X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Second Base

Photo Courtesy of AP

We at RotoBaller like rankings. In preparation for the 2016 fantasy baseball draft season, we will deliver four rounds of composite rankings. This is the third position of the first round - second base.

Rest assured, more exciting positions and ever more detailed analysis lie ahead as we progress closer to draft season. Please note, value is somewhat fluid during the offseason. We originally submitted these rankings on December 6th. Please excuse any recent changes that have not been incorporated.

Make sure you read more of our 2016 fantasy baseball rankings analysis including dynasty leagues, prospect ranks, and tiers for all positions. Now let's get started.

 

2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Second Base

Second base used to be considered a waste land in fantasy baseball, where the drop off was substantial after the top five. Fear those days no longer, fantasy fans. A youth insurgence combined with some veterans coming into their own has created a solid top 10 with legitimate options in the 11-20 range.

If there were some doubts about placing Jose Altuve ahead of Robinson Cano in 2015 drafts, they've all but been eliminated. Altuve produced a .313/.353/.459 split and had a 15/38 combo to boot. He was the only second basemen to carry a 15/30 line and was our consensus No. 1 second basemen heading into 2016.

Should you miss out on Altuve there's no reason to panic. Dee Gordon actually finished above Altuve in Yahoo! leagues and was worth 14.6 runs above average (Altuve: 12.4). Gordon had a major-league leading 58 steals and was second in average (.333). The steals are real but look for regression in average; his .383 BABIP was 37 points above his career BABIP.

Remember when I said second base was deeper than usual? Here's our 3-8: Cano, Jason Kipnis, Brian Dozier, Anthony Rendon, Ian Kinsler, Dustin Pedroia. Cano continues to be an offensive force; his 21 HR were third among second basemen. Kipnis bounced back from an injury-plagued 2014 and hit .307. Dozier's 28 HR were tops among 2B. Kinsler overcame injury doubts and finished as the No. 4 second baseman according to Yahoo! leagues.

The two names in that grouping I'm nervous about are Rendon and Pedroia. Rendon has dealt with injuries at every stage of his career, and the price tag makes it difficult to justify the risk. Pedroia hasn't played a full season since 2013, and the team has reported he'll get more days off in 2016 to keep him fresh.

A player we all agree on and that I believe can get you Pedroia-esque numbers is Joe Panik. He was limited by injuries in 2015 but produced a .312 average with eight HR in only 382 AB. He'll find himself batting second for the Giants, and they will welcome back a healthy Hunter Pence. If Panik stays on the field, he's a great bet to crack the top 10 2B for half the cost.

One name we didn't agree on was Devon Travis. He was ranked as high as 11 and as low as 20 on our rankings. I ranked him 15th based on the expectation he'll be good to go come Spring Training, and if he is I think he'll easily finish in the top 15. Before Travis went down with a shoulder he hit .304 with eight HR in 217 AB. He's projected to bat ninth for a stacked Blue Jays lineup and should have plenty of run scoring opportunities ahead of a Ben Revere-Josh Donaldson-Jose Bautista core.

If there's a ranking I regret, it's placing Brandon Phillips so low. For all the talk of regression and age catching up to Phillips, he finished as the No. 6 overall second basemen with a 12/23 combo and .293 average. He'll turn 35 next season but he isn't showing any signs of dangerous decline. In fact, his strikeout rate improved in his 11th full season. In the next series he'll be placed closer to Logan Forsythe than Javier Baez.

My sleeper of the second base group has already made his presence on the fantasy landscape, and that's Josh Harrison. Our rankings were made before Neil Walker was traded to the New York Mets, which frees up everyday playing time for J-Hay. The last time Harrison had an everyday role (2014) he hit .317 with a 12/18 combo to boot. In our second round of rankings I anticipate Harrison being a consensus top-12 play.

 

Second Base Rankings for 2016 Fantasy Baseball

Rank Name Brad Max Kyle Nick Composite
1 Jose Altuve 1 1 1 1 1
2 Dee Gordon 2 2 2 2 2
3 Robinson Cano 4 3 4 5 4
4 Jason Kipnis 3 4 6 4 4.25
5 Brian Dozier 6 6 3 3 4.5
6 Anthony Rendon 5 7 5 6 5.75
7 Ian Kinsler 7 5 8 7 6.75
8 Dustin Pedroia 8 8 10 9 8.75
9 Rougned Odor 10 12 7 8 9.25
10 Joe Panik 9 9 11 12 10.25
11 Kolten Wong 12 11 9 10 10.5
12 Ben Zobrist 11 10 15 13 12.25
13 Neil Walker 14 14 12 14 13.5
14 Daniel Murphy 13 13 18 15 14.75
15 Devon Travis 23 15 13 11 15.5
16 Howie Kendrick 15 16 20 16 16.75
17 DJ LeMahieu 16 17 19 17 17.25
18 Logan Forsythe 18 20 16 20 18.5
19 Jonathan Schoop 17 25 14 21 19.25
20 Addison Russell 19 19 21 19 19.5
21 Josh Harrison 21 18 23 18 20
22 Brandon Phillips 20 26 17 22 21.25
23 Starlin Castro 22 21 24 25 23
24 Cesar Hernandez 24 24 28 26 25.5
25 Wilmer Flores 29 ---
26 Brock Holt 25 22 29 23 ---
27 Ryan Goins 26 ---
28 Jedd Gyorko 27 28 30 ---
29 Javier Baez 27 28 ---
30 Dilson Herrera 30 ---
31 Brett Lawrie 29 26 27 ---
32 Chase Utley 28 30 25 ---
33 Chris Owings ---
34 Cory Spangenberg 27 ---
35 Enrique Hernandez 22 24 ---
36 Jace Peterson 28 29 ---

 

MLB & Fantasy Baseball Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-12" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Mikko Rantanen20 mins ago

Tallies Two Helpers, Extends Point Streak On Friday
Nathan MacKinnon27 mins ago

Tallies Three Points On Friday
Charlie Lindgren34 mins ago

Sharp On Friday
Igor Shesterkin42 mins ago

Leads The Way On Friday
William Nylander49 mins ago

Tallies Three Points On Friday
TOR56 mins ago

Matt Murray Earns Victory In Season Debut
Devin Booker11 hours ago

Unavailable On Saturday
Keyonte George11 hours ago

Slated As Questionable For Saturday Against Nets
Isaiah Stewart11 hours ago

Ruled Out For Saturday
Jaden Ivey11 hours ago

Likely To Play Saturday
Josh Giddey11 hours ago

Listed Questionable For Saturday Night Against Boston
Jaden Hardy11 hours ago

Remains Out On Saturday
Chicago Cubs11 hours ago

Roki Sasaki Meets With Cubs
Kyrie Irving11 hours ago

Good To Go For Saturday
Trae Young12 hours ago

Listed As Questionable Heading Into Saturday Night
Marcus Smart12 hours ago

Tagged As Questionable Again For Saturday Night
Ja Morant12 hours ago

Doubtful For Saturday Night Against Atlanta
Luka Doncic12 hours ago

Remains Out On Saturday
Anthony Davis12 hours ago

Listed As Questionable With Elbow Injury
LeBron James12 hours ago

Questionable For Saturday Rematch Against Kings
Joel Embiid14 hours ago

Ready To Go Friday
Khris Middleton14 hours ago

Back In Bucks Lineup
Alvin Kamara14 hours ago

Misses Another Practice On Friday
Giannis Antetokounmpo14 hours ago

Available Friday
George Pickens14 hours ago

Steelers Optimistic George Pickens Will Be Available On Christmas
Max Strus14 hours ago

Set For Season Debut Friday
Mason Marchment14 hours ago

A Game-Time Decision Versus Rangers
Sam Bennett14 hours ago

In Danger Of Missing Another Game
Jalen Suggs15 hours ago

Likely Playing Saturday
Philip Broberg15 hours ago

A Game-Time Call Friday
Rasmus Dahlin15 hours ago

Returns From Seven-Game Absence
Filip Gustavsson15 hours ago

Sits Out At Least Two More Games
Mark Williams15 hours ago

Sidelined Friday
Brock Faber15 hours ago

Available Friday
Artemi Panarin15 hours ago

A Game-Time Decision Friday
Cade Otton15 hours ago

Now Doubtful To Play In Week 16
LaMelo Ball15 hours ago

Out Friday Versus 76ers
Tyreek Hill15 hours ago

Listed As Questionable
Zach Ertz15 hours ago

Questionable For Week 16
Brandon Miller16 hours ago

Unavailable Friday
Isaac Guerendo16 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 16
Zach Charbonnet16 hours ago

Off The Injury Report
Tony Pollard16 hours ago

Questionable For Week 16
A.J. Brown16 hours ago

Off The Injury Report, A Must-Start In Fantasy Lineups
Kenneth Walker III16 hours ago

Cleared To Play, Could Take On A Smaller Role
Geno Smith17 hours ago

Cleared For Week 16, Checks In As QB2 In Fantasy
Tyrone Tracy Jr.18 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Week 16
Aidan O'Connell18 hours ago

Will Start In Week 16, Cleared From Injury Report
Cade Otton18 hours ago

Considered A Game-Time Decision
David Njoku18 hours ago

Questionable For Week 16
Christian Walker18 hours ago

Agrees To Three-Year Deal With Astros
David Njoku18 hours ago

Cedric Tillman Questionable For Week 16
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine18 hours ago

Tyler Boyd Return To Practice On Friday
Alec Pierce19 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 16
David Njoku19 hours ago

Seen At Friday's Practice
Jaylen Waddle19 hours ago

Considered Doubtful For Week 16
Drew Lock21 hours ago

Tommy DeVito Clears Concussion Protocol, Will Back Up Drew Lock
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.24 hours ago

Extension Remains In Play For Toronto
Anze Kopitar1 day ago

Strikes Twice In Victory
Andrei Vasilevskiy1 day ago

Stands Tall In Thursday's Victory
Leon Draisaitl1 day ago

Tallies Three Helpers In Overtime Victory
Bryan Rust1 day ago

Busy During Thursday's Victory
Sidney Crosby1 day ago

Snaps Goal Drought, Posts Four-Point Night
Nathan MacKinnon1 day ago

Tallies Two Power-Play Assists In Victory
New York Mets1 day ago

Roki Sasaki Meets With Mets On Thursday
Max Kepler1 day ago

Phillies Sign Max Kepler To One-Year Deal
Petr Mrazek2 days ago

Activated From Injured Reserve
Yanni Gourde2 days ago

Returns To Kraken Lineup Thursday
Marcus Semien2 days ago

Rangers Could Look To Rest Marcus Semien More
Jesús Luzardo2 days ago

Cubs Trade Talks For Jesus Luzardo Are "Dead"
Josh Naylor2 days ago

Mentioned In Trade Talks With Mariners
Nolan Arenado3 days ago

Blocks Trade To Astros
Devin Williams3 days ago

Yankees Name Devin Williams As The Closer
Cody Bellinger4 days ago

Traded To The Yankees
Joaquin Buckley5 days ago

Extends Win Streak To Six
Colby Covington5 days ago

Gets Outclassed At UFC Tampa
Manel Kape5 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Bruno Silva5 days ago

Gets TKO'd At UFC Tampa
Tuco Tokkos5 days ago

Remains Winless In The UFC
Navajo Stirling5 days ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Adrian Yanez5 days ago

Falls Short At UFC Tampa
Daniel Marcos5 days ago

Remains Undefeated After UFC Tampa
Vitor Petrino5 days ago

Gets Finished Again At UFC Tampa
Dustin Jacoby5 days ago

Pulls Off Stunning Knockout At UFC Tampa
Billy Quarantillo5 days ago

Gets KO'd At UFC Tampa
Cub Swanson5 days ago

Pulls Off Upset At UFC Tampa
Jack Flaherty6 days ago

Viewed As "Fallback" Option For Baltimore

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP