Fantasy Baseball: 2B Rankings (Roto)

Going through these 2B rankings it’s easy to see why many owners will likely use the position to also fill their MI spot this season. It’s as deep a group as I can remember and one that will significantly impact draft strategy. It’s certainly feasible to wait on the position and take a high upside option in the later rounds, but there are also several elite second basemen going in the first 40 picks or so.

If you’ve checked out any of my other positional ranks this year you’ve noticed I’m trying out a new format. Instead of tiered commentary I’ve broken down my analysis into two sections; overall draft approach to the position and thoughts on individual players. Hope you enjoy the new setup and as always I’d love to hear your feedback.

Note: I’m using a combination of Yahoo and ESPN positional eligibility which cumulatively will be more lenient than some individual sites so a few players you see here may not actually be 2B eligible in your league. Additionally, I’m including players who are expected to gain 2B eligibility in-season.

C | 1B | 2B| 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP

Player	Rank	League	Team
Jose Altuve	1	AL	Astros
Trea Turner	2	NL	Nationals
Robinson Cano	3	AL	Mariners
Brian Dozier	4	AL	Twins
Daniel Murphy	5	NL	Nationals
Jonathan Villar	6	NL	Brewers
Rougned Odor	7	AL	Rangers
Ian Kinsler	8	AL	Tigers
Matt Carpenter	9	NL	Cardinals
Jason Kipnis	10	AL	Indians
Jean Segura	11	AL	Mariners
Dee Gordon	12	NL	Marlins
D.J. LeMahieu	13	NL	Rockies
Dustin Pedroia	14	AL	Red Sox
Brad Miller	15	AL	Rays
Jonathan Schoop	16	AL	Orioles
Ben Zobrist	17	NL	Cubs
Jose Peraza	18	NL	Reds
Devon Travis	19	AL	Blue Jays
Logan Forsythe	20	NL	Dodgers
Javier Baez	21	NL	Cubs
Neil Walker	22	NL	Mets
Starlin Castro	23	AL	Yankees
Brandon Phillips	24	NL	Braves
Ryan Schimpf	25	NL	Padres
Jedd Gyorko	26	NL	Cardinals
Brandon Drury	27	NL	D'backs
Josh Harrison	28	NL	Pirates
Hernan Perez	29	NL	Brewers
Cesar Hernandez	30	NL	Phillies
Joe Panick	31	NL	Giants
Kolten Wong	32	NL	Cardinals
Jorge Polanco	33	AL	Twins
Steve Pearce	34	AL	Blue Jays
Howie Kendrick	35	NL	Phillies
Tyler Saladino	36	AL	White Sox
Raul Mondesi Jr.	37	AL	Royals
Danny Espinosa	38	AL	Angels
Jed Lowrie	39	AL	A's
Derek Dietrich	40	NL	Marlins

Positional Strategy

• I’m either grabbing one of the top six guys or waiting until the later rounds.
  • Once Daniel Murphy and Jonathan Villar are off the board, I tend to wait until at least round 10 before checking back in on the position.

• If I take a top-end 2B I still like grabbing a power-oriented one (Jonathan Schoop, Neil Walker, Jedd Gyorko) for my MI spot and using SS to find steals instead.

Player Notes

• Rougned Odor and Dee Gordon are two players I’m avoiding unless they fall significantly below their current ADP.
  • Odor’s historically bad plate discipline last year makes it unlikely that he can continue to be a 30 home run hitter or sustain an average above .250.
  • There are enough well-rounded options at 2B this year that Gordon’s 50 steals won’t give him the same positional advantage it has in years’ past.

• Matt Carpenter is undervalued.
  • I get the injury concerns, but this is a 20HR/80RBI guy who’s a plus in batting average and has multi-position eligibility.

• I’m worried about Dustin Pedroia and Ben Zobrist.
  • Both players are in their mid-thirties and at this point their success is largely a byproduct of their lineup spot and overall team context.

• Don’t overlook the stability of Jonathan Schoop and Logan Forsythe.
  • You won’t get a great average or any speed, but Schoop is a top-end option in terms of power and run production.
  • Forsythe could score 90 runs hitting atop the Dodgers while offering above average pop.

• Brandon Drury is a prime target in NL-only leagues
  • The lineup and ballpark are favorable and he’s basically free.
  • Think of a poor man’s Logan Forsythe, but with less runs and more RBI.