Multi-Position Fantasy Baseball Players: Mookie Betts, Gunnar Henderson, Elly De La Cruz and More

Positional flexibility is a luxury in baseball. It seems easy to fill eight positions with 14-ish guys, but some players are specialized to the point of only being able to play in one situation (i.e. only in left field against left-handed pitchers).

Others are stars at their position and locked into their spots, a luxury within itself. For a special few, though, they can be slotted into multiple positions, easing the stress on their manager to create a lineup.

Fantasy baseball is the same. Rigid positions and limited bench spots make creating the right lineup every day a stress. Luckily, there are players from the superstar level down to the end of the bench who offer the flexibility to play several spots in your lineup.

Let’s look through the position players ranked in FantasySP’s top 200 who are available at two or more positions in ESPN leagues. Different sites will have different availabilities, but these guys make up most of the multi-positional players in 2024. Overall ranks listed are according to our rankings at FantasySP.

 

Mookie Betts (ranked 3rd overall), LAD - 2B and OF

No need to waste much time here. Betts is my favorite first-round pick because of his eligibility at both second base and the outfield.

 

Gunnar Henderson (40th), BAL – 3B and SS

Last year’s AL Rookie of the Year, Henderson is likely a third baseman moving forward, so this might be your only season to move him between two positions. We have him rated around 40th while ESPN is a little lower at 50th, but I agree with the higher ranking.

Henderson was at or near 100 runs scored, 140 hits, 30 doubles and home runs, 80 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. The only downside was 159 strikeouts, and while that number won’t come way down this season, he’s likely to improve his contact as he gets more at-bats. I love Henderson in the fourth or fifth round.

 

Nico Hoerner (57th), CHC – 2B and SS

Chicago has some middle infield depth, but Hoerner is slotted in as the starting second baseman and backup shortstop when Dansby Swanson rests. His playing time is a big positive (nearly 700 plate appearances last year) and helped him to 175 hits and 27 doubles in 2023.

Hoerner has finished around .280 the last two seasons and seems likely to come in near the same mark this year. There won’t be much power, with about 10 homers in both 2022 and 2023, but if Hoerner can stay near 30 doubles, that’s good production for a player available at both middle infield positions. Not bad, especially if you miss out on the top few second basemen.

 

Elly De La Cruz (62nd), CIN – 3B and SS

Matt McLain (89th), CIN – 2B and SS

Spencer Steer (100th), CIN – 1B, 3B, and OF

We’ll combine the Cincinnati guys and, wow, what a group of young talent the Reds have in the infield. Former NL Rookie of the Year Jonathan India isn’t even included here. With so much flexibility, the best asset of these players is likely their playing time.

De La Cruz and McLain both played around 90 games and had about 375 at-bats in 2023, with De La Cruz on the higher side of both and McLain a little below.

• De La Cruz: 91 hits, 15 doubles, 13 home runs, 35 stolen bases, .235 batting average
• McLain: 106 hits, 23 doubles, 16 home runs, 14 stolen bases, .290 batting average

Not a huge difference, but McLain had 23 less at-bats to put up his stats and has the higher floor. De La Cruz may have a higher ceiling, as he produced some electric plays during his rookie season. I can understand anyone who wants to bet on his upside, and it’s worth it at the right price, but I’d rather have McLain’s more consistent production.

Steer got a full season of at-bats in 2023 and finished with 158 hits, 37 doubles, 23 home runs and 15 stolen bases. He won’t be as efficient as McLain and doesn’t have the ceiling of De La Cruz, but Steer is a solid fantasy player. Steer can be a great utility/bench guy on your fantasy team, as he can fill in at three different positions, including outfield.

 

Cody Bellinger (75th), FA – 1B and OF

Bellinger has been on a rollercoaster over the last half-decade: After back-to-back four-WAR seasons to start his career, Bellinger broke out to win MVP in 2019. He set his career highs in every major stat, numbers that still stand as his peak.

A down COVID season in 2020 could have been explained as weird circumstances, but Bellinger cratered in 2021, putting up a negative-1.5 WAR over 315 at-bats. When 2022 was better but still way down from his previous form, the team non-tendered Bellinger, and he signed with the Cubs last season.

Bellinger performed to the standard of his first few seasons in 2023, putting up 153 hits, 29 doubles and 26 home runs and cutting his strikeout rate nearly in half from its worst. The question is which side of him we will see this season.

His availability at both first base and the outfield allows you to slot Bellinger in as an outfielder most days while moving him to first base when needed; that’s a time to get a top first baseman, like Freddie Freeman, who will play most days and can be replaced by Bellinger on the few days he’s not in the lineup. 

I like Bellinger’s chances of repeating his solid 2023 and see him as a fantasy asset as an eight-round pick, assuming he signs with a team by opening day.

 

Ha-Seong Kim (107th), SD – 2B, 3B, and SS

With over 500 at-bats in both 2022 and 2023, Kim averaged 135 hits, 26 doubles, and 14 home runs. His stolen bases jumped from 12 to 38 between the two seasons. That’s solid production available at three different infield positions (and not first base!).

Kim is the perfect bench player in fantasy, able to fill in if someone sits or gets injured and a much better hitter against lefties who can be played strategically. I don’t want to count on him as a season-long option at any position, but Kim is a flexible player.

 

Isaac Paredes (118th), TB – 1B and 3B

Alec Bohm (141st), PHI – 1B and 3B

Paredes and Bohm aren’t alike as players as much as they provide similar value in different ways. Paredes has more power, and Bohm brings more hits and a better batting average. They are both available at both corner infield spots, and the player better for your team might depend on how you drafted in the first 12-15 rounds.

If you are lacking power and want more home runs, Paredes fits in better. If your team is set with power and could use more average, Bohm would be the guy to target despite his lower ranking. Both are bench guys who can fill two spots.

 

Jeff McNeil (148th), NYM – 2B and OF

McNeil is a high-contact, low-power hitter who won the NL batting title two years ago. His second base/outfield ability is enticing for the same reasons Betts is a great first pick, but McNeil should be one of your last few picks if you need depth at those positions.

 

Salvador Perez (160th), KC – C and 1B

I’ve seen this done before and always wanted to try one. Here is a blind comparison of the average seasons between 2021-2023 for three different catchers:

• Player A: 120 hits, 22 doubles, 23 home runs
• Player B: 129 hits, 26 doubles, 20 home runs
• Player C: 140 hits, 23 doubles, 31 home runs

We’re in the Perez section, so you’re probably guessing that he is one of these guys; he's Player C. Player A is Will Smith, ranked second among catchers and 48th overall. Player B is J.T. Realmuto, who is fifth among catchers and 94th overall. Perez is our 11th-ranked catcher.

Perez is propped up by a huge 2021, with 169 hits and 48 homers, but he was still around 120, 22, and 23 over the last two seasons. He doesn’t have the same runs scored and RBI chances as the other two because of a weaker team around him; Perez doesn’t steal any bases, while Realmuto had 16 last year.

Perez is being drafted way later than the other two, though, and worth stealing in the 13th-15th round to likely get starter-level production at catcher. His ability to fill in as your first baseman is just a bonus, like with Bellinger.

With Perez playing first at times, he will be in the lineup more often than catchers who are out of game completely on days they rest. Perez’s availability is a plus on top of his production, and he’s one of my favorite value players.

 

Others Outside the Top 200 (Alphabetical Order)

Jake Cronenworth, SD – 1B and 2B

Tommy Edman, STL – 2B, SS, and OF

Thairo Estrada, SF – 2B and SS

Wilmer Flores, SF – 1B and 3B

Luis Rengifo, LAA – 2B, 3B, SS, and OF