Fantasy baseball 2020 tiered second basemen rankings
By Bill Pivetz
This tier features another seven second basemen that can be drafted as middle infielders or backups, depending on the league size.
Kevin Newman, PIT
Newman had a great rookie season, hitting .287 with 12 home runs, 56 RBIs and 10 steals. As good as that stat line was, I can’t see it happening again. His best season in the minors was in 2016 when he hit five homers, 52 RBIs and .320 between High-A and Double-A.
The Pirates offense may be one of the worst in the league, especially after the Starling Marte trade. Josh Bell is the power bat in the middle of the lineup but without help, he can’t do much. Newman will fall back down to Earth with 10 homers, 55 RBIs and a .280 average.
Dee Gordon, SEA
Despite just playing in 117 games, Gordon was able to steal 22 bases while hitting .275. He isn’t a power hitter and with this Mariners lineup, the RBIs and runs may not be there either.
According to Roster Resource, Gordon will start the season on the bench while Shed Long starts at second base. In a keeper/dynasty league, Long is a good stash. Gordon will get playing time but it may be 120 games, not 150.
Cesar Hernandez, CLE
There’s nothing that stands out about Hernandez. He’s a solid pick that won’t excite anyone when drafted. Hernandez had a down season in 2018 with batting average but came right back by hitting .279 last season.
Hernandez is a lock for 15 home runs and double-digit steals. As the No. 6 hitter for the Indians, he’ll hit .275 with 11 home runs, 56 RBIs and another 10 steals. Honestly, who else are you going to draft in the 22nd round?
Kolten Wong, STL
Wong has been a decent source of contact, but last year he was able to hit for double-digit power with a career-high 11 home runs. The loss of Marcell Ozuna will impact the offense but the rest of the lineup is solid.
As the No. 2 hitter for the Cardinals, he should be able to get on base and score at a decent clip with Paul Goldschmidt and Paul DeJong behind him. If Wong is able to replicate his 2019 performance, then he’ll be a steal in the 22nd round.
Garrett Hampson, COL
Hampson bounced around the field for the Rockies last season. He has second base and outfield eligibility. He may even have shortstop eligibility based on your league’s settings. As a result of the constant shuffling, Hampson finished with 299 at-bats.
He hit eight home runs, 27 RBIs and .247 with 15 steals in that span. With Trevor Story at shortstop, Ryan McMahon at second and David Dahl, Charlie Blackmon and Sam Hilliard in the outfield, Hampson may struggle to get to 300 at-bats again.
Tommy Edman, STL
Going back to St. Louis, Edman had a great rookie season. Over 92 games, he hit 11 home runs, 36 RBIs and .304 with 15 steals. He enters 2020 with second and third base eligibility. Edman will earn outfield eligibility after 10 games as the starting left field.
Edman will likely hit towards the bottom of the Cardinals order, giving him fewer at-bats compared to hitting at the top of the order. Regardless, he will hit 14 home runs, 53 RBIs and .277. The addition of the potential 20 steals he could get boosts his value.
Ryan McMahon, COL
McMahon bounced around from first, second and third base, accumulating 141 games played as a result. In that span, he hit .250 with 24 home runs and 83 RBIs. He is the Rockies starting second baseman, for now, giving him consistent playing time.
Hitting in Coors Field helped McMahon’s fantasy value. At home, he hit .270 with 18 homers and 53 RBIs. On the road, however, he finished with a .226, six home runs and 30 RBIs. If you draft McMahon, keep an eye on the Rockies schedule for when you start him.
Brandon Lowe, TB
Lowe came onto the scene quieter than most prospects. In 82 games, he hit 17 home runs, 51 RBIs and a .270 average. With a full season as the Rays starting second baseman on the horizon, big things are in store for Lowe.
Hitting in the AL East has its negatives, like facing Gerrit Cole, Hyun-jin Ryu and others, but the parks are very hitter-friendly. The team may not spend the big bucks like others, the hitters are performing. Lowe will have Austin Meadows and Yandy Diaz hitting behind him. He should get to 25 home runs, 80 RBIs, 10 steals and a .255 average.
These second basemen are good, possibly great, but there is something holding them back from being in the top-10.
Rougned Odor, TEX
Odor’s been a reliable hitter with 30 home runs and a .260-.270 average. Last year, he posted another 30-home run season but it came with a .205 batting average. Striking out a career-high 178 times will have an effect on his average and OBP.
The Rangers lineup lost Delino DeShields and Nomar Mazara. However, most of the lineup is still the same. Odor will give you 30 home runs, 95 RBIs and 10 steals. But, you either have to have a nice buffer of batting average or completely forget about the category.
Cavan Biggio, TOR
Biggio performed the worst of the three Blue Jays rookies last season. He hit .234 with 16 home runs and 48 RBIs and 14 steals over 100 games. Drafting a team with a solid batting average is going to be tough this season.
Biggio will hit towards the top of the order with Bo Bichette at leadoff, Biggio second, Lourdes Gurriel third and Vlad Guerrero Jr in the cleanup spot. Biggio will be a good source for power and speed, with a 20-20 season very possible.
Gavin Lux, LAD
Lux had a small sample size of games last season. He hit .240 with two homers and nine RBIs. I’ve talked about how impressive the Dodgers lineup is already. If Lux breaks out, there will be no question that it’ll be the best in the league.
Lux will be the main second baseman with the other Dodgers play in tier finding a place somewhere else in the infield. Lux’s counting stats will be on the low side as the No. 8 hitter but if he can get close to his minor-league performance, 20 home runs with a .270 average are still not bad.
Eduardo Escobar, ARI
Escobar played 33 games at second base last season. Unless something changes, it’ll be his last season with second base eligibility. With Starling Marte joining the team, Ketel Marte will take over second base, locking Escobar at third base.
Escobar hit 35 home runs, 118 RBIs, 10 triples and .269 over 158 games. His batting average won’t hurt you when he hits another 30 home runs and 110 RBIs. Sprinkle in a couple of steals and Escobar could be top-10 in two positions.
Jeff McNeil, NYM
McNeil didn’t show a lot of power in his rookie season but finished with a .329 average. Many thought he couldn’t get close to that last season but he proved them wrong. McNeil hit .318 and added some power by hitting 23 home runs with 75 RBIs.
McNeil is slated to hit second, between Brandon Nimmo and Robinson Cano. The opposing pitching is going to be tough but McNeil did a good job in his first two seasons. Hitting another 20 home runs with a .300 average could move him up in the rankings come next season.
Mike Moustakas, CIN
Moustakas has been one of the best-hitting infielders for years. He averaged 26 home runs, 72 RBIs and .264 over the last five seasons. Moose got close to his career-high in home runs last season with Milwaukee.
Now that he’s moving to the hitter-friendly Great American Park, it’s possible for him to finish with 40 home runs. He may not hit higher than .260 and steal less than five bases, but that power is hard to find in the ninth round.
Max Muncy, LAD
I talked about Muncy in my first basemen rankings. He will likely be drafted as a top-10 second or third baseman compared to first base. He’s a lock for 30 HR/85 RBI/.250 this season.