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Welcome officially to the 2024 fantasy baseball season! Spring training is in full force, and fantasy managers are gearing up for another exciting season in the MLB. Once you reach the middle rounds of drafts, everyone is looking to draft players who can provide a great return on value. You can start taking calculated risks on emerging prospects, overlooked veterans, players returning from injury, or even players with some playing time concerns out of the gate. The early rounds are critical, and the late rounds are where you can take your chances on dart-throw sleepers, but the middle rounds can make or break your roster.
Today, we're looking at some middle-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 mid-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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Zack Gelof, Oakland A's
An unexpected bright spot on an abysmal 2023 Oakland Athletics roster was second baseman Zack Gelof. Promoted during the All-Star break, the rookie put the league on notice, hitting .305/.373/.617 with nine home runs, 17 RBI, 23 runs, and eight stolen bases in his first 33 games. His pace slowed over the rest of the season, ending the year with a line of .267/.337/.504, 14 home runs, 32 RBI, 40 runs, and 14 stolen bases through 69 games. Despite a short and uneven first season, Gelof's speed and power were apparent with a 29 ft/sec sprint speed (91st percentile), .424 xwOBAcon, and a .448 xSLG.
However, the second baseman overperformed offensively in 2023, with his .333 xwOBA falling below his actual results. For the 24-year-old to reach the next level, he must improve on an abysmal 33.7% whiff rate, especially when faced with non-fastball pitches (44.4% whiff rate on breaking pitches, 36.8% on offspeed). There is tremendous upside to Gelof's 135 ADP because of his speed, power, and everyday role, but his contact issues and dysfunctional environment are serious risks.
-- Pranav Uppalapati - RotoBaller
Thairo Estrada, San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants infielder Thairo Estrada finished 2023 with a .271 batting average, 14 home runs, 49 RBI, 63 runs, and 23 stolen bases. His season was interrupted by injuries that limited him to 120 games, including a hand fracture that took him out of action for a month after getting hit by a pitch on July 3. Estrada's batting average was buoyed by a .331 BABIP, and his average exit velocity of 85.9 MPH ranked him in the fourth percentile of qualified major leaguers. His walk rate decreased from 6.1% in 2022 to 4.2%, putting him in the third percentile of that category.
He is projected to hit second in the Giants' lineup in 2024, but he will not last long there if he cannot get on base. Another 20-steal season is in reach, and he has eligibility at three positions (2B, SS, and OF), but that is where Estrada's fantasy appeal ends. Taking a chance on Estrada at his 144.3 ADP is unnecessary when there are plenty of other second basemen that fit his profile available further down the board.
-- Dan Stephens - RotoBaller
Spencer Steer, Cincinnati Reds
The 26-year-old Spencer Steer didn't receive the hype of many of his highly-regarded teammates, but he still delivered a .271/.356/.464 line with 23 HRs and 15 SBs over 665 PAs for his fantasy managers in 2023. Steer doesn't have eye-popping tools, instead relying on volume for his production. For example, you aren't impressed with his 92.9 MPH average airborne exit velocity, 6.7% rate of Brls/BBE, or his max exit velocity of 110.6 MPH. However, Steer hit 43% of his batted balls in the air and plays in the best ballpark for home runs per Statcast, so we can expect him to accumulate 20-25 HRs again as the club's everyday left fielder.
Similarly, Steer's 28.4 ft./sec Statcast Sprint Speed is more good than great, but his 83% success rate on SB attempts should keep the green light. Steer possesses a good eye that should keep his strikeouts in check (27.7% chase rate, 20.9 K% in 2023), but his .250 xBA suggests his average might decline a little. Still, a .250ish average with power and some speed is a good value at Steer's ADP of 105.66, even if it isn't the sexiest possible pick.
-- Rick Lucks - RotoBaller
Andres Gimenez, Cleveland Guardians
After wRC+ seasons of 105 and 76, few saw a 142 wRC+ season coming in 2022 for Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez. Unfortunately, Gimenez came back to Earth in 2023, disappointing managers who invested hoping for a repeat campaign. Looking back, 2022's stats were likely bolstered by a .353 BABIP. His actual BA of .297 with an xBA of .257 corroborates this. His final 2023 line was .251-15-62-76-30 with a .309 wOBA and 97 wRC+.
Expect Gimenez to bounce back in 2024, but other than his 93rd-percentile sprint speed, his offensive metrics don't indicate a return to his 2022 breakout. The former All-Star's Contact% has increased in consecutive years, but it was still just 77.1% in 2023, barely above the league average. His SwStr% has dropped in consecutive years, too, but it was still worse than the league average at 12.4%, while his O-Swing% was one of the worst in the entire league at 42.7%.
ATC projections have wOBA and wRC+ increasing to .327 and 110, respectively, in 2024, but the counting stats don't promise much of a change from last season, with a .264-17-66-74-26 line. He's fairly priced as far as second basemen go, and his 117 NFBC ADP is nearly identical to his 116 rank at RotoBaller.
-- Jarod Rupp - RotoBaller
Ha-Seong Kim, San Diego Padres
What a year it was for San Diego Padres second baseman Ha-Seong Kim in 2023. In his third season with the Padres, he was one of the team's most consistent performers all around and set career-highs in batting average (.260), on-base percentage (.351), slugging percentage (.398), OPS (.749), home runs (17), RBI (60), stolen bases (38) and runs scored (84) in a career-high 152 games played. The 28-year-old Korean infielder has steadily shown increased plate discipline in each of his three major-league seasons and no longer looks overmatched by big-league pitching like he did in his first year in 2021. Most of Kim's production has come as a lefty killer, as he produced a 148 wRC+ against southpaws in 2023, compared to just a 95 wRC+ against right-handers.
Because of his breakout campaign, Kim went from being a bargain in fantasy drafts last spring to now being overpriced. ATC sees him hitting .248 with 15 home runs, 60 RBI, and a drop in stolen bases from 38 to 27 in 2024. Kim's multi-position eligibility at shortstop, second, and third base justifies his draft-day price more, and there's still room for improvement in his batting average if he can find more success against right-handed pitching.
At RotoBaller, Kim is ranked 77th overall and is considered the No. 7 fantasy second baseman, just behind the Yankees' Gleyber Torres. UPDATE: Kim's addition to shortstop eligibility in 2024 — he's moving to the 6 full-time this year — will drive his fantasy cost up even more.
-- Keith Hernandez - RotoBaller
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