Fantasy Baseball 2016 > Rankings > Second Base

Fantasy Baseball Rankings 2016: Second Base

The two guys on top of the list of our fantasy second base rankings for 2016 are no surprise. Actually, it's kind of a surprise that a guy who hit .236 is ranked #2 on the list. Jose Altuve, the top of the list, burst onto the scene in 2012 as an every-day starter and he hasn't looked back since. Altuve has led the league in hits both of the last 2 seasons (225; 200) and has also stolen 141 bases over hat 4-year span. The only issue Jose Altuve has is that his teammates are terrible contact hitters, so they leave him stranded on base regularly. Despite hitting leadoff with a career .343 OBP, he set his career high in Runs scored last season with just 86. This season, he may just crack 100 Runs scored, finally, given Carlos Correa continues his hot streak and George Springer stays healthy.

Jose Altuve has proven (for four straight years) that he's no fluke.

Brian Dozier puts up huge fantasy numbers despite his low batting average.

More Featured Articles on Fantasy Second Basemen:

Dee Gordon | Rougned Odor | Jonathan Schoop | Logan Forsythe

By contrast, #2 in our second basemen rankings is Brian Dozier. He's a guy with a career .240 batting average (and .236 last season) and, yet, he has managed to score 100+ runs in each of the last two seasons on, arguably, a worse offensive team than Altuve. Dozier will also steal you 10-20 bases with 20+ HR and 70+ RBI. Doing this once might be a fluke. But doing this twice (and practically three times) is just called getting it done, somehow, some way. The only reason Dozier isn't #1 on the list is because Altuve's 200+ hits makes him a lock to be on base a lot. Dozier's low batting average leaves him prone to a wicked slump that could render him useless for fantasy owners for a stretch of time, although we have yet to see that out of him.

Look at it this way: Altuve had 200 hits last season to Dozier's 148 hits. That means Altuve was on base 52 more times than Dozier. On top of that, Altuve struck out 10.5% of the time last season; Dozier struck out 23.6% of the time. All in all, you're looking at Altuve being on base at least 100 times more than Dozier... but Dozier still outscores Altuve. Regardless, you can't go wrong with either guy, but if you have to pick one over the other, Jose Altuve is your guy.

More Second Base Rankings

Fantasy Second Base Rankings 2016

Rank	Player	Team	Pos	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG
1	Altuve, J	HOU	2B	154	638	86	200	40	4	15	66	33	67	38	13	.313
2	Dozier, B	MIN	2B	157	628	101	148	39	4	28	77	61	148	12	4	.236
3	Cano, R	SEA	2B	156	624	82	179	34	1	21	79	43	107	2	6	.287
4	Kinsler, I	DET	2B	154	624	94	185	35	7	11	73	43	80	10	6	.296
5	Kipnis, J	CLE	2B	141	565	86	171	43	7	9	52	57	107	12	8	.303
6	Gordon, D	MIA	2B	145	615	88	205	24	8	4	46	25	91	58	20	.333
7	Odor, R	TEX	2B	120	426	54	111	21	9	16	61	23	79	6	7	.261
8	Forsythe, L	TB	2B	153	540	69	152	33	2	17	68	55	111	9	4	.281
9	Travis, D	TOR	2B	62	217	38	66	18	0	8	35	18	43	3	1	.304
10	Wong, K	STL	2B	150	557	71	146	28	4	11	61	36	95	15	8	.262
11	LeMahieu, D	COL	2B	150	564	85	170	21	5	6	61	50	107	23	3	.301
12	Russell, A	CHC	2B	142	475	60	115	29	1	13	54	42	149	4	3	.242
13	Phillips, B	CIN	2B	148	588	69	173	19	2	12	70	27	68	23	3	.294
14	Schoop, J	BAL	2B	86	305	34	85	17	0	15	39	9	79	2	0	.279
15	Walker, N	PIT	2B	151	543	69	146	32	3	16	71	44	110	4	1	.269
16	Zobrist, B	KC	2B	126	467	76	129	36	3	13	56	62	56	3	4	.276
17	Pedroia, D	BOS	2B	93	381	46	111	19	1	12	42	38	51	2	2	.291
18	Murphy, D	NYM	2B	130	499	56	140	38	2	14	73	31	38	2	2	.281
19	Panik, J	SF	2B	100	382	59	119	27	2	8	37	38	42	3	2	.312
20	Kendrick, H	LAD	2B	117	464	64	137	22	2	9	54	27	82	6	2	.295

Click here to read our 2015 Second Base Archives.

#3: Robinson Cano (Mariners)

#5: Jason Kipnis (Indians)

It's all relative: Robinson Cano has had a couple of off years, but they're only off years for Cano.

Look, man, we got no problems with you drafting Robinson Cano, even over Dozier and Altuve if you want. Cano is a proven superstar, he has been for years, and even his "off years" are studly. His Seattle numbers have fallen short of his New York numbers, but they're still kickass fantasy stats. 82 Runs, 21 HR and 79 RBI out of your second baseman is just fine. Our only issue is that he's 33 years old this season and he hasn't missed any significant playing time due to injuries in 9 seasons. We don't wanna jinx the guy, but to say he's due is an understatement. Sincerely, Miguel Cabrera.

Jason Kipnis had a great bounceback season in 2015. He was a great late-season pick-up in 2011, he was a great all-season starter in 2012 and 2013, then he had an off-year in 2014... then, in 2015, he started off slowly and - get this - a bunch of fantasy owners flat-out dropped Jason Kipnis. Well, those of us who knew better picked him up last season and he had another solid season. But, here's why we think Kipnis is due for a bigger season in 2016:

Jason Kipnis: Last 4 Years

Year	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	AVG
2012	152	591	86	152	22	14	76	31	.257
2013	149	564	86	160	36	17	84	30	.284
2014	129	500	61	120	25	6	41	22	.240
2015	141	565	86	171	43	9	52	12	.303

Last year, Kipnis hit .303, yet he only drove in 52 RBI; he also hit a career-best 43 doubles (and 7 triples), so his power is still there, just not necessarily in the way of HR. Still, we expect Kipnis to approach the 15 HR mark along with 85 Runs and 70+ RBI so long as he stays healthy. He may also approach the 15-20 SB mark, too, but take that as a bonus if he does.

Click for More Second Baseman Rankings and Analysis

Dee Gordon
One of the biggest mistakes the Dodgers made was letting him go, but we're not so sure he'll win another batting title.

Rougned Odor
Flashes of brilliance, pop in his bat, funny name on the back of his jersey, but this guy's the real deal with a lot of upside.

Jonathan Schoop
Schoop gets minimal respect, but he puts up pretty solid fantasy numbers... but can he be trusted to do it again?

Logan Forsythe
Who? Talk about a guy who puts up big fantasy stats while flying under the radar. Is it a fluke or is Forsythe worth an every-day start?