At first glance, I tend to like second base. But it feels like it’s a position that’s best geared toward deeper leagues.
The elite-level options are made up of just three hitters, and after that, there are a bunch of players who are similarly grouped.
Like we have in past years, we’ll be ranking them in tiers for you using FantasyPros ADP, breaking down the categories they can help you in.
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2021 Recap
A couple of the biggest standouts from last season were Marcus Semien (2B – TEX) and Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2B – MIA). Semien finished third in AL MVP voting, as he had a monster bounce-back season for Toronto. Semien posted 45 home runs with 217 combined runs and RBIs, while also stealing 15 bags. He’s out of Toronto and went to Texas as a free agent. As for Chisholm, he quickly became must-watch TV in Miami, as he hit 18 home runs with 23 steals in a front-loaded season.
On the flip side, Jeff McNeil (2B – NYM) fell out of fantasy graces in his age-29 season, hitting .251 after hitting .311 or better the three previous seasons. His lack of power from 2020 carried over to 2021, and he posted a 93 wRC+ – his lowest (by far) of his career.
If we are looking at an out-of-nowhere guy, let’s talk about Jonathan India (2B – CIN). India, who was a top pick in the 2018 draft, didn’t have a ton of love as a fantasy prospect in the minors. He hit 21 home runs last season after not hitting 21 combined in his minor league career. He even chipped in 12 steals, which was welcome among managers. The power profile gives me some pause, but the projection models mostly buy into him having a repeat season. I do if I can knock five home runs off his total.
2022 at a Glance
The first second baseman off the board is Trea Turner (2B/SS – LAD), who has an average ADP of second overall. For me, there are exactly three choices as the No. 1 pick – Turner, Fernando Tatís Jr. (SS/OF – SD), and José Ramirez (3B – CLE). That’s it. After Turner, Mookie Betts (2B/OF – LAD), Ozzie Albies (2B – ATL, and Marcus Semien are the other second-base eligible players who are drafted within the first two rounds in 15-team leagues.
We always want to identify potential breakout players at a position, and there are two young post-hype players that I’m targeting here. The first is Brendan Rodgers (2B/SS – COL), who will look to make up some of the production that Trevor Story (SS – FA) is leaving behind. We finally saw Rodgers put together a solid season last year, and the thing that has me most excited is that he had even better numbers on the road than at home. Another potential breakout who I like is Gavin Lux (2B,SS,OF – LAD), who feels like he’s been around forever, just waiting for a chance. He should finally get that in 2022, but it may be his last. He’s a former top prospect, who also showed positive signs for the first time in his career last season. The Dodgers are crowded once again, but Lux is looking to show them that he belongs.
Grade Legend*
A: A no-doubt stud capable of winning you a category
B: A solid, consistent contributor
C: Won’t lose you the category, but won’t win it, either
D: You can do better here
F: You’re getting NOTHING
(*Grades listed are relative to the position and consider positional depth.)
Tier 1
Tier 2
Tier 3
Tier 4
Tier 5
Tier 6
Players who just missed in ADP who I like for deeper leagues:
Andres Gimenez (2B/SS - CLE), Vidal Brujan (2B/RF - TB), Joey Wendle (2B,3B,SS - TB), Ha-Seong Kim (2B,3B,SS - SD), Abraham Toro (2B/3B - SEA), Nick Senzel (2B/CF - CIN), Robinson Cano (2B - NYM)
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Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.
