Fantasy Baseball 2016 Second Basemen Rankings 10-1

After losing playoffs Cinderella Daniel Murphy to divisional rival Washington Nationals, the New York Mets traded for Neil Walker. He’s been injury prone over the last few seasons. He was able to stay healthy in 2015 and play in 151 games, the most since 2011. He hit 16 home runs, 71 RBI and .269 with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

After hitting 23 HR/76 RBI/.271 in 2014, last season was a bit of a down year for Walker. His walk rate dropped and strikeout rate rose almost three percent. He also saw a decline in his fly ball rate and rise in his ground ball rate. He finished as the No. 11 second baseman on the Player Rater.

Walker made great contact with the ball last season. He had a 13.8 soft hit rate, 26th in the league among all qualified hitters. His 54.4 medium hit rate was 44th in the league. He should see an uptick in his doubles and triples from last season.

Some may argue that the Pirates lineup is better than the Mets, and they were in team batting average and on-base percentage. However, the Mets were better in home runs and slugging percentage. PNC Park is more of a hitter’s park than Citi Field. With the lineup the Mets are rolling out, Walker could hit 20 home runs, 70 RBI and .265 this season.

Next: No. 8: DJ LeMahieu

I wrote about the value DJ LeMahieu holds at middle infield, and more specifically second base. He was average across the board in his first four seasons. The power numbers were non-existent, but he made good contact with the ball, 328 hits and .276 average in that span. Last season was a big step up in his age-26 season. In 150 games, he had 170 hits, six home runs, 61 RBI and .301 average, all career highs.

He went undrafted in most ESPN leagues, 260.0 ADP. He finished as the fourth-best second baseman on the Player Rater, behind the top two names on this list and Brandon Phillips. The average, steals (23) and runs scored all helped his ranking at the end of the season.

LeMahiue gets an extra boost for playing at Coors Field. The field ranked first in runs, fifth in home runs and first in hits according to ESPN’s 2015 Park Factors. Hitting ahead of Nolan Arenado and Carlos Gonzalez also helps his performance.

If you either miss or voluntarily pass on the top names, LeMahieu is a good value pick in the middle of the draft. I think 10 home runs is a high ceiling, but .300 and 25 steals is likely.

Next: No. 7: Rougned Odor

Rougned Odor struggled in the first month of the season. He had 13 hits, one home run, nine RBI, 25 strikeouts and a .144 batting average. As a result, the Rangers optioned Odor to Triple-A Round Rock. In 30 games, he had 38 hits, five home runs, 19 RBI and a .352 batting average and was called back up.

From June 15 until the end of the season, Odor hit .292 with 98 hits, 15 home runs, 52 RBI, 54 strikeouts and 16 walks. With an improved second part of his 2015 season, Odor finished as the 19th-best second baseman and 236th overall on the ESPN Player Rater. He was likely a middle infield option in standard ESPN leagues.

Odor had a 24.3 percent strikeout rate in his first 29 games. It dropped to 14.7 percentage between June 15 and the end of the season. He was making better contact with the ball when he returned to the Rangers lineup, 29.8 hard hit and 49.8 medium hit rates.

I wrote about Odor being a sleeper this season. With the group of power hitters in Prince Fielder, Adrian Beltre and Mitch Moreland, Odor will have many opportunities to drive in and score a lot of runs.

Next: No. 6: Ian Kinsler

Since joining the Detroit Tigers in 2014, Ian Kinsler has been a great hitter. He played in 315 games and hit 28 home runs, 165 RBI and .285 between the two seasons. Maybe it’s the lack of talent at the position, but Kinsler finished fifth among second basemen and 68th overall on the Player Rater.

I wrote about Kinsler’s 2016 projections here. One stat I like is that he had his ninth 10 HR/10 SB season and fifth in a row last season. The speed isn’t something you draft Kinsler for, but having an extra 10-12 steals in your lineup isn’t something to complain about.

Kinsler has been one of the toughest hitters to get out during his career, with a career 11.7 strikeout percentage and 8.6 walk rate. Kinsler is very patient at the plate and takes advantage of a pitcher’s frustration. He had a 29.0 O-swing percentage, 45th in the league, which is why he recorded over 180 hits in each of his last two seasons.

The Tigers lineup is a dangerous one with Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and J.D. Martinez all entering the season healthy. Kinsler is a good second baseman He’ll have another 10/10 season while hitting .275.

Next: No. 5: Jason Kipnis

There has been a lot of debate between drafting Jason Kipnis and the next guy in the slide show. One has power and the other has a high batting average. Kipnis is the second one. He nine home runs, 52 RBI and .303 with 12 steals last season. He was the sixth-best second baseman on the Player Rater.

He had a career-high 171 hits, with 51 coming in May. He also ended the month with 30 runs which made him one of three people ever in the MLB to have 50+ hits and 30+ runs in the month of May. He had an 8.9 walk rate with a 16.7 strikeour rate.

Kipnis’ game played have dropped over the last few seasons. He played in 152 games in 2012 and 141 last season. As a result, his speed numbers have dropped. He had 31 steals in 2012 and declined ever since. Kipnis did improve his power numbers from 2014, 4.8 HR/FB and 26.6 hard hit rate, to 2015, 6.9 and 29.9, respectively.

The Cleveland Indians lineup is not the best to say the least. He is one of the better hitters in the league, and will hit over .300 again this season. Just don’t expect high power numbers from Kipnis.

Next: No. 4: Brian Dozier

Brian Dozier is the power hitter I was talking about in the last slide. He had a career year last season. He played in 157 games (career high) with 28 home runs (career high), 77 RBI (career high) and .236 with 12 steals. Even with the poor batting average, he finished eighth on the Player Rater.

He also had 39 doubles and four triples, both also career highs. There were some negatives to Dozier’s game, besides the batting average. He had 149 strikeouts (21.0 percent) and 61 walks (8.7 percent). He saw an increase to his fly ball and HR/FB rates, but his 9.0 swinging strike and 30.8 O-Swing percentages shows that he is a home run or miss kind of hitter.

The Minnesota Twins’ lineup is better compared to the Indians. Trevor Plouffe bounced back last season and the team has a young star on their hands with Miguel Sano. Dozier will hit another 25 home runs with 70 RBI and .240 average.

The comparisons between Dozier and Kipnis have lasted for years. They are very similar players, but Dozier presents a little more pop in his swings. If you miss out on one of the power-hitting second basemen, Dozier is the guy you will want to draft.

Next: No. 3: Robinson Cano

After struggling in his first year in Seattle, Robinson Cano bounced back in a good way last season. He didn’t perform to his usual standards as a top-20 pick. He finished seventh among second basemen and 93rd overall on the Player Rater.

My colleague, Brad Kelly wrote about how undervalued Cano is entering this season. He struggled in the first half, hitting  .251/6 HR/30 RBI/.290 OBP. No one knew what the problem was, but he announced that he was having sports hernia surgery. He came back strong in the second half with a .331/15 HR/49 RBI/.387 OBP line.

The Seattle Mariners made a lot of moves in the offseason to help improve this lineup. They added Nori Aoki, Leonys Martin and Adam Lind to support Cano and Nelson Cruz. Cano isn’t getting any younger, turned 33 in October, so the Mariners need to do whatever they can to get the best out of Cano.

The struggle in the first half could be a benefit to fantasy owners looking to draft Cano. His value is no longer as a top-20 pick, but he can still perform at that level. He’s been healthy throughout his career, averaging 159 games played in the last nine seasons. I can see another 20 HR/.300 season for Cano.

Next: No. 2: Dee Gordon

Dee Gordon led the league in stolen bases for two straight seasons. It’s hard to find that kind of speed early in the draft, so Gordon tends to be overrated in drafts.

He finished the season with 202 hits (24 doubles, eight triples and hour home runs), 46 RBI, 58 stolen bases and a .333 batting average. He was the No. 1 second baseman on the Player Rater, mostly because he outran everyone on the base paths.

My colleague, Brad Kelly wrote about Gordon being the best second baseman in 2016. He likes him a lot, but feels like he needs to keep his K-rate in check. It dropped almost three percent from 2014 to 2015. The only thing he would like to improve is his walk rate, but that would cause Gordon to change his hitting approach. Kelly likes Gordon as the No. 1 guy and I can see why.

With him being a one- or two-category fantasy player, I don’t like him as my top second baseman. I like someone with a more rounded game at the plate. He’s a great No. 2 guy, but you know the reason why you’re drafting Gordon. The 200 hits are nice and the plus-.400 slugging percentage is nice, but those 60 steals are a lot nicer.

Next: No. 1: Jose Altuve

Jose Altuve is my No. 1 second baseman. He presents a more well-rounded game compared to Gordon. He hit 15 home runs, 66 RBI and .313 with 38 steals in 154 games. He was the No. 2 second baseman and No. 10 overall on the Player Rater.

Some of his numbers dropped between 2014 and 2015. He played in four fewer games and had 25 fewer hits, 18 fewer steals and lost 28 points on his batting average. Altuve saw an increase in his power with eight more homes and a small increase in his slugging percentage.

Altuve doesn’t strike out much, 9.7 percent, but he doesn’t walk a lot either, 4.8 percent. Even though he had a high ground ball rate, 46.7 percent, he, like Gordon, is able to run most of them out and turn them into hits. He had a 12.7 infield hit percentage, T-5 in the league among qualified hitters.

Entering this season, I do see a regression back to the mean for Altuve’s power numbers. He will hit 10-plus home runs with 65 RBI and a .305 batting average. I do see him reaching 40 steals though. Altuve is entering his sixth season, but he’s only 25. He is my top second baseman in re-draft and dynasty leagues because of his contribution to all the hitting categories.

Next: Wrap Up

The second base position has some talent, but many of the players fly under the radar. Whether it’s because the name doesn’t excite you or the numbers aren’t as flashy, second base is a position where you could wait. There are plenty of others positions to draft ahead of second base. If you want the steals early, however, Gordon or Altuve are the guys to go after.

Heading into this season, I’m looking forward to watching Gordon just see how many times he is going to steal and if he will break 70. I’m not expecting much from him otherwise. The other players I want to see are Wong and LeMahieu. The two youngsters showed a lot of promise last season and could finish in the top five at the end of this season.

So, those are my top-10 second basemen. Is there someone I overrated? Underrated? Is there someone you are avoiding this season? Let me know in the comments.

Next: Minnesota Twins 2016 Fantasy Preview

Three positions down, six more to go. The next rankings list will feature shortstops ranked 15 to 11.