2025 Fantasy Baseball: Middle Infielders (6 to 10)

6 – Jonathan India, KC (ADP – 246.0)

India had the bulk of his at-bats (385) in 2024 from the leadoff position for Cincinnati. He ranked 89th in FPGscore (-0.88) for hitters while coming off the board as the 154th batter in the early draft season. His strikeout rate (19.6) was the lowest of his career, and India pushed his walk rate (12.6) to a new top, inviting another top-of-the-order opportunity.

He struggled on the road (.225/42/4/25/6 over 280 at-bats). His bat faded after the All-Star break (.210 over 224 at-bats with 36 runs, seven home runs, 20 RBIs, and five steals). India was a below-par hitter against right-handed pitching (.237/58/12/44/10 over 392 at-bats).

His exit velocity (87.2 mph), hard-hit rate (36.2), and barrel rate (7.7) almost matched his career averages. India’s contact batting average (.324) has been in a tight range over the past three seasons. When at his best in 2021, he finished 46th in fantasy value in Roto 5 X 5 formats.

Fantasy Outlook: The Royals need a leadoff hitter, giving India an excellent opportunity to hit in front of Bobby Witt. Kansas City plans on giving him at-bats in the outfield, helping his ability to stay in the lineup more often. The downgrade in his home ballpark is a factor in his power expectations. The Royals stole 89 fewer bases than the Reds last season. India is a nice, steady player with some upside if given over 500 at-bats again in 2025. For a fantasy team cheating second base, his bat does make sense for some team structures.

7 – Jackson Holliday, BAL (ADP – 247.8)

Over the past few seasons, multiple players have reached pro ball whose Fathers played in the majors – Vladimir Guerrero, Bobby Witt, and Bo Bichette. Each player brought an All-Star skill set, and Holliday fits into the same realm. Baltimore added the son of Matt Holliday with the first overall pick in 2022.

After short at-bats (64) in his first minor league season (.297/14/1/9/4), Holliday pushed his way through four levels in 2023. He hit .333 over 402 at-bats between High A and AA with 96 runs, 11 home runs, 67 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases. Baltimore had him close out the season at AAA (.267/18/2/91) over his final 75 at-bats. Holliday showcased a top-of-the-order walk rate (17.3) while beating the league average in his strikeout rate (20.6).

Baltimore started Holliday at AAA last season for 10 games (14-for-42 with 18 runs, two home runs, and nine RBIs). He took 12 walks while striking out eight times. Major league pitchers ran over him over his first 34 at-bats (.059 BAA, five runs, and one RBI) due to a massive strikeout rate (50.0).

His bat was steady over his next 63 games at AAA (.259 with 57 runs, eight home runs, 29 RBIs, and seven steals over 224 at-bats). Holliday had an exceptional walk rate (21.7), with a slightly below-par strikeout rate (23.8). The Orioles gave him another 50 games of experience to finish out the season in the majors, but he didn’t play well (.218/23/5/22/4 over 156 at-bats).

Holliday had a reasonable floor in exit velocity (89.3 mph) and hard-hit rate (45.1). He tends to have a groundball swing path (48.2% at AAA and 54.9% in the majors), but his line drive rate (9.8) was out of line with the Baltimore.

Fantasy Outlook: Based on his minor league approach, Holliday is the future lead-off hitter for the Orioles. His talent screams breakout, but his success in the pros suggests it will take some more time. Other than his batting average (.218) with Baltimore, he was only pace for 74 runs, 16 home runs, 71 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases if given 500 at-bats. His contact batting average (.298) with the Orioles was well below his minor-league career (.408). Holliday is a bet on the come player who has an excellent chance to be a fun ride over the back half of 2025.

8 – Colt Keith, DET (ADP – 233.5)

The Tigers selected Keith in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB June Amateur Draft. Over his first two seasons in the minors, he hit .293 with 79 runs, 11 home runs, 63 RBIs, and eight steals over 417 at-bats. Keith walked 13.0% of the time, with just below the league-average strikeout rate (22.2). He missed the back half of the 2022 season due to a shoulder injury.

His bat showed growth at AA in 2023, leading to a .325 batting average with 43 runs, 14 home runs, 50 RBIs, and two stolen bases over 246 at-bats. Keith also handled himself well at AAA (.287/45/13/51/1 over 261 at-bats). His average hit rate at three levels was 1.800 or higher in 2022 and 2023, pointing to a 30-home run hitter down the road. In addition, his contact batting average (.398) has been stellar in his time in the minors.

Pitchers kept him in check last April (.154/5//5/20 over 91 at-bats) while hitting two home runs or fewer in four other months. His bat looked major league-ready in July (.322 with 18 runs, seven home runs, 17 RBIs, and one stolen base over 87 at-bats). The Tigers gave him 82 at-bats against left-handed pitching (.305/7/1/8/2 with 24 strikeouts).

His swing path was groundball favoring (44.4%), with a much weaker HR/FB rate (9.3) than his time in the minors in 2022 and 2023. Keith had below-par stats in exit velocity (87.9 mph), barrel rate (5.6), and hard-hit rate (35.0).

Fantasy Outlook: The Tigers plan on switching Keith to first base. His strikeout rate (19.8) was favorable in his rookie season, but he needs to work on his walk rate (6.5). His power and batting average metrics came in well below his minor-league path, giving him hidden potential for someone looking at his surface stats. Keith’s second base qualification could be an advantage to some team builds. Possible 20 home runs and 80 RBIs, with a favorable batting average.

9 – Trevor Story, BOS (ADP – 237.0)

In his three seasons with Boston, Story missed 323 games, with four stints (wrist, heel, shoulder, and elbow) on the injured list, two of which required surgery. He struggled over his first 72 at-bats (.208/8/0/6) in 2022, followed by sensational production (.252 with 21 runs, nine home runs, 34 RBIs, and six stolen bases over 107 at-bats). Over his next 32 games, Story lost his approach (43 strikeouts and five walks), leading to a step back in results (.203/20/6/18/3 over 128 at-bats). He hit .340 over his final 50 at-bats, with one home run and eight RBIs.

Story had elbow surgery in January of 2023, putting him out of major league action until August 8th. Over his 158 at-bats, he was lost at the plate (.203 with 12 runs, three home runs, 14 RBIs, and 10 steals). His strikeout rate (31.4) was well below 2020 (24.3%) and 2021 (23.4%) with the Rockies. Story had the lowest walk rate (5.4) of his career.

Eight games into last season (7-for-31 with one run, four RBIs, and one steal), Boston lost Story for 134 games with shoulder surgery. He hit .270 over his final 63 at-bats with seven runs, two home runs, and five stolen bases.

His launch angle (18.6) has been home run-favoring in seven of his nine years in the majors. Story comes off a career-low barrel rate (6.6). He has never had a flyball rate lower than 42.2%. His HR/FB rate from 2020 and 2022 (13.4, 13.9, and 14.8) failed to match his 2018 (19.9) and 2019 (19.9) seasons with the Rockies (only 7.0% and 7.7% over the past two years).

Fantasy Outlook: Story comes into 2025 with an even more beaten-down profile, with more questions than answers in the fantasy market. His ADP (237) is well below his peak form from 2018 to 2020, when he ranked in the top 10 each year for hitters by FPGscore (10.00, 7.75, and 3.75 – strike season). The Red Sox have him under contract for two more seasons, and they would love some return on their investment. Story has the tools to outperform his ADP by a wide margin, with minimal replacement cost if he fails. With positive spring reports, he could be a missing piece to a winning team in deep formats.

10 – Brandon Lowe, TB (ADP – 230.0)

Over the past three seasons, Lowe wasn’t in the Rays’ lineup for 205 games. He landed on the injured list midway through last April with an oblique issue. Toe and finger injuries pushed him to the sidelines a couple more times later in the season. Only once (2021 – 535) in his career has Lowe had more than 385 at-bats.

He had empty stats in 2024 over the first two months (.179/6/1/8 over 53 at-bats). For the remainder of the year, Lowe hit .256 with 50 runs, 20 home runs, 50 RBIs, and five stolen bases over 332 at-bats. His bat swing had more value against left-handed pitching (.265/8/4/16 over 68 at-bats). Tampa gave Lowe 295 of his 385 in the second slot in their batting order.

His walk rate (7.8) was a five-year low while ranking below the league average with his strikeout rate (26.4). Lowe’s exit velocity (89.8 mph), hard-hit rate (44.7), and barrel rate (12.4) aligned with his career path. His fly-ball rate (41.8) has been over 40% over the past six years. He has a rising HR/FB rate (18.3), but it was below his best three seasons (21.8, 23.7, and 24.1) from 2021 to 2023.

Fantasy Outlook: With Tampa playing in a replica Yankees Stadium, Lowe will benefit from a shorter right-field porch. His swing path promotes power, but his long history of injuries invites some missed time. I can’t dismiss some off days as well vs. some left-handed pitching. Lowe is pretty much dirty power for anyone shopping in the second base aisle late in drafts.