Dee Gordon isn’t going to be easily replaced following his 80-game ban

When trying to target a replacement for a player taken in the second round of drafts, it is not easy. Part of the reason Dee Gordon was valued so highly is the decline of stolen bases in fantasy baseball coupled with his ability to hit for average the last two years and lead-off for the Marlins ahead of a healthy Giancarlo Stanton. In a shocking bit of news, owners of Gordon will need to find a replacement for the speedy second baseman for the next 80 games, or until July 29th, due to his suspension.

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This is further muddled by the uniqueness of his skill set. Gordon was one of seven players to steal 30 bases or more last year. He led all of baseball with 58 steals and provided a .333/.359/.418 slash line. Only Gordon and Jose Altuve were able to score at least 85 runs with more than 35 stolen bases among middle infielders. Performance-enhancing drugs are associated more with home runs, but they also help players stay fresh during the marathon season that is baseball. There is no way to sugar coat Gordon’s digression, but fantasy owners are now left to find a replacement while he is on suspension.

First, players who are capable of replacing Dee Gordon at second base will be identified with their present ownership numbers on ESPN, CBS and Yahoo included. Middle infielders will also be listed since team’s may have had a player with second base eligibility at middle infield who can slot in at second base and then owners could pivot to a shortstop as well to bridge the gap of Gordon’s production. Owners also have the option of adding the best second baseman available and then trying to find steals in the outfield to save the categorical loss of Gordon. Options are out there, they just do not have the upside or consistency which Gordon provided.

Second Base Targets to Replace Dee Gordon

Chase Utley (LAD)
Fantasy ownership: 15.7 percent ESPN, 16 percent CBS, 7 percent Yahoo

It is difficult to put much faith in a 37-year-old veteran off to a hot start. But Utley is only one year removed from a .270/.339/.407 slash line with 11 home runs and 10 stolen bases. He was awful last year but improved upon his arrival in Los Angeles. This year, Utley is hitting lead-off for a contending team and has responded with 21 runs in 21 games with a .307/.421/.440 line with five RBI and a steal. His career OBP is .365 and even if his average regresses, which it will, he has fantasy value in the near term while he hits atop the Dodgers’ lineup and is readily available. Currently, Utley is on pace for 85 runs. Gordon scored 88 last year for Miami.

Chris Owings (ARI)
Fantasy Ownership: 8.2 percent ESPN, 14 percent CBS, 13 percent Yahoo

If it is all about stolen bases for a replacement at second base, it may be Owings who is the answer. This is a flawed hitter who has five steals but a 16:3 K:BB rate in his first 21 games. Owings is hitting .277/.309/.354 and is on pace for 34 stolen bases with Arizona. His career batting average is .246, and that should be considered when adding him. Over the last seven days, Owings is 6-for-21 (.286) with four runs and a steal.

Javier Baez (CHC)
Fantasy Ownership: 20.5 percent ESPN, 46 percent CBS, 35 percent Yahoo

Maybe going against the grain at second base is the move with Gordon sidelined until late July. There is no bigger swing on the waiver wire at second base than Baez. He is in line to assume the super-utility role with Chicago and has a fan in manager Joe Maddon. Baez had 13 home runs and 17 stolen bases in only 70 games with Triple-A Iowa last year. It remains to be seen if he can make consistent contact in the majors but in his first 10 games, Baez has six runs, a home run and two stolen bases with a .795 OPS. There is a 20/20 season lurking here, but the average may be in the .230-range by year’s end.

Cesar Hernandez (PHI)
Fantasy Ownership: 8.7 percent ESPN, 20 percent CBS, 24 percent Yahoo

Possibly the most similar in skill set to Gordon is Hernandez of Philadelphia. The Phillies have shown the ability to be a plucky team at the start of the season, and Hernandez has hit near the top of the order. He has spent time at lead-off or hitting second for the Phillies, and 47 of his 72 at-bats are in the top two spots of the batting order. Over the last seven days, Hernandez is 9-for-22 (.409) with three runs, three RBI and three walks. He is slashing .292/.338/.361 with two stolen bases. Hernandez has been caught four times early in the year, but he did total 19 steals in 2015 over 127 games.

Middle Infield Targets to Replace Dee Gordon

Ketel Marte (SEA)
Fantasy Ownership: 33 percent ESPN, 63 percent CBS, 23 percent Yahoo

While Marte is more available on ESPN and Yahoo, he does make for a very intriguing pivot to replace Gordon at middle infield. Marte started the year mired in a slump but has turned things around recently. In the last week, Marte is 12-for-25 (.480) with six runs and two RBI. He only has two steals on the year but swiped eight in his 57-game sample last year. There is speed upside, and if Marte can move to the second spot in the Mariners’ lineup permanently, his runs and stolen base production will be on the rise as well.

Jonathan Villar (MIL)
Fantasy Ownership: 10.3 percent ESPN, 19 percent CBS, 4 percent Yahoo

Talk about recency bias, Villar had three hits for the Brewers on Thursday while facing Jake Arrieta. He also stole three bases in the game to push his season total to five for the year. The five steals put him on pace for 39 this year which is risky. Still, with the Brewers needing to manufacture runs, Villar will be allowed to be aggressive. More encouraging is his .377 OBP during his 19 games this year. He is only going to turn 25 in early May and could be a part of the Brewers’ infield even when Orlando Arcia is promoted. Increased walk rate, potential spot hitting second for Milwaukee with Scooter Gennett on the disabled list and a run at 30 or more steals? Why not.

Other Players of Interest

Marcus Semien (OAK)
Fantasy Ownership: 24.9 percent ESPN, 63 percent CBS, 42 percent Yahoo

Jimmy Rollins (CWS)
Fantasy Ownership: 3.9 percent ESPN, 12 percent CBS, 5 percent Yahoo

These two shortstops could be stop gaps at middle infield. Each has the ability to produce double digits in home runs and steals. Rollins has the runs advantage hitting second for the White Sox with nine runs in his 17 games played. Semien has the power edge with five home runs and nine RBI to start the year with one steal. Both could be a risk to average, but Semien has youth and power on his side as the upside play here going forward.

There are many ways to turn for fantasy owners needing to find production in the 80 games lost for Gordon. If it is possible to stash guys in the minors for stolen base upside, Trea Turner of Washington and Jose Peraza make strong targets as well. Turner may be subject to waiting for the Super-2 date to pass, but with the Nationals’ offense sputtering other than Bryce Harper, he could be summoned sooner rather than later.

Zack Cozart of Cincinnati is hitting lead-off for the Reds and has 13 runs in 16 games with two home runs and eight RBI. He did steal 30 bases at Triple-A in 2010, but his recent knee issues temper his stolen base ceiling. Two Twins could also be sneaky adds in deeper formats. Eduardo Nunez has been hitting atop the lineup with nine runs in 16 games and five steals to start the year. He will not be able to maintain his hot hitting, but if steals are a necessity, he is racking them up in April. Danny Santana had a breakthrough in 2014 with 20 steals in 101 games for Minnesota, but his approach at the plate reared its ugly head last year. Santana has started strong despite his early injury. He’s back with the Twins and has three runs in seven games with two steals.

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There is no safe way to replace a player of Gordon’s draft-day price for 80 games. Having targets and players to rotate may be the best way to do it. There are plenty of names available, so depending on roster construction, hit the wire this weekend and make the best adjustment possible. As for Gordon, he is eligible to return on July 29th.

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Greg Jewett is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Greg, check out his archive and follow him @gjewett9.