Howdy, y’all! After getting lost on a proverbial Oregon Trail, running out of medicine, and dying of dysentery, I’m excited to be back in the saddle with a new save file and chat about some of the outstanding recent middle infield performances.
Tyler Fitzgerald
Seems like the most obvious place to begin, because… what?
Much like a broken leg while moving at a steady pace (IYKYK), Tyler Fitzgerald has been a largely unexpected development for the Giants. Despite lacking the top-end exit velocities one might expect from someone putting together a run of this magnitude, Fitzgerald’s steady diet of pulled fly balls at optimum launch angles has allowed him to put together arguably the strongest stretch by a fantasy shortstop this season.
Normally I’m a bit cautious about picking guys on unsustainable heaters like this up off the waiver wire, but Fitzgerald still has tools that make him valuable in a fantasy context if the home runs dry up. He’s got seven stolen bases in just 128 plate appearances this year, and 99th percentile sprint speed. If he can retain even a portion of the K-BB% improvements he’s made since going on this little run of his, he’ll be a versatile and useful piece for your lineups down the stretch with the additional outfield eligibility—particularly if he can stick in the heart of the Giants lineup while they attempt to make a run at a playoff spot.
Xavier Edwards
On a team with very little to be excited about this year, Xavier Edwards has been a bright spot for Marlins fans over the past week (and a pain in my butt as a Brewers fan). Edwards capped the weekend series against Milwaukee with his first career home run and the second cycle in Marlins history in the same game, making him the fourth most valuable middle infielder over the last week according to the Razzball Player Rater.
Though Edwards doesn’t offer the threat of a power surge like Tyler Fitzgerald has shown, he has nowhere near the concerns on the strikeout front, and is just as willing to steal a base. Even though he’s on a less-than-premier offense, he’s seemingly been given the leadoff role and gets on base at an insane clip (.462 OBP over 102 plate appearances!). He should continue to accrue value on the basepaths moving forward despite being on a subpar offense and can slot into either middle infield spot in your lineup.
Francisco Lindor
Old reliable.
Honestly, about a year ago I was still part of the crowd who was hyper-critical of Francisco Lindor. Hell, I was like that earlier this year after his slow start. But I didn’t have a good reason then, and anyone who still feels like they have a reason to not like him now is just a hater.
Lindor just wrapped a five-homer week, he’s leading his team on a playoff charge down the stretch, and hopefully, he’s doing the same for your fantasy squad. He’s up there with Marcus Semien as one of the most reliable guys in the game in terms of getting a full season of plate appearances, and despite his sprint speeds taking a tiny step back as he’s aged, he still has elite stolen base talent. His final stat line in 2024 is pacing to be nearly identical to his 2023 performance—like, to an eerie degree—and considering that means another 30/30 performance in his age 30 season, I’m safely on the bandwagon.
As a wise King(pin) once said… It’s about the Mets baby, love the Mets, alright baby let’s go get a home run baby love the Mets.
Xander Bogaerts
I’ll be honest, I was a bit worried about what Xander would look like coming back from his shoulder fracture after more than a month away, but he’s blown all my expectations out of the water. Since being activated he’s slashed .489/.511/.667, hitting safely in 10 of the 11 games he’s appeared, including a whopping eight multi-hit efforts. Despite all those hits it took him until the weekend series with the Orioles to nab himself his first extra-base hit since his return, but he made up for lost time by getting five of them in three games.
I always forget how strong the top of that lineup can be in San Diego when they’re all healthy and firing, and once Fernando Tatis Jr. makes his return the outlook for the lineup improves immensely. His .512 BABIP isn’t sustainable, but once the lineup is at full strength, Bogaerts should find himself in a position to accumulate a decent amount of value at the plate for the remainder of the season. Compared to the premier names on the market, he could be a relatively inexpensive piece to trade for to help stabilize your batting average down the home stretch.
Any other folks you’d hoped I would talk about? Questions about add/drops? Hit me up in the comments and I’ll be happy to help however I can!
