January 22, 2018

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.

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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)

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.

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