Fantasy Baseball Second Base ADP Report - Draft Targets and Avoids (2025)

January 30, 2025

Tim's 2025 fantasy baseball second base (2B) draft sleepers, targets, avoids based on ADPs. His favorite second base fantasy baseball sleepers to draft in 2025.

Second base looks like it will be largely ignored in the early rounds of 2025 fantasy baseball drafts. Beyond the elite names (two through four, based on who you ask), early team-builders appear content to wait on the position to select from a glob of similar names who could help in ways that depend on how you started.

Attack steals early? The keystone has several middle-round thumpers to target. Lean on power to start? You still can pile up swipes from this position later on. Don't miss those few post-hype and breakout names who could wind up on those coveted end-of-season-awesome lists.

What do early drafting trends say about second basemen in 2025 fantasy baseball? I've compiled this fantasy baseball ADP data from 20 NFBC Draft Champion drafts. You'll find the ADP tables below, along with my analysis of the ADP at the position, player values I like/dislike, etc. Reminder: this report doesn't reflect my rankings but instead breaks down how the early draft market values these second basemen for 2025 fantasy baseball leagues.

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Second Base Fantasy Baseball ADP Analysis

Second Basemen I Plan To Draft Most Frequently

1. Ozzie Albies - Atlanta Braves
2. Matt McLain - Cincinnati Reds
3. Nolan Gorman - St. Louis Cardinals
4. Christopher Morel - Tampa Bay Rays
5. Zack Gelof - Athletics
6. Jake Cronenworth - San Diego Padres
7. Caleb Durbin - Milwaukee Brewers
8. Jonathan India - Kansas City Royals
9. Gleyber Torres - Detroit Tigers
10. Nick Gonzales - Pittsburgh Pirates

For a near 30-pick gap on average, give me Albies over Marte as the best second baseman to draft. (More on this later.) Stretching for an infield anchor this early requires a five-category star profile. When healthy, Albies still possesses it in a stellar lineup that (eventually) will be getting back Ronald Acuna Jr. to support him.

McLain did not suit up in 2024 after getting offseason surgery on the torn labrum in his left shoulder and having his season end in August with a stress reaction in his rib cage. This ADP is near the top of what I consider acceptable for him, but for waiting on the position, the 25-year-old's power-speed combo screams to snatch him at this value.

The Cardinals reportedly want Gorman to log close to 600 at-bats next season, per The Athletic. This could involve adding at least one additional position at which fantasy players can deploy him. That workload could put him in the 30-homer, 10-steal territory, producing excellent value around pick 400 with his thunderous boom stick -- when he makes contact.

Gorman was one of the best last year at reaching base when he connected:

wOBACON leaders (min 130 BBE)
1. Aaron Judge .560
2. Marcell Ozuna .527
3. Gunnar Henderson .522
4. Nolan Gorman .505
5. Shohei Ohtani .501
6. Teoscar Hernandez .496
7. Rafael Devers .490
8. O’Neil Cruz .480
9. Juan Soto .477
10. Bobby Witt Jr. .467 pic.twitter.com/lI15LXQAVp

— Frank Smith (@FrankiSmith_911) December 21, 2024

(I apologize for releasing the helium.)

While we are at it, click for my recent glowing recommendation about Christopher Morel's rebound appeal in 2025.

The A's lineup remains quietly intriguing, and Gelof's 20-20 profile could come with a better batting average that will make him a strong buy in the late rounds of mixed leagues. Cronenworth's 1B-2B combo eligibility solves many fantasy roster problems, and coincidentally, he ranked tied for 12th with Gelof among hitters with 15-plus HRs with a 58.8 No-Doubter HR percentage.

Durbin could have an immediate path to playing time after coming over from the New York Yankees in the Devin Williams trade. While he has just about as much power as fellow Brew Crew middle infielder Brice Turang, Durbin, who stole 29 bases at Triple-A last year, could serve a similar steals-heavy purpose at a much lower price for a Milwaukee team that ranked second in steals last year (217).

I'm keen on taking a post-hype chance on India, who could yield a 15-HR, 15-SB depth charge with the upside of a former top prospect who's endured a rough early journey. Maybe the Tigers will allow Torres to attempt more stolen bases to add to his bat that hit 24 homers in 2022 and 25 in 2023. (He might not have run much last year because he was an impending free agent, too.)

Speaking of post-hype, I'll also save a roster spot for Gonzales' hit tool to re-emerge and grow into a diverse contributor. (I won't list his Pittsburgh teammate Spencer Horwitz again since he occupied a spot on my First Basemen ADP Analysis list.)

Second Base ADPs I Don't Love

1. Ketel Marte - Arizona Diamondbacks
2. Jose Altuve - Houston Astros
3. Jordan Westburg - Baltimore Orioles

I understand the desire to grab a stable name, given how diverse the pool of bargain names can be at the keystone. However, Marte's power appears to have been severely inflated, as noted by his 25.7% HR/FB. The breakout was real, but its extent likely was exaggerated and not worth paying up for.

Altuve's profile isn't as sparkling as we're used to. It's always difficult to nitpick on his batting eye, but for someone who relies on batting average, Altuve sat tied for 154th in barrels per plate appearance (4.8%). Losing Kyle Tucker also could hurt his R+RBI production.

As with Marte, Westburg's power output last year might not reflect his true ceiling, at least not to a level that should justify positioning him so high on the 2B ADP list. While an increase in plate appearances could help a slower homer pace even itself out, don't overpay thinking he'll launch 30-plus big flies, even with the changes to Baltimore's fences at Camden Yards.

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