RADIO
Second base fantasy baseball sleepers, breakouts, values for the middle rounds of 2026 drafts. Discounted 2B with upside include Luke Keaschall, Nico Hoerner, more.
Welcome back RotoBallers to the second base article in our mid-round fantasy baseball values and sleepers series. Below you will find some of our favorite middle-round second base fantasy baseball sleepers, values, and targets with upside for 2026 fantasy baseball drafts. Second base is one of the few positions fantasy managers can wait on, as there are only a handful of elite options. There is plenty of value at second base that can be had in the middle of the drafts.
The middle rounds of the fantasy draft are essential for any fantasy baseball draft, as it's about the time to decide when to select emerging prospects, overlooked veterans, or even players returning from injury. Below are some cheaper second base options for you to consider drafting in your season-long leagues this season. Are their ADPs undervalued? Will they make significant fantasy contributions? Read on to see our outlooks for each 2B option.
The five 2B fantasy baseball outlooks below are meant to give you a taste of the in-depth analysis you receive with our industry-leading 2026 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit. Be sure to save 30% on any MLB Package today to start reading all of our in-depth 2026 player outlooks and many other premium articles and tools, including Team Sync, the Live Draft Sync assistant, Custom Rankings Service, and so much more. Let's win some leagues in 2026!
Featured Promo: Save 50% off the regular price with discount code SUMMER, for a limited time. Exclusive access to our Team Sync platform, DFS cheat sheets, Lineup Optimizers, betting/prop picks, and exclusive content from Nick Mariano and Eric Cross! GAIN ACCESS NOW
Second Base Fantasy Baseball Draft Values
Luke Keaschall, 2B, Minnesota Twins
In a down season for the Minnesota Twins, one of their bright spots came in the form of rookie second baseman Luke Keaschall. In 207 plate appearances with the Twins, Keaschall slashed an impressive .302/.385/.445 with 25 runs, four home runs, 28 RBI, and 14 steals. That's a 650 plate appearance pace of 79 runs, 13 home runs, 88 RBI, and 44 steals.
While there might not be more than 13-17 homer upside in the tank here, the rest of Keashcall's profile is quite exciting. In his time with Minnesota, Keaschall had an 85th percentile sprint speed with a 9.2% walk rate, 14% strikeout rate, 86.7% zone contact rate, and a 81.5% overall contact rate.
Luke Keaschall's first 49 MLB games:
.302 BA
.382 OBP
.827 OPS
14 doubles
4 HR
14 SBPositives:
- Elite 20% Chase% ✅
- Elite 18.5% Whiff% ✅
- Great 14% K% ✅
- Only 23 y/o ✅However, it's not all sunshine and rainbows for the Minnesota Twins prospect 👇 pic.twitter.com/iWOOSksubx
— LouisAnalysis (@LouisAnalysis) November 19, 2025
So even if he's in the 12-15 homer range, the upside to give you a good AVG and OBP, over 30 steals, and a decent amount of runs and RBI could push Keaschall way up the second base rankings this season, and he is currently ranked seventh among all 2B in the latest RotoBaller rankings.
-- Eric Cross - RotoBaller
Nico Hoerner, 2B, Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner turned in a strong bounce-back showing in 2025. After finishing the 2024 season with a modest .273 AVG and a .708 OPS, Hoerner posted a much higher .297 AVG in 2025. However, the near-20-point jump in batting average slightly hindered his speed production, as he stole only 29 bags, compared to 31 the previous season.
Despite the drop, this was his third-straight season swiping at least 29 bases, and he has even eclipsed the 30-SB mark in two of these three. He once again fell under the double-digit HR total, hitting seven, matching his total from 2024. Under the hood, the infielder generated a remarkable 98th percentile .292 xBA, suggesting a high-end batting average in 2026 could be sustainable. The 28-year-old also lowered his strikeout rate to a minuscule 7.6% place him within the 99th percentile among qualified hitters, which is also the best mark of his career.
However, unlike last season, when Hoerner was being selected in the double-digit rounds, he carries a much higher 99.4 ADP on NFBC, going off as the No. 4 second baseman. While his batting average, runs, and stolen bases make him a high-end contributor at the position, he would need to be drafted on a roster that already has high HR and RBI projections, as he does not expect to contribute much in those categories.
The Stanford product remains a top option in points leagues, given his low K rate and elite contact skills, but is best paired with high-end power hitters in standard leagues.
-- Andy Smith - RotoBaller
Ozzie Albies, 2B, Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies totaled 157 games played in 2025 despite a broken hamate bone causing him to miss the last week of the season; however, it was a disappointment from a fantasy perspective, and the late-season ailment was a stark reminder of how injury-prone he's become over the last few seasons.
The Curacao native was drafted as the fourth second baseman off the board in 2025 drafts, but produced just a .240-16-74-74-14 line with a .295 wOBA and 87 wRC+, which was the third-lowest wRC+ of all qualified second basemen last season. Part of the dropoff can be attributed to the switch-hitter's ineffectiveness against left-handed pitching, as he came into the season with a .336/.362/.565 slash line, .390 wOBA, and 145 wRC+ against southpaws, but produced just a .277/.296/.412 slash line, .301 wOBA, and 91 wRC+ against them in '25.
While the 3x All-Star's power metrics were very low, they were never high to begin with, even in his 33-home run season of 2023, so perhaps he just needs an offseason to reset. While there is upside potential with Albies, concerns about underperformance and injuries are reflected in both his NFBC ADP and RotoBaller ranking of 162 overall.
-- Jarod Rupp - RotoBaller
Xavier Edwards, 2B, Miami Marlins
Miami Marlins infielder Xavier Edwards was productive first full season in the majors. Edwards hit .283 with three home runs, 43 RBI, 75 runs, and 27 stolen bases over 619 plate appearances. The switch-hitter batted .306 versus left-handed pitching. With an ADP at 180 over the last two weeks, Edwards is a midrange second base target.
He falls just outside the top ten second basemen per ADP. He is slightly more appealing because he has both second base and shortstop eligibility in 2026. Edwards is slated to play most of his games at second base and should hit second in the batting order. He is a fine choice for your team, but with power near zero, you will need to adapt a plan to get those home runs elsewhere. The 26-year-old is a solid three-category contributor in batting average, runs, and stolen bases.
Xavier Edwards Due for Another Big Season on the Basepaths? https://t.co/OuLeKz4avB
— RotoBaller MLB (@RotoBallerMLB) February 8, 2026
Reasonable expectations would be a handful of home runs, 70 runs, and 25 stolen bases with a .275 batting average. ATC is on board with the projection and has him hitting .277 with four homers, 69 runs, and 27 stolen bases in 2026. With health, another 600 plate appearances look likely for the diminutive Edwards in 2026. Draft accordingly.
-- Mike Carter - RotoBaller
Ceddanne Rafaela, 2B/OF, Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox second baseman/outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela slashed .249/.295/.414 with 16 home runs, 63 RBI, 84 runs, and 20 stolen bases across 156 games in 2025. It was a tale of two halves for the 25-year-old. Rafaela was much better in the first half, where he hit 14 of his 16 home runs with a .271 batting average compared to an abysmal .218 average and only two long balls in the second half.
Although he did manage to cut down his K% from 26.4% in 2024 to 19.9% in 2025 while increasing his BB% from 2.6% to 4.8%. His elite defense will keep him in the lineup after winning a Gold Glove as a centerfielder in 2025. He is expected to be Boston's everyday CF and will qualify at 2B after playing 24 games there last season.
However, he is projected to hit ninth in the order. Rafaela is RotoBaller's 10th-ranked second baseman and 36th among outfielders in traditional roto leagues. ATC projects another 15/20 season for Rafaela by projecting him to slash .250/.291/.409 with 16 home runs, 20 stolen bases, and a .303 wOBA over 141 games in 2026.
Rafaela has an NFBC ADP of 139.26, which aligns with his RotoBaller ranking of 135. Fantasy managers searching for double-digit homers and steals with multiple legibility can look to draft Rafaela in the middle rounds, but his draft stock is lower in OBP formats.
-- Brad Camara - RotoBaller
Who Should I Draft Tool
Not sure who to draft? Use our free Who Should I Draft tool.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to draft...
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four MLB players at once, and then click the Who To Draft? button to see who the recommended draft picks are based on fantasy baseball rankings, projections and more.
Improvements For Who Should I Draft? We have lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your 2026 fantasy baseball drafts. You'll see MLB player tiles with stats and projections, ADPs, and news -- enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their preseason fantasy baseball rankings and projections based on their research, and update it constantly throughout the preseason. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players that are ranked.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy baseball managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's roto leagues (rotisserie) scoring, or points leagues scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are two small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Draft Searches. Curious to see some tough draft decisions for 2026? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Draft? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at, including recent trending player names who are seeing increases or decreases in their draft values. Click any of the links to see the results and recommendations.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Draft
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Draft tool for 2026 drafts:
More Fantasy Baseball Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!
