2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Second Base (2B) - February Update

Last month we brought you RotoBaller's preliminary second base fantasy baseball rankings. The February update is here. We'll be releasing all the other positional rankings updates this week, with analysis from all the RotoBaller writers on their favorite risers and fallers at each MLB position.

Make sure to also check out our MLB Fantasy Baseball Rankings blog, along with all of RotoBaller's second base rankings content. 

2015 Fantasy Baseball Second Base Rankings

Brad Johnson (Lead MLB Editor)

In the first base rankings, I wrote about Albert Pujols' healthy offseason. Now let's discuss the opposite effect. I previously had Jason Kipnis ranked fourth among second basemen due to his five category skill set. Kipnis has just reached the point where he can hit off a tee. He's not as prepared for the season as many of his colleagues. He'll have to catch up during the spring, and he may need extra rest during the season. The potential for a good season is still there, but he's already behind the eight ball.

Kyle Bishop (MLB Writer and Editor)

In our initial rankings, I had Brian Dozier ranked highest at the keystone, placing him third. I surprised myself with this ranking, to be honest. I like Dozier's category juice, but I honestly don't see myself even attempting to draft him in any of my leagues next year. The thing is, I can't really find anyone to slot above him. Second base, as we all know, is a train wreck for fantasy purposes. It's a bunch of declining vets, regression candidates, and injury concerns. There isn't a single 2B I completely trust heading into 2015, and I can''t remember the last time I could say that about any position.

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Jeff Kahntroff (MLB Writer)

Second base has a lot of mediocre depth.  Unless you’re in a really deep league, after the first eight second-basemen go, the ninth won’t be much better than waiver wire replacement.  At that point, you should be shooting for upside.  And that is why Brett Lawrie is going way too low.  Steamer projects him at .263/21 HR / 8 R /81 RBI /9 SB.  Because he is only 25 and has battled injuries, he has reasonable upside and room to surpass these numbers.  If it doesn’t work out, the waiver replacement shouldn’t be much worse than what was available at that pick anyway.

Josh Leonard (MLB Writer)

With Brett Lawrie, Jurikson Profar and Jed Gyorko you have some potential post hype sleepers available out of the top 10.

I thought I was giving Dustin Pedroia lots of hometown love ranking him 6th, but I see that overall he is being valued highly by my fellow RotoBallers also. I am betting on a healthy wrist and a strong rebound from last year, with a bump in HR, RBI and R. Some Boston fans are already calling to trade him for pitching and slide Betts in as the full time second baseman. Maybe this year Dustin Pedroia has some additional pressure to preform?

Kyle Braver (MLB Writer)

Ben Zobrist's departure from the Rays for the A's didn't do much to shake his fantasy value in my opinion. The move has payed dividends for Nick Franklin, however. Previously my 26^th overall 2^nd baseman, he's begun to rise through my rankings to 22^nd overall. He's still a very rough prospect to be sure and his struggles against left-handed pitchers stick out of the scouting report like a sore thumb. With Zobrist gone, the only thing between Franklin and every-day at-bats is Logan Foresythe. He might not be draft-day ready just yet, but keep your eye on Franklin. A strong Spring could be all it takes to open some eyes and become a solid deep league asset.

Harris Yudin (MLB Writer and Editor)

Putting Javier Baez at #9 is, admittedly, a bit bold, but look at it this way. If you miss out on the veteran second basemen or the young speedsters, what are you really going to get? Beyond the top tier, there is not a lot of excitement or diversity. A guy who put up 37 HR and 20 SB in the minors at age 20 provides a lot of excitement. Baez is the only second baseman with a chance to finish in top five in HR and SB. The biggest concern surrounding Baez is his strikeout rate. He finished with the second highest swinging strike rate among all players with at least 200 PA. However, he also managed the second lowest contact rate on balls outside of the zone. At just 22, I think he will adjust to major league pitching and improve his plate discipline. If he does, his upside can make him an elite fantasy middle infielder. Typically if you want real production out of a middle infield spot, you have to sacrifice an early round selection. Baez gives you the chance to potentially get that production with a late round pick.

Alex Roberts (RotoBaller Co-Founder)

My rankings mostly stayed the same from last month, but I did bump Dustin Pedroia up a few slots. He's growing on me as we get closer to the season.

The crowded Red Sox outfield could produce some added pressure for Pedroia in the form of Mookie Betts, who can also play second base. But Pedroia is not the type of player who needs extra motivation.  The much bigger factor here is that he's fully healthy heading into the 2015 season.  In 2014, his wrist injury limited everything he could do - workout, lift weights, and most importantly swing the bat as hard and fast as he's used to. Pedroia is squarely in his prime at 31 years old, and there's little reason he shouldn 't return to his usual fantasy line of the past half decade which has averaged close to 290 - 12 - 70 - 95 - 20.  If Pedroia puts up those numbers, it will likely make him a top 3 second basemen. I see more more stability with the first tier of Robinson Cano, Anthony Rendon and Jose Altuve which is why I have Pedroia at the top of tier 2 instead.  With an average ADP of 99 right now, Pedroia could be a significant bargain.

If you can't get Pedroia at a discount in the range of rounds 5-8, I would strongly recommend waiting, and waiting, and waiting some more to draft a second baseman.  In the middle of the draft, you have a plethora of solid options like Howie Kendrick, Ben Zobrist, Chase Utley, Kolten Wong. Toward the back end of the draft you'll have players like Aaron Hill, Asdrubal Cabrera, Brandon Phillips, and Scooter Gennett, all of whom will give you stat lines pretty similar to most of the mid-range 2B, but at a much lower draft price.

2015 Fantasy Baseball Second Base Rankings