Omar Infante

In his first season with the Royals, Infante dealt with nagging shoulder issues that limited him to 135 games, and may have adversely affected his numbers at the plate, as he admitted after the season that he felt "a lot of pain" when he swung the bat. He slashed just .252/.295/.337 in 2014, and posted his highest strikeout rate (11.8%) since 2010. The spacious Kauffman Stadium likely didn't help his case either, as a .280 BABIP was his lowest mark since his rookie year back in 2005. Though offseason shoulder surgery remains a possibility, Royals general manager Dayton Moore doesn't believe it will be necessary, and hopes that rest and rehabilitation during the offseason will help alleviate the issue for his second baseman. Even though Kansas City has quality middle infield prospects knocking on the door, the team has Infante under contract through 2018, so it would be tough to imagine anyone other than the 33-year-old Venezuela native manning the keystone in 2015.

Despite being limited to 118 games due to a midseason ankle injury, Infante managed to put together one of the best seasons of his career. The 32-year-old second baseman hit .318 while posting a career-high .795 OPS. He reached double-digits in home runs for the third time in his career while improving his HR/FB ratio to 6.5 percent. While Infante rarely takes a free pass (4.3 percent walk rate), he also does a great job limiting strikeouts (9.2 percent strikeout rate) and making contact (90 percent contact rate). The lone area he took a step back was on the basepaths, as Infante dropped from a career-high 17 steals in 2012 to just five steals last season. As a career .279 hitter, Infante should remain a decent contributor in batting average while offering modest production in the power and speed categories and warranting a roster spot in most formats. He'll handle the starting job at second base in Kansas City after signing a four-year deal with the Royals in December.

While Infante was unable to return to his All-Star form of 2010, he managed to post one of his better offensive seasons last year. The veteran infielder split time between the Marlins and Tigers, finishing the year with a .274 average, 12 homers, 53 RBI and 17 steals. His 17 steals marked a personal best while his home run and RBI totals were the second highest totals of his career. He'll be deployed as Detroit's primary second baseman in 2013 while likely hitting in the bottom third of the lineup. He suffered a broken hand during the World Series, but all signs point to Infante being ready for the start of spring training. Entering his age-31 season, we know what to expect from Infante, but he could provide some unexpected value if he can sustain the bump in the power and speed categories he flashed last season.

Infante struggled out of the gate offensively in his first season in south Florida and wound up posting numbers that look more like his Detroit utility player days than the starter he developed into with the Braves. His line drive rate was actually higher than in 2010, however, and his glove work at second base was as good as advertised, so his job is not in jeopardy. There's a better than decent chance he'll be able to bounce back with a .300-plus batting average and some nominal fantasy value this season despite limited output in the power and speed categories.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel took a lot of heat for naming Infante to the NL All-Star team, but he looked prophetic as the former utility player hit .321 and finished third in the NL batting race. Infante hit .313/.359/.424 with six home runs after the break when pressed into everyday duty after Chipper Jones was lost for the season with a knee injury. He'll begin 2011 as an everyday player as he'll take over second base for Florida after being traded from Atlanta. Infante hit at least .290 in his three seasons in the NL thanks to a good contact rate, but he doesn't draw walks and offers little power or speed. While qualifying at multiple positions (second base, third base, outfield and even shortstop in some leagues) will boost his fantasy value, don't overpay for last year's batting average.

Infante will be the primary utility infielder for the Braves this season. He missed nearly three months after breaking a bone in his hand when he was hit by a pitch (he had the same injury in 2008). He'll qualify at three infield positions and in the outfield in many leagues. He's had a decent batting average the past two years and has some power and could have upside if he's the clear backup to an aging Chipper Jones at third base.

Infante will be the primary utility infielder for the Braves after a decent season with the bat in 2008. Infante didn't play until early May after breaking his left hand before spring training. He got time at three infield positions and left field. He has some power for an infielder, so there's some upside playing behind the oft-injured Chipper Jones at third base.

Infante was never able to work his way back into a starting role with the Tigers after his rough 2003 season, and the Tigers finally cut ties with him in a November deal for Jacque Jones. Three weeks later, he was traded again, this time to fill Atlanta's need for a utilityman. Infante has a little pop, so he's someone to keep in mind if Yunel Escobar or Kelly Johnson struggle.

Infante managed to collect 224 at-bats last season in a utility role with the Tigers. He has a little pop but doesn't do much else offensively to make him a fantasy target. He’s slated for a utility role again in 2007 but he could step in and play regularly if one of Detroit's starting infielders gets injured.

Infante entered last season as Detroit's starting second baseman but his early season struggles gave the Tigers ample reason to trade for Placido Polanco. Infante will have to settle for a utility role this season but still could accumulate significant at-bats. He showed solid power last season but his poor eye at the plate led to a career-low batting average. At only 24, Infante still has time to develop and could be an interesting $1 pick in deep leagues.

After Fernando Vina went down early in the 2004 season with a knee injury, Infante was thrust into the role of starting second baseman and he exceeded all expectations. In fact, he'll enter 2005 as Detroit's everyday second baseman regardless of Vina's health status. Infante also saw significant time at shortstop last year after Carlos Guillen got injured, giving him invaluable positional flexibility. He's still not a household name, so you may be able to steal him in the later rounds on draft day.

Infante is a light-hitting shortstop in a pitcher's ballpark. He is extremely unlikely to put up good offensive numbers. With the acquisition of Carlos Guillen and Fernando Vina, Infante's opportunity for regular playing time has passed.

Don't get too excited about the 19 steals at Triple-A -- Infante was caught 15 times. He's just 21, so the birth certificate says, so maybe he'll be intriguing us in a year or two. Ramon Santiago passed him on the organizational depth chart last year, but there should be room for both of them in Detroit -- it's just a matter of who gets moved to second base.