Justin Mason’s Top 50 Second Basemen: 2/8/2021
Drafts are in full swing and now I am 10 drafts into the season, here are my current ranks for the second base position for 2021. I will post updates every 2-4 weeks as things change with signings, injuries, or news in Major League Baseball.
Justin Mason’s Top 50 Second Basemen: 2/8/2021
| Rk | Player | Team | Position(s) | ADP | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ozzie Albies | ATL | 2B | 34.83 | Safe floor for a guy that is only 24 with upside too. |
| 2 | DJ LeMahieu | NYY | 1B, 2B, 3B | 33.58 | Landing back in New York was the best case scenario. |
| 3 | Whit Merrifield | KC | 2B, OF | 39.58 | Pretty much a lock for a good average and speed with enough pop to play |
| 4 | Brandon Lowe | TB | 2B, OF | 75.62 | Few barrel the ball like him. Power, decent speed and batting high in a good lineup. |
| 5 | Keston Hiura | MLW | 2B | 73.17 | Power and speed with an awful approach. Will add 1B eligibility quickly. |
| 6 | Cavan Biggio | TOR | 2B, 3B, OF | 59.75 | Some concerns about where he hits in this lineup has me a bit concerned. |
| 7 | Max Muncy | LAD | 1B, 2B, 3B | 103.37 | Playoff performance makes me feel better about the disappointing 2020. |
| 8 | Jose Altuve | HOU | 2B | 100.17 | Monster postseason makes lessens some of the regular season concerns. |
| 9 | Mike Moustakas | CIN | 1B, 2B | 125.88 | Moose should bounce back after a weird and disappointing 2020. |
| 10 | Tommy Edman | STL | 2B, 3B, SS, OF | 126.02 | I think there is enough pop and speed with a great flexibility. |
| 11 | Dylan Moore | SEA | 2B, OF | 120.29 | The hype is real, but the floor is just as low as the ceiling is high. |
| 12 | Ketel Marte | ARZ | 2B | 78.19 | I am concerned about his healthy and the power outage in 2020. |
| 13 | Jonathan Villar | FA | 2B, SS | 150.88 | Rumored to be heading to Cincy which would be a nice landing spot. |
| 14 | Andres Gimenez | CLE | 2B, 3B, SS | 153.79 | Cleveland is a great landing spot for Gimenez. |
| 15 | Nick Solak | TEX | 2B, OF | 165.98 | Price is rising, but the he should still be a decent value considering he has power and speed. |
| 16 | Jeff McNeil | NYM | 2B, 3B, OF | 89.25 | The power outage and 0-for-2 on the base paths has me very scared. |
| 17 | Jon Berti | MIA | 2B, OF | 246.85 | His versatility in the field should get him enough playing time to let his speed play. |
| 18 | Jean Segura | PHI | 2B, 3B | 188.29 | The stolen bases aren’t what they used to be, but he is a solid contributor. |
| 19 | Kolten Wong | MLW | 2B | 338.44 | Love the move to Milwaukee. Better park and a team that runs. |
| 20 | Cesar Hernandez | CLE | 2B | 365.75 | Resigning in Cleveland was perfect for him. Would like to see him start to run again. |
| 21 | Jurickson Profar | SD | 2B, OF | 231.42 | Playing time crunch in SD is a bit scary, but he should get first shot for playing time with the new contract. |
| 22 | Nick Madrigal | CWS | 2B | 180.9 | I am worried about the shoulder and question how much he will run. |
| 23 | Chris Taylor | LAD | 2B, SS, OF | 228.27 | Taylor always seems to outproduce his ADP and he should play close to everyday. |
| 24 | Jonathan Schoop | DET | 2B | 380.83 | Underrated complier. |
| 25 | Niko Goodrum | DET | 2B, SS | 370.1 | There is power and speed here, but the batting average is a concern. |
| 26 | Ryan McMahon | COL | 1B, 2B, 3B | 250.96 | Is he old enough for the Rockies to want to play him? |
| 27 | Garrett Hampson | COL | 2B, OF | 264.92 | Is it finally Hampson SZN? I still don’t trust the Rockies. |
| 28 | Jake Cronenworth | SD | 1B, 2B, SS | 189.85 | Until we know the DH is coming, he doesn’t have a place to play regularly. |
| 29 | David Fletcher | LAA | 2B, 3B, SS | 221.87 | Going to lead off, but has no power or speed. |
| 30 | Mauricio Dubon | SF | 2B, SS, OF | 275.38 | I think he will play a lot, but he is a future utility guy. |
| 31 | Scott Kingery | PHI | 2B, OF | 278.13 | Kingery has average and injury issues, but there is talent there. |
| 32 | Starlin Castro | WAS | 2B | 295.1 | Some power with a decent average in the heart of a good lineup. |
| 33 | Kike Hernandez | BOS | 2B, OF | 411.08 | I think he signed in Boston because he will play everyday. |
| 34 | Rougned Odor | TEX | 2B | 474.58 | Power and speed, but now there is playing time concerns along with the average issues. |
| 35 | Gavin Lux | LAD | 2B | 249.79 | I love him, but it doesn’t seem like the Dodgers do. |
| 36 | Ty France | SEA | 2B | 294.37 | Finally has a full time role, but I don’t think that will mean that much. |
| 37 | Tommy La Stella | SF | 1B, 2B | 306.71 | Might lead off in SF. |
| 38 | Nico Hoerner | CHC | 2B, SS | 405.23 | Could accumulate in Chicago. |
| 39 | Adam Frazier | PIT | 2B, OF | 438.9 | Will play and lead off in Pittsburgh until they trade him. |
| 40 | Donovan Solano | SF | 2B | 473.19 | I am not a believer in Donnie Bats, but he should get first crack at full time playing time. |
| 41 | Nicky Lopez | KC | 2B | 645.77 | Lopez is going to play, but does that matter? |
| 42 | Joey Wendle | TB | 2B, 3B, SS | 306.23 | Strong side platoon is still a platoon. |
| 43 | Jazz Chisholm | MIA | 2B, SS | 437.29 | There is power and speed, but will he strikeout too much. |
| 44 | Luis Urias | MLW | 2B, 3B, SS | 376.69 | Should play every day, but bats at the bottom. |
| 45 | Freddy Galvis | BAL | 2B, SS | 489.15 | Could compile just by playing every day. |
| 46 | Wilmer Flores | SF | 1B, 2B | 327.37 | Playing time is an issue unless the DH comes. |
| 47 | Luis Arraez | MIN | 2B | 354.65 | The Simmons signing hurts his playing time. |
| 48 | Michael Chavis | BOS | 1B, 2B, OF | 397.5 | No longer a starter after the Kiké signing. |
| 49 | Isan Diaz | MIA | 2B | 630.13 | Probably not a starter, but there is still talent there. |
| 50 | Luis Garcia | WAS | 2B | 525.88 | On the outside looking in. |
ADP is from NFBC Draft Champions leagues from 1/1-2/8
Justin is the co-host on The Sleeper and The Bust Podcast and writes for Rotographs covering the Roto Riteup as well as other periodic articles. In addition to his work at Rotographs, Justin is the lead fantasy writer/analyst and co-owner for FriendswithFantasyBenefits.com, and the owner of The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational. He is also a certified addiction treatment counselor. Follow Justin on Twitter @JustinMasonFWFB.
Hey, just a note: the blurb for Moustakas and McMahon are the same. Which is either an error or too droll and I don’t get it (but if so, kudos!).
Fixed!
Where does Colin Moran slot in? He’s 2b eligible in Ottoneu and has solid a solid statcast profile
Moran would fall around Ty France
For points leagues, it’s shocking how little difference there is between say #4 and #50 on this list. It’s almost like the Glob of starting pitching from #15 to #70.
Agree….I noticed this trend in mock drafts, even in a 10 team AL/NL only. It gives you freedom to take some gambles in other areas (returning TJ pitchers….or some of the upside outfielders with speed).
you think there’s shockingly little difference between brandon lowe and luis garcia? like, i agree there’s a lot of 2B depth, but that’s kind of a weird way of putting it
Yea I don’t really get what he was saying either. With that said I’m generally filling in 2nd base later on, as none of the options strike my fancy at adp unless they slip.
2B is super deep
IN A.L. only….I think Kike Hernandez…..in Fenway with this high scoring DH powered line-up….. playing regularly for a manager that trusts him…… is under-valued on this list.
With Semien moving to 2b where would he rank for you?
I would probably have him 9
Not sure I’d be “very scared” about McNeil’s power based on a weird 2020. He definitely did start off slow in July/Aug, but finished with a .998 OPS and .211 SLG in Sep/Oct- not exactly a “power outage”. The 23 HR he hit in 2019 may or may not end up a career high, but he still seems like a pretty safe bet for 15+ HR, along with a great average (FG actually suggests he has the highest AVG among qualifiers since his debut in 2018, at .319 for his career). If you’re looking for steals, he was never that guy to begin with.
yeah mcneil rakes. as you say, all four of his homers were in sept/oct; in august he didn’t homer but he also only hit .258, which isn’t like him at all, so it seems like he just wasn’t right / took a while to get going for whatever reason. it was a weird year. and he got caught more than half the time when he ran in 19 too, trust me, i had him in a net steals league. please stop running jeff. so not sure why we’re acting like that’s new, it’s not. he’s not fast
i’m basically just repeating your comment with slightly different words, my point is that you’re right
Even if he does hit like 20 homers with a good average, he is going too high. Now add a roster crunch until we know if the DH is coming and that scares me quite a bit.
He’s basically LeMahieu lite and he isn’t part of the roster cruch w/a career 139 wRC+
Justin, I know you give bumps to power guys and downplay average in your own drafts, will the change in bounciness of the balls just reinforce that or will you give even more of a bump to guys like Lowe and Moose?
It will definitely lower fence scrapers like Ketel and Wong a little.
Jeff McNeil is behind Jonathan Villar. Pardon me while I try to control my laughing.
people really took that “reds and villar talking” report to heart. i’ve seen other sources refer to him as a reds player as if it was a done deal. now that villar has in fact signed with the mets, it’s more like villar is behind mcneil, so, how the turntables, etc
I mean, I can maybe see a world where Villar produced more fantasy value if he got a starting job somewhere and had a great comeback year- he could produce a decent power/speed combo. But I’m not sure that world was likely enough to rank him above McNeil, even before he signed with the Mets today…
When I made the list I thought Villar was going to the Reds, so I will likely move down Villar.
accumalate
Just say there’s a typo, don’t be the guy that just references it with zero context
complier
Wouldn’t there be more upside to somebody like Vidal Brujan than to Joey Wendle? There’s at least a decent chance Brujan steals 30 bags this year. There’s a very good chance Wendle does nothing for any fantasy owner.
I think there’s a decent chance that Brujan stays in teh minors all year.
Joey Wendle is a fine player. I don’t think he is going to lose his spot to Brujan this soon, however. Tampa isn’t the right franchise to bet on that, in my opinion.
that Dylan Moore ranking is hilarious
he’s not even guaranteed to be a starter
I feel like a lot of people aren’t taking into account that these are written with overall contests in mind. Same thing w Mondesi going in the 2nd round… I wouldn’t touch him for many rounds later in a standalone
Perhaps they should state that, then. That’s also besides the point. Moore ranked ahead of Marte and McNeil (among others) is simply laughable.
I mean, sure. I like those guys ahead of him as well in any formats. But they use NFBC adp which doesn’t come anywhere near close to matching up with standalone leagues. In order to win the max price of 120k or w.e it this year, you basically need to be in the top few percent across the board, and winning SBs by a lot in your league isn’t a big issue, like it is in other leagues where you could of used the resources elsewhere.
Yes, I know how NFBC/overall leagues work. The point is that the Moore ranking is inexplicable regardless of league context.