👉 TAP TO SAVE 30% WITH CODE NEW
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
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Overrated/Underrated Week 7: Second Basemen

Week 1 (OF/SP) | Week 2 (OF/SP) | Week 3 (SS) | Week 4 (1B) | Week 5 | Week 6 (SP)

* * *

We're a few weeks in so you know the drill by now. A big part of winning your fantasy baseball league is recognizing the market inefficiencies that arise during the season. Players are not always properly valued, and it's these discrepancies in valuation that can be exploited for personal gain. It sounds malicious when put like that, but you know what I mean.

This week focuses on second basemen. Ironically, it's a position that looks pretty solid in terms of ownership rates. But there are still some questionable names both farther up and down the list that should probably be swapped.

 

Overrated

Kolten Wong, STL
57% owned, via Fleaflicker

This is kind of a bummer because I had long been a Wong proponent. There are just too many factors not favoring him presently. He generally doesn't hit the ball hard and has fared worse than ever this year. He also doesn't hit the ball in the air. Perhaps worst of all, he doesn't play every day anymore. The Cardinals are losing faith in his bat, and I think they see his relatively weak performance against left-handed pitching and see a platoon hitter.

It's a shame, because his minor-league speed, power and plate discipline signaled an underrated middle infielder who could eventually rise to the top of the position in fantasy terms. The power could reemerge this season, but he's on pace to attempt only 13 stolen bases, way down from last season. And that's a full-season pace, something Wong obviously won't achieve the way Mike Matheny uses him.

Unless the league is incredibly deep, there's really no reason to own Wong at this point. He doesn't contribute much, and his peripherals don't support any kind of special breakout on the horizon.

Howie Kendrick, LAD
43% owned, via Fleaflicker

Kendrick also is no longer an everyday player. His plate discipline has regressed into something rather unsightly, and he's sporting a putrid .011 ISO (isolated power) through 94 plate appearances. There's evidence to support some kind of bump in production -- Kendrick, historically a high-BABIP guy, is sporting the worst mark of his career by far. And his hard-hit rate (Hard%), while not astounding, is not so low that you'd think he shouldn't be hitting for at least a bit more power, too.

The 66.2-percent ground ball rate (GB%), though, is atrocious. At 32 years old, Kendrick is too old to be making that kind of weak contact and expect to succeed. He could still hit .290 by season's end, and that would be a nice wave to ride as he surges. But he won't hit home runs, and he'll barely steal. It's the definition of an empty batting average, and I could point you to a dozen other players who can provide the same kind of value and a dozen more who could provide substantially more.

 

Underrated

Brandon Phillips, CIN
39% owned, via Fleaflicker

This one kind of blows my mind because a trend has kind of carried over from 2015. Last year, everyone thought Phillips would be toast. He had a lackluster 2014 season and, entering his mid-30s, it was reasonable to expect the decline was imminent. Yet while the power remained suppressed, Phillips stole bases at a rate unseen since his early glory days in Cincinnati. It was good enough to make him a top-3 second baseman last year.

Here we are, again, and Phillips isn't even a top-20 second baseman in terms of ownership despite near-top-10 performance. He's hitting the ball more authoritatively than ever before, as evidenced by his early-season power display, and he's on pace to attempt as many stolen bases as last season. That he actually succeeds as frequently is highly unlikely, given he has already been caught as many times as last season. But even a coin-flip success rate would still net him 15 steals.

In other words, Phillips could be a post another season of double-digit home runs and stolen bases. Moreover, his runs and RBI haven't suffered from hitting amid a weak Cincinnati Reds lineup. When the abnormal performances slow down -- looking at you, Neil Walker -- Phillips' name could rise even further.

Jonathan Schoop, BAL
18% owned, via Fleaflicker

Schoop will always have his issues. As a high-strikeout, low-walk guy, he's like a poor man's Adam Jones at second base. (Funny that they both play for Baltimore.) But boy, does Schoop hit the ball hard. He has legitimate 25-homer power, which helps offset his liability in the batting average department. He doesn't run very often, so it's essentially all-or-nothing power. He's like Brian Dozier, a top-10 second baseman by ownership, who doesn't run as often. Schoop is essentially Mitch Moreland but at a weaker offensive position and currently less-owned. Sometimes, all you need is context.

Chris Owings, ARI
9% owned, via Fleaflicker

Owings plays full-time, whether as an infielder or in center field, as part of the collateral damage of A.J. Pollock's season-ending injury. He boasts the best plate discipline of his career and is on pace to swipe almost 30 bags. He doesn't have a ton of pop, but a fly ball or two should eventually clear an outfield fence, too. A post-hype hitter, Owings is finally making good on some of his promise and could conceivably finish the season among the top 10 in stolen bases.

 

Live Expert Q&A Chats - Every Weekday @ 1 PM and 6 PM EST (DFS)

Fantasy Baseball Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-55" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]


Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and sleepers list, updated daily!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Zack Gelof

Could Play Center Field This Spring
Kevin McGonigle

Still Focused on Shortstop Long-Term
Pete Crow-Armstrong

Aiming for More Consistency in 2026
Philadelphia 76ers

Tyrese Martin Set to Join 76ers on Two-Way Deal
Chase Burns

Competing for Rotation Spot This Spring
Washington Wizards

Alondes Williams Signs 10-Day Contract With Wizards
Santiago Espinal

Dodgers Sign Santiago Espinal to Minor-League Deal
Golden State Warriors

Nate Williams Joins Golden State on Two-Way Deal
Adam Frazier

Angels Sign Adam Frazier to Minor-League Deal
Jabari Walker

Signing Two-Year Deal with 76ers
Mike Tauchman

Mets Add Mike Tauchman on Minor-League Deal
Cameron Payne

Signing Rest-Of-Season Deal With 76ers
Bucky Irving

Undergoes Offseason Shoulder Surgery
Tyreek Hill

Says he Will Play in 2026
Kumar Rocker

Looks "Really Good" During Live Batting Practice
Triston Casas

Takes Ground Balls
Carlos Lagrange

to Make Opening Day Roster as Reliever?
Anthony Volpe

Takes Dry Swings on Monday
Munetaka Murakami

Draws Praise From Hitting Director
Christian Scott

Looking Impressive, Uncertain for Opening Day
Blake Snell

Yet to Throw Live Batting Practice
Aaron Judge

Fully Cleared for Spring Workouts
Mike Trout

Plans to Return to Center Field in 2026
San Diego Padres

A.J. Preller Agrees to Multi-Year Extension With Padres
Ricky Tiedemann

"Everything's Been Money" for Ricky Tiedemann
Zack Wheeler

Throws Out to 120 Feet on Monday
Colt Emerson

to be Given a Chance to Make the Opening Day Roster
Pablo López

Pablo Lopez Going for MRI After Experiencing Elbow Soreness
Joey Logano

Finishes Third in the 2026 Daytona 500
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

. Finishes as the Runner-Up in the Daytona 500
Chase Elliott

Falls Short of His First Daytona 500 Victory Again
Brad Keselowski

Ends Daytona 500 With a Top-Five Finish
Tyler Reddick

Wins the Daytona 500 for the First Time with 23XI Racing
Tyreek Hill

Released by Dolphins
Victor Wembanyama

Shines Despite Team World Loss
Kawhi Leonard

Leads Team Stripes In All-Star Thriller
Anthony Edwards

Takes Home All-Star Game MVP
NBA

Malik Beasley Agrees to Deal with Puerto Rico Team
Joey Logano

Should DFS Players Roster Joey Logano At Daytona?
Ryan Blaney

Is Ryan Blaney Worth Rostering for DFS at Daytona?
Chase Briscoe

May Not be Worth DFS Consideration for Daytona
Chase Elliott

Is Chase Elliott Worth Rostering At Daytona This Week For DFS?
Austin Cindric

May Be Worth Rostering At Daytona
Cleveland Browns

Browns to Spend Top Draft Picks on Receiver or Offensive Lineman?
Brad Keselowski

Is Brad Keselowski Worth Rostering for Daytona Lineups?
Tyler Reddick

May be A Solid and Sneaky Pick for Daytona Lineups
Alex Bowman

is A Highly Favorable Mid-Tier Option for Daytona
Ross Chastain

Could be A Top DFS Scorer for Daytona
Justin Allgaier

is One of the Safest DFS Options for Daytona
Tim Stützle

Tim Stutzle Matches Team Germany Record With Third Goal
Karl-Anthony Towns

Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns Claim 2026 Shooting Stars Crown
Jack Eichel

Off to Hot Start in Olympics
Keshad Johnson

Wins 2026 Slam Dunk Contest
OTT

Mads Sogaard Injured Saturday
Damian Lillard

Wins Third Three-Point Contest
Haywood Highsmith

Agrees to Multi-Year Deal With Suns
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Returns For All-Star Game On Minutes Cap
NASCAR

Christoper Bell Emerging As One of The Best at Daytona
William Byron

Trying for Third Straight Daytona 500 Victory
Kyle Larson

Has Never Posted a Top-Five Finish at Daytona
Denny Hamlin

Is Denny Hamlin Overrated at Daytona?
Chris Buescher

an Easy DFS Pick for the Daytona 500
Kyle Busch

on Pole, Still Searching for Elusive Daytona 500 Victory
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Feeling "100 Percent"
Lucas Raymond

Ties Team Sweden Record With Three Points Saturday
Anton Lundell

Battling Illness
Kevin Fiala

Out for the Season
Riley Minix

Signs Two-Way Deal With Cavaliers
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Likely Available for All-Star Game
Toronto Raptors

Chris Paul Retires From Basketball
Zach LaVine

to Undergo Season-Ending Hand Surgery
David Pastrnak

Gets Off the Mark at Olympics
Macklin Celebrini

Pots Another Goal Friday
Kevin Fiala

Stretchered Off Against Canada
Aaron Rodgers

Likely to Return to Steelers?
Terry McLaurin

Commanders Want Terry McLaurin to Get 10 Targets a Game
Deandre Ayton

Remains Day-to-Day for Lakers
LeBron James

Posts Historic Triple-Double in Win
Jordan Binnington

Records 26-Save Shutout Against Czechia
Connor McDavid

Ties Canadian Record With Three Assists in Olympic Debut
Josh Morrissey

Hurt in Olympic Opener
CFB

Trinidad Chambliss Eligible for 2026 Season
CFB

BYU's Parker Kingston Charged with Felony Rape
Cameron Young

Looking for Pebble Beach Success
J.J. Spaun

Looks to Turn Things Around at Pebble Beach
Collin Morikawa

Eyes Turnaround at Pebble Beach
Jake Knapp

Brings Hot Form to Pebble Beach
Nick Taylor

in Good Form Going into Pebble Beach Event
Viktor Hovland

Carrying Momentum Into Pebble Beach
Tommy Fleetwood

Set for 2026 PGA Tour Debut at Pebble Beach
Harris English

Looks to Build on Steady Form at Pebble Beach
Justin Rose

Tuned in for AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Keegan Bradley

a Boom-or-Bust Play at Pebble Beach
Maverick McNealy

Playing Well with Pebble Beach Looming
Russell Henley

Carries Momentum to Pebble Beach
Shane Lowry

Makes 2026 PGA Tour Debut at Pebble Beach
Michael Kim

Putting Well with Pebble Beach on the Horizon
Billy Horschel

a Little Rattled After Consecutive Missed Cuts
Ben Griffin

Solid But Not Spectacular Early in 2026
Wyndham Clark

Has Question Marks Heading to Pebble Beach
Daniel Berger

Heating Up at the Right Time for Pebble Beach
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF