to start at 2B, so he should attain that eligibility in short order as well. He hit 19 home runs and stole 62 bases last year. Man, I had to do a double take because I thought I was looking at the wrong column. He did have 63 RBI and that column is right next to stolen bases. Man, that’s crazy. Billy Hamilton who? Or is it whom? I enjoy writing but my grammar is pretty terrible. Go figure. Anyways, Villar had a .373 BABIP, which helped him attain a .285 average. I have a sneaky suspicion both those numbers come down. He strikes out 25% of the time, has a 10% swinging strike rate, and has above average contact rates. Villar did improve his approach at the plate, as he went up the middle more. With that said, a troubling stat I see is his propensity to pop the ball up in the infield. Those are basically strikeouts. Villar is going with the 21st overall pick. I understand the allure and the 20/60 potential is mout-watering, but he’s due for some regression. Steamer has him projected for 15 home runs, 47 stolen bases with a .255 average and .333 OBP.

Ben Zobrist (2B/OF – CHI)
It’s fitting that we end this article with Zobrist, as he’s been the poster child of multi-position eligibility for as long as I can remember. For 2017, he’s eligible at 2B and OF. At 35 years old, gone are the days of double-digit stolen bases. What you are going to get is a .270 average with 15-18 home runs, and a super high OBP. Definitely not sexy, but useful. He’s being drafted with the 163rd overall pick. Batting fourth in a stacked Cubs lineup could allow him the opportunity to drive in 90-100 runs. Zobrist is definitely not the hot girl at the bar. Rather, he’s the girl that just makes you feel comfortable.
 

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Stan Son is a featured writer at FantasyPros. To read more from Stan, check out his archive and follow him @Stan_Son.