Top 10 Sleeper Middle Infielders

High Ceiling, Low Risk
Hill is ranked as the 18th second baseman and this seems extremely low to me. Many people sacrifice average, RBI's, and Homeruns in order to get some cheap steals when drafting a middle infielder. Although Hill will not give you those stolen bases, he will help you out in the four other major categories. Last year, Hill, who is only 25 and entering his 3rd full year as a starter, was 7th in RBI's, 8th in Homeruns, and 10th in Runs and Batting Average among major league second baseman. There is no reason why Hill will not, at the very worst, duplicate these numbers, and if you are able to get steals elsewhere this turns Hill into a top ten 2B for sure. Furthermore, there has been talk around the Blue Jays organization of batting Hill second in the order. If this happens, most of his overall numbers will stay the same, but his runs scored would certainly increase, further rising his stock. For comparison's sake, Hill should contribute to the same categories as Jeff Kent and even outperform our tenth ranked second baseman quite handily. One final note is that Hill had sixty six extra base hits last year, and this is an indication that his HR total will increase, especially since Hill is a young and maturing hitter.

High Ceiling, Medium Risk
Johnson, who is the same age as Hill, is another young second baseman who could easily put up numbers worthy of a fantasy starter at 2B. Even though he is ranked higher than Hill, I believe Johnson to be a slightly riskier pick. He is less experienced and needs to show that he can hit consistently at the major league level. Still, Johnson is an intriguing player because he can swipe double digit bags and has some nice pop in his bat. Also, at the top of the lineup Johnson could easily top 100 runs. Now, with a stat line of 20 homeruns, ten steals, and 100 runs, Johnson certainly would project as a fantasy starter. His batting average and RBI totals are nothing special, but they certainly will not hurt you.

Mid to High Ceiling, High Risk
Entering the 2006 fantasy season, Peralta was on everyone's list, but he slumped badly and only slightly regained his stroke in 2007. This season should be Peralta's next step towards gaining his 2005 form. Peralta will not hit .292 again, but he could post a .280 average with the same power numbers that we saw in '05 (24 HR and 78 RBI). An indication of this rise in power can be seen in Peralta's OPS increase last year (up 66 points from the previous season). In the Cleveland lineup he should score around 90 runs, and he has been a healthy player, posting at least 500 at bats in each of the past three seasons. Put it this way: Stephen Drew is ranked 11th, and he will score less runs, hit less homeruns, and hit for a terrible average. Think twice before you draft him three rounds ahead of Peralta just because he'll steal you five or six more bags.

Low Ceiling, Extremely Low Risk
I don't understand all the buzz about Howie Kendrick, when he is sure to be overvalued come draft time. In Polanco, you can have a similar type player who has proven that he can and will continue to hit at the major league level on an everyday basis. Sure, one day Kendrick may contend for a batting title, but it will not be this year. He will not surpass 15 HR or 15 SB, so I'll stick with the healthier more experienced second baseman. Polanco will definitely hit .300 and in his past four years only once has he not eclipsed 500 at bats (461 in 2006). No matter where he hits in the Detroit lineup, it is so powerful that he will surely be around 100 runs scored. The same could not be said for Kendrick, so wait a few rounds and draft Polanco.

Medium Ceiling, Medium Risk
Even with last year's dreadful .237 batting average, Lugo's lifetime average is at .271. Lugo is not young by any stretch of the word, but he certainly is not old enough, either, for us to suppose that drop to be a reflection of a deteriorating skill set. Expect Lugo to be right around his lifetime average this year. As a result, he will be on base more, score more, and even steal a little more. This should allow Lugo to score around 80 runs and swipe somewhere around 40 bases. He should post similar numbers to the 10th ranked SS, Orlando Cabrera (who should see a slight decline in his numbers), except with more stolen bases.