Fantasy Second Base Rankings: 2019Man, there are a lot of options at second base this year. Some are clearly the top choices, but once you get into the middle-of-the-pack, you could either make or break your 2019 fantasy season - all based on your second baseman. We've ranked the top 35, below, which is kin of a strange number to cap our rankings out at, but there were so many possible guys worth drafting that we wanted to give you as much info as we could on as many second basemen as we thought were worth a draft pick. Even then, we still left a few out just because we had to move on to other positions. So, with that said, check out the list and feel free to expand on it.
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First, Jose Ramirez is a total “duh” at second base. His numbers are incredible for any position, but this may be the only year that he qualifies at 2nd. Jose Ramirez is totally worth a #1 overall pick even if we don’t expect him to necessarily match last season’s output. Look – there’s no reason to think he won’t match last year’s stats, but even if you shave off 10 runs, 10 HR, 10 RBI and 10 steals off his stat line, you’d still have a guy with 100 runs, 29 HR, 96 RBI and 24 steals at second base.
Now, we have to eat a little crow. Javier Baez proved us totally wrong last season. We thought he was just too much of a free swinger to remain consistent at the plate, but he put up huge numbers all season long. Atta boy, Javy. We’re still gonna say “Buyer beware” in regard to his absolutely awful 29 walks to 167 strikeouts, but when he puts the ball in play, it’s always hit hard somewhere. And even is he does hit a dribbler, he busts his ass to beat the throw to first. Let it be said that he could very easily drop to a .250 hitter with 25 HR and 70 RBI, but that’s still pretty sweet for a second baseman.
Whit Merrifield got off to a slow start in the beginning – so much so that we were actually part of a public Yahoo league where a guy dropped him early on. Naturally, we picked him up and he danced the rest of the season. He’s already mature, he has learned how to read pitchers, and we see potential in his swing (and size) to eclipse the 20 HR mark without sacrificing other stats. Too bad the Royals suck, otherwise we’d be able to tack on another 10-15 runs and a few more RBI, too.
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You know who Jose Altuve is: he’s the little tiny guy who can’t stop spitting while hitting .300 and putting the ball in play like crazy. We gave him an up arrow in the potential column because we expect his power numbers will go up a bit this year over last year, solely due to volume of games played. He missed 25 games last year which probably erased 10-15 runs, 3-5 HR and about 10 RBI from his woulda-been totals.
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Look – don’t freak out that we gave Ozzie Albies a down arrow in his potential column. That column is meant to say that we don’t expect him to duplicate last year’s numbers. Albies hit .261 with 105 runs, 24 HR, 72 RBI and 14 stolen bases. His batting average could go up, but we fear the opposite is more likely as pitchers figure him out in his sophomore season. We don’t expect Albies to crack 100 runs again this year, nor do we expect him to drive in as many RBI, either. The Braves’ lineup is full of beasts this season and those guys are likely to steal some of Albies’ production. Still, expect 85-90 runs, 25 HR, 60-70 RBI and 20 stolen bases. See? Not much of a downturn in potential – just a little.
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OK, we can’t wait any longer. We have to address Daniel Murphy and Robinson Cano, the “old guys.” First, Cano is ff of his PED bust so people are wondering if his power numbers will suffer. We think Cano’s swing is so sweet that even if he drops his home run total, he’ll still hit a ton of gappers. He always barrels the ball up, so he’s gonna get his hits. And with the new-and-improved Mets lineup, Cano will have plenty of RBI t cash in. Daniel Murphy on the other hand is really planning his retirement in Colorado. Murphy turns 34 this season and he’s moving to play first base. They’re hoping this is as good as having him play DH so he can stay healthy all season. If he stays healthy, Murphy could crack the 30 home run mark, and he can certainly re-visit the 25 HR club (he already did it once in Washington). He’s a career .300 hitter with a ton of doubles to his credit, and in Colorado, hitting that many balls that hard frequently leads to an uptick in home run production. With the HRs comes more RBI and more runs, too, all while Murphy chills at first base. This could be a magical season for Daniel Murphy… or he could still nurse his nagging injuries and frustrate you to no end while he’s on the DL.
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Jose Peraza is a guy who might last until the late rounds in your draft, depending on how many geeks are in your draft (or how many Reds fans are in your draft). He didn’t show us much as a rookie in 2016, although he managed to steal 21 bases in 72 games. Because of this, we saw him as a platoon/pinch-runner kinda guy. In 2017, he stole 23 bases, but it took him 147 games to get there, so we weren’t sure what to think other than to avoid him in the draft. Suddenly, in 2018, Jose Peraza figures out a way to hit .288 while scoring 85 runs with 14 HR, 58 RBI and 23 stolen bases. Who knew? (liar – you did not) He also hit 31 doubles compared to a ridiculously-low 9 in 2017, so his power numbers may just be legit. Don’t bet the farm on him in your 2019 fantasy draft, but be happy if you pick him in the teen rounds or for under $5 in an auction draft.
We have a problem totally buying DJ LeMahieu’s act and we’re not sure why. How does a dude his size hit for such a high average in Colorado and only manage 15 home runs? And that was his career best! LeMahieu won a batting title in 2017, hitting .348 in Colorado with just 11 home runs. Now he moves to Yankee Stadium where the lineup around him is full of power, so the good news is that he has no pressure to suddenly find his power stroke – he can just hit liners up the middle and, probably, score 100+ runs (depending on where the Yankees put him in the lineup). Even though we aren’t entirely buying his act (especially after he hit just .276 last season, which sucks for him) we still see a duplication of his stats from last season… maybe a .290 batting average, but the rest should stay the same.
Speaking of acts we’re not completely buying, Chris Taylor has a lot of question marks for us. The Dodgers’ lineup, we think, is highly overrated. Lots of strikeouts, little patience, lots of injuries every year. Chris Taylor didn’t do as badly as people seem to think last year: he still hit .254 with 17 HR with 63 RBI and 85 runs scored, but he also led the NL in strikeouts with 178 (to just 55 walks). That’s an indication that the league figured him out last year and Taylor didn’t have the time to counter. Chris Taylor had a successful season in 2017 because he was able to learn and adjust. As such, we think he can do that again this off-season. We still expect 140+ strikeouts, but if you start to see his walks increase early on – that’s right: his walks – you can also expect to see the rest of his numbers improve. If he comes into spring training like a windmill in a hurricane, you can write off his 2019 season, too.
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Cesar Hernandez isn’t anything flashy, but he just goes about his business and puts up decent numbers across the board. In 2018, he spent most of his time as the leadoff hitter in Philadelphia, but he only hit .252 from the leadoff spot. Couple that with his 155 strikeouts and he’s not the optimal guy, there. In 2019, the Phillies are stacked. The good news is that Cesar Hernandez will have more guys on base to drive in; the bad news is that he’s probably going to see his spot in the order drop to the 7 or 8 spot; the other good news is that this takes all the pressure off of him so he may actually see a rise in batting average. Along with that, he may just see more RBI, although he may score fewer runs. Look for Cesar Hernandez to hit around .265 with 15-18 HR, 80+ runs and 60-70 RBI. If he gets you more than that – which isn’t a stretch – take it with a smile on your face.
Rougned Odor had a sub-par season in 2018 as compared to expectations. Despite everything, he hit righties and lefties about the same; he hit way better at home (.291 at home vs. .217 on the road); he hit .301 in Rangers’ wins and just .221 in losses. Most importantly to us, he had a much better second half than a first half last season. If it was the other way around, we’d tell you to stay away. In the first half of last season, he hit just .239 with 6 HR and 24 RBI; in the second half, he hit .266 with 12 HR and 39 RBI. In July and August combined, he hit .302 with 13 HR and 41 RBI… and there’s the bulk of his production (and he only hit .202 in September to close out the season. Still, we think he’ll put it back together in 2019 and give us 20-28 HR with a peak of 85 RBI if it all goes well.
Brian Dozier is always one of our favorites at second base, but we think the switch to Los Angeles last season – and then the Dodgers’ insistence on benching him after the trade (WTF?!) – kinda ruined him, at least for a while. The good news is that he’ll go later in your draft this year, and he may even go for under $10 in an auction draft, depending on how late you can resist bringing him up for auction. In 2019, Brian Dozier joins the Washington Nationals. No matter where Bryce Harper goes, he Nats are still stacked with players who can both drive in runs and advance on the basepaths to score for their teammates. In fact, that’s the kind of player Dozier is, too, so we think he’s a good fit in Washington, DC. We expect Dozier to hit around .240-.265 with 25 HR, and 80 RBI. The real question mark is how many runs he’ll score. If he finds himself in the 2-spot, he could crack 85-105 runs. If he ends up in the 5-8 spot, he could end up in the 65-80 run range. While we like his potential in DC, we’re not sure the Nationals will use him correctly, either, although we don’t see him riding the bench like he (inexplicably) did in LA).
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Potential Sleeper Picks at Second Base
Remember, sleeper picks aren't always up-and-coming guys at a position - they're also guys who the rest of your league may forget about on draft day. Guys who are (or were) great and maybe got hurt last year; guys who had unpredictably-bad seasons last year, guys who are in a better lineup than they were a year before - those are all potential sleeper situations.
Ian Kinsler is the expected starter at second base in San Diego this season. Everyone loves San Diego (except the Chargers), and they have a pretty core of players down there. Kinsler’s experience and past success could play right into their laid-back-and-just-put-up-numbers offensive scheme. Kinsler hit 14 HR with 16 stolen bases in just 128 games last season, even though he still only hit .240. Given the low batting average, that’s efficient production. He has also been relatively injury-free throughout his career, but he’ll be 37 in 2019, so don’t expect more than 130 games. Still, while he’s in the lineup, chances are good he’ll perform well, and you can get him in the later rounds or for $1-$5 in an auction.
Jonathan Villar has no reason to not score 90 runs other than he just can’t manage to stay in the starting lineup. Villar hit 14 home runs with 35 stolen bases (and he was only caught stealing 5 times, so his speed is legit). He strikes out too much (about once per game), but who doesn’t these days? He’s in Baltimore so there’s no reason he shouldn’t be an every-day starter… since that whole team sucks. Expect Villar to hit .250-.265 with 20 HR and 30 SB. He could even hit in the #3 spot on that terrible team, so we could see a serious spike in his Runs and RBI, too. Don’t count on it, but take a flyer on him for the potential to be a 20/20 or a 20/40 guy, even.
People forgot all about Jason Kipnis after he hit just .230 last season. He still plays in a great lineup, so he may go back to being a .260-.280 hitter with plenty of pop, RBI opportunities and runs scored. He drove in 75 RBI and scored 65 runs. Now that Encarnacion is out of the lineup and the Indians have a bunch of slap-hitters in their outfield, Kipnis may be relied upon to be more of an RBI guy. We’ll believe it when we see it, but if you can sneak him into your roster late in the draft, do it.
Yoan Moncada has been the guy that all the so-called “experts” like to tout to try to prove they know more than you. We weren’t sold on him and we were right… bunch of nerds. Anyway, we’re still not sold on him. Moncada had pretty impressive numbers for a 23-year-old: 73 runs, 17 HR, 32 doubles, 6 triples, 17 HR, 61 RBI and 12 stolen bases. The bad news is that he hit just .235 with a league-worst 217 strikeouts. Duuuuuuude… 217 strikeouts. That’s a formula for getting your ass put on the bench or sent back down to the minors again. We’re not saying he’s not gonna start all year; we’re not saying he can’t improve; we’re not saying he’s gonna get send down to the minors again… but if I’m pitching against the guy, I’m fearlessly throwing junk low and away and up-and-in heat. He would never see a strike to hit and, therefore, he would never make contact. Now, there’s no denying the mass of positive statistics, but there’s also no denying the massive holes in his swing. If you draft him, expect nothing and if he has a breakout year (he’s just 24 in May), you’ll finally look like the genius that the dumbass “experts” tried to be 2 years ago.
Yoan Moncada has been the guy that all the so-called “experts” like to tout to try to prove they know more than you. We weren’t sold on him and we were right… bunch of nerds. Anyway, we’re still not sold on him. Moncada had pretty impressive numbers for a 23-year-old: 73 runs, 17 HR, 32 doubles, 6 triples, 17 HR, 61 RBI and 12 stolen bases. The bad news is that he hit just .235 with a league-worst 217 strikeouts. Duuuuuuude… 217 strikeouts. That’s a formula for getting your ass put on the bench or sent back down to the minors again. We’re not saying he’s not gonna start all year; we’re not saying he can’t improve; we’re not saying he’s gonna get send down to the minors again… but if I’m pitching against the guy, I’m fearlessly throwing junk low and away and up-and-in heat. He would never see a strike to hit and, therefore, he would never make contact. Now, there’s no denying the mass of positive statistics, but there’s also no denying the massive holes in his swing. If you draft him, expect nothing and if he has a breakout year (he’s just 24 in May), you’ll finally look like the genius that the dumbass “experts” tried to be 2 years ago.
Asdrubal Cabrera is another guy that, if it wasn’t for having the worst first name in baseball, no one would remember him on draft day. He does just enough every year but he’s very forgettable. 65 runs, 15-20 HR, 60-70 RBI and a .270 batting average. Ho-hum stuff, but he’s consistent – he’s not really streaky. Draft Asdrubal Cabrera, make a few ass-jokes on draft day with your buddies, then see if he cracks your starting lineup. He probably will one way or another
Starlin Castro is another guy that’ll be easy to forget about on draft day, but he can actually help your team. Even better, his numbers could improve on last year’s. But, buyer beware: Castro plays in Miami where there’s no one to drive in and there’s no one to drive him in. He’ll probably be hitting in the #2 spot, but depending on how things shake out in Miami, he could hit anywhere from the 2-6 spot. Even if Starlin Castro hits .310 with 200+ hits (which is highly unlikely), he may still only score 70 runs with 60 RBI and 12-15 HR. If the Marlins sell him off at the trade deadline, he could land somewhere valuable for fantasy owners. Right now, though, his best-case scenario isn’t all that great
Take a flyer on Niko Goodrum. Cool name, yes. Good situation, sort of. Upside potential, yes. Reliability, unknown. Goodrum hit .245 with 16 HR, 53 RBI, 5 runs and 12 stolen bases in his rookie season. He also walked 42 times but struck out 132 times – all this in 131 games played. The quick, obvious math is that he struck out once per game and that’s too much for a reliable, consistent player. Expect Goodrum to hit 15 HR with 60 RBI and 70-80 runs scored in a full season in 2019. But, expect his positive stats to come in bunches while he hits a hot streak, then slumps, then gets hot again, then slumps again and so on. You either need to put him in your starting lineup and forget all about him and just get what you get, or you need to watch him like a hawk and try to predict when he’s suddenly gonna have a great box score.
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Ian Happ could be the pick of your draft if the other fantasy geeks in your league forget about him, but that’s unlikely. There’s always one Cubs’ fan in every league and they worship all things Cubs. Still, even if you get Happ in the 5th-10th round, that’s pretty good (or for around $10 in an auction). Expect Happ to give you 60+ runs, 15 HR and 50+ RBI. If you get anything more out of him - which is very possible given the lineup around him - consider yourself lucky.
Jonathan Schoop was a bit of a bust last season. Consistent with previous performances, he hit 21 HR. Unfortunately, his season was kinda lost between the God-awful Orioles and the sudden playoff chase with the Brewers. He never seemed to settle in well in the NL. Now, Schoop is the second baseman with the Minnesota Twins who have quietly put together a rather potent lineup – maybe too good, likely pushing Schoop down in the lineup. Still, expect 20-30 HR and 80 RBI out of Schoop in 2019. He could even score 80 runs depending on where they put him in the lineup.
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