A Guide to Drafting a Second Baseman
A Blog by Nick's Picks
In this piece, I am going to dive into the best way to build your roster based on what your team needs at certain points in a draft and I’m going to highlight which second basemen will bring what to the table. If you have drafted a power heavy team, you’ll need to supplement that with some steals, or potentially average. Designating second baseman in those categories is the intention of this piece.
*This is all written in a roto, and categories context*
This is my list of guys that will either contribute in 5/5 categories, or will at least not HURT you in any category:
Jose Altuve, Astros (56)
Jordan Westburg, Orioles (100)
Matt McLain, Reds (110)
Gap…
Luis Garcia Jr. WSH (126)
Xander Bogaerts, SDP (161)
Luis Rengifo, LAA (170)
Bryson Stott, PHI (172) *Stott will likely sit vs LHP
Zack Gelof, ATH (226)
Kristian Campbell, BOS (389)
It is worth noting that Jose Altuve could potentially be a negative at RBI. He had 65 last year in 153 Games. He is also 34 and could run less. He might be too pricey for me this year.
If any of you are wondering why I have Jordan Westburg here, his 91st percentile Sprint Speed (baseball savant) suggests positive regression with steals. Westburg has the potential to be a complete stud at the position this year. I’m not sure if I will draft him at this spot much, but I don’t fault anybody that does.
Matt McLain is probably my early favorite of the bunch, following a lost year due to injury, I expect big things from him. He should contribute in all 5 categories and if he plays 150 games healthy, I project him to go 25/25 with 80 R/RBI (potential for 90 runs), and hit at least .250.
My reason for a gap, is because I have these guys below labeled as my “Mid 5/5” guys. they will contribute to some extent in all 5. They aren’t the studs, but can be valuable.
Bryson Stott would be a fine pick for daily leagues. He still isn’t a terrible pick for weekly lineup leagues but the Phillies started to platoon him last year, and unfortunately, I think they will continue to do that. He still brings a lot to the table on his days vs RHP.
Zack Gelof, I have labeled as a positive regression candidate for AVG. Gelof, despite being dreadful at the plate last year, almost went 20/20. His xBA last year was .199. Yes, it was that bad. So why is he a positive regression candidate? Gelof was never anything close to that bad in the minors. And a devil’s advocate argument for this, could be “Well, he played in the hitter friendly Pacific Coast League.” Guess which league the Sacramento River Cats played in? The PCL. Oakland was 23rd in Park Factors. Sacramento should be at the very least a small upgrade. It also has less foul territory for foul pop up outs, if you really want to get into it. Gelof is a very talented young player. I am looking forward to the A’s offense, and I think he will be a fun part of it this year.
Kristian Campbell should have a disclaimer next to him because he may not be up with the Sox on Opening Day. But if he is, he is an instant Rookie of the Year candidate and a steal in drafts. Last year, at three levels of MiLB, he batted .330, with 20 HR, 24 SB, 77 RBI, and 94 R (115 Games). He’s the whole package. The Red Sox 2B situation is a bit foggy, with Vaughn Grissom (who they traded Chris Sale for), David Hamilton, and Campbell. I think Campbell’s talent will win out.
“4 Out of 5 Guys:”
Ketel Marte, ARI (27) *Low SB*
Spencer Horwitz, PIT (440) *Low SB*
Michael Massey, KCR (518) *Low SB*
Nico Hoerner, CHC (175) *Low HR*
Andres Gimenez, TOR (182) *Low HR*
Ketel Marte being a part of this is a bit disrespectful of me, but it is true. He isn’t going to get you more than 10 stolen bases and if he gets you close to that, be grateful. Ketel is the #1 2B for a reason though. His production in all 4 categories make up for what he doesn’t do in the steals department. His average may not be elite, but it won’t hurt you. He’s a stud. If healthy he’s the #1 by a wide margin. He had a 151 wRC+ last season, and the closest behind him at 2B was Altuve with 127 (tied with Spencer Horwitz as well).
I think this blob can be a bit misleading overall because it insinuates that these guys are elite in all 4 other categories, and that’s not my intention. I am looking at this from a “they will contribute in all but…” type of list.
Spencer Horwitz at this number is an absolute robbery and he will not be in the 400’s for long. Pittsburgh gave up a good package for him, so I imagine they got him to play 1B every day (while eligible at 2B for fantasy).
My “Specialists” are to supplement your roster later in the draft. Look at what categories you are missing, these are quality players that can contribute greatly in mainly one category.
Specialists:
Brice Turang, MIL (138) *SB*
Maikel Garcia, KCR (209) *SB*
Jose Caballero, TBR (288) *SB*
Dylan Moore, SEA (545) *SB*
Brandon Lowe, TBR (155) *HR*
Christopher Morel, TBR (303) *HR*
Luis Arraez, SDP (184) *AVG/R*
Jonathan India, KCR (260) *R*
Honorable Mentions:
David Hamilton, BOS (505) *SB*
Ryan Bliss, SEA (735) *SB*
Brooks Baldwin, CWS (740) *SB*
I think Brooks Baldwin has the best chance to contribute the most of this group. I don’t see as much positional competition. Ryan Bliss would be a dart throw. David Hamilton really stepped up last year. But I unfortunately don’t see him having the same opportunity. I think Boston will give Grissom and Campbell all of the opportunity. So despite an injury or trade, I have my doubts that he will start.
Brice Turang is labeled as a specialist to me, despite his great production last year. But I will likely not have Turang in any leagues this year. That may be a mistake, but his production in the second half last year was so bad at the plate, I have my doubts that he is even a starter all season. The Brewers have a plethora of Middle Infield talent, and if Turang can’t bounce back in the Spring, then drafting him in the early 100’s will sting. I think in this new base stealing environment, it doesn’t make sense to pay that much just for steals. I am a fan of mixing it in with each draft pick (with exceptions as always).
Maikel Garcia was one of my favorite picks last year. He ended up being a good pick, but I think if the Royals get the opportunity to move on from him via trade, or a fellow teammate usurps him, they would be about it. As a “real life” hitter, he was pretty dreadful last season. But, as things stand now, he can be a steals specialist. He is still just 24, so they may let him ride another season. Which would be great if you draft him.
Jose Caballero, I think the Rays aren’t finished tapping into. They worked on turning him into an Isaac Paredes type project, and sold out for pull side hits. I think if they trust him for another season, he can tap into it even more, on TOP of the steals he will contribute. The Rays moves this offseason will help indicate whether the playing time will be there for him.
Dylan Moore is a guy that I don’t have a huge blurb for. If you need steals badly, take him late. He won’t contribute very much elsewhere and I wouldn’t be surprised if Seattle moved on from him if they get a better option. As it stands, he is valuable as a specialist but he will hurt you in average.
Brandon Lowe was going so late last year, and I took him quite often. I like him again this season especially with a home park upgrade in Steinbrenner Field. He’s a great bet for home runs again this season. Health has always been his biggest issue.
Christopher Morel, I feel like has been the king of potential for 3 years now. If anybody can tap into it, it is Tampa. I am not sure where I stand on him. He really will tank your average, and I don’t see the steals upside as much as I used to, but the power upside is there. I have soured a bit on the potential, but I’m not out completely.
Luis Arraez is a guy that I will love no matter how much hate he gets. He will be so good in average, and if he remains in San Diego, will contribute in runs as well. He won’t steal, hit for power, or get many RBI but I can supplement that elsewhere. His batting average production, and runs are so safe, if he falls into my lap in drafts, I will have a hard time passing.
Jonathan India was absolutely a ‘Great American Ballpark merchant.’ But Kauffman Stadium has so much open space for hits. The park factors are still good, despite being bad for power. India batting in front of Bobby Witt, gives the potential for a very gaudy amount of runs and the average won’t be terrible either. I would like to have India on my fantasy teams this year!
The Second Baseman that I failed to mention here do not suck, I also do not hate them. The intention of this piece, for myself and the readers, are to diagnose which guys can fill your roster out, and really apply the context of your draft to the position. Guys that are contributors of 3/5 I pretty much left out of here as I feel it would be overkill if I did that. Essentially, every player I didn’t go over, I’d say is a 3/5 or just someone not worth talking about.
Lastly, the eligibility that I used is current NFC eligible Second Basemen. Please know your format and know who has extra eligibility. Yahoo is very gracious with eligibility. Some guys that MAY have 2B eligibility on other sites are, Mookie Betts, Xavier Edwards, Tommy Edman, Ha-Seong Kim, Miguel Vargas, and Connor Norby. If I missed some, please feel free to yell at me on X.
Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for the rest of my fantasy rankings (roto), and betting content on X, and my Chalkboard page (@nicksMLBpicks on both).