The battle to be the best second baseman in Major League Baseball comes down to two people — Jose Altuve and Trea Turner.
Turner is the up and coming star, while Altuve is the tried and true fantasy baseball star. Both give you a lot to desire, but is Turner worth the risk in the first round?
His average draft position is 11th overall, second among second basemen behind Altuve at No. 3 overall. The upside is there, but to trust him to put it all together during an entire season as a first-round pick is risky.
However, if you miss on Altuve and Turner, you’re going to see a noticeable drop-off in production. The next-highest ranked second basemen is Robinson Cano, who at one time would be a steal at 29th overall, but is far from the player we remember from years ago.
I would consider Turner too much of a risk in the first round based on his incomplete history. Here’s the rest of what I think about second basemen in fantasy baseball.
Can’t Miss
Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
No one is more consistent than Altuve…in all positions.
He’s been an everyday player since 2012 and his batting average hasn’t dipped below .300 since 2013. He’ll steal bases and last year, he even added some power with 24 homers and 96 RBIs.
If he has similar power production, he’s a candidate for being the most productive fantasy baseball player, as he almost was last season.
The power numbers may drop a bit, but the rest of his game will still be top-shelf. His production can’t be overstated because he’s in a position with very few consistent fantasy baseball performers. His No. 3 ranking is justified, and if you miss out, this position may have you frustrated for the entire season.
Potential Bust
Robinson Cano, Seattle Mariners
Last year was a nice ride for Cano. He came back after a disappointing 2015 to resurrect his career with 39 home runs and 103 RBIs in 2016.
That production has him listed as the third-best second basemen entering 2017. I don’t buy it, though.
This is his 13th season in MLB and he’s 34. I know for most of you, baseball stars were just reaching their pinnacle at that age thanks to performance-enhancing drugs. Now that MLB is taking a more strict approach to those drugs (I’m sure it’s still prevalent, but not as rampant as it was in the 1990s and early 2000s), careers are ending earlier than recent history, harkening back to the older days of baseball.
That means Cano is too much of a liability at that age to see similar production. We’ve seen him have a down year in the last two years, so my expectation is that last year was his final top-tier production level for fantasy baseball.
In today’s game of baseball, I’m not trusting these aging stars like I once did. If you want Cano in the beginning of the third round, then take him and cross your fingers that Father Time doesn’t come calling in 2017.
Sleeper
DJ LeMahieu, Colorado Rockies
Sometimes players improve. And in LeMahieu’s case, they improve a lot.
Imagine LeMahieu on the Chicago Cubs. He was there as a rookie, but was dealt to the Rockies in 2012. Now, he’s proving why that move may have been one of the only wrong ones made recently by Chicago’s organization.
And if LeMahieu continues to improve, his ADP of 88th overall and 13th among second basemen, will be the laughing stock of the year.
I do understand why he’s ranked so low. Other than batting average, which he led the Majors in last season, and runs, he doesn’t do anything else elite. I’d like him to steal more bases, but that’s not in the cards for the lanky infielder.
Instead, what I get with him, is the ability to get on base, be elite in two categories, and possibly find a third area where he could improve, possibly RBIs, where he’s improved each year in the Majors.
I’m high on the Rockies and I’m high on LeMehieu’s ability this season.
