Second Base Fantasy Baseball Breakouts and Resurgences - Are They For Real?

May 7, 2025

Kevin analyzes four second base fantasy baseball breakouts and late-career resurgences. These hitters are off to hot starts, but are they for real in 2025?

While looking at the top fantasy performers so far at every position, second base is the most surprising.

With Ketel Marte (hamstring) battling injuries, Jose Altuve and Marcus Semien starting to show their age, and up-and-comers like Matt McLain and Jordan Westburg not breaking out as expected, the top of the position rankings has been ripe for the picking for potential challengers.

Let's look at a few guys who have taken advantage of this opportunity. They are some of the top second basemen for fantasy so far this season.

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Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers

In a lot of ways, Brice Turang broke out last season. He was the platinum glove award winner in the National League and stole 50 bases, good for third in all of baseball. However, his bat left a lot to be desired as he only had an 87 WRC+ and seven HRs, making him a one-category contributor in fantasy.

In 2025, fantasy drafters asked themselves if Turang could be more than a rabbit for their fantasy teams.

So far this season, he's looking like a much-improved hitter who could provide multi-category production for fantasy teams. While still stealing bases at a healthy clip (eight SBs so far), Turang is hitting .323 with a 123 WRC+.

So, is Brice Turang emerging as a fantasy baseball star? His quality of contract metrics signals that he might be. Comparing his savant page from this year to last year, he's hitting the ball way harder, which is helping fuel his better results.

I'm cautiously optimistic regarding Turang's breakout this season. In March/April 2024, he had an OPS of .816, which is better than his current OPS of .772. However, it's hard to ignore these quality-of-contact improvements.

If he can maintain the gains in this department, we can expect a solid all-around starting second baseman for our fantasy teams to go along with his big-time speed.

Jorge Polanco, Seattle Mariners

The MLB leader in xwOBA? It's Aaron Judge- that's to be expected. The second highest xwOBA? That belongs to Jorge Polanco!

The 31-year-old Polanco was an All-Star and one of the top fantasy options at second base about half a decade ago. His last couple of years in Minnesota were solid but injury-riddled, as he had a 118 WRC+ in 2022 and a 117 WRC+ in 2023 before signing in Seattle.

Last year in Seattle was not great for Polanco, as he had a career-worst .213 BA, a career-high 29.2 percent K-rate, and a 92 WRC+. Coming into this season, he wasn't really on the fantasy radar except as a deep league power target.

So what's been the difference this year for Polanco? Is it possible that he's just healthy now? He's been battling injuries the last few seasons, most notably in his knee. This offseason, he had surgery to repair his patellar tendon, and it's looking like that has done the trick.

He's putting up absurd numbers this season with nine HRs in only 87 PAs and a 247 WRC+. He also has a career low 10.7 percent K-rate (excluding 12 PAs in 2015) and one of the reddest savant pages in the league.

So is Polanco having a career re-emergence as one of the best hitters in baseball? While I think it's unlikely he keeps pace with Judge at the top of the advanced metrics standings, everything in his profile looks like that of a top hitter.

If he can stay healthy, it would not shock me to see Polanco end the season as a top-5 second baseman in fantasy.

Brendan Donovan, St. Louis Cardinals

For the first few years of his career, Brendan Donovan has been a textbook better in real life than a fantasy guy.

He has a good approach at the plate and provides great defense at multiple positions on the diamond. However, he doesn't have the power or speed to provide much fantasy juice.

So far this season, he's off to a great start—both in real life and fantasy. He's hitting .339 with a 148 WRC+ and 1.3 fWAR, along with three homers and steals.

So is Donovan finally breaking out as a fantasy star? He's near the top of the charts for the big three expected stats (xBA, xSLG, and xwOBA), so much of what he's doing looks relatively sustainable.

I wouldn't say Donovan is turning into a fantasy star, but we could be getting the best version of what we've gotten from him in the past. Donovan is a player who is always looking to optimize his game. The Yankees drew all the headlines regarding Torpedo Bats, but Donovan was one of the baseball godfathers of them.

As someone who always pours thought into his game to maximize his talents, #STLCards 2B Brendan Donovan had the idea to redesign his bats several years before MLB’s craze over “torpedo” bats.

Read here what Donovan did to move the sweet spot on his bats.https://t.co/mtkNM3pAzn

— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) April 3, 2025

I can see career highs in all five major fantasy offensive categories for Donovan this year, but he's likely to be more of a high-floor than high-ceiling option.

Kristian Campbell, Boston Red Sox

Kristian Campbell might be your guy if you're looking for a player who could be the next superstar second baseman.

Campbell had a meteoric rise last season as he went from a relative unknown to a consensus top 10 prospect. He did this by ranking at every level, finishing the season with a 178 WRC+ across High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A with 20 HRs and 24 SBs.

Campbell broke camp with the Red Sox this season after a shaky spring training, during which he had a 54 WRC+ and struck out over 30 percent of the time. It was looking like he might have to climb the rookie wall a bit in the early going, but that wall might have just been spring training for him.

So far this season, Campbell has brought his hitting prowess from the minor leagues to the majors, with a 147 WRC+. He's shown an incredibly impressive approach at the plate, with a 25.2 percent K-rate and 15.0 percent walk rate.

Kristian Campbell: .301 AVG, .902 OPS, 4 HR, 12 RBI
Luisangel Acuña: .288 AVG, 13 R, 7 SB

Your AL and NL Rookies of the Month for March/April! pic.twitter.com/Iwf7pvsVMi

— MLB (@MLB) May 2, 2025

Campbell will encounter some bumps this season, as there are for almost every rookie. His .375 BABIP is likely to regress. However, I expect him to finish the season as a top-10 second baseman and be a staple at the top of the second base rankings for years to come.

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