Fantasy Second Base 10-17
Sep 24, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Arismendy Alcantara (left) celebrates with teammate Javier Baez (9) after defeating the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
The number before each second baseman’s name represents their overall rank in the 2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings.
After the first few players listed, we are into the group of players at second base who are just hard to get excited about. It also can be a bit tougher to separate some of these hitters, and I could completely see you grabbing someone I have ranked outside of my top 20 second basemen instead of one that I have ranked around 15th at the position.
10. #94 Dustin Pedroia Boston Red Sox
Dustin Pedroia was essentially not worth a fantasy roster spot in 2014, but his wrist issue reportedly sapped all of his power. I think Pedroia is incredibly important to watch in Spring Training because it could tell us a lot going forward. I have no problem taking this gamble at second base because of his upside, but I am quite concerned that he has had declining stats every year since 2011.
11. #124 Javier Baez Chicago Cubs (also SS eligible)
After Pedroia, second base becomes much murkier and all of the players become far riskier options to invest in. No one says risk versus reward like Javier Baez. Baez could hit 30 homers with middle infield eligibility, but he could also flame out and strike out almost half the time.
I think it is important to recognize that Javier Baez has had a serious adjustment period at every professional level so far in his career. I would recommend reading more about it in this article that I wrote when Baez was called up to the show last season. If you have the guts, then draft the Russian roulette player of 2015.
12. #145 Chase Utley Philadelphia Phillies
I miss the days when Chase Utley was a high first round fantasy pick. I am sure that all Phillies fans miss those days when their team was a contender every single year as well. At this point, Utley is still a solid bet for double digit long balls and swipes, but his ceiling is fairly limited. I still think Utley was always the best player in their infield, despite the fact that the players to his left and right won an MVP.
13. #180 Howie Kendrick Los Angeles Dodgers
Kendrick’s best fantasy feature is that he owns a career .292 batting average. Besides that, he could put up comparable numbers to Chase Utley at a cheaper price. I doubt that I own Howie Kendrick this year because I either want a better second baseman or would rather go in a different direction with my utility and bench options.
14. #185 Arismendy Alcantara Chicago Cubs (also OF eligible)
With Joe Maddon now in Chicago, I have seen the idea of Alcantara as Maddon’s new Ben Zobrist being floated around on the Internet. While that may or may not have any truth to it, I think Alcantara will get enough at-bats to have fantasy worth. There is an outside chance that he could put up a 20-20 season, but I think 10-15 is far more likely along with a bunch of strikeouts. Watch for the chance of him gaining eligibility at 3B as well during the season.
15. #209 Aaron Hill Arizona Diamondbacks
If it were five years ago, I would not stop raving about Chase Utley and Aaron Hill. We would have weekly Aaron Hill features, but we are now at the point he could even be at risk to not be an everyday starter. The best case scenario is for Hill to return to 15 homers and hit for an average upwards of .285.
16. #218 Brett Lawrie Oakland A’s
Brett Lawrie makes a strong case as my least favorite fantasy player in recent years. He was very heavily hyped and never cheap even without showing any real production offensively at the Major League level. However, I am all in on Lawrie for leagues that reward you for days spent on the DL.
17. #227 Jedd Gyorko San Diego Padres
Jedd Gyorko was a finalist for the most disappointing fantasy player of 2014 after a stunningly terrible season with a .210/.280/.333 slash line. While a return to 20 home runs would not surprise me, I feel like Gyorko offers empty power. What I mean by that is that Gyorko has very limited value outside of the HR category. Even in his solid 2013 season, Jedd Gyorko only had 62 runs, 63 RBI’s, and a mediocre slash line.