Guys up the middle are keys to big league rosters, one of the reasons the second base position is known as the keystone. However with the immense talent that is coming up through the ranks, we need to look at these guys a little differently than ordinarily because one, or a few, of these guys can actually help your fantasy team across several categories, and not just the standard couple that we have come to expect, and bank on, from second baseman and shortstops.

We talked about Ozzie Albies (2B ATL AAA) earlier in the season but it’s time for a follow up. The 20-year-old top Braves prospect is now slashing .274/.321/.406 after going 4-for-5 in his last game, with two homers, 14 steals, 29 runs, and 14 RBI. That may not sound great but he does have a .329 BABIP and a .309 wOBA, so he is hitting a bit better than the average gives him credit for. Albies’ issue this season has been his strikeout total, and hitting from the left side. Coming into this season he had 175 strikeouts in 293 career games, this year he has 42 Ks in 42 games with 32 of those coming from hitting lefty. His .396 AVG batting righty versus his .228 while hitting lefty explains the issue. The Gwinnett coaching staff is working with him to fix the swing from the left side before he heads to Atlanta.

Atlanta has another middle infield prospect worth watching in Travis Demeritte (2B ATL AA), though he is more unheralded than the aforementioned Albies. The 22-year-old second baseman was a former first round pick of Texas before being traded to Atlanta last season. When Demeritte is on the field, his talent is noticeable, but injuries and a suspension have cost him valuable time the past few seasons. He has a good enough power-speed profile to be a 20-10 guy at minimum, but his bat needs some work still. He is slashing .252/.330/.434 at Double-A in 42 games this season with six homers, 30 runs, 22 RBI, and three steals while also posting a .315 BABIP and .349 wOBA. While Demeritte’s walk rate has consistently been between 10-17%, the 25.7% K rate this year is his lowest so far. Demeritte’s future maybe a third base for the Braves with Albies and Swanson locking up the middle.

Willie Calhoun (2B LAD AAA) is another prospect I touched on earlier this season, but as one of the more intriguing prospects, he deserves a second look. Last season Calhoun broke onto the scene with a 27 homer, 88 RBI season in the Texas League with low strikeout rates (10.8%) to boot. Through 39 games this season, Calhoun has nine homers and three steals while batting .308/.361/.562, a .300 BABIP and .395 wOBA. He is intriguing because with that much pop and batting eye at second, he is a valuable commodity, however there is some doubt as to whether he can stick there. Some scouts believe he profiles more at third or left field, where he played at his Arizona Juco. If that move happens however, he becomes just another .280-.290 hitter with 25 homerun pop at a position that that is expected from.

The number three overall pick from the 2015 draft seems like an odd choice for this type of article, but Brendan Rodgers (SS/2B COL A+) has flown under the radar a bit. Rodgers, 20, is still down in high-A ball while the two picks taken ahead of him, Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman, are up in the majors. Through 25 games in 2017, he is hitting .352/.374/.602 with four homers, 23 each of runs and RBI with one steal. The biggest issue for Rodgers is for him to learn how not to be so pull happy. He can’t get his bat on the off-speed pitches on the outer-half and that’s leading to a K rate into the 20’s so far in his career, while limiting his walks. Though listed as a shortstop, he profiles, and has played more, as a second baseman in the bigs who can hit for average and pop from the middle infield. He offers little in the steals department though.

The acquisition of Gleyber Torres by the Yankees stole some of the thunder from Jorge Mateo (SS/2B NYY A+) following his 82-steal season in 2015. Mateo was promoted to Class-A Advanced Tampa at the end of 2015 where he hit .321 in 21 games while stealing the final 11 bags of his 82 total, since then however he has only managed an AVG in the .250s while remaining at A+ for all of 2016 and now 42 games of 2017. His BABIP and wOBA show he has been a slightly better hitter than that (.323 BABIP, .317 wOBA), but he still can’t consistently connect with lower level stuff as he nears his 22nd birthday. The main skill he offers is his 80-graded speed, but if he can’t figure out his bat, which I think he can, he will be in the mold of Jarrod Dyson.

Minnesota’s top-prospect, Nick Gordon (SS MIN AA), is not going to do anything that jumps out at you in terms of a “wow” trait, but he is a very good baseball player. He is the half-brother of Miami’s Dee Gordon, and has the knack for stealing bags that Dee has, though not the proficiency. Through 42 games at Double-A Chattanooga this season he is slashing .305/.374/.485 with a .385 wOBA and .384 BABIP. Three homers, three steals, 25 runs, and 23 RBI fill out the rest of the stat line. He has stolen 25 and 19 bags in the last two full seasons respectively but was caught 13 times in the 19-steal season. The 21-year-old former first round pick should hit for average, a handful of homers, steal 20-25 bags and provide enough runs and RBI to make him a very solid fantasy contributor in two years.