The second base position may not have the elite, top-tier fantasy talent that other positions do, but there are plenty of enticing players for fantasy baseball at this position. While MLB The Show 23 cover boy Jazz Chisholm Jr. is my top second baseman, others like Jose Altuve, Ozzie Albies, and Marcus Semien will generate a lot of fantasy interest, as they, too, are near the 41-game of many fantasy baseball rankings for the second base position. However, the position actually runs quite deep, with many popular fantasy baseball bounce-back candidates nestled outside of the top dozen or so players at the position. Fantasy baseball preseason rankings aside, let’s examine the overall depth of the second base position for fantasy baseball purposes, and we’ll take a look at some of my favorite mid-tier options at the position for the 2023 fantasy baseball season.

 

Dating back to January 1, 2023, there are no second baseman, on average, going within the first two rounds of 15-team fantasy baseball drafts, but then we have four (Altuve, Semien, Chisholm Jr., and Albies) going off the board before pick 50. After the top four options, Cleveland’s Andrez Gimenez and St. Louis’ Tommy Edman are the next options off the board.

Outside of the top 10 players at the position, let’s take a look at some enticing second baseman for the 2023 season, which further illustrates the depth at this position:

Player

2B Rank* 

Analysis

Vaughn Grissom

11

His 41 game sample last year parlays to a .291/.353/.440 line with 94 runs scored, 71 RBI, 19 home runs, and 19 stolen bases. While he tends to leave the zone a bit more than one would like, his strikeout rate has never been high at any stop in the minors, and even with batting average regression in 2023, he’s a double-digit home run and stolen base guy with 15/15 upside.

Jonathan India

14

India struggled in 2022, but he posted 21 homers with 98 runs scored and 12 stolen bases with a .269 average back in 2021. After some injuries, he hit .256 over his final 44 games, posting three home runs, 21 runs scored, 17 RBI, and one stolen base. He’s only 26 years old in one of the best hitter’s parks in Major League Baseball.

Whit Merrifield

16

After a slow start in 2022, Merrifield was dealt to Toronto, where he slashed .281/.323/.446 with five home runs and one stolen base across 44 games. He’s in a great lineup and division, his home field dimensions were adjusted a bit, and his pace over the final 55 games of 2022 plays out to a .271/.311/.440 with 17 home runs, 73 runs scored, and five stolen bases.

Ketel Marte

19

If you are holding onto the thought of that 32 home run season he had in 2019, you’re going to continue to be disappointed by Marte’s stat line. However, with his suppressed ADP, his home run total in the low-teens with some regression to the mean in terms of batting average could make Marte a nice value in 2023. The new rules on the base paths may bump his stolen base total up a year, and Marte has pretty good quality of contact metrics.

Joey Wendle

37

Far from a flashy player, but Wendle has shown some multi-category potential when he hit 11 home runs with eight stolen bases, and 73 runs scored in 136 games for Tampa Bay in 2021. He’s expected to be a regular for the Marlins this season and he swiped 12 bags in just 101 games last season. Even if he only faces right-handers, he’s a sneaky 10/10 guy with a .260+ batting average.

Nolan Gorman

40

Gorman’s .226 batting average and 32.9 percent strikeout rate last year didn’t endear many, but he has extreme raw power and a batted ball profile that projects to be a solid producer for fantasy in terms of power production. St. Louis may try to protect him a bit, especially early in the season, but at this price point, he’s a high-upside lottery pick.

*(NFBC ADP from Jan.1, 2023, to Feb. 14, 2023)

As you can see, there is plenty of value to be had outside of the top 10 or so at the position. Whether it’s young, potential bounce-back candidates, or high-upside lottery tickets, there is a little something for everyone at second base this season. If we use the projections here at Fantasy Alarm, here is a high-level overview of the second base position:

  • Twelve (12) with a .270 or better
    • 8 outside the top 100 picks
  • Nine (9) with 20+ HR
    • 5 outside the top 150
  • Twelve (12) with 80+ R
    • 8 outside top 150
  • Fourteen (14) with 10+ SB
    • 8 outside top 150

Lastly, just as a fun little exercise, you can essentially wait and get similar production from other guys later on, dare I say the “poor man’s version” of insert player name here. Take a look at a few comparisons here using our projections here at Fantasy Alarm

  • Player A: .239/.319/.445, 27 HR, 81 R, 69 RBI, 10 SB, 34.26 ADP
  • Player B: .260/.319/426, 22 HR, 77 R, 88 RBI, 7 SB, 171.39 ADP

Player A is Marcus Semien, and Player B is Thairo Estrada.

Here’s another one:

  • Player A: .276/.330/.367, 11 HR, 55 R, 44 RBI, 16 SB, 81.89 ADP
  • Player B: .281/.376/.439, 17 HR, 101 R, 75 RBI, 13 SB, 179.90 ADP

Player A is Andrés Giménez, and Player B is Jonathan India.

Of course, these are just projections, but there is value galore at second base this season. The depth at second base allows for flexibility during your fantasy baseball drafts, and more flexibility is never a bad thing.
 

 


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