Utility Players Valuable in Fantasy Baseball

Major League Baseball is constantly changing and constantly evolving for better or worse and the utility player is becoming more and more important these days. We’re all Yankees fans here and we can see how this team is constructed and how Joe Girardi likes to carry his roster. The team loves players that can play multiple positions, see Jose Pirela and Martin Prado before he was traded, and you should love these same players if you’re serious about winning your league this season in Fantasy Baseball.

Utility players or players that qualify for multiple positions are especially important when factoring in days off, injuries etc. I don’t know about you but I hate it when I have one player at third base and he is off during the day game after a night game and I have to take a zero in points for that game. With that in mind I looked at and ranked the best players eligible at multiple positions for you before your fantasy draft. If I missed one, overvalued or undervalued one please leave me a comment in the comments section because I am far from a fantasy guru and always appreciate the feedback.

Whenever I see Ben Zobrist available in the later rounds I always try and grab him because he is eligible to play so many different positions including shortstop, second base and the outfield. Another player that reminds me of Zobrist is Josh Harrison of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Harrison broke in as a bench player in 2014 and ended up playing the outfield, second base and shortstop for Pittsburgh and hit too much to be taken out of the lineup. While I don’t expect another All Star game appearance nor do I expect a .315 average with 13 home runs I expect solid production at least for a shortstop or second baseman in fantasy.

Ryan Zimmerman is another player that can play multiple positions but comes attached to a ton of injury question marks. The Washington Nationals had to move Zimmerman from third base after his shoulder surgery in 2014 and has him learn the outfield. With Zimmerman now learning first base in 2015 he may be eligible to play all over the diamond for your team this season. If he’s healthy he’s an awfully good player that can provide a lot of power and a ton of RBI in that lineup in Washington. Alexi Amarista is eligible at four different positions this year although he would likely be available after any draft is over and may be a name to keep in the back of your mind if your team gets ravaged by injuries this season. He won’t provide substantial value but he’s better than taking zero points for a few days while you wait on a waiver wire deal to go through.

Other names to keep in mind are Anthony Rendon, Buster Posey, Todd Frazier, Carlos Santana, Evan Gattis, Mark Trumbo, Chris Davis, Brett Lawrie, Xander Bogaerts, Martin Prado and Danny Santana as all are eligible for at least two positions in 2015. These players, outside of Posey and maybe a couple others, won’t necessarily win your league for you but they may save your team in the long run when it comes to injuries…. You’re welcome.