Jose Altuve’s extra tinge of power and all-around offensive prowess made him the best fantasy second baseman in 2015
It’s time to wrap up the 2015 season and take a sneak peak at the 2016 fantasy season. Here is a review of the second base position.
MVP: Jose Altuve
Though Dee Gordon was the highest rated second baseman on the ESPN Player Rater, Altuve was a contributor in every 5X5 category. Unlike Gordon, he was a positive contributor in RBI and HR, while also maintaining a very good average. He increased his power production, which was the result of lifting the ball more and an increased HR/FB rate. Moving forward, Altuve could add a bit more pop as he is only 25, but this season is a good representation of what you can expect his stat line to look like for the next few years.
Best Surprise: D.J. Lemahieu
There was talk entering the season of Lemahieu becoming an asset with his bat, but this season exceeded all expectations. A .362 BABIP is a bit worrisome when looking towards next year. But it was also clear that Lemahieu changed his approach at the plate, as he used far more of the field this season than at any other point in his career. His HR/FB ratio has risen every year since 2013 as has his average flyball distance. With that said, he will never be a threat to hit 20 home runs in a season, but 10 could be a ceiling to look for. Lemahieu also has plenty of value as a base stealer, as he recorded 23 stolen bases this year. Most importantly in that regard, his efficiency was vastly improved from previous seasons as he was caught stealing only three times. Lemahieu is for real, and though his average will likely be in for a dip next year, he will still provide plenty of fantasy value.
Biggest Bust: Anthony Rendon
Anthony Rendon might have been the biggest bust of any player this season, and although part of that was due to injury, even when he was on the field he was a large disappointment. A good indication of that was Rendon’s career-high strikeout rate and career-low ISO. It is certainly possible that his knee and quad injuries affected his performance even after he made it back into the lineup, but it is still concerning how frequent Rendon is hampered by injury. Plenty of owners will surely be scared off by this entering next season, meaning Rendon could come at quite the value if you’re willing to roll the dice.
Players to Watch Entering 2016: Jonathan Schoop, Devon Travis, Rougned Odor
This trio of players could be a part of a changing of the guard at the second base position, taking over for the likes of Chase Utley, Brandon Phillips and Dustin Pedroia. Schoop was a favorite sleeper of mine entering the season, but much of his season was lost to injury, unfortunately. When he made it back to the lineup, Schoop showed just how much of a fantasy asset he can be at second base with his power potential. His strikeout rate will hamper his average, but Schoop can be a major contributor in the power department, which is scarce at the second base position. Devon Travis got off to a ridiculously hot start, and while his HR/FB and BABIP will likely come crashing down, he still deserves late-round consideration. Rougned Odor entered fantasy relevance with the unfortunate injury to Jurickson Profar. He scuffled initially, and while many were disappointed by this, he showed his potential in the second half of the season. That second half included 12 home runs, which is tremendous pop for a 21-year-old. We are waiting to see Odor put together his skillset at the same time and for an entire season, but when we do it will place him among the upper echelon at the position.
