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Marc Hulet provides dynasty league fantasy baseball owners with his top 10 second base prospects heading into the 2020 MLB season.
The 2019 MLB season may be at an end but the off-season baseball coverage is just getting started at Rotoballer. We’re three positions deep now as we review the Top 10 dynasty prospects at each position.
The second base position has a chance to be very interesting over the next three or four years. The position features some intriguing prospects that should arrive in The Show over the next year — and there are some names in the lower levels of the minors that you probably haven’t heard of — but also need to know. Well, assuming you want to stay ahead of your competitors.
We previously took a look at both the Top 10 catchers and the Top 10 first basemen. Let’s see how the second basemen stack up against those other positions.
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1. Nick Madrigal, White Sox, MLB ETA: 2020
In 162 games over a two-year stretch (628 at-bats), Madrigal has struck out just 21 times. He has more career stolen bases (43) than strikeouts. And he features a career batting average of .309. Madrigal also has a little more line-drive power potential than some of the speedsters lower on this list. The fourth overall pick from the 2018 draft has been every bit as good as expected as a pro and should be a stud at the top of the White Sox batting order with the likes of Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez, Andrew Vaughn, and Luis Robert hitting behind him.
2. Brendan Rodgers, Rockies, MLB ETA: 2020
Between the season-ending injury in June and the poor MLB performance, it’s easy to forget that Rodgers hit .350 with nine home runs in 37 Triple-A games in 2019. Depending on how he bounces back from the shoulder surgery, Rodgers’ days of playing shortstop on a regular basis could be over. Labrum injuries can be difficult to recover from so Rodgers slips a little bit in the rankings. But, if he does fully bounce back, there is huge offensive upside here at the keystone position.
3. Vidal Brujan, Rays, MLB ETA: 2020
The next two players listed here are actually very similar players but Brujan gets the edge for being further along in his development. He’ll likely never be a home run hitter, even in the new juiced ball era, but that’s OK. Brujan’s strength is his natural feel for hitting that allows him to put a lot of balls in play and his plus speed provides the potential for 40 or more stolen bases.
4. Xavier Edwards, Padres, MLB ETA: 2021
Just 20 years old, Edwards reached High-A ball in his first full season in 2019 and now features a career batting average of .328. His game is built around making a lot of contract, peppering the ball all over the field, and putting pressure on the defenders with his plus speed. Edwards could develop into a .300 hitter with 40-steal potential at the MLB level.
5. Nick Solak, Rangers, MLB ETA: 2020
It may be difficult to fit Solak into a single position every day for the Rangers in 2020 but the good news is that he’s shown the ability to play multiple positions. As a result, he could receive regular playing time while bouncing from third base to second base and to the corner outfield slots. Between Triple-A and the Majors in 2019, Solak went deep 32 times. He’s also consistently been a .280-.300 hitter in the minors while racking up lots of walks and lots of strikeouts. He could even add 10-15 steals despite average speed.
6. Mauricio Dubon, Giants, MLB ETA: 2020
Dubon had a solid bounce-back season in 2019 after missing almost all of 2018 due to injury. He hit 20 home runs at the Triple-A level and then sent deep four more times in 30 MLB games. The 25-year-old middle infielder hasn’t sacrificed any contact for the increased power output and he posted a BB-K of 28-68 in Triple-A; he will likely need to be a little more patient against big league pitchers to reach his full potential. Dubon’s ability to play both second base and shortstop gives him added fantasy value. He should get a shot at playing every day at the keystone for the Giants in 2020.
7. Otto Lopez, Blue Jays, MLB ETA: 2022
Lopez doesn’t get the attention that he deserves. He doesn’t have much power but he’s shown an advanced bat for his age and has a career batting average of more than .300 in three pro seasons — including a .324 average in his first taste of full-season ball in 2019. He also makes a ton of contact and posted a BB-K of 34-63 in 108 games. Lopez is still raw on the base paths but he has the speed to steal 20 or more bases. A versatile fielder who has played a number of positions, he should eventually settle in at second base.
8. Aaron Bracho, Indians, MLB ETA: 2023
Just 18, Bracho had an eye-opening debut season in short-season ball in 2019. The performance was all the more impressive considering the switch-hitting middle infielder missed the 2018 with an injury. He slugged eight home runs in just 38 games but also showed an advanced approach for his age with a BB-K of 28-29. Bracho has a chance to hit for a solid average, produce above-average power and also provide excellent walk totals for fantasy leagues that reward the stat.
9. Jeremiah Jackson, Angels, MLB ETA: 2023
Jackson produced massive power in short-season ball in 2019. Of his 68 hits, 39 went for extra bases — including 23 home runs in just 65 games. With the power, though, comes significant swing-and-miss tendencies a BB-K of 24-96. He’ll likely need to find a better balance between power and contact as he moves up to face better pitching but Jackson has a chance to be an offensive-minded middle infielder. He’ll move up to full-season ball in 2020.
10. Michael Busch, Dodgers, MLB ETA: 2022
Busch was nabbed at the end of the first round of the 2019 draft by the Dodgers, a team known for excellent player development. The strong college performer projects to hit for a solid average and has 20-25 home run potential. The risk with Busch is that he’s a fringe-average defender at second base and may eventually move to first base or left field, which are the positions he played most often during his collegiate career.
Just Missed: Luis Garcia (Nationals), Ji-Hwan Bae (Pirates)
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