December 16, 2015

Check out RotoBaller's 2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings for Second Base (2B). Our fantasy baseball experts are getting ahead of the game with their December edition of MLB First Base rankings.

We at RotoBaller like rankings. In preparation for the 2016 fantasy baseball draft season, we will deliver four rounds of composite rankings. This is the third position of the first round - second base.

Rest assured, more exciting positions and ever more detailed analysis lie ahead as we progress closer to draft season. Please note, value is somewhat fluid during the offseason. We originally submitted these rankings on December 6th. Please excuse any recent changes that have not been incorporated.

Make sure you read more of our 2016 fantasy baseball rankings analysis including dynasty leagues, prospect ranks, and tiers for all positions. Now let's get started.

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Second Base

Second base used to be considered a waste land in fantasy baseball, where the drop off was substantial after the top five. Fear those days no longer, fantasy fans. A youth insurgence combined with some veterans coming into their own has created a solid top 10 with legitimate options in the 11-20 range.

If there were some doubts about placing Jose Altuve ahead of Robinson Cano in 2015 drafts, they've all but been eliminated. Altuve produced a .313/.353/.459 split and had a 15/38 combo to boot. He was the only second basemen to carry a 15/30 line and was our consensus No. 1 second basemen heading into 2016.

Should you miss out on Altuve there's no reason to panic. Dee Gordon actually finished above Altuve in Yahoo! leagues and was worth 14.6 runs above average (Altuve: 12.4). Gordon had a major-league leading 58 steals and was second in average (.333). The steals are real but look for regression in average; his .383 BABIP was 37 points above his career BABIP.

Remember when I said second base was deeper than usual? Here's our 3-8: Cano, Jason Kipnis, Brian Dozier, Anthony Rendon, Ian Kinsler, Dustin Pedroia. Cano continues to be an offensive force; his 21 HR were third among second basemen. Kipnis bounced back from an injury-plagued 2014 and hit .307. Dozier's 28 HR were tops among 2B. Kinsler overcame injury doubts and finished as the No. 4 second baseman according to Yahoo! leagues.

The two names in that grouping I'm nervous about are Rendon and Pedroia. Rendon has dealt with injuries at every stage of his career, and the price tag makes it difficult to justify the risk. Pedroia hasn't played a full season since 2013, and the team has reported he'll get more days off in 2016 to keep him fresh.

A player we all agree on and that I believe can get you Pedroia-esque numbers is Joe Panik. He was limited by injuries in 2015 but produced a .312 average with eight HR in only 382 AB. He'll find himself batting second for the Giants, and they will welcome back a healthy Hunter Pence. If Panik stays on the field, he's a great bet to crack the top 10 2B for half the cost.

One name we didn't agree on was Devon Travis. He was ranked as high as 11 and as low as 20 on our rankings. I ranked him 15th based on the expectation he'll be good to go come Spring Training, and if he is I think he'll easily finish in the top 15. Before Travis went down with a shoulder he hit .304 with eight HR in 217 AB. He's projected to bat ninth for a stacked Blue Jays lineup and should have plenty of run scoring opportunities ahead of a Ben Revere-Josh Donaldson-Jose Bautista core.

If there's a ranking I regret, it's placing Brandon Phillips so low. For all the talk of regression and age catching up to Phillips, he finished as the No. 6 overall second basemen with a 12/23 combo and .293 average. He'll turn 35 next season but he isn't showing any signs of dangerous decline. In fact, his strikeout rate improved in his 11th full season. In the next series he'll be placed closer to Logan Forsythe than Javier Baez.

My sleeper of the second base group has already made his presence on the fantasy landscape, and that's Josh Harrison. Our rankings were made before Neil Walker was traded to the New York Mets, which frees up everyday playing time for J-Hay. The last time Harrison had an everyday role (2014) he hit .317 with a 12/18 combo to boot. In our second round of rankings I anticipate Harrison being a consensus top-12 play.

Second Base Rankings for 2016 Fantasy Baseball

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