I don’t know when it happened, but second base has turned into a kind of a deep position. There are still elite options who are a cut above the rest, of course. But you can legitimately wait until the 15th round or so and still walk away from your draft feeling fine at second base.
As you’ll see, there is a pretty massive tier of second basemen who represent solid but unspectacular players. Whether you wait on that group or take one from the upper echelon, chances are that you’re going to leave your draft feeling good about the position.
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The Uber Elites
Yes, being honest, Altuve deserves his own tier. He’s a top-4 pick, at worst, and is about as safe as they come. But Turner needs to be mentioned here because he’s simply a cut above the guys in the next tier. And frankly, if I start giving every guy his own tier, I’m going to run out of titles.
You’re going to read many things from a lot of really smart people about why Turner is being drafted too high (currently 11th in ADP), and it’s all fair. Unsustainable BABIP and home run rate, etc. I get it. But a) speed is scarce this year and never slumps, and b) he’s one of a handful of guys who have the potential to finish as a top-5 player. Even if Turner regresses, he’s going to give you great stats. He makes this first tier, though, of course, Altuve is the king.
The Regular Elites
Unless MLB has really juiced the baseballs and will continue to do so, I don’t expect Cano and Dozier to be pushing 40 homers again. But they both have pretty high floors and should provide pretty elite overall production in 2017. And Murphy has shown that the swing changes he made in the second half of 2015 were legitimate.
These three are all clearly below Turner and Altuve, but will still provide outstanding production from the position. Also, why didn’t the Mets sign Murphy to that reasonable three-year deal he was seeking? Asking for a friend.
The Rock Solids
The guys in this tier are all going to give you rock solid production (hence the name of tier – get it?). There’s an argument that the top few belong higher, but there are enough doubts to keep them in the same tier as Kinsler and Kipnis (who lack huge upside but are very safe).
Odor hit 33 home runs as a 22-year-old, but also had just 19 walks and a .296 OBP. Gordon obviously provides elite speed, but offers no power and it’s unclear how much, if any, of his superb years were due to PEDs. Segura has had just one great season and now moves to a far worse park. And although Carpenter’s power gains are real, his lack of steals and mediocre batting average keep him from rising any higher.
Overall, every guy in this tier is going to be a steady, reliable producer, and is worth waiting on if you miss out on the elite players at the position.
The Still Startables
This is about the last group of players who you can start and feel comfortable with. There is almost no chance any of them could ever end up in the top-5 at the position at this point, and only a slightly better chance that any could end up in the top-10. But LeMahieu, Pedroia, and Zobrist are all going to be steady, and none will hurt you.
Peraza represents the wild card. The kid has some serious wheels (he stole 60-plus bases in two separate minor league seasons), and if he can handle major league pitching reasonably well, he’s got a decent shot at a 40- or 50-steal season. But he has absolutely no power and lacks the safety of the rest of this tier. Still, given his upside, he’d be my first choice among this group.
The Not Really Startables
These guys are getting drafted in almost every league, and should probably find their way into being a starting middle infielder on a fantasy team. But you really don’t want to be starting these guys as your second baseman unless you’re in an extremely deep league.
Schoop did hit 25 homers last year, but he played ALL 162 games and had just a .298 OBP. He’s not going to reproduce those power numbers. Forsythe is fine but plays on a team with a thousand bench options and it’s not clear that the gains he made against righties last year are legitimate. And Baez has major playing time concerns.
Of this group, Travis is the guy to keep an eye on. If he wins the leadoff job in Toronto, he should pile on the runs scored and give useable stats in the other categories.
The Barely Draftables
These guys are all in consideration for one of your last bench spots. Some of them should provide passable stats in a pinch (Walker, Phillips, Castro, Panik), or offer major upside in one or more categories (Schimpf – power, Hernandez – steals, Wong – a little of both). But none should be considered a reliable option at this point.
Everyone Else
Nothing much to see here unless you’re in a super-deep league. But hey, some of you are in super deep leagues. So, here you go!
More Tiers
Catcher Rankings Tiers
First Base Rankings Tiers
Shortstop Rankings Tiers
Third Base Rankings Tiers
Outfield Rankings Tiers
Starting Pitcher Rankings Tiers
Relief Pitcher Rankings Tiers
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Dan Harris is a correspondent with FantasyPros. For more from Dan, check out his archive or follow him on Twitter at @danharris80
