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Welcome officially to the 2023 fantasy baseball season! 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 basemen 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 2023 Draft Kit. Be sure to subscribe today to start reading all of our in-depth 2023 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 2023 Draft Kit.
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Jonathan India, Cincinnati Reds
It was a tale of two halves for Cincinnati Reds' second baseman Jonathan India in the 2022 season. The first half of the season saw him hit .231 with a .636 OPS and 75 wRC+. In the second half, India produced a .261 average, .751 OPS, and 108 wRC+. The difference? India missed 48 games from April to June due to a right hamstring strain. A healthier second half allowed India to produce closer to a dynamic rookie season that saw him hit 21 home runs with 12 stolen bases.
The leg ailments limited India to three steals last season, while the home runs dropped to just 10 across 103 contests. India's underlying numbers weren't any better, as he ranked in the third percentile in average exit velocity, fifth in hard-hit rate, and 20th in barrel rate. He did, however, post a 36% speed spot clip but failed to generate hard-hit balls in the process. India projects to approach 20 home runs again in 2023 while approaching 10 stolen bases.
As per Steamer, he'll get everyday reps at the keystone for the Reds. The 26-year-old sits 11th in RotoBaller's second base rankings with an ADP of 183 as he enters his third MLB season and approaches his prime production years. If India can carry his second-half momentum into 2023, he has a chance to slide into the top eight second basemen and out-producing his ADP at the same time.
-- Brenton Kemp - RotoBaller
Thairo Estrada, San Francisco Giants
Thairo Estrada came out of nowhere to post a solid fantasy campaign in 2022, slashing .260/.322/.402 with 14 HR and 21 SB in 541 PAs. Estrada offers plus speed with a Statcast Sprint of 28.3 ft./sec and a solid success rate of approximately 78%, so fantasy managers can probably count on him for bags assuming playing time.
Unfortunately, his contact quality metrics aren't nearly as good. His .290 BABIP might look due for positive regression, but his .246 xBA suggests that Estrada was somewhat fortunate last season. Furthermore, Estrada doesn't hit many flies (29.5 FB% last season) or hit them especially hard (91.4 mph average airborne exit velocity, 4.4% Brls/BBE), so it's tough to see where another 14 HR would come from.
Estrada offers strong plate discipline with a 6.1 BB% and 16.5 K%, but he probably doesn't have the ceiling to warrant consideration in standard leagues on draft day. However, his projected role as San Francisco's second hitter should give him valuable counting stats for deeper formats. In most leagues, he also qualifies at 2B, SS, and OF. Throw in 15-20 steals and there's likely profit potential at Estrada's current ADP of 186.45
-- Rick Lucks - RotoBaller
Ryan McMahon, Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon has been relevant in fantasy baseball for the past few seasons. His moderate yet consistent play continued this season when the 28-year-old hit .246, slugged 20 homers, stole seven bases, and collected 134 RBI plus runs. McMahon played 153 games in 2022, a season after appearing in 151, and will get everyday at-bats again in 2023, especially with his superb defense.
His high strikeout rates, including a 26.5% rate in 2022, have affected his batting averages, but he's on the right track, posting his lowest swinging strike rate since 2017. McMahon's career 90.9 MPH average exit velocity and minuscule 3.4% pop-up rate mean he's capable of maintaining a .250 batting average, especially playing at Coors Field. He offers enough power to keep fantasy managers happy, averaging almost 25 home runs per 162 games over the past four years with a 9.1% barrel rate.
McMahon isn't the quickest (34th-percentile sprint speed in 2022), but he can still provide six or seven steals, as his past two campaigns have proven. Despite being subpar on paper, the Rockies' lineup will score a decent amount of runs considering the thin air of Colorado, and the former second-rounder will be one of their biggest run producers. McMahon is going around pick 219, a profitable price for his skillset
-- Spencer Seguin - RotoBaller
Josh Rojas, Arizona Diamondbacks
Josh Rojas had a solid 2022, hitting .269/.349/.391 with nine homers, 56 RBI, 66 runs, and 23 stolen bases (125 games). After tallying only 14 steals in his 197 MLB games before last year, topping 20 stolen bases came as a nice surprise as he finally displayed the speed he flashed in the Minor Leagues.
It was an even nicer surprise given he ranked in the 50th percentile for sprint speed. Rojas' 10.8% BB% last year afforded him more opportunities on the bases and he made the most of them, only getting caught three times. But there isn't much else to his profile, with limited power (18th percentile in Barrel% and 27th percentile in HardHit%) and defensive struggles that began to limit his playing time as the season progressed.
The Diamondbacks added Evan Longoria this offseason who could take away playing time from Rojas if he stays healthy and Rojas doesn't have a set-in-stone everyday role heading into Spring. With question marks hanging over Rojas and with stolen bases being his biggest asset despite a middling sprint speed, his ~193 ADP is reasonable although Rojas is not someone you should be pinning your fantasy hopes on.
-- Jamie Steed - RotoBaller
Jean Segura, Miami Marlins
Miami Marlins infielder Jean Segura could be in for a quality fantasy season in his first year with the National League East club. The veteran, who spent the last four years with the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies, hit .277 with a .336 on-base percentage, 10 home runs, and 13 stolen bases in 387 plate appearances last year in his final season with the defending National League champions.
The stolen bases were the most the infielder has collected since the 2018 season, and he could be in for more stolen bases in 2023 thanks to the introduction of larger bases. There's certainly the potential for Segura to reach the 20-stolen base mark, something he did for six consecutive seasons from 2013 to 2018.
Elsewhere, with a batting average above .270 in seven of his last nine full Major League seasons, Segura has one of the better track records in the league where average is concerned. Combine that with the stolen base upside, and the 32-year-old's home run potential – he's recorded double-digit home runs in each of the last five seasons – and it gives him plenty of fantasy upside heading into the 2023 season.
-- Ben Rosener - RotoBaller
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