Platoon Watch: Part-Time Infielders Worth Rostering

It seems that platooning in major league baseball has become increasingly popular every year. This strategy benefits teams by protecting aging veterans from injury and by getting the most advantageous lineup versus a specifically-handed pitcher. While platooning is smart for major league clubs, it gives us fantasy managers headaches when our player rides the pine a few times a week. These playing time concerns make us hesitant when selecting a part-time bat anticipating that they won’t see a full season's worth of plate appearances.

There are still fantasy-relevant platoon options, however, who you shouldn’t overlook on draft-day. So today, we’ll focus on a handful of infielders in the mid-to-late rounds of your draft who will be able to provide value even with limited at-bats. It may be difficult to tolerate a part-time player, but in some instances, it can boost their game. For example, a left-handed bat that sits against southpaws will be able to keep a higher batting average since he won’t pile up 0-fors in the boxscore against these hurlers.

The deeper your league, the more valuable your knowledge of the player pool is, so it’s essential to know when and why a specific player will be in the lineup. Some of these players listed here may even seem like they have everyday roles, when in fact, their job isn’t as secure as you might think. Now that we have some background knowledge let's dig into the platoon watch.

Garrett Hampson - COL, 2B/OF (174 ADP)

Garrett Hampson’s right-handed bat is on the wrong side of the second base platoon with teammate Ryan McMahon, but it’s not all that bad underneath the surface. Through 559 big-league plate appearances, McMahon has slashed .236/.324/.400 versus right-handers, an underwhelming mark for a left-handed swinger. Hampson didn’t hit too much better in his first taste of the majors in 2019 (.250/.306/.362), but his late-season surge with more consistent ABs displayed the hit tool that touted him as a top prospect. Although it's a small sample, it was still encouraging to see him swat .318 in September, including .314 off of righties, indicating that his bat doesn’t need to come out of the lineup when a right-hander toes the rubber.

While second base is Hampson’s natural position, he does possess defensive versatility after getting 13 games at shortstop and over 30 starts in the outfield last season. This diversity will help keep his bat out of a straight platoon, especially since McMahon will also see reps at first base to spell off the aging Daniel Murphy. Hampson’s sporadic playing time in 2019 contributed to his disappointing rookie season, but if his bat gets off to a hot start this spring and into the early part of 2020, manager Bud Black will find ways to get his bat and legs into the order.

Although he might not initially slide to the top of the lineup card, Hampson finished off the 2019 campaign as the team’s leadoff hitter, a salivating opportunity on a potent Rockies offense. We got a glimpse at the 25-year-old’s speed a season ago (15 SB), but the ceiling is much higher in this category after seeing him steal 123 bases over three minor league campaigns. Early drafters haven’t downgraded Hampson much with his mid-round ADP, and you shouldn’t either since his speed alone will keep his value afloat even with the odd day off.

Miguel Andujar - NYY, 3B (257 ADP)

A right labrum tear last April not only cost Miguel Andujar the 2019 season but his potential starting job as the Yankees' third baseman. Gio Urshela has usurped the 2018 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up as the current favorite for the job at the hot corner after hitting surprisingly well in his absence. Andujar now finds his finite roster spot in limbo, although manager Aaron Boone suggested he’ll see time at first base this spring as well as serving as the designated hitter at times during the season.

Despite not having a firm grip on a position, Andujar’s bat could force him into more playing time, and in turn, a more viable fantasy asset. There’s no debate that Urshela is the superior fielder, but the jury is out on whether we should hold much credence in his 2019 slash line of .314/.355/.534 after entering the year with a career .225/.274/.315 line. If his bat falters, his glove may be enough to keep him in the daily lineup, but will a contending Yankees team want to block one of their proven prospects for a 28-year-old who failed in two previous organizations?

It's feasible to believe that Andujar could return to the everyday third baseman role at any point this season if Urshela resembles the hitter he was over the first four years of his career. Remember Andujar was a 23-year-old who clubbed 27 big flies with 83 runs, 92 RBI, and a .297 BA as a rookie before the juiced-ball conspiracy entered the league. Regardless, Andujar is a fantasy asset to own as a high-average, run-producing bat behind the intimidating sluggers in the Yankees order.

Howie Kendrick - WAS, 1B/2B (360 ADP)

A clutch home run in Game 7 of the World Series was one of the reasons the Washington Nationals decided to bring back veteran Howie Kendrick on a one-year deal. Not only did he thrive in the postseason in 2019, but the 36-year-old provided a steady bat that produced 17 HR, 61 R, and 62 RBI in 121 games. Kendrick’s counting stats don’t jump off the page at you, but his .344 BA and .395 OBP absolutely does. His part-time play last season helped keep his aging body fresh whenever he took the field, and much the same is expected in 2020.

Other than shortstop and catcher, Kendrick is capable of playing anywhere on the diamond, although he’ll primarily find his work in the infield. The Nats have a plethora of veteran infielders, including Asdrubal Cabrera, Ryan Zimmerman, Eric Thames, and Starlin Castro, all of whom they can spread around the diamond if youngster Carter Kieboom doesn’t take a stranglehold of the third base job. Among these aging bodies, Kendrick is the logical choice to emerge as the player with the most favorable playing time.

The reigning NLCS MVP has hit lefties and righties well over his career (.297 vs L/.292 vs R) and maintains the most consistency at the plate among anyone on the roster not named Juan Soto. Kendrick posted a remarkable 13.2% K rate and 7.3% walk rate in 2019 while holding a would-be top-10 number in zone contact percentage (92.5%). These marks aided his first-place finish in xBA (.336), further emphasizing that age is just a number. Kendrick isn’t a sexy pick by any means, but pairing his moderate counting stats with a stellar return in batting average plays well as a corner or middle infield option.

Matt Carpenter - STL, 3B (372 ADP)

Matt Carpenter left a sour taste in owner's mouths last year after hitting a career-low .226 with 15 HR, 59 R, and 46 RBI. His subpar play and the emergence of Tommy Edman kept the veteran benched through parts of August and September as well as in the postseason. As the roster stands right now, Carpenter will likely man the hot corner versus most righties but will cede playing time to Edman when a southpaw is on the hill. The three-time All-Star has notably struggled versus lefties throughout his career, posting a batting average north of .235 just once in the last five seasons, including a .217 mark in 2019.

While Carpenter’s struggles versus same-side pitchers wasn’t a huge shocker, his .050 point decline in BA from his career mark against right-handers was certainly unforeseen. After barreling up these hurlers 15.8% of the time in his impressive 2018 campaign, the regression monster slashed this number in half to 7.5% while his Hard% also plummeted from 46.2% to 31.1% a season ago. Carpenter admitted to playing with a back and shoulder injury for most of the season and received a cortisone shot for the latter in early September. He did go on to hit .289 against righties and .267 overall in this month, so there still might be gas left in the tank.

The one thing Carpenter did do well in 2019 was to hold a respectable 12.8% walk rate. While this number is a bit lower than his career norm (13.3%), he’s always prided himself as a true leadoff hitter who gets on base at a high rate, so it’s refreshing to see he never lost this ability. Sitting against left-handers benefits Carpenter’s BA outlook, and he’ll likely get the first opportunity to bat leadoff against righties since he has a long track record of doing so. It’s definitely not out of the realm of possibility that 2019 will go down as an outlying season for the former Silver Slugger, making his late-round ADP a high-reward selection with next to no risk.

Justin Smoak - MIL, 1B (477 ADP)

Justin Smoak packed his bags this offseason to join the Brew Crew for his first season in the National League. He won’t have the benefit of the DH, where he accumulated 104 of his 414 PA with the Blue Jays last season, but he'll still find playing time as the top defensive first base glove on the team. Smoak will take over the role vacated by Eric Thames, platooning the position with Ryan Braun who will also see time in right field. Braun himself isn’t the model of perfect health, so Smoak may wind up with more playing time than what we initially expect.

His switch-hitting ability is advantageous, especially as the only other left-handed slugger to Christian Yelich for when a righty takes the hill. Smoak’s .228/.329/.436 career slash line against these hurlers isn’t something to drool over, but his home park is still favorable, and he’ll slide into the meat and potatoes of the Brewers lineup when active. The former All-Star is coming off a disappointing season where he clubbed 22 HR and 61 RBI in 121 games, but if this is a floor, he’ll easily return draft value.

It’s reasonable to expect some positive regression from Smoak in 2020 since his underlying metrics didn’t support his lackluster season. He led all major league batters in 2019 with an xSLG-SLG differential of -.089 as well as finishing with the second-largest differentials in xwOBA-wOBA (-.043), and xBA-BA (-.042). Smoak’s BABIP also mysteriously dropped over .060 points despite improving his marks in Barrel% (11.0%), Exit Velocity (90.3 MPH), and line-drive rate (24.3%) from the year previous. While it’s true the 33-year-old hasn’t provided much in the BA column over his career, he’s certain to recover a bit in this area while producing sterling counting stats at his final round cost.

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