Chad Young’s 2023 Ottoneu 2B Rankings

After a holiday hiatus, we’re back at it with 2B today and we’ll be powering through other positions quickly. My goal is to finish this series in January and to make updates in February as new information comes out or my thinking changes. Second base has already been delayed because of new information and updated thinking.

All of my Ottoneu Position Rankings: C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF | SP | RP

The new information is the Trevor Story elbow surgery, expected to keep him out most of the year, perhaps all of it. The updated thinking is based on results from the Ottoneu mock auction going on at Couch Managers, as well as a couple other mocks people are running. I am learning more about the market and adjusting my thinking as a result.

As always, some notes before we look at the rankings themselves.

1. Tiers > Ranks. The specific order of the rankings is less helpful and less meaningful than the tiers. Andrés Giménez is #6 and Brandon Lowe #7, but Lowe is closer to Ozzie Albies for me than he is to Giménez. I am always open to discuss my rankings – and I will change them based on convincing feedback – but moving guys around within the tiers just doesn’t matter much. If you want to argue, tell me who is in the wrong tier entirely.
2. Format Matters. These are for Ottoneu FanGraphs points format, but can be used fairly effectively for SABR Points (bats are slightly more valuable; for pitchers things vary more) and 4×4 (which values the same skills if not the same way).  Also note that, compared to roto leagues (4×4 or 5×5), points leagues have a steeper value curve, so the most expensive players are not quite so expensive in roto. The biggest difference, of course, is that 5×5 values SB highly and this format does not. For 5×5, there are a ton of other rankings out there, including right here on FanGraphs. Make sure to note that redraft rankings are not the same as keeper rankings, and Ottoneu will be more similar to keeper or dynasty. Finally, while it won’t be a full ranking, I’ll be sharing my top tens at each position for 5×5 keeper leagues as part of the Keep or Kut podcast.
3. Projected P/G are the Basis but not the Ranking. On each table, you will see a projected P/G for each player. For this list, those are based on the Depth Charts projections as of 11/30. You’ll note, however, that I didn’t simply put the top projection first and then work down the list. A few things can cause me to break from the projections. Playing time and role, age and track record, future value and possible breakout potential are all factors that could cause me to move someone around. For example, Brendan Rodgers has a better projection than a number of players a tier above him, while Bryson Stott is ahead of Kolten Wong.  The former is because I see a lot more risk in Rodgers, due to his injury history and the need to platoon him on the road. The latter is because I think Stott has upside that Wong lacks.
4. One Position at a Time. Players are ranked for just one position at a time, and will only be ranked at positions where I think they might be/should be used in fantasy. Any player who qualifies at catcher will be left off this list, but everyone else will be listed since 2B is a relatively weak position.
5. N/A Means Not Enough Data. If the P/G column reads N/A that either means the projection doesn’t exist or the playing time was too small and I decided to ignore it.
6. Tiers are Pre-Inflation. In practice, this means these tiers are most applicable to first-year leagues, but you can also adjust for inflation for your league. If you expect 20% inflation in your league, the top tier at 2B becomes $48-$54.