X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

RotoBaller Monthly Rankings Update: Second Base

Click here to get fantasy baseball advice on updated second base rankings and tier commentary. These ranks are updated for week 5 of the 2013 fantasy season.

If you want this article and other high-end fantasy baseball analysis delivered to you on a daily basis, sign up for our daily newsletter.

The first month of the 2013 fantasy baseball season is almost in the books, and we've gotten a good look at which players are off to hot starts and which guys are struggling in the early going.  RotoBaller will be updating our original preseason rankings over the next week.  Today, we're revisiting the second base rankings we initially published in February.  Second base has been an intriguing position in the early going of the 2013 season. We've seen an aging veteran regain his form, another couple of veterans struggle mightily, a superstar carry his team and a lot of good players maintain their value. All the ranks below are compared to the FantasyPros ECR (Expert Consensus Rank), which will show you where RotoBaller differs with the expert community and by how much. Check out our tier-by-tier analysis below the rankings, and let us know where you agree or disagree with us!

(The previous month's rank are listed in parentheses in the "notes" column")

Fantasy Baseball Rankings powered by FantasyPros

TIER 1: Cano is just an absolute beast. Any concerns that he'd suffer without the likes of Tex, Grandy or Jeter have been put to rest. He’s single-handedly carrying the Yankees now, and leading all 2Bs in HR, with a .300+ BA, to boot.

TIER 2: The surprise here is Chase Utley who is playing like the 2007 version of himself. He’s on pace for 25 HR, 110 RBI and 25 SB. It’s likely he slows down somewhat, but he’s raking, running, and showing himself to be injury-free and a legitimate upper-echelon 2B. Brandon Phillips remains the very picture of fantasy consistency and the 20+ RBI are a nice unexpected plus. The only downside so far is that he has yet to steal a base. Jose Altuve makes a jump into Tier 2 by proving that last year was no fluke. Altuve has a ridiculous 27% LD rate and is not swinging at pitches outside the strike zone. Don’t worry about the steals yet-- Altuve has two and more should come. 35 SB is still very much within in reach.
Ian Kinsler and Dustin Pedroia are playing up to their draft value. Pedroia has yet to go deep but has rewarded owners with 6 SB to date.

TIER 3:
Daniel Murphy jumps into the third tier based on his ability to combine a plus average with RBI production. His power has jumped up this year and he should be able to double his 6 HR output in 2012. Aaron Hill falls into tier three only because he is injured. Before his injury he was playing like a top 2B. When he returns he should regain his spot as a top producer. Howie Kendrick is putting together a solid year and showing promise that he can yield stats at the high end of his range. He’s teased fantasy owners long enough and it’s about time he rewards owners with fair value.
Martin Prado is off to a slow start but year is young and the sample size is small. His .207 BABIP is holding him back and that should return to the career norm around .300

TIER 4: The later tiers are for plug-in players who should return solid if unspectacular value. Kelly Johnson has avoided the dreaded platoon reputation and is getting consistent ABs in Tampa. His average will always be an eyesore but his power, RBI and speed should be enough to satisfy. Rickie Weeks continues to test your patience, and it is patience you will need. He’s just a streaky player – take a look at his production jump from his first half to second half in 2012, when he raised his average by more than 60 points. You may choose to sit him in a weekly league format but it’s premature to drop him. Someone else will scoop him up if you do.

TIER 5: These guys are the last couple of players on your roster whom you are contemplating dropping but have no real solid alternatives. All the Tier 5 guys are likely to end up on waivers at some point this year and may just be rosterable because they are riding a hot streak, a la Mark Ellis or because you used a high-end pick, a la Jason Kipnis. Of all the tier 5 guys, Kipnis is the most surprising and the most concerning. He played with an injury in the second half and Rotoballer was wary about whether he was completely healed. His strikeout rate has jumped by more than 50%, and he’s not walking either. Too early to completely cut him, but come May, you’ll want to think about making a decision. Dan Uggla still has some power but he's been way too bad for more than a year now and he's borderline waiver material.

And on that note, some good fantasy advice on roster transactions: don't fret about what a player does after you've made a decision to cut bait and move on.  You cannot change the past.  All you can do is make sound decisions on the information you have now, and if you do that, you'll be right more often than not.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

A.J. Dillon

Not a Lock for a Roster Spot?
Chicago White Sox

Billy Carlson Goes 10th Overall to White Sox
Cincinnati Reds

Steele Hall Selected Ninth by Cincinnati
Toronto Blue Jays

Blue Jays Select JoJo Parker with Eighth Overall Pick
Boston Celtics

Damian Lillard Drawing Interest from the Celtics
Miami Marlins

Marlins Select Aiva Arquette With Seventh Overall Pick
Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates Select Seth Hernandez with Sixth Overall Pick
Kyle Stowers

Punishes Former Team with Three-Homer Game
St. Louis Cardinals

Cardinals Select Liam Doyle with Fifth Overall Pick
Daniel Gafford

Agrees to Contract Extension with Dallas
Colorado Rockies

Rockies Select Ethan Holliday Fourth Overall
Seattle Mariners

Kade Anderson Selected Third Overall by Seattle
Ha-Seong Kim

X-rays on Ha-Seong Kim's Foot Come Back Negative
Los Angeles Angels

Tyler Bremner Selected Second Overall by Angels in 2025 MLB Draft
Washington Nationals

Nationals Select Eli Willits First Overall
Jake Meyers

to Miss More Than Three Weeks With Calf Injury
Cooper Flagg

Shut Down for Rest of Summer League
LeBron James

Hasn't Requested a Trade
Quinshon Judkins

Following Quinshon Judkins Arrest, NFL Declines Comment
Travis Hunter

Earning Praise in Jaguars Camp for Work Ethic
Memphis Grizzlies

Cole Anthony, Grizzlies Agree to Contract Buyout
Edward Cabrera

Hopeful to Avoid Injured List
Oneil Cruz

Absent on Sunday
Lars Nootbaar

Placed on 10-Day Injured List
Jake Burger

Scratched on Sunday
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Back in Action on Sunday
Sean Manaea

Reinstated From Injured List
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Julius Chestnut

Kalel Mullings Competing for RB3 Role
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
Carlos Correa

Returns to Twins Lineup
Connor Norby

Placed on 10-Day Injured List
Kimani Vidal

Fighting for No. 3 Job
Cam Hart

Recovering From Shoulder Surgery
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
Quentin Johnston

Might Not Get Many Chances to Prove Himself
Tre Harris

Officially a Holdout
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

. Should Move Up on Sunday
Ross Chastain

is a Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Josh Berry

Should Be Avoided in Fantasy at Sonoma
Chris Buescher

is A Great DFS Option to Consider for Sonoma Lineups
Riley Herbst

a Deep Sleeper at Sonoma
Joey Logano

May be A Sneaky DFS Option Who Can Pay Off for Sonoma Lineups
Austin Cindric

Could Austin Cindric Work for DFS Lineups at Sonoma?
Carson Hocevar

Is Carson Hocevar Worth Rostering For Sonoma DFS Lineups?
John Hunter Nemechek

Is John Hunter Nemechek A Sneaky DFS Play for Sonoma?
AJ Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger Probably More Valuable for DFS If He Doesn't Flip the Stage
Travis Etienne Jr.

Needs to Bounce Back in 2025
Wan'Dale Robinson

Wants More Downfield Opportunities this Season
Quinshon Judkins

Arrested on Saturday for Battery and Domestic Violence
Terry McLaurin

Could be a Holdout at Training Camp
Roger McCreary

a Candidate for a Contract Extension?
Mike Evans

Buccaneers Could Have Difficult Time Retaining Mike Evans
Charles Cross

Could Sign Extension Before Training Camp
Xavier Restrepo

One to Watch Going into Training Camp
Calvin Ridley

Appears Re-Energized
Mark Andrews

Still a Key Piece in Ravens Offense
Ndamukong Suh

Officially Announces his Retirement
Jaylen Waddle

Motivated After Disappointing Season
Tre Harris

Still Unsigned
Alexandre Sarr

Plays Well in Summer League Loss to Phoenix
Yang Hansen

Looks Good on Friday Night
Erik Karlsson

Open to Move Away From Pittsburgh
Zach Hyman

Hopes to be Ready for Start of Next Season
SJ

Jeff Skinner Joins Sharks on One-Year Contract
Kon Knueppel

Struggles in Summer League Win
Walter Clayton Jr.

Plays Well on Friday Night
Cody Williams

Scores 21 Points in Summer League Loss
Kyle Filipowski

Leads the Way on Friday Night
Isaiah Jackson

Signs Three-Year Extension
Marvin Bagley III

Joining the Wizards
Herbert Jones

Signing Extension with Pelicans
Jacob Toppin

Returning to Hawks
Dalton Knecht

Avoids Serious Injury
Javon Small

Signs Two-Way Deal
Ryan Reaves

Traded to Sharks
Vladislav Kolyachonok

Moves to Dallas
Matt Dumba

Lands in Pittsburgh
Mackie Samoskevich

Re-Signs with Panthers on One-Year Deal
Josh Manson

Inks Two-Year Extension with Avalanche
EDM

Isaac Howard Signs Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract With Oilers
Tallison Teixeira

Set For His First UFC Main Event
Derrick Lewis

Set To Headline UFC Nashville
Gabriel Bonfim

Looks For His Third UFC Win
Stephen Thompson

Returns At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Calvin Kattar

In Dire Need Of Victory
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere A Favorite At UFC Nashville
Nate Landwehr

Aims To Bounce Back
MMA

Austen Lane Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Vitor Petrino

Set For His Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Set To Open Up UFC Nashville Main Card
Junior Tafa

Set For Light-Heavyweight Bout
Jalen Williams

Signs Contract Extension With Thunder
Alijah Martin

Agrees to Two-Way Deal With Raptors
Tristan Vukcevic

Set to Return to Washington
Anfernee Simons

Celtics Are "Actively Trying to Trade" Anfernee Simons
Gary Woodland

Looking to Find Rhythm at Scottish Open
Aaron Rai

Brings Consistent Play to Scottish Open
Maverick McNealy

a Solid Value Play at Scottish Open
Aldrich Potgieter

Making Scottish Open Debut
Tom Kim

Looks to Rebound at Scottish Open
Brian Harman

a Safe Option at Scottish Open
Luke Clanton

a Sneaky Value Play at Scottish Open
Sam Burns

Looking to Stay Hot at Scottish Open
Nicolai Hojgaard

May Feel More at Home in Europe
Harry Hall

Showing Fine Form Heading to Scotland
Ryan Fox

Playing Well Since Early Spring Struggles
Max Greyserman

has Solid History at the Genesis Scottish Open
Harris English

Aims High for Scotland Next
Corey Conners

Primed for the Genesis Scottish Open
Daniel Brown

Attempts the Scottish Swing Again
Jacob Bridgeman

Needs Putter to Work at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Headlines Field at Genesis Scottish Open
Rory McIlroy

a Smart Play for Scottish Open
Adam Scott

Looking to Build on History at The Renaissance Club
Justin Rose

Hopes Month Hiatus Helps Him Bounce Back at Scottish Open
NHL

Tyler Johnson Retires After 13 NHL Seasons
Jack McBain

Inks New Five-Year Deal with Mammoth
Cam York

Re-Signs with Flyers for Five Years
Jake Knapp

Fits the Mold for Success at The Renaissance Club
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF