Fantasy baseball 2020 tiered second basemen rankings

This tier features seven second basemen that do some things well but aren’t consistent enough to rely on as your starter.

Jonathan Schoop, DET

Schoop may be a risk with his low batting average but he’s a good source of power. He’s hit 101 home runs over the last four seasons. Moving to Minnesota didn’t seem to help his numbers as it did for other hitters.

The Tigers made a few moves to help the offense this season. Along with Schoop, they signed CJ Cron, Austin Romine and Cameron Maybin. As the No. 6 hitter, Schoop should be able to drive in 70 runs with 23 home runs and a .256 batting average. He’s a good backup pick.

Luis Arraez, MIN

Over 366 plate appearances last season, Arraez hit .334 with four home runs and 28 RBIs. He also hit 20 doubles. Looking at his minor-league numbers, over 1,585 plate appearances, he hit a total of 10 home runs with a .330 average.

Arraez will take the place of Schoop as the Twins starting second baseman and will hit sixth, between Mitch Garver and Miguel Sano. He’ll have a hard time reaching double-digit home runs but will be a good source for a good batting average.

Starlin Castro, WSH

Forgotten about in Miami, Castro hit a career-high 22 home runs with 86 RBIs and a .270 batting average. Now, he’ll be hitting in the middle of a new Nationals lineup, between Juan Soto and Eric Thames.

Moving from the Marlins to the Nationals should provide Castro the opportunity to reach 100 RBIs while hitting 20 homers and .281. There is some risk because Asdrubal Cabrera and Howie Kendrick still loom on the bench.

Luis Urias, MIL

Urias didn’t look all that impressive in his rookie season. He hit .223 with four home runs and 24 RBIs in 215 at-bats with the Padres. Urias hit for a combined .308 throughout his time in the minors.

He was then traded to the Brewers. Things were looking good for him to get extended playing time but Urias suffered a fractured hamate bone back in January, so his status for Opening Day is questionable. If he’s not drafted, he’ll be a top waiver wire add.

Robinson Cano, NYM

While we’ve seen a decline in power, Cano was still hitting at least .280. Last season was a drop across the board. He hit just 13 home runs with a .256 average and 39 RBIs in 107 games. If he can stay healthy, Cano is a prime bounce back candidate.

The Mets lineup is still solid, with Brandon Nimmo leading off, Pete Alonso hitting third, Cano fourth and Michael Conforto sixth. As long as he stays healthy, we could see Cano get back to 22 home runs and a .280 average. He’ll be a sneaky late-round draft pick.

Tommy La Stella, LAA

La Stella hit 10 home runs in his first 396 games. He then joined the Angels and hit 16 with a .295 average over 80 games last season. La Stella was on pace for 25 home run season. He’s another one that, if healthy, could be another steal in the later rounds.

The Angels added a big piece to their offense in Anthony Rendon. La Stella will likely hit towards the bottom of the lineup with Albert Pujols and Andrelton Simmons sandwiching him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he hits close to 30 home runs with a .290 average.

Michael Chavis, BOS

I talked about Chavis during my first basemen rankings. He looked good in the first half but slipped after the break. The Red Sox lineup took a big loss with the trade of Mookie Betts. He’ll have value because of his multi-position eligibility. Chavis will hit no higher than .260 with 25 home runs, but there are a lot of players that can do that.