Overrated Fantasy Baseball Players: Infielder Edition | Matt Olson, Gleyber Torres, Dansby Swanson, Manny Machado, Nolan Arenado and More
Discussing MLB infielders who are overrated in fantasy baseball leagues this season.
I recently looked at underappreciated fantasy baseball players (infielders, outfielders and pitchers) and now want to look at some overrated players. These are players who were either drafted early in fantasy drafts or owned in most fantasy leagues who have underperformed this season - they are trending toward being draft busts by the time the season ends.
We’ll break things down into three categories again. I’m going to avoid players who have missed a significant amount of time this season.
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Overrated First Basemen
There’s no catchers who I would consider to be overrated from a fantasy baseball aspect, so we’ll kick things off with first basemen.
St. Louis Cardinals’ Paul Goldschmidt and Atlanta Braves’ Matt Olson make my overrated list. They are much further down the total points list among first basemen than we are accustomed to.
Goldschmidt was drafted around pick 60 on average this spring but is now ranked around 110 on the FantasySP Fantasy Baseball Trade Value Chart.
In 74 games played, Goldschmidt has a .231 average and .299 on-base percentage. He’s a career .290 hitter with a .385 OBP, so this season has been a huge disappointment, even for the fantasy owners who expected some regression from the 36-year-old.
Goldschmidt has nine doubles and 10 home runs, putting him on pace to finish about 20 extra-base hits less than a season ago. Goldy has 31 RBIs this season after having 80 a season ago, while scoring 36 runs this season after crossing home 89 times a season ago.
There’s some waiver wire options who have outscored Goldschmidt for the season, yet Goldschmidt is still owned in 91% of leagues. The big name is what’s keeping him on fantasy teams, but he’s simply not producing enough to start him everyday outside deeper leagues.
I’d personally try to capitalize on Goldschmidt’s bigger name and flip him in a trade for someone you’d be more comfortable starting. You’re definitely going to lose value on his original ADP, but at least that way you get something usable out of Goldy and don’t have to roster someone who really should be dropped in standard leagues looking at his season numbers.
Olson was drafted around pick 10 in fantasy drafts but now sits 76th on the trade value chart. He’s not even a top-10 fantasy first basemen right now, so he’s been very underwhelming to fantasy teams.
In 76 games this season, Olson has a .246 average and .323 OBP. He hit .283 and got on base at a .389 clip a season ago, so he’s way off those numbers.
Olson has 19 doubles after 27 a year ago, but just 12 home runs this season compared to 54 a season ago. He’s at 40 RBIs after driving in 139 a season ago, and 36 runs scored after 127 scored a season ago. It’s almost unbelievable how much of a dropoff that is in a single season, but it encapsulates a lot of the Braves’ hitters this season.
Olson isn’t performing quite as badly as Goldy, and Olson is still owned in just about every league as a result. Olson is a borderline starter in standard leagues, but should only be confidently started in deeper leagues or as a secondary fantasy 1B.
Overrated Second Basemen
New York Yankees’ Gleyber Torres is really the only second baseman that I’d consider overrated.
He was drafted around pick 90 and is ranked 250 on the trade value chart. Torres is owned in 77% of fantasy leagues.
In 80 total games, Torres has a .215 average and .294 OBP. He hit .273 and got on base at a .347 clip a season ago, so this season has been very underwhelming. He’s currently behind a lot of waiver wire 2B options in terms of total fantasy points.
If you took on Torres as your first fantasy 2B, I’m hoping you got a steal later in the draft, because Torres simply hasn’t done enough this season. You still should be able to flip him in standard leagues in a trade, but for less value than where he was originally drafted. Try to fill a position of need or land a second baseman with a little more upside moving forward.
Overrated Shortstops
Toronto Blue Jays’ Bo Bichette, Pittsburgh Pirates’ Oneil Cruz and Chicago Cubs’ Dansby Swanson are all overrated in my eyes.
Bichette was selected around pick 55 in fantasy drafts and currently has a trade value chart ranking of 239 right now. He’s owned in 92% of fantasy leagues still.
In 67 games, Bichette has a .234 average and .285 OBP. He’s a career .292 hitter with a .334 OBP, so this season has been very disappointing.
After 53 extra-base hits a season ago, Bichette only has 18 near the midpoint of this season. He’s on pace to finish with about 15 less RBIs and 20 less runs scored than a season ago.
Bichette should still be owned in standard leagues, but he’s not a locked in starter. If you don’t see him turning things around at least a bit, trading him before his value drops any lower is probably a wise move.
Cruz has had an injury-riddled MLB career so far. That dropped his ADP to around pick 130, but he’s still underperformed, currently sitting 220th on the trade value chart. He’s owned in 80% of fantasy leagues.
In 71 games, Cruz has a .243 average and .294 average, which are close to his career marks of .239 and .299. He’s on pace for about 54 extra-base hits, which is a solid number, as is his pace of 68 RBIs and 70 runs scored. Cruz is also on pace for over 180 strikeouts though, and that’s crushing his fantasy value.
He’s a backup fantasy SS in standard leagues, and really should only be trusted as a starter in deeper leagues. When he’s going good at the plate, he can be a standard league starter, but with all his strikeouts, there’s not too many of those times.
Swanson also went around pick 130, but currently sits 362nd on the trade value chart. He’s owned in 75% of fantasy leagues.
In 69 games, Swanson has a .217 average and .292 OBP. In what was a down season in 2023, Swanson had a .244 average and .328 OBP, so he’s regressed even more.
Swanson is on pace for about 10 less extra-base hits, 30 less RBIs and 20 less runs scored than a season ago, so I’m honestly not sure why (outside of his name) he’s owned in as many leagues as he is.
I’d only trust him in deeper leagues as a starting option, and would try to take advantage of his name and deal him away in a standard league.
Overrated Third Basemen
Atlanta’s Austin Riley, San Diego Padres’ Manny Machado and St. Louis’ Nolan Arenado are overrated fantasy third basemen this season.
Riley has been better of late, but he was drafted around pick 30 and currently sits around 110 on the trade value chart, so he’s been a disappointment so far. He’s owned in just about every fantasy league still despite being outscored by some little-known players at the position.
In 63 games, Riley has a .251 average and .321 average. He hit .281 and had a .345 OBP last season, but a recent hot stretch got Riley to more respectable numbers overall.
He’s on pace for about 50 extra-base hits after having 72 a season ago. Riley is also on pace to finish with about 35 less RBIs and nearly 40 less runs scored.
Riley is still an everyday starter in all fantasy leagues, but wasn’t just a month or so ago. He should work himself off this list if he keeps things trending upward the rest of the season.
Machado was taken around pick 50 in fantasy drafts but is now sitting 135th on the trade value chart. He’s owned in just about every fantasy league as well.
In 76 games, Machado has a .260 average and .314 OBP. Those are right near last year’s numbers.
He’s on pace for about 40 extra-base hits after having 51 last season. He’s also slightly below last year’s RBI and runs scored marks, while on pace to strikeout about 30 times more.
He’s still a pretty good fantasy option in standard leagues, but he’s definitely underperformed this season.
Arenado was drafted around pick 65, but currently sits 185th on the trade value chart. He’s only owned in 90% of fantasy leagues, which isn’t good for any healthy top-100 pick.
In 71 games, Arenado has a .257 average and .315 OBP. Again, those marks are pretty close to the ones he posted a season ago.
Arenado is on pace for about 40 extra-base hits after having 54 a season ago. He’s about a third of his way to last year’s RBI and runs scored marks, while striking out more frequently.
Like Machado and Riley, he’s still playable in standard leagues, but he’s certainly not lived up to the preseason hype.
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