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Welcome to our late-round second basemen article for 2024 fantasy baseball drafts! Late-round picks in fantasy baseball can often be the difference between a mediocre team and a championship contender. While it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of selecting big-name players early in the draft, finding those hidden gems in the later rounds is equally essential. As a fantasy manager, it's crucial to do your due diligence and research these overlooked players' statistics, injury history, and current team situation. While taking a chance on a player based on a hunch or a cool name may seem appealing, making informed decisions that increase your chances of success is the wiser strategy. With careful consideration and some luck, these late-round picks could be the key to unlocking your team's full potential.
Today, we're looking at some late-round second base options for you to consider drafting in your season-long leagues this season. Are their ADPs undervalued? Will they make significant fantasy contributions and become a priority late-round draft target? Read on to see our take.
Our editors have hand-picked these specific MLB players for your draft prep enjoyment. Usually only available to Premium subscribers, the five outlooks below are meant to give you a taste of the in-depth analysis you receive with our industry-leading 2024 Draft Kit. Be sure to subscribe today to start reading all of our in-depth 2024 player outlooks and many other premium articles and tools, including Team Sync, the Live Draft Sync assistant, Custom Rankings Service, and so much more – available exclusively in our 2024 Draft Kit.
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Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe hit 21 home runs in just 109 games in 2023. However, his NFBC ADP is 271. That is not because of his talent or capabilities but his inability to stay healthy. Lowe has been limited to 174 of the Rays' regular season games the last two seasons. He missed most of 2022 due to back issues, and his 2023 season ended prematurely after fracturing his kneecap. This has been a bummer for Rays fans and fantasy baseball managers because he is among the best offensive second basemen in MLB when healthy.
The 29-year-old slashed .247/.340/.523 with 39 HR, 97 runs scored, and 99 RBI in 2021. Fortunately, reports have revealed that Lowe feels as good as he did in his career year. This is undoubtedly a positive sign. If he can play an entire season in 2024, he could be a top-10 second baseman in fantasy baseball. Lowe should bounce back some in 2024 as ATC projects the veteran to slash .237/.327/.448 with 22 home runs and six stolen bases over 477 plate appearances.
-- Wade Smith - RotoBaller
Edouard Julien, Minnesota Twins
Edouard Julien succeeded in his MLB debut, hitting .263/.381/.459 with 16 HR in 408 PAs. The now 25-year-old appears primed for a successful follow-up, though the shape of his production will probably look different. Power was a big part of his game in 2023, but his 23.9 FB% was very low while his 94.3 mph average airborne exit velocity and 108.9 mph max exit velocity were around average. His 31.4% HR/FB is due for regression, taking most of Julien's power with it. Julien should be able to make up for it with an improved batting average though. His 31.4 K% a season ago seems alarming, but his underlying 17.2% chase rate and 10 SwStr% suggest a much lower rate moving forward.
Julien's low 37.6 overall Swing% may lead to more strikeouts than expected, but he should still have no problem getting his K% to 25% or less. Julien seldom pops out (2 IFFB% last season) and hits few flies, so his BABIP should remain robust even if he cannot repeat last season's .371 mark. Projected as Minnesota's leadoff hitter, Julien offers average and runs upside with a little pop at his current ADP of 210.10. He's an even better selection in OBP leagues where his 15.7 BB% matters.
-- Rick Lucks - RotoBaller
Brendan Rodgers, Colorado Rockies
Brendan Rodgers has shown signs of regression across the last three years. His numbers have been declining since 2021 and that's largely been down to an inability to stay on the field. Since debuting in 2019, Rodgers has spent time on the IL every year. In 2023, shoulder surgery limited him to 46 games, and he's now played a total of 285 games over the last three seasons. When he's been healthy, Rodgers has flashed the potential that made him a first-round draft pick in 2015. Since 2021, he has a .271/.324/.427 slash line with 32 homers, 134 RBI, 142 runs, and no stolen bases.
The fact Rodgers has never attempted a steal in the Majors means we can disregard stolen bases from his profile. And without health, we can disregard Rodgers entirely. He came into Spring healthy and if he can maintain that, a middle infielder who gets to call Coors Field his home should always be on your radar. He's even stolen a base this Spring. There's worse you can do with a last-round pick than draft Rodgers. Just don't reach or expect much, and you won't be disappointed. If he stays healthy, you're getting a bargain.
-- Jamies Steed - RotoBaller
Christopher Morel, Chicago Cubs
In Chicago Cubs infielder/outfielder Christopher Morel's second season in the bigs, his full power potential was put on display, belting 26 HR in just 388 ABs with an elite 24.8% HR/FB%, which was eleventh best in all of baseball in 2023. The 24-year-old's 95th percentile Barrel% of 15.9% is also elite and forecasts another season of power to come in 2024. With his big authoritative hack also comes lots of swing-and-miss too, with a 65.6% Contact%, 17.1% SwStr%, 37.0% Whiff%, and 31.0% K%. Despite that, the righty was able to maintain a BB% of 8.4%, which is right around the league average, and tallied a .347 WOBA with a 119 wRC+ for the year.
ATC projections call for a .242-26-73-72-10 line in 2024 over 479 ABs (129 G). The versatile player started games at three different IF positions in 2023 (2B, 3B, SS) and all three OF spots, in addition to starting most of the time at DH, so if that's able to get him in the lineup more than his projection suggests then he could easily return value at his current NFBC ADP of 201. His RotoBaller rank of 189 indicates managers, especially homer-needy ones, should scoop him up earlier than his ADP.
-- Jarod Rupp - RotoBaller
Isaac Paredes, Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays infielder Isaac Paredes was given a full-time role for the first time last season, primarily at third base, with occasional starts at first and second. Paredes posted career-highs in every statistic, including an eye-catching 31 home runs. However, he was at the bottom of the league in a few categories, including hard-hit rate, xSLG, and barrel%. So, how did he manage to hit over 30 home runs? The right-handed Paredes hit all 31 long balls to left field thanks to a 52.7 pull%.
Tropicana Field is an excellent home park to have with a high pull rate, as he hit 18 of his 31 long balls (all in left field) there and posted an excellent .544 SLG. Paredes also had an above-average 18.2 K% and an 18.2 Whiff% (88th percentile), showing his great eye at the plate, and finished with a .352 OBP. Paredes can be a helpful asset as a depth infielder in shallow leagues or even a starter corner infielder in deeper formats. However, because his power metrics are underwhelming, expecting a similar output may be risky. ATC projects his home run total to take a step back with 24 but register a relatively similar .339 OBP.
-- Andy Smith - RotoBaller
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