Second Base 2024 Fantasy Rankings

Mookie Betts is coming off an elite season with an opportunity to repeat his 2023 production (or improve it) with an improved lineup now that Shohei Ohtani is batting behind him.

Marcus Semien is about as safe as they come as he has had 700+ plate appearances in five straight seasons (2020 excluded.)

Injuries have been an issue for Jose Altuve in recent seasons, but in spite of that he has been a pretty reliable commodity and now the stolen bases have come back giving him back the upside he once had.

Ozzie Albies has the best upside of this tier and probably should be over the other ones but I worry a bit about whether he will struggle with injury again like he did in 2020 and 2022.

If you use the numbers off of my raw projections, then Nico Hoerner is my #2 second baseman in terms of raw value. I love the elite contact skills and average/speed profile he possesses. However, I do think there is more risk for him than the guys in the above tier so I knocked him down a bit, but I love his price and potential and I do think the floor is safer for Hoerner than the rest of this tier.

I think as long as Matt McLain is healthy he is a pretty safe reliable player, but I worry a little about what the Reds organization is doing after the Jeimer Candelario signing. McLain should be the one to lose playing time, but someone has to.

Ha-Seong Kim was quietly amazing in 2023 and while I think some of it is repeatable, I worry a bit about what San Diego is doing to their roster. Juan Soto is gone, Machado may start the year on the IL, and I think Fernando Tatis Jr. is still an injury risk. This lineup went from looking like The Avengers to looking like pretty shaky all of a sudden. How much does that hurt Kim?

It feels like Gleyber Torres has been underrated for the last few years because he didn’t live up to his insane 2019. That is fine with me because I will take the discount and profit.

Andres Gimenez is coming off of a quietly strong season in which he kept most of his power gains from 2022 and was able to add to his stolen base numbers with the new rules. While the average dipped a little, I think that was mostly natural regression and I expect him to have a similar year to 2023.

I worry that Spencer Steer may get too expensive because of his breakout in 2023 and amazing home park. Someone has to lose playing time with the roster crunch in Cincy and I worry that everyone will lose some time which may make Steer’s 2023 breakout hard to live up to.

I may be underrating Bryson Stott a bit, but I think there is some small regression coming in stolen base and average departments. Still think he is a steady and very good accumulator.

Jake Burger is just like his name implies: a meaty juicy beef snack that isn’t overrated or underrated but just right.

I think Isaac Paredes has to regress some, but maybe not as much as other people do. He is a master at pulling down the line and his role is about as safe as anyone’s in Tampa.

Ketel Marte is coming off a bounce back season in 2023 where he finally was able to stay healthy after struggling with injuries over the last four seasons. Health is the main question mark, but the price is decent enough where he is worth that risk especially in shallower formats.

I still wonder if Tommy Edman gets traded at some point this off-season, but the rumors have quieted down. A new location could change his value widely depending on where he ends up.

Ryan McMahon has not turned into the stud that some projected him to be, but he has been a very stable producer in one of the best parks to hit in.

Brandon Drury is boring but steady which is fine for deeper leagues, but in 10 and 12 team leagues, you can find better upside later.

Thairo Estrada biggest issue is he is an accumulator on a really bad offense in a really bad park. I also wonder if he will ever be a 600 plate appearance guy which caps his upside as an accumulator.

Zack Gelof has a pretty scary contact profile and while he hit a bunch of home runs, I don’t think that power is sustainable. He does have a few things that give him some pretty tantalizing upside though. He is fast and has show the desire and ability to steal bases. Maybe more importantly, the fact he play in Oakland means there is no real competition for him. He should play every day and even if he struggles with contact, he could volume his way to 20-30 stolen bases.

I love the move for Justin Turner to Toronto. He probably won’t play the field much, but that is better for his ability to stay healthy.

My raw projection says Luis Arraez should be higher than this but he may be the most difficult player to roster from a construction standpoint. He is elite in one of the toughest categories but an absolute zero in multiple other ones. If I draft him that means something else has gone very wrong.

Injuries derailed the Brendan Donovan breakout, but he should be healthy heading into 2024 and could score a lot of runs atop a potent offense.

I love the potential of Nolan Gorman, but I worry about his platoon issues and if last season was the ceiling and not the beginning if he ends up being a part timer in St. Louis.

I think the Polanco trade means that Willi Castro might be a full time player or at least close to it.

Will this finally be the year Gavin Lux breaks out? I want to believe it is. Heck, I BELIEVE!!!

I feel like Edouard Julien is being underrated by early drafters and maybe even by me. He is a potential stud in OBP leagues but I think is a sneaky good value in standard formats especially with Polanco gone now.

Injuries are a huge question mark for Jorge Polanco, but the move to Seattle secures the playing time when he is healthy.

Can the Reds please trade Jonathan India?

Interesting landing spot in TB for Amed Rosario. Will he start?

Brandon Lowe is a massive health and platoon risk. The upside is 40 home runs, but at this point I don’t believe he will get close.

Jeff McNeil is another boring empty average play on an offense that isn’t as strong as we thought it was going to be and could become worse if the Mets move other pieces.

Christopher Morel is a boom or bust type of player. There is a ton of power and speed, but one of the worst contact profiles in the Majors. He could go 30/20 or be in the minors.

Merrifield going to Philly isn’t great for his upside, but he should find a decent amount of playing time.

Jordan Westburg is a bit overrated because of his prospect hype, but he is likely nothing more than an accumulator if he is a full time player which is far from guaranteed.

I like the second half gains that Michael Massey made in 2023. Unless the Royals bring someone else in, he should have the second base job to himself which would make him have more upside than most of this tier.

I love Luis Garcia, but it is clear to me that the Nationals hate the dude. They have already said he will have to compete for his spot again in 2024 which makes him difficult to draft.

I think that Miguel Vargas may be a better real life player than fantasy player and I do not know where he gets consistent playing time with the Dodgers. I wish they would trade him.

Wilmer Flores is a good little accumulator on a team that hates fantasy baseball managers.

If the Angels loved Luis Rengifo as much as I do then he would be much higher up on this list, but I don’t think they do.

I think Geraldo Perdomo starts with the job but could lose it at some point to top prospect Jordan Lawlar.

Jose Caballero could lose some of that anticipated playing time with Rosario signing in Tampa, but he is so good defensively, that I think he may have the leg up.

Long term I think Ortiz is a great utilty infielder, but on this Milwaukee Brewers team, he could be an every day player.

I like Brice Turang as a player, but he likely is in a platoon or could even start in the minors.

At what point does Jon Berti’s playing time really dry up?

Now the back up infielder in Kansas City. Hopefully he doesn’t take time from Massey.

Zach McKinstry was a fun player for deeper formats last season, but I would prefer to find the next McKinstry and not pay for last year’s version.

Jake Cronenworth will continue to play, but he is pretty boring at this point.

Mauricio Dubon is an accumulator that doesn’t play enough.

Tony Kemp needs to find a home and probably ends up back in Oakland.

Please do not yell at me for ranking Brendan Rodgers down here. He hasn’t done anything yet to deserve being higher.

Taylor Walls may actually play a fair amount because of his defense which means he can be a cheap source of speed.

Josh Rojas could have an interesting role as a platoon player in Seattle.

Where will Elvis Andrus sign?

I like Ji-Hwan Bae, but there is more competition in Pittsburgh than there used to be for plate appearances.