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
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Rest-Of-Season Second Base Rankings (September Update)

Nicklaus Gaut provides updated rest-of-season second base fantasy baseball rankings for 5x5 roto mixed leagues in September. Our RotoBaller staff's 2B rankings feature the #1 most accurate industry expert, Nick Mariano.

With the MLB regular season winding down, we begin to close in on the final stretch of your fantasy baseball championship run. We've collected some of the brightest baseball minds here at Rotoballer to deliver you our rest-of-season rankings analysis to help you secure your league title. Now that fantasy football is nearly in full swing, take advantage of distracted managers in your league by staying active on the waiver wire and staying on top of trending hitters.

It's been an interesting year at second base in 2019, as it's been arguably the weakest position in fantasy - besides catcher, of course - but still contains plenty of talent, some old and some new. The old guard of Altuve, Baez, and others remain from last year, but the real story is the ascension of the young bucks littering the tiers, ascending to higher and higher levels.

It looks as if guys like Gleyber Torres, Keston Hiura, Yoan Moncada, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. are going to have something to say about strengthening the fantasy keystone going forward.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Updated 2B Ranks - 5x5 Mixed Leagues (September)

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! 

Ranking Tier Player Position Nick Nick G Riley
1 1 Javier Baez 2B/SS/3B 26 14 19
2 1 Jose Altuve 2B 9 19 42
3 2 Whit Merrifield 2B/OF 46 50 20
4 2 Gleyber Torres 2B/SS 43 36 55
5 2 DJ LeMahieu 2B 67 40 40
6 2 Ozzie Albies 2B 56 58 47
7 2 Yuli Gurriel 1B/2B/3B 50 54 58
8 3 Jonathan Villar 2B/SS 72 59 72
9 3 Keston Hiura 2B 73 73 83
10 3 Max Muncy 1B/2B/3B 107 79 74
11 3 Jeff McNeil 2B 86 102 106
12 4 Daniel Murphy 1B/2B 117 121 102
13 4 Yoan Moncada 2B 213 107 85
14 4 Nick Senzel 2B/3B/OF 123 186 110
15 4 Ryan McMahon 1B/3B/2B 109 179 192
16 4 Adalberto Mondesi 2B/SS 167 153 202
17 4 Matt Carpenter 1B/2B/3B 197 #N/A 193
18 4 Hanser Alberto 2B/3B 204 #N/A #N/A
19 5 Josh VanMeter 2B 242 #N/A #N/A
20 5 Luis Urias 2B 346 #N/A 141
21 5 Wilmer Flores 1B/3B/2B 248 #N/A #N/A
22 5 Lourdes Gurriel Jr. 2B/SS 286 262 212
23 5 Starlin Castro 2B 253 258 #N/A
24 5 Cesar Hernandez 2B 365 257 173
25 5 Cavan Biggio 2B 356 #N/A 175
26 6 Scooter Gennett 2B 398 253 154
27 6 Dee Gordon 2B/OF 370 219 221
28 6 Tommy Edman 2B/3B/SS 280 277 #N/A
29 6 Jason Kipnis 2B/OF 282 #N/A #N/A
30 6 Howie Kendrick 2B/OF 285 #N/A #N/A
31 7 Marwin Gonzalez 1B/2B/SS/OF 348 264 #N/A
32 7 Rougned Odor 2B 394 281 258
33 7 Nick Solak 2B 314 #N/A #N/A
34 7 Jonathan Schoop 2B 380 #N/A 255
35 7 Isan Diaz 2B 335 #N/A #N/A
36 7 Brian Dozier 2B 342 #N/A #N/A
37 7 Kolten Wong 2B 347 #N/A #N/A
38 8 Ronny Rodriguez 1B/2B/3B/SS 349 #N/A #N/A
39 8 Brandon Lowe 2B 364 #N/A #N/A
40 8 Neil Walker 1B/2B 373 #N/A #N/A
41 8 Robinson Cano 1B/2B 431 #N/A #N/A
42 8 Eric Sogard 2B/SS 434 #N/A #N/A

 

Rankings Analysis - Top Tiers

Tier One

It's lonely at the top, with Chicago Cub Javier Baez occupying the penthouse all by himself, even though he no longer plays second base. While not as monstrous as 2018's cartoon numbers, Baez still crushes in five categories with 29 home runs, 85 RBI, and 87 runs scored. The only disappointing aspect of Baez's season is in the stolen base department, as he's only swiped 10 bags entering September after stealing 21 bases last year.

Tier Two

Finally healthy after having lingering knee pain following offseason surgery, Jose Altuve appears to have regained his MVP stroke and has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball since the All-Star break. In 196 plate appearances since July 12, Altuve has 14 home runs, 35 RBI, and 46 runs scored while slashing .356/.410/.684 with 187 wRC+. Anyone who sold Altuve low in the early summer is surely kicking themselves now.

No sophomore slump for Yankee Gleyber Torres, as the 22-year-old has continued to grow into his power, now with 33 home runs on the year after hitting 24 bombs last year. But Torres has really been on a tear in the month of August, with 14 home runs, 21 RBI, and 21 runs scored in his last 101 plate appearances.

Raise your hand if you thought D.J. LeMahieu would be in contention to win a batting title in his first year away from Colorado. Ok, good. Now that we've identified all the liars, we can get down to business. LeMahieu has been spectacular in his first year in the Big Apple, slashing .335/.382/.537 while setting career highs with 23 HR, 89 RBI, and 93 runs scored. And that's with a month to go in the season!

Wow, Houston Astro Yuli Gurriel is having one of the most under-the-radar years in fantasy, his superb production being buried beneath the avalanche of Astro superstars. But believe it or not, the tri-eligible Gurriel is currently #34(!) on Yahoo's Player Rater. How? By hitting 27 home runs, with 95 RBI, 76 runs scored and four stolen bases, while slashing .308/.350/.553 in 535 plate-appearances, that's how.

Tier Three

I hated, hated, hated Orioles shortstop Jonathon Villar coming into this season and now I have him as our #59-overall player, the highest of our experts. And why not? His .277 AVG is his highest in three seasons, and he has 20 home runs, 61 RBI, 88 runs scored and 29 stolen bases. As players continue to run less and less, Villars's combination of speed and power becomes even deadlier now that his average is back to a respectable level. Want to guess how many players have at least 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases this year? Trick question...It's just Ronald Acuna Jr.

Talk about a successful rookie season for Milwaukee Brewer Keston Hiura. Actually, no one is talking about it because Hiura is being overshadowed by a Peter Alonso-shaped eclipse. Which is a crying shame considering that through 69 games Hiura is slashing .304/.373/.578 with 16 HR, 43 RBI, 44 runs scored and nine stolen bases. Not to get all crazy with "on-pace for" numbers but Hiura's numbers extrapolated out to 162 games are:
37 HR  101 RBI  103 Runs  21 SB
No one is saying that Hiura will automatically put up that hypothetical line over a full season in 2020 but when a barely 23-year-old puts up those numbers over almost half a season, then the fantasy world should pay more attention.

Forget about brass monkey, let's talk about Max Muncy. That funky Mun-cy. Besides just continuing to hit for plus-power over the course of almost two seasons now, Los Angeles Dodger Max Muncy's most impressive feat this year may be improving his defense enough to keep his bat in the lineup every day, going from a below-average defender to having a top-five UZR score among qualified second baseman. And that bat has been fantastic in the lineup of the National League-leading Dodgers, now with 33 HR, 87 RBI, and 89 runs scored in 534 plate-appearances. Although, there is now some caution in the air, as Muncy was hit on the wrist by a pitch on August 29. X-rays have come back negative but for now, Muncy is considered day-to-day.

 

Rankings Analysis - Middle Tiers

Tier Four

Looks like I'm the high man on White Sox second baseman Yoan Moncada and I'll tell you that I'm as surprised as you because I've never been very bullish on the 24-year-old ever fixing all that swing-and-miss in his game. But Moncada has dropped his K-rate by five-points this season, and while playing in only 104 games due to injury has put up the type of numbers that should place him with the other elite young stars of the game. In only 438 plate-appearances, Moncada has 22 HR, 63 RBI, 67 runs scored and seven stolen bases, with a .297 AVG. Since returning for the injured list on August 22, Moncada has two home runs, two RBI, and three runs scored in seven games.

With news that Adalberto Mondesi will be activated on Sunday, all the owners who have kept his premium speed stashed can now rejoice. While Mondesi has been instructed not to dive either in the field or on the basepaths, it shouldn't hamper his stolen base potential given that he seems to be just as adept as sliding legs-first as he is head-first. Mondesi has 31 stolen bases this year in 82 games and will return with 25 games left to play, which would put him at getting around 8-9 stolen bases for the rest of the year if he comes back thieving at about the same pace. And why wouldn't he want to make up for lost time on a non-contending Royal's team? In fact, in much of the exact same team situation as last year, Mondesi stole 14 bases in his last 25 games. In a season that has been so bereft of theft, that many bags this time of the year - in either roto or category playoffs - can be a championship-winning maneuver.

Tier Five

I want to believe that 22-year-old Luis Urias will be a good hitter. I've read the scouting reports of the hit-tool, I've seen the fantastic numbers from Triple-A this year - .315/.398/.600 over 339 plate-appearances. But I think we're getting spoiled by the insane numbers being put up right out of the gate by players like Ronald Acuna Jr., Juan Soto, and Urias's teammate Fernado Tatis Jr. That's not how it's supposed to go, people in their low-20's are generally going to struggle against major league pitching. Remember when Rafael Devers was a bust last year? For dynasty and for 2020 redrafts, I'm probably going to love him as a perfect buy-low, post-hype prospect because Urias has proved that he's a great hitter at every level he been at while facing much older competition. And great hitters eventually figure out how to hit. But that's probably not going to happen this year, with Urias slashing only .186/.314/.279 through his first 153 plate appearances. During fantasy playoff season and with players like Jon Berti, Jason Kipnis, and Kevin Newman available in around 25% of all Yahoo leagues, I find little reason to keep chancing that Urias will have a breakthrough in this last month.

Bringing our Gurriel coverage to a close, it's a shame that the younger (and once thought less-talented) brother, Toronto rookie Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has been limited to only 79 games due to injury because Gurriel the Younger was in the midst of a breakout season. In less than half of a season, Gurriel has 19 HR, 47 RBI, 50 runs scored and six stolen bases. Just marinate on that for a minute. Gurriel is now expected to begin a rehab assignment early next week putting him on track to return the second week of September. 20 or so games of the powerful little brother could be the boon that makes many a championship run a reality.

Tier Six

Much of what I said earlier about the value of a returning Mondesi, applied in a lesser sense to Seattle Mariner Dee Gordon before he returned from injury on August 10. A returning speedster in a depressed stolen base environment could be a big difference-maker down the stretch, said pro-Gordon stashers. Reasonable argument considering Gordon's flashy history on the basepaths, like in 2017 when he averaged 0.38 stolen bases-per-game, swiping a total of 60 in 158 games. But this Dee isn't that Dee, as Gordon dropped to 0.21 SB/G in 2018, stealing 30 in 141 games, staying at about the same pace prior to injury in 2019. And since returning, Gordon is accumulating stolen bases at an even slower pace, picking up three bags in 17 games for a rate of 0.18 SB/G. With only a 71 wRC+ since returning and not giving much in any other category, Riley and I may want to adjust our rankings of Gordon way down if Sweet Dee isn't going to finish this season running.

 

Rankings Analysis - Lower Tiers

Tiers Seven And Eight

This is the last time I put Texas Ranger  Rougned Odor on any list unless I'm trying to rank the best punchers of Jose Bautista's face, because Odor has straight-up stunk in 2019. A known streaky hitter, Odor is showing no real sign of saving his numbers this year by putting together an extended hot streak as he did for a few months in 2018, posting better than a 180 wRC+ from the middle of June to the beginning of August. But Odor then cratered again at the end of last season and has dropped even further in 2019, running a .192 AVG in 119 games with a career-high 31.4% K-rate. Hitless in his last 33 plate-appearances, Ranger manager Chris Woodward has publicly stated that Odor's job could be in jeopardy if he doesn't improve his approach in the month of September.

More Fantasy Baseball Rankings Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

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

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jake Burger

to Miss an Additional 2-3 Weeks
TreVeyon Henderson

Signs Rookie Contract
Christian Watson

Goes on PUP List
Austin Riley

Hopes to be Activated Next Week
Ketel Marte

Lands on Restricted List After Burglary
Ricky Pearsall

Heads to PUP List
Brandon Aiyuk

Placed on PUP List
Luther Burden III

Signs Rookie Deal
Washington Nationals

Eli Willits Expected to Sign Contract on Saturday
Grayson Rodriguez

Being Shut Down Again - Will We See Him Again This Year?
Ezequiel Tovar

Activated and Back in Lineup on Friday
Max Fried

"Hopeful" to Pitch Next Week - Looks Like He'll Avoid IL Stint
Steven Kwan

Receives Injection in Wrist, Considered Day-to-Day
CJ Abrams

Back to Start Second Half
Alec Bohm

Back From Rib Injury on Friday
Trey Hendrickson

Holdout to Spill into Regular Season?
Jalen McMillan

Bucs Offensive Coordinator Not Forgetting About Jalen McMillan
Levi Onwuzurike

to Miss at Least Four Games
Nick Emmanwori

Seahawks, Nick Emmanwori Reach Agreement on Rookie Deal
Max Holloway

Set For Main Event
Brandon Lowe

Back From 10-Day Injured List
Dustin Poirier

Set For His Final UFC Fight
Roman Kopylov

Set For Co-Main Event
Paulo Costa

Returns At UFC 318
Luis L. Ortiz

to Remain on Leave for Another Month - Will he Pitch Again?
Daniel Rodriguez

Looks For Third Win In A Row
Kevin Holland

Set For His Fourth Fight This Year
Dan Ige

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
MMA

Patricio Freire Set For His Second UFC Fight
Daniel Zellhuber

Set To Open Up UFC 318 Main Card
Michael Johnson

Looks For Third Consecutive Win
Elijah Arroyo

Signs Rookie Deal
Jaydon Blue

Described as "Borderline Lazy"
T.J. Sanders

Bills Sign T.J. Sanders to Rookie Deal
Christian Wilkins

Raiders Put Christian Wilkins on PUP List
Jabari Small

Lions Add Jabari Small to Backfield
Quinshon Judkins

Remains Unsigned, Won't Report With Rest of Rookies
Mason Taylor

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Jets
Hendon Hooker

Leading Lions QB2 Battle Entering Training Camp
Ozzy Trapilo

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Bears
Tate Ratledge

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Lions
Jack Bech

Signs Rookie Contract with Raiders
Yegor Chinakhov

Requests Trade
Dakota Joshua

Maple Leafs Acquire Dakota Joshua
Lukas Dostal

Signs Five-Year Extension with Ducks
Shemar Stewart

Not Practicing With College Team
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Expected Back Friday
Damian Lillard

Returning to Portland
Paul Skenes

Pirates Could Preserve Paul Skenes in Second Half
Brooks Barnhizer

Grabs 19 Points, Nine Boards in Summer League Win
Jeremiah Fears

Scores 22 Points in Summer League Loss to Thunder
Isaiah Collier

Collects 17 Points In Summer League Win
Caleb Houstan

Joins Hawks
AJ Johnson

Erupts for 25 Points in Summer League Loss
Washington Wizards

Leaky Black Logs Double-Double in Loss to Jazz
Connor Norby

Undergoes Surgery, Expected to Miss 6-8 Weeks
Trey Alexander

Tallies 25 Points in Losing Effort
Johni Broome

Records Second Consecutive Double-Double
Jahmir Young

Has Historic Summer League Outing
Rob Dillingham

Plays Big Role in Wednesday's Win
Tyrese Proctor

Erupts for 35 Points Against Kings
Cody Williams

Leads Jazz to Victory Against Wizards
LeBron James

Mavs Not Interested in "Gutting its Roster" For LeBron James
Josh Hart

Undergoes a Procedure on Right Finger
Jake Burger

Goes on 10-Day Injured List With Quad Strain
Sal Frelick

Dealing With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain, TBD for Start of Second Half
Chris Sale

Plays Catch
Los Angeles Clippers

Bradley Beal Heading to Los Angeles to Join Clippers After Contract Buyout
Rayan Rupert

Scores 24 Points in Summer League Win
Derik Queen

Collects Third Consecutive Double-Double in Summer League Loss
GG Jackson II

Records 13 Points in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Johni Broome

Logs Double-Double Against Wizards
DaRon Holmes II

Records Double-Double in Summer League Loss to Raptors
Kyle Schwarber

Named All-Star Game MVP
Harris English

Takes Stellar 2025 Performance to The Open Championship
Aldrich Potgieter

Seeks Better Result in Northern Ireland
Cameron Young

Likely to Hang Around at The Open Championship
Cameron Smith

Just Trying to Make the Cut at Royal Portrush
Jordan Spieth

Is Jordan Spieth Still a Natural for Links Style Golf?
Patrick Reed

a Viable Option at The Open Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im Wants to Rebound from Last Experience at Royal Portrush
Xander Schauffele

Looks to Defend His Claret Jug at Royal Portrush
Tony Finau

Trying to Turn Tide at Royal Portrush
Daniel Brown

Seeks a Rebound at The Open Championship
Rory McIlroy

Will be the Most Watched Player This Week at Royal Portrush
Daniel Berger

Trending Poorly as The Open Championship Looms
Clayton Kershaw

Retires Both Batters In ASG Appearance
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Hit In Pinky In All-Star Game, X-Rays Negative
Robert MacIntyre

Hoping to Bounce Back at Open Championship
Shane Lowry

Hopes to Repeat at Royal Portrush
Brian Harman

Hopes to Rekindle Some Magic at the 153rd Open
UTA

Michael Carcone Returns to Utah on One-Year Contract
Bowen Byram

Signs Two-Year Deal with Sabres
Morgan Barron

Jets Re-Sign Morgan Barron for Two Years
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF