Brian Dozier or Jason Kipnis: Second Base Battle

Apr 18, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Cleveland Indians second baseman

(22) forces out Minnesota Twins second baseman

(2) and turns a double play in the in the 4th inning at Target Field. Cleveland wins 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

On draft day, the second base position was one of the worst as far as depth in concerned. Outside of a couple of superstars, most of the second basemen were picked after the sixth round. Two of them were drafted within two picks of each other. That would be Brian Dozier (71.2 ADP) and Jason Kipnis (73.7). Looking at their numbers from this year, they are not as close as you may think. So, if you had to pick one, who would it be?

Here are their 2015 numbers*

Dozier – 18 home runs, 45 RBI, nine stolen bases, 75:34 K:BB rate, .257/.330/.513

Kipnis – six home runs, 36 RBI, 10 stolen bases, 55:40 K:BB rate, .331/.408/.496

What are the major differences?

Dozier is a better power hitter, hence the increased slugging percentage. However, Kipnis is the better all-around hitter. He has some power (38 extra base hits) to go along with his excellent plate discipline help give him the edge in average and OBP.

Over the last 30 days, Dozier is outplaying Kipnis by a longshot, except in one stat. Kipnis has a batting average 99 points higher than Dozier, .336 compared to .237. Dozier has seven homers and 17 RBI, and an improved K:BB rate.

When drafting or trying to pick the better of the two, it all depends on what you’re looking for in your second baseman. If you drafted a power hitter early, then Kipnis is the guy to target. On the flip side, if you selected a five-tool guy (like Paul Goldschmidt), then you might be leaning towards Dozier. Dozier will help boost your power numbers, while Goldschmidt can offset his bad average.

The second base position saw a lot of names get hurt already this season. Seeing Dozier and Kipnis stay healthy only helps their case for being in the top 10 next year and beyond. Kipnis is a 15 home run-20 steal guy while Dozier is 25-15.

Gun to my head, if I had to pick one for my fantasy team, I would pick Dozier. The power numbers are too great. Finding a second baseman that can hit 25 home runs is rare. He gets his fair share of stolen bases and I could find a player later in the draft to help with the stolen bases and batting average. Or, just play in a league that uses OPS as the fifth batting category.

Regardless of who you choose, you would end up with a good player at second base.

*Dozier has one more game played