February 10, 2017

RotoBaller's 2017 fantasy baseball rankings for second base. February staff ranks, tiers, auction dollar values, and analysis on ADP values and targets.

The Super Bowl has come and gone, which means it's officially baseball season for the initiated. The 2017 fantasy baseball draft board is beginning to come into focus. Now it's time to delve into player rankings. We'll continue with our 2017 second base fantasy baseball rankings for February.

This round of rankings features picks from Kyle Bishop, Nick Mariano, Bill Dubiel, Brad Johnson, Harris Yudin and Jeff Kahntroff. Today Bill will examine the second base position, which is deeper than it has been in years' past.

Editor's note: Be sure to also check out our 2017 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. It's already loaded up with tons of great rankings articles and draft analysis. Aside from our tiered staff rankings for every position, we also go deep on MLB prospect rankings, impact rookies for 2017, and dynasty/keeper rankings as well. Bookmark the page, and win your drafts.

2017 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Second Base (February)

Second Base Rankings Analysis: The Tiers

Tier 1

Trea Turner is one of the most intriguing names in fantasy this season, and with good reason. After 83 games tearing up AAA, the Nationals' stud prospect demolished major league pitching in the back half of the season to the tune of a .342/.370/.567 line. He smacked 13 homers and stole 33 bases in just 73 professional games in 2016, and is poised to be a legitimate 20/60 threat over the course of a full season. He's proven it at every level, and I'm a believer heading into 2017.

Speaking of outstanding Nationals, Daniel Murphy was always a good player during his time with the Mets but he became a bona fide star at age 31 in Washington last year. The lefty-swinging veteran blew away his career highs in batting average, OBP, slugging, homers, doubles and RBI all in one season, and finished second in MVP voting. I'm not quite ready to buy into Murphy as an MVP-level player yet, but he has to be taken seriously this year as a top-tier second baseman. I'm predicting 18-20 homers and an average closer to .300-.310.

Tier 2 

I'm still totally crushing on Matt Carpenter. He should still have second base eligibility in most leagues, and should be a slam-dunk for top-seven production at the position in 2017. It's clear that Carpenter has shifted his approach since his breakout 2013 season, in which he hit .318 and led the league in hits and runs. Over the last three seasons he has settled into his role as a 20-homer, .270 hitter, still producing in call counting categories except for stolen bases. He is now the Cardinals primary first baseman, and his player profile will line up with what we typically see out of first basemen--no speed, legitimate pop, and a batting average that won't kill you.

Carpenter is not the only keystone player with a special place in my heart. D.J. LeMahieu quietly (some might say "silently") won the NL batting title last year with a .348 batting average, and he backed it up with a .416 OBP and .495 slugging percentage. His home/road splits are predictably significant for a Colorado Rockie (.391 home BA vs. .303 road BA), but considering he'll still be playing his home games at Coors in 2017 I'm going to focus on the overall numbers. LeMahieu could easily crack the top-five at the position given his home park and the gaudy counting stats that should come given the explosive lineup around him.

Tier 3

Dustin Pedroia and Ben Zobrist occupy this tier, and the story is pretty much the same for both. Both are aging veterans who are not quite over the hill yet, and both should produce respectable fantasy numbers given their remarkable consistency and the fact that they are surrounded by studs in each of their respective lineups. Throw in two hitter-friendly parks and you've got two very similar fantasy assets--Pedroia gets the slight edge from me thanks to Fenway and more certainty in his role.

Tier 4

Jonathan Schoop is an intriguing option in 2017, because I think his ceiling is much higher than his ADP. Schoop played in all 162 games last season for the Orioles, and in those games he hit .267 with 25 homers and 82 RBI. His ISO was actually a bit depressed last year (.187), which indicates that he could have even more coming in the way of power numbers. Ignoring his 15 plate appearances in 2013, Schoop posted the lowest K-rate (21.2%) and highest walk-rate (3.2%) of his career, and has in fact improved on each of those numbers every year he's been in the majors. If he can take one more step forward as a complete hitter, we could see him slide into the top ten at the position come September.

Tier 5

We've really only been teased with Devon Travis so far, getting just 62 games in his rookie 2015 season and 101 in a 2016 season that he started late. Seeing as how that's just a shade over one full season, let's add the totals up--46 doubles, 19 homers, 85 RBI, 92 runs scored, seven steals, and a .301/.342/.469 slash line. If we could see THAT player for a full 150+ games, then both our ranks and his ADP are woefully askew. Travis is young, talented, and is projected to spend his season hitting in front of Tulo, the Bringer of Rain, Joey Bats and Kendrys Morales in one of the most hitter-friendly parks on the continent. If you're okay waiting on second base, this guy should be circled on your draft sheets.