X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

2018 Second Base - Early Points League Rankings and Tiers

RotoBaller's January fantasy baseball points league rankings for second base. Head-to-head (H2) point league ranks for 2B, and 2018 season long formats too.

Aside from catcher, second base is amongst the shallowest positions heading into the 2018 season. Assuming a standard 10-12 team league, depending on the bench size it makes sense to roster only one 2B upon conclusion of your draft. If you can’t scoop up Jose Altuve, Jose Ramirez or Anthony Rizzo, you may need to burn a mid-to-early round pick on a third or fourth tier player in lieu of addressing more pressing needs like padding your outfielders or starting pitchers.

However, buyer beware. If you whiffed early on Rougned Odor or Jonathan Villar last year, or waited until the final rounds to grab sneaky sleepers-turned-busts like Kolten Wong or Ryan Schimpf, you are too familiar that your second base position can quickly become a black hole, void of useful stats on a nightly basis.

When strategizing, it may make sense to identify some consistency to round out your team such as stolen bases, runs or average rather than looking for the high-volatility player that will hit two HR on your bench after a week of strikeouts. Patience is a rare asset in fantasy baseball and 2B exemplifies that ethos. Don’t get cute about it; after the top-10 players, teams should not be shy about cutting bait with underperformers by mid-May. Draft picks aren’t children folks, they’re research-based investments that need revisiting when the initial thesis doesn’t pan out. Now, let’s get to the rankings.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

Editor's Note: You can find even more of our staff's initial 2018 fantasy baseball rankings for other formats including dynasty leagues, points leagues, AL/NL only leagues and more.

 

2018 Fantasy Baseball Points League Rankings: Second Base (January)

Ranking Tier Player Name Pos Nick Bill Chris Kyle R.
1 1 Jose Altuve 2B 2 2 2 2
2 1 Anthony Rizzo 1B/2B 28 19 16 19
3 1 Jose Ramirez 2B/3B 26 22 28 26
4 1 Brian Dozier 2B 43 31 31 44
5 2 Dee Gordon 2B/OF 34 56 47 43
6 2 Robinson Cano 2B 37 51 62 51
7 2 Daniel Murphy 2B 53 45 52 52
8 2 Jonathan Schoop 2B 72 50 49 56
9 2 DJ LeMahieu 2B 66 79 86 80
10 2 Matt Carpenter 1B/2B/3B 119 102 104 97
11 2 Chris Taylor 2B/SS/OF 105 119 125 119
12 2 Ian Kinsler 2B 113 128 137 113
13 3 Whit Merrifield 2B/OF 125 131 133 129
14 3 Rougned Odor 2B 164 130 132 136
15 4 Ian Happ 2B/OF 179 141 143 145
16 4 Ozzie Albies 2B/SS #N/A 169 166 155
17 4 Yoan Moncada 2B 196 168 150 148
18 4 Javier Baez 2B/SS 251 133 134 157
19 4 Scooter Gennett 2B/3B/OF 214 143 178 168
20 5 Eduardo Nunez SS/3B/2B/OF 257 147 155 177
21 5 Jason Kipnis 2B/OF 155 226 222 199
22 5 Marwin Gonzalez 1B/2B/3B/SS/OF 273 182 170 213
23 5 Paul DeJong 2B/SS 241 213 208 228
24 5 Howie Kendrick 2B/OF #N/A 232 232 240
25 5 Chris Owings 2B/SS/OF 233 253 252 236
26 5 Jose Peraza 2B/SS 252 248 262 237
27 5 Starlin Castro 2B 287 246 241 253
28 6 Dustin Pedroia 2B 216 285 297 254
29 6 Jonathan VIllar 2B 248 275 298 276
30 6 Logan Forsythe 2B/3B 133 348 341 278
31 6 Neil Walker 2B 297 287 296 290
32 6 Devon Travis 2B 283 #N/A 360 243
33 6 Josh Harrison 2B 351 276 274 296
34 6 Jose Reyes 2B/SS/3B #N/A 301 307 303
35 6 Asdrubal Cabrera SS/2B/3B 298 308 311 304
36 7 Cesar Hernandez 2B 330 294 302 299
37 7 Brandon Phillips 2B #N/A 337 326 333
38 7 Joe Panik 2B #N/A 361 343 342
39 7 Kolten Wong 2B 370 354 339 354
40 7 Ben Zobrist 2B/OF 341 #N/A 377 360
41 7 Hernan Perez 2B/3B/OF 409 347 338 358
42 7 Nick Franklin 2B #N/A 380 415 400
43 7 Brett Lawrie 2B #N/A 395 438 426
44 7 Adam Frazier 2B 414 #N/A 456 443

Tier One

Jose Altuve belongs by himself atop the 2B hierarchy. It shouldn’t surprise anyone if he’s the consensus number one pick as draft day approaches. He’s a five-tool All-Star and has increased his Isolated Power and Slugging Percentage for five consecutive years. He hits third for the defending champs putting him in favorable position to both create and produce runs.

While it’s tempting to christen Jose Ramirez as the second-coming of Altuve, we recall that his 2016 campaign was solid but not spectacular, posting .825 OPS, 11 HRs, 84 runs, 76 RBI, 22 SBs in his first full big-league season. In 2017, there was a dramatic spike in ISO from .150 to .265 supported by a 7.2% increase in Hard-Hit Rate to 34.0%. As a result, his home runs ballooned to 29 last season, launching him into the top tier discussion. Jose 2.0 has demonstrated consistent plate discipline in his 484 career games. He also just turned 25, which supports the opinion that the arrow points unequivocally up. However, the longer-term track record will prevent the old men in the room from anointing Ramirez their Jose of choice. As for Rizzo, consider it foolish for any manager that drafts him as a prototypical cornerstone slugger and doesn’t take advantage of the 2B eligibility. This is a gift from the fantasy gods, don’t ask questions.

Tier Two

The majority of the second basemen in this tier are known commodities as balanced set-and-forget options in the mid-rounds of a draft. Based on these rankings, the value pick here could be Matt Carpenter. Despite a .241 batting average last year (30 points lower than 2016), his .384 On Base Percentage was nearly identical to 2016. The above-average Soft-Contact Rate (12.1% vs. 11.5% career) simply does not justify the .274 BABIP which was 47 points lower than his career numbers. Jonathan Schoop in the sixth round appears slightly expensive considering the high-end starters and outfielders surrounding his ADP; the absurd 21.0% strikeout ratio was also tops amongst the Top-10 second basemen ranked by WAR. Daniel “Hits” Murphy could be a more dependable option in the fifth round or it may be worth letting another manager take the risk on Schoop while waiting on a 2B.

Tier Three

Any drafters taking Merrifield or Odor should have a contingency plan. Merrifield was a bargain basement revelation last year, but only has 226 career games played to his credit. Odor has seen his K-rate increase from 16.8% to 24.9% over the last three seasons; that drag in a points league could be brutal over a long season.

Tier Four

Ozzie Albies could provide a higher return than any Tier Two or Three player if we believe the small sample size. The kid makes solid contact (85.4% Medium + Hard-Contact rate) and struck out only 14.8% of the time as a late-season callup. His OPS was fairly impressive in the minors so as long as the plate discipline remains, Albies could become this year’s Merrifield or Ian Kinsler. Javy Baez is an incredibly enjoyable player to watch, possessing certain intangibles stats can’t reflect. But until he quits his second job as a wind turbine for the Northside Power Authority (29.3% career K-rate), he’s tough to vouch for in leagues penalizing strikeouts. The good times could keep rolling for Scooter Gennett as he remains in Cincinnati; Great American Ball Park rates among the best ballparks for lefty power hitters.

Tier Five

Players here become relevant in drafts when managers realize they forgot to pick a second baseman. The leash for players from Tier Five onwards should be relatively short. Chances are most of these guys will be recycled to and from the waiver-wire regularly based on streakiness and off days throughout the season. Once Eduardo Nunez finds a team, he should be a credible source of production without ruining you by strikeouts (13.0% career K-rate). Starlin Castro could also be a low-risk pick to provide a handy 60-run, 15-HR, 60-RBI line. Even though it seems like he’s been around forever, he’s still only 27 years old. The only question is whether he'll remain in Miami or wind up traded again.

Tier Six

Most of these guys will likely be deemed immaterial and interchangeable until they prove otherwise during the season. At some point, many managers will weigh the mundane choice of picking up Neil Walker or Asdrubal Cabrera for the fifth time, so just prepare for those crossroads when the time comes. Dustin Pedroia is a name brand in a high-octane offense but struggles with health while his Soft-Contact Rate and ISO shifted significantly in the wrong direction last season.

Tier Seven

Again, these guys will likely enter the season in the free agent pool unless they show something exciting during spring training. Joe Panik may be the only guy worth real consideration if you’ve totally punted 2B to this point. Most pundits expected a step-up in his numbers in 2017 but the Giants overall were a disaster. In a vacuum, his stats were very similar over the past two seasons and the offensive investments of Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutchen should only enhance prospects for run production in San Francisco. Cesar Hernandez has improved in every season since entering the league in 2013, but plays with a questionable offense. Hernan Perez has performed well for two seasons but struggles for playing time averaging only 444 plate appearances a year; a variable to watch would be his ability to steal bases, which dropped from 34 to 13 in 2017.

 

More MLB Rankings and ADP Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Back in Action to Begin Second Half
Yordan Alvarez

Resumes Swinging -- Return Imminent?
Jake Burger

to Miss an Additional 2-3 Weeks
TreVeyon Henderson

Signs Rookie Contract
Christian Watson

Goes on PUP List
Austin Riley

Hopes to be Activated Next Week
Ketel Marte

Lands on Restricted List After Burglary
Ricky Pearsall

Heads to PUP List
Brandon Aiyuk

Placed on PUP List
Luther Burden III

Signs Rookie Deal
Washington Nationals

Eli Willits Expected to Sign Contract on Saturday
Grayson Rodriguez

Being Shut Down Again - Will We See Him Again This Year?
Ezequiel Tovar

Activated and Back in Lineup on Friday
Max Fried

"Hopeful" to Pitch Next Week - Looks Like He'll Avoid IL Stint
Steven Kwan

Receives Injection in Wrist, Considered Day-to-Day
CJ Abrams

Back to Start Second Half
Alec Bohm

Back From Rib Injury on Friday
Trey Hendrickson

Holdout to Spill into Regular Season?
Jalen McMillan

Bucs Offensive Coordinator Not Forgetting About Jalen McMillan
Levi Onwuzurike

to Miss at Least Four Games
Nick Emmanwori

Seahawks, Nick Emmanwori Reach Agreement on Rookie Deal
Max Holloway

Set For Main Event
Brandon Lowe

Back From 10-Day Injured List
Dustin Poirier

Set For His Final UFC Fight
Roman Kopylov

Set For Co-Main Event
Paulo Costa

Returns At UFC 318
Luis L. Ortiz

to Remain on Leave for Another Month - Will he Pitch Again?
Daniel Rodriguez

Looks For Third Win In A Row
Kevin Holland

Set For His Fourth Fight This Year
Dan Ige

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
MMA

Patricio Freire Set For His Second UFC Fight
Daniel Zellhuber

Set To Open Up UFC 318 Main Card
Michael Johnson

Looks For Third Consecutive Win
Elijah Arroyo

Signs Rookie Deal
Jaydon Blue

Described as "Borderline Lazy"
T.J. Sanders

Bills Sign T.J. Sanders to Rookie Deal
Christian Wilkins

Raiders Put Christian Wilkins on PUP List
Jabari Small

Lions Add Jabari Small to Backfield
Quinshon Judkins

Remains Unsigned, Won't Report With Rest of Rookies
Mason Taylor

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Jets
Hendon Hooker

Leading Lions QB2 Battle Entering Training Camp
Ozzy Trapilo

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Bears
Tate Ratledge

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Lions
Jack Bech

Signs Rookie Contract with Raiders
Yegor Chinakhov

Requests Trade
Dakota Joshua

Maple Leafs Acquire Dakota Joshua
Lukas Dostal

Signs Five-Year Extension with Ducks
Shemar Stewart

Not Practicing With College Team
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Expected Back Friday
Damian Lillard

Returning to Portland
Paul Skenes

Pirates Could Preserve Paul Skenes in Second Half
Brooks Barnhizer

Grabs 19 Points, Nine Boards in Summer League Win
Jeremiah Fears

Scores 22 Points in Summer League Loss to Thunder
Isaiah Collier

Collects 17 Points In Summer League Win
Caleb Houstan

Joins Hawks
AJ Johnson

Erupts for 25 Points in Summer League Loss
Washington Wizards

Leaky Black Logs Double-Double in Loss to Jazz
Connor Norby

Undergoes Surgery, Expected to Miss 6-8 Weeks
Trey Alexander

Tallies 25 Points in Losing Effort
Johni Broome

Records Second Consecutive Double-Double
Jahmir Young

Has Historic Summer League Outing
Rob Dillingham

Plays Big Role in Wednesday's Win
Tyrese Proctor

Erupts for 35 Points Against Kings
Cody Williams

Leads Jazz to Victory Against Wizards
LeBron James

Mavs Not Interested in "Gutting its Roster" For LeBron James
Josh Hart

Undergoes a Procedure on Right Finger
Jake Burger

Goes on 10-Day Injured List With Quad Strain
Sal Frelick

Dealing With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain, TBD for Start of Second Half
Chris Sale

Plays Catch
Los Angeles Clippers

Bradley Beal Heading to Los Angeles to Join Clippers After Contract Buyout
Rayan Rupert

Scores 24 Points in Summer League Win
Derik Queen

Collects Third Consecutive Double-Double in Summer League Loss
GG Jackson II

Records 13 Points in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Johni Broome

Logs Double-Double Against Wizards
DaRon Holmes II

Records Double-Double in Summer League Loss to Raptors
Kyle Schwarber

Named All-Star Game MVP
Harris English

Takes Stellar 2025 Performance to The Open Championship
Aldrich Potgieter

Seeks Better Result in Northern Ireland
Cameron Young

Likely to Hang Around at The Open Championship
Cameron Smith

Just Trying to Make the Cut at Royal Portrush
Jordan Spieth

Is Jordan Spieth Still a Natural for Links Style Golf?
Patrick Reed

a Viable Option at The Open Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im Wants to Rebound from Last Experience at Royal Portrush
Xander Schauffele

Looks to Defend His Claret Jug at Royal Portrush
Tony Finau

Trying to Turn Tide at Royal Portrush
Daniel Brown

Seeks a Rebound at The Open Championship
Rory McIlroy

Will be the Most Watched Player This Week at Royal Portrush
Daniel Berger

Trending Poorly as The Open Championship Looms
Robert MacIntyre

Hoping to Bounce Back at Open Championship
Shane Lowry

Hopes to Repeat at Royal Portrush
Brian Harman

Hopes to Rekindle Some Magic at the 153rd Open
UTA

Michael Carcone Returns to Utah on One-Year Contract
Bowen Byram

Signs Two-Year Deal with Sabres
Morgan Barron

Jets Re-Sign Morgan Barron for Two Years
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF