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Shuffle Up: Forsythe show he's legit in latest corner infield ranks

Shuffle Up: Forsythe show he's legit in latest corner infield ranks

Time to start the Shuffle Up series. Rest-of-season value is what we're after. What’s happened to this point is merely an audition.

Today, we rank all those eligible at corner infield (first base, third base).

Assume a 5x5 scoring system. Players in the minors or on the DL do not get ranked. I’ll add comments later in the evening, and reserve the right to make some changes. Win the discussion, win the rank.

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If you have disagreement, I’m all ears — so long as you have a reason. Remember not to add or dock value from the players just because you like them, dislike them, roster them, etc.

$32 Josh Donaldson
$32 Manny Machado
$32 Nolan Arenado
$31 Paul Goldschmidt
$30 Anthony Rizzo
$30 Edwin Encarnacion
$30 Miguel Cabrera
$29 Jose Abreu
$28 Chris Davis
$27 Kris Bryant
$22 Maikel Franco
$22 Adrian Beltre
$20 Eric Hosmer
$19 David Ortiz
$19 Prince Fielder
$19 Joey Votto
$18 Matt Carpenter
$18 Todd Frazier
$17 Adrian Gonzalez
$16 Evan Longoria
$16 Logan Forsythe

Maybe it was hard to trust Forsythe after one breakout year, but he’s even better thus far in 2016. Walks are up, isolated power has spiked, and his line-drive rate has climbed over 24 percent. Throw in two positions of eligibility, a locked-in leadoff spot and an increased willingness to run — what’s not to like? I have plenty of Forsythe shares, but given his March cost, I wish I had him on all of my teams.

Most people want to rank Ortiz higher than me, and I think that speaks to how much fantasy owners love their power guys. Just keep in mind we live in a 5x5 world. Ortiz has batted .273 and .262 the last two years, he doesn’t run at all, and he’s scored a modest 73 and 59 runs. He’s a 2.5-category guy — still valuable, but don’t miss the empty part of the glass.

Rizzo has more resume than Bryant, that explains their difference. But for the most part, the best players aren't worth extensive commentary. We know who they are . . . Beltre not only is a Hall of Famer, he deserves to go in first ballot. He's also someone willing to play hurt -- and capable of producing while hurt -- a part of the game that's often overlooked . . . Votto is too good not to come out of his funk, but I hate investing in such a dead offense. I have one Votto share, and I'll do my best to sell it after he presents something I can take to market.

$15 Lucas Duda
$15 Hanley Ramirez
$14 Albert Pujols
$14 *Alex Rodriguez
$14 Kyle Seager
$14 Mike Moustakas
$14 Freddie Freeman
$14 Victor Martinez
$13 Miguel Sano
$13 Eugenio Suarez
$13 Brandon Belt
$13 Daniel Murphy
$13 Mark Trumbo
$12 Stephen Piscotty
$12 Travis Shaw
$12 Mark Teixeira
$12 Carlos Santana
$12 Nick Castellanos
$12 Wil Myers

You should be able to shoot holes in the Castellanos story — three walks, a static strikeout rate, a silly .441 BABIP. A zesty line-drive rate tells some of the story, but if he’s not more selective, pitchers will eventually adjust and expose. My price gives him credit for some improvement, but I’d be looking to bail on this, lock in a profit, if it were available . . . I'd like a few more walks with Myers, too, though I was surprised how quickly the fantasy community turned on him. He's just 25, the Padres have to play him. I do like him in the No. 2 slot, in front of Matt Kemp . . . Freeman doesn't look healthy, and he's surrounded by the worst supporting cast in the majors. This is a recording . . . Shaw didn't have a meaty minor-league resume, but he's too deep into his MLB trial for him to be disregarded. And Pablo Sandoval isn't coming back, not this year, maybe not ever. The middle of the Boston order is a fun spot for run production . . . The Yankees are currently last in scoring (tied with Tampa, one run behind the Braves). If there's one AL East team that should be looking to get whatever they can for non-cornerstone players, this is it. Joe Sheehan and others have suggested it on Twitter: it would make a lot of sense to trade some of New York's glittering relief aces. Teixeira is finally off the books after 2016, so maybe the timing is right for a trade there, too (with the Yanks picking up part of the tab).

$11 Josh Harrison
$11 Brett Lawrie
$11 Chris Carter
$9 Justin Turner
$9 Brandon Drury
$9 Joe Mauer
$9 Justin Bour
$9 Matt Duffy
$9 Anthony Rendon
$9 Kendrys Morales
$8 David Wright
$8 Jon Villar
$7 Yasmany Tomas
$7 Byung Ho Park
$7 John Jaso

For more on Villar, check out the Wednesday Closing Time. He's got the freedom to run, he's batting leadoff now, and his walk rate has spiked. He also qualfies at shortstop, where you might prefer him . . . Major props to Jaso for trying to look like the most Piratey of all the Pirates . . . I worry that Tomas's defense could run him out of a gig at some point, and his bat might not save him. They have yet to invent the crummy pitch he won't try to swing at . . . Mauer has been fun in a couple of OBP leagues I play in, but he's still an ordinary guy in the power categories. He nonetheless will hit .300-plus in his sleep, so long as he's healthy (and he finally is, again). More enjoyable for real baseball than he is for fantasy, I suppose.

$6 Brandon Moss
$6 Brock Holt
$6 Cesar Hernandez
$5 Ryan Zimmerman
$5 Tyler White
$5 Derek Dietrich
$5 Jake Lamb
$5 Javier Baez
$5 Mark Reynolds
$5 Jed Lowrie
$4 Adam Lind
$4 Mitch Moreland
$3 Chris Coghlan
$3 Luis Valbuena
$3 Matt Adams
$3 Pedro Alvarez
$3 Sean Rodriguez
$3 Trevor Plouffe
$2 Ben Paulsen
$2 Chase Headley
$2 Chase Utley
$2 David Friese
$2 Martin Prado
$2 Ryan Howard
$2 Tommy LaStella
$2 Yunel Escobar
$1 Aaron Hill
$1 Lonnie Chisenhall
$1 Yonder Alonso
$0 Brett Wallace
$0 Logan Morrison

I don’t trust Zimmerman to stay healthy, and his line-drive rate has cratered to 12.7 percent. There’s no there there . . . I don’t understand why the Rockies don’t give Paulsen a chance to show what he can do (or develop), but it’s their lousy plan, not mine. We know who Reynolds is by now, right? . . . Baez could easily become a double-digit guy if the Cubs commit to playing him. Some of that is Survivor Bias: if he continues to produce, that’s how you find yourself in the lineup regularly. Nonetheless, I buy the skills, and heck, he’s just 23.