Updated Second Base Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

Continuing on our points league tiered rankings analysis we move over to the keystone position. Second base has the deepest talent pool that it's seen in recent years as it’s full of elite bats at the top and high-upside youngsters in the lower tiers. With two games in the regular season already in the books, draft season is nearing an end, so we come at you with last-minute rankings and evaluations to soak in before the real Opening Day.

There is a vast discrepancy between points leagues and standard 5x5 roto formats. When using a points system, we need to account for walk and strikeout rates in more detail. It makes a significant difference to a player's value on how much more often they strikeout to how many times they walk as it counts for a point for, or against their numbers. K-BB% is a meaningful statistic to be aware of, and the lower the number, the better. If that number happens to be in the negatives, that’s considered the upper-echelon as only a handful of players reached this plateau in 2018.

Second base is full of thievery on the basepaths, which isn’t valued as highly in a points league. These rankings are a much different variation than roto leagues because of this overlooked detail. Using RotoBaller ranks gives you a considerable advantage over the rest of your league which will likely run off of a standard rankings list. Get to know the overvalued and undervalued players to dominate your points league draft.

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Second Based Tiered Ranks - H2H Points Leagues (March)

In case you missed it, our very own "Big Pick Nick" Mariano was recently named the #1 overall most accurate industry expert ranker for the 2018 season. You can see his secret sauce below! Additionally, industry legend Scott Engel recently joined the RotoBaller team and provides his insights as well. Scott is an FSWA Hall Of Famer and award winner.

Rankings Analysis - Top Tiers

Tier One

You can’t go wrong with either of these options as your starting second baseman in points leagues. Jose Ramirez has a slight edge over the other Jose, as his 15.2% walk rate vastly exceeded his 11.5% K-rate as he finished with the best K-BB% in the entire league (-3.7%). The odds are against Ramirez repeating his 39 HR output from a season ago, but he’ll likely exchange some of these round-trippers for doubles which will still accumulate points.

Jose Altuve battled injury for the first time in his career last season which has put a small damper against his ADP. He went four-straight years with at least 200 hits before 2018, and he should return to this form as long as his health cooperates. Altuve is a 5x5 roto threat which translates beautifully to a points league. He also has elite walk and strikeout rates (9.2%/13.2%), which makes him an overall beast in this format.

Tier Two

Of these second sackers, Baez, and Whit Merrifield will surely get selected off the board before Matt Carpenter, who is worth waiting for at his price. He had a huge power breakout in 2018 clubbing a career-high 36 homers while adding in 42 doubles for good measure. Carpenter will continue to hit at the top of a potent Cardinals lineup giving him ample opportunity to reach base and score runs which will consistently drive up his production.

Javier Baez is attached to an inflated ADP after his breakout 2018 campaign, which is destined to regress this season. He has a tremendous power/speed skill set which will still propel him to at least a top-10 points league finish at second base, but taking him at his cost could be harmful. Baez’ 21.4 K-BB% is among the league worsts and it doesn’t appear his approach at the plate is going to change anytime soon. This fact unquestionably devalues him in this league setup.

Whit Merrifield is targeted at his ADP in roto leagues mainly for his wheels. Speed isn’t nearly as crucial in a points format, so it’ll be difficult for him to return value as a top-five second baseman, especially on a lackluster Royals offense. Let somebody else reach up for his services.

Tier Three

All of these batters in this tier are sturdy options for your squad, and most of them carry dual position eligibility which is a bonus. Ozzie Albies and Gleyber Torres are the two sexy names that will likely go off the board the quickest. With this in mind, you can wait a round or two and get a similar option at a lower cost.

Daniel Murphy and Robinson Cano are both looking to bounce back on new squads after disappointing years. Murphy has mouth-watering potential playing half of his games at Coors Field in that dangerous lineup. It also appears that he’s fully recovered from the knee injury that held him out of nearly half the 2018 season, so you can draft with confidence.

Cano has remained one of the most consistent players in all of baseball for the last decade. His 80-game PED suspension has put a sour taste in a lot of fantasy player’s mouths, but he’s a sturdy option to play all season and fill up the stat sheet across the board. Volume is an important aspect to factor in, and Cano has proved it longer than anyone else at the position.

Rankings Analysis - Middle Tiers

Tier Four

The fourth tier is overflowing with prized basepath burners. Adalberto Mondesi, Jonathan Villar, and Dee Gordon don’t carry the fantasy appeal in a points league like they do in a roto league where owners desire their speed at a high price. Not to mention they all possess poor K-BB% numbers which further pushes down their stock. These jackrabbits are appropriately ranked here, and if they're available at this price, they’re still worth grabbing as their base hits and runs are expected to pile up.

Rougned Odor is an interesting post-hype sleeper at his cost. He had a very productive season in 2016-17 and improved his plate discipline numbers in 2018. If he can find the happy medium between these years, Odor might end up as a sneaky value play.

Travis Shaw stands out in this tier as the only true slugger of the bunch. He’s now hit 30 homers in back-to-back years, and he held a very respectable 5.1% K-BB% a year ago. Shaw’s points will come in bunches more often compared to the speedsters in this group, so it’s a personal preference on how you wish to attack this tier.

Tier Five

Max Muncy came out of nowhere in 2018 to hit 35 bombs in 137 games with the Dodgers. Dave Roberts has been known to shuffle up his lineup routinely, so Muncy isn’t a lock to remain hitting in the top-third for LA like he did last season. He’s likely to see some regression in his 29.4% HR/FB from 2018 and is better left to be drafted by someone else to take on the risk.

Cesar Hernandez and Jurickson Profar are looking to build on productive 2018 seasons. Hernandez will likely bat eighth for the Phillies this season, so it will be difficult for him to reach his 19/15 benchmarks from a year ago. Profar shifts to an Oakland Athletics team that finished third in the majors a season ago in runs. It’s one of the hardest stadiums to hit home runs in though, but he’ll bat in the middle of the lineup and should generate plenty of points regardless.

Yoan Moncada carries the most upside of this group. He also bears the most risk, but he could be a potential league winner at his mid-round cost. Moncada carries an extremely high career K-rate (33.6%), but if he can cut this number down below 30% and add a bit more power with his experience, he can put up a Javier Baez-like season.

Rankings Analysis - Lower Tiers

Tier Six

Second base begins to thin out at this tier as it groups up-and-comers with some savvy veterans. Garrett Hampson and Nick Senzel are generating plenty of preseason hype, but their roles are undetermined.

Hampson is a speedster as he stole 36 bags in 2018 and 51 in 2017 during his tenure in the minors. He doesn’t offer much power, but Coors Field could push his home run total to double digits.

Senzel provides both power and speed and will play in a plus ballpark in Cincinnati which pushes his ceiling to a 25/25 player over a full season's worth of games. Neither of these bats is locked into positions entering the season, but they could provide tremendous value once they carve out an everyday role.

Chris Taylor had a down 2018 after breaking out in 2017. His K-rate spiked over 4% to an underwhelming 29.5% mark last year, and his 17/85/63/9 line plunged below his 21/85/72/17 line from 2017 despite 15 more games played. Taylor will stay closer to last season’s roto totals, but at his price, he still carries a safer floor than most of the other players in this tier.

Tiers Seven And Eight

Rounding out the remaining players in the second base pool, Adam Frazier stands out as a high-upside play. He’ll bat leadoff for the Pirates with Josh Harrison out of town and holds a strong 6.1% K-BB% for his career. Frazier has mid-teens power with some speed but could push close to 90 runs in that leadoff spot.

Wilmer Flores could also raise a few eyebrows in 2019. Now that he’ll play nearly every day with the Diamondbacks, he is a late round breakout candidate. He possesses the ability to push over the 20 HR threshold while contributing with plenty of RBIs batting in the middle of the lineup. Flores also made great strides in plate discipline in 2018 with a 3.0% K-BB% after he held a 10.2% mark in 2017.

The Tampa Bay Rays inked Brandon Lowe to a six-year pact which says a lot coming from a thrifty team that rarely gives out long term deals. He’s tearing the cover off the ball this spring and could be a sneaky pick in the last couple rounds of your draft. Lowe has 20 HR potential and could wind up batting in the top third of the Rays lineup if he keeps up his minor league career .374 OBP.

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