Here are your Shuffle Up prices for the infield, amigos. In the middle of the year we'll break up the infield by corners and middles, but today it's a mash-up of all four positions. Serve with ranch, feeds 12-14 hungry mixed leaguers.
Normal disclaimers apply. As always, it's a 5x5 scoring system. Players at the same price are considered even. Don't stress over the dollar amounts; all that matters is how the platers relate to one another. I might tweak this list as the day goes along, and I'll add full commentary a little later. And if you have any disagreement, we welcome your comments: but for the love of all things holy, give a solid reason. Further the conversation, roto head. Construct an argument. Respect the room. Respect yourself.
Yes, there will be an Arcade Pro-Am Auction coming before the (full) season starts. Details will be up at some point this weekend. Keep checking back. This is not a bait-and-switch. I'm still working out specs and details.
Now go crush it in your weekend drafts. Here are your prices for all infield-eligible players.
$39 Miguel Cabrera
$39 Albert Pujols
$38 Adrian Gonzalez
$37 Joey Votto
$37 Troy Tulowitzki
$36 Jose Bautista
$35 Robinson Cano
$34 Prince Fielder
$33 Evan Longoria
$32 Mark Teixeira
$32 Dustin Pedroia
$31 Ian Kinsler
$31 Jose Reyes
$30 Adrian Beltre
$30 Paul Konerko
$28 Hanley Ramirez
I've yet to land Cano in any draft or auction this spring, but hey, there are a few more to come. His 5x5 stats speak for themselves, but what lands him in the first round is durability. Second base is an attrition position (go look around the postion), but Cano is solid as a tank. Hitting third in the New York lineup also presents a wonderful floor. … I've listened to you on Ramirez and I hear your arguments. I've been scarred by his lazy attitude the last couple of years, but maybe the new city, the new park, and the air of contention will bring out a different player. I doubt I'll get him at this price; I want more certainty in the top couple of rounds, a higher floor. … It's a good time to get in on Teixeira; you know the run production is safe, and there have been some fluky elements with his average in the last couple of years. You'll easily make the investment back, and there's room for upside.
$27 Pablo Sandoval
$25 Eric Hosmer
$25 Ryan Zimmerman
$24 Brandon Phillips
$23 Dan Uggla
$23 Brett Lawrie
$22 Starlin Castro
$22 David Wright
$22 Asdrubal Cabrera
$22 Alex Rodriguez
$21 Carlos Santana
$21 Ben Zobrist
$21 Rickie Weeks
$20 Mike Napoli
$20 Elvis Andrus
$20 Jimmy Rollins
$19 Michael Young
$18 Lance Berkman
$18 Michael Cuddyer
$18 Howard Kendrick
With all respect to the talent of Hosmer and Lawrie, they are excellent names to throw out early in an auction. Someone has been willing to go to the mat for these guys in just about every auction I've been in; most of the time the buzzy sophomore turns into a coveted item, perhaps too much. … There's nothing wrong with Weeks from an ability standpoint, but he's played just one full season since hitting The Show. This is not by accident; he plays an attrition positon, and he's routinely plunked by a bunch of pitches because he crowds the plate. At this juncture of the game, the injury tag has to be factored in heavily. … I know the news has been better lately, but there's too much injury risk for me to chase Wright unless the rest of the room really hates him. … A bunch of Asdrubal Cabrera's homers were in the "just enough" category, so a power dip is to be expected. But a 15-15 season is a safe bet, and he'll be in a favorable slot for run production, so I might be more willing to bid here than most. … It's the "boring old veteran" part of Rollins's career, which is one of my favorite times to jump in. … We talked about this in the outfield shuffle; Kendrick's looking at a gaggle of runs scored now that he's parked in front of Albert Pujols. Kendrick is still on the escalator, we haven't seen his best year yet.
$17 Freddie Freeman
$17 Kevin Youkilis
$17 Aramis Ramirez
$16 Ike Davis
$16 Dustin Ackley
$16 Jason Kipnis
$15 Michael Morse
$15 Joe Mauer
$15 Neil Walker
$14 Billy Butler
$14 Mark Reynolds
$14 Nick Swisher
$14 Derek Jeter
$14 Dee Gordon
$13 Paul Goldschmidt
$13 Adam Lind
$13 David Freese
$13 Danny Espinosa
$13 Kelly Johnson
$13 Jhonny Peralta
$12 Alexei Ramirez
$12 Ryan Howard
$12 Emilio Bonifacio
$12 Jemile Weeks
$12 J.J. Hardy
$11 Gaby Sanchez
$11 Aaron Hill
$11 Erick Aybar
$10 Mike Moustakas
$10 Kendrys Morales
$10 Martin Prado
$10 Adam Dunn
$9 Yunel Escobar
$9 Carlos Lee
$9 Mat Gamel
$9 Jose Altuve
Now Freeman is the rare sophomore of interest who doesn't seem to set off a massive bidding war. Maybe it's the presence of Hosmer at the same position that helps shield his value. It's easier to make a profit here. … I know a lot of you want me to go higher on Bonifacio, and hey, I love the position flexibility too. But he's only done it once, and the Marlins were in the market for a center fielder all winter. I don't think his leash is particularly long here. … I suppose I'm taking a "show me" attitude with Morales and I won't get him at that price. I can live with that. That's how I generally approach players with injury clouds, though obviously it's a case-by-case basis. … Dunn's homers this spring have been nice, but it's the batting eye (and the lessened strikeout rate) that really have me interested. I know, it's a tiny sample, but after last year's horror show, you take what you can get. At least the nightmare 2011 was an excused absence, in that we can shape an explanation about it. I see 25 homers as likely, with the upside for more. … I'm in on Kelly Johnson in a few leagues, loving the batting slot (second) and feeling like the Blue Jays are a slightly underrated club. Even in a down 2011, Johnson still put up 21 homers and 16 steals. Hitting in front of Jose Bautista, he should see plenty of fastballs. &hellip: There's a case for Kipnis to be in the neighborhood of Ackley, but in most leagues you can get him 3-5 rounds later. … Gamel finally has a long leash and a job to call his own. Those Triple-A numbers look awfully shiny, and he took conditioning and nutrition seriously this winter for the first time. Good setup here.
$8 Ian Desmond
$8 Justin Morneau
$8 Chase Utley
$8 Stephen Drew
$7 Lucas Duda
$7 Edwin Encarnacion
$6 Carlos Pena
$6 Mark Trumbo
$5 Marco Scutaro
$4 Brandon Belt
$4 James Loney
$4 Mike Aviles
$4 Sean Rodriguez
$4 Gordon Beckham
$4 Alcides Escobar
$4 Zack Cozart
$4 Rafael Furcal
$3 Mitch Moreland
$3 Justin Smoak
$3 Adam LaRoche
$3 Ryan Roberts
$3 Omar Infante
$3 Cliff Pennington
$2 Todd Helton
$2 Mike Carp
$2 Garrett Jones
$2 John Mayberry
$2 Chase Headley
$2 Chipper Jones
$2 Danny Valencia
$2 Ian Stewart
$2 Placido Polanco
$2 Jed Lowrie
$2 Scott Rolen
$2 Ryan Raburn
$2 Allen Craig
$2 Alex Gonzalez
It's a shame Utley's body has betrayed him as it has. This should have been a Hall of Fame career, but the Phillies were slow to promote him, and now it's been one physical problem after another. … Lowrie was a pet sleeper of mine (and a lot of my colleagues) all spring, but he's got a history of physical problems and he's nicked up again. … The breakthrough for Roberts was a lot of fun in Arizona, but his numbers against right-handed pitching are a concern. He could easily turn into a time-share player, and that's a killer in the mixed-league world we're pricing for here. … If I knew Aviles would get a long leash in Boston, I'd at least double his price. But Bobby Valentine doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. Oh, sure, I think he'll be interesting, and fun in the sound bytes. A smart manager? Ha ha ha. You heard him on Sunday Night Baseball the last few years, right? … Gonzalez isn't a bad pull in deeper leagues, a power source at shortstop who is guaranteed at-bats. But if you're with 10 teams or less, you won't have to look that deep.
$1 Aubrey Huff
$1 Chris Davis
$1 Daniel Murphy
$1 Chris Parmelee
$1 Ty Wigginton
$1 Juan Rivera
$1 Casey Kotchman
$1 Kyle Blanks
$1 Jordan Pacheco
$1 Brent Morel
$1 Alberto Callaspo
$1 Casey McGehee
$1 Jimmy Paredes
$1 Alexi Casilla
$1 Robert Andino
$1 Jason Bartlett
$0 Jesus Guzman
$0 Chone Figgins
$0 Eduardo Nunez
$0 Wilson Betemit
$0 Juan Uribe
$0 Greg Dobbs
$0 Chris Nelson
$0 Johnny Giavotella
$0 Brian Roberts
$0 Orlando Hudson
$0 Darwin Barney
$0 Freddy Sanchez
$0 Mark Ellis
$0 Tyler Greene
$0 Tyler Pastornicky
$0 Clint Barmes
$0 Willie Bloomquist
$0 Brandon Crawford
-$3 Pedro Alvarez