Fantasy Baseball: Top 10 Second Baseman for 2019
Who are the top 10 second baseman for fantasy baseball in 2019?
We are moving right along in our fantasy baseball preview for 2019. For a look at the rest of our positional rankings and other fantasy baseball info, you can find it right here. Today we are going to take a look at the top 10 second baseman to have on your fantasy baseball team for the upcoming season.
You can go a couple of different ways when looking at second base. There are some obvious speed candidates. There are some guys with a serious amount of pop. There are also guys who provide a bit of both. You’ll see some old favorites on here for fantasy baseball. You’ll see some of the young stars of the game on this list also. You will also see some guys who could appear on another one of our top 10 lists.
Many of these players will be coming in with question marks. Are they healthy? Can they do it again? What will their second full year in the major leagues look like? Second base offers some intrigue and some players who aren’t on this list who could certainly make their way back on it for 2020.
There’s one clear cut first round pick at second base. He will be at number one on this list. After that, you’ll probably have a couple of rounds pass before you see one of these guys taken.
So let’s get to it. Who are the top 10 second baseman to own in fantasy baseball? Who are going to be those difference makers as a part of your middle infield? We are going to start our list with a player who would have been much higher up on this list in recent years, but in 2018 did not produce his usual numbers and found himself taking a one year deal in free agency. As always, we’ll show their numbers for 2018, plus their steamer projections for 2019.
10. Brian Dozier– Washington Nationals
2018 stats- 151 games .215/.305/.391 21 homers 71 RBI
2019 steamer- 122 games .242/.327/.433 20 homers 66 RBI
2018 was not they typical Brian Dozier year. Dozier was coming off of a 30 plus homer season and a 40 plus homer season with over 90 RBI. 2018 saw him return to more of a 2015 level, with 20 plus homers and 70 plus RBI.
Dozier was playing with a bone bruise in his knee, and after his trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers, was a non factor. He hit .182 with a .650 OPS. That isn’t going to get it done. Dozier took a one year prove it deal and joined the Washington Nationals, another team with playoff and championship aspirations.
Over the past three seasons, no second baseman in the game has more homers than Dozier’s 91,or has driven in more than his 264, even with his down 2018. Dozier is second in runs, ninth in steals and fifth in slugging percentage.
If Dozier can remain healthy, with the amount of firepower around him, I can see him rebounding in 2019 in a big way. This is a big year for the 31 year old, looking to try and cash in a pick up a multi-year deal in an increasingly tough free agent market after the season.
9. Robinson Cano– New York Mets
2018 stats: 80 games .303/.374/.471 10 homers 50 RBI
2019 steamer: 142 games .279/.339/.457 23 homers 81 RBI
2018 was one Robinson Cano most likely wants to forget. A broken bone in his hand from a hit by pitch and then an 80 game suspension for performance enhancing drugs. Cano came back and was productive once he got healthy, hitting .317 with an .860 OPS over his final 41 games. If you stashed him in fantasy baseball last year, you benefited from his stretch run.
Cano is now heading back to New York, this time to Queens after a blockbuster trade with the New York Mets engineered by his former agent Brodie Van Waganen. The 36 year old will be coming in with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, looking to prove himself coming off a tumultuous season and wanting to show the Mets made a good move in bringing him back to New York.
Over the past three seasons, Cano is fourth among second baseman in homers, ninth in runs, second in RBI, seventh in average, eighth in OBP, fourth in slugging and third in WRC+.
It wouldn’t shock me if Cano in 2019 has a better season than his Steamer projection. He’ll be joining a team looking for more offensive production up and down the lineup, but with the adds of Cano, and Jed Lowrie plus top prospect Peter Alonso, they should be better and deeper offensively than in 2019, which should only help Cano. Due to his age, there is certainly some risk here for fantasy baseball purposes, but there could be great reward as well.
8. Travis Shaw– Milwaukee Brewers
2018 stats- 152 games .241/.345/.480 32 homers 86 RBI
2019 steamer- 142 games .249/.334/.457 28 homers 86 RBI
Shaw moved over to second base for the Milwaukee Brewers when they club acquired Mike Moustakas at the trade deadline last season. Now, he’s eligible at second base for fantasy baseball, and, as of this writing, will probably be moving back to third in 2019 and give your fantasy club multi-positional flexibility.
Shaw saw his walk rate increase to a career high 13.3% and cut his strikeout rate to a career low 18.4 %. Entering his age 29 season, he’s smack dab in the middle of his prime and may get even better than what he produced last season.
Since Shaw has played the majority of his games at third base, let’s take a look at how he’s fared over the past three seasons compared to other third baseman. He’s tied for seventh in homers and sixth in RBI with his most productive years being the past two years.
For fantasy baseball, the power, plus the positional flexibility, makes Shaw an interesting target for 2019. The Milwaukee Brewers have a deep and talented lineup that may even be better with Yasmani Grandal in the fold.
7. Ozzie Albies– Atlanta Braves
2018 stats: 158 games .261/.305/.452 24 homers 72 RBI 14 steals
2019 steamer: 146 games .273/.324/.447 19 homers 75 RBI 16 steals
Albies had one of the best first halves for a rookie in 2018 and was a pretty good option in fantasy baseball too. Albies hit .281/.318/.516 20 homers 55 RBI with nine stolen bases. Power. Speed. He was 21.
Second half? Not great. .226/.282/.342 four homers 17 RBI and five steals. He played in the most games he’s ever had as a professional at 158 and clearly he wore down a bit.
Among second baseman, only Javier Baez hit more homers than Albies in 2018. He led all second baseman in runs scored with 105. He was sixth in RBI, ninth in steals and fourth in slugging.
I can very much see Albies being much higher on this list for 2020. Power and speed combo. This is a guy who’s stolen over 20 bases in the minors multiple times, but didn’t have this power develop. He also just turned 22.
The Atlanta Braves young core is going to be a fun watch in 2019 in what should be a rough NL East. Albies is a part of that and should get better in 2019.
6. Gleyber Torres– New York Yankees
2018- .271/.340/.480 24 homers 77 RBI
2019 steamer-142 games .257/.329/.439 22 homers 74 RBI
Sometimes drafting and stashing some rookies on your fantasy baseball team bench is a good thing. They can be worth the wait. We saw that time and again last year and Gleyber Torres is just another example of that.
The latest member of the New York Yankees young core came up last year, as Torres showed why he was the crown jewel of the Aroldis Chapman trade with the Chicago Cubs back in 2016. Torres ended up finishing third in AL Rookie of the Year voting after coming up in May and giving the Yankees a much needed boost at the position.
He did wear down in the second half, as his OPS dropped from .905 to .703, but part of that could be blamed on a hip injury he suffered during the season.
It would not surprise me if Torres found himself with shortstop eligibility for fantasy baseball in 2019. With Didi Gregorius set to miss most of the season, and their lone replacement so far being Troy Tulowitzki, who in his own rights is injury prone, and their addition of gold glove second baseman DJ LeMahieu, Torres could certainly see some starts at short. That flexibility could prove to be a nice bonus if he’s on your fantasy baseball squad this year.
5. Daniel Murphy– Colorado Rockies
2018- 91 games .299/.336/.454 12 homers 42 RBI
2019 steamer- 141 games .307/.360/.506 22 homers 86 RBI
Murphy won’t be playing a ton of second base this year for the Colorado Rockies. He’ll be their starting first baseman this year. Having that multiple positional eligibility will make him an asset in your fantasy baseball lineups. Also, Daniel Murphy playing his home games at Coors Field this season is going to be some site to see.
Murphy missed a few months recovering from knee surgery and started out slow, but, in the second half, and after a trade to the Chicago Cubs in August, put up pretty good numbers. He posted a .315/.346/.498 with 11 homers and 30 RBI.
Over the past three years, Murphy is ninth among second baseman in homers and sixth in RBI. His .326 batting average is second only to Jose Altuve. His .375 OBP is second only to…Altuve. His .542 slugging percentage leads all second baseman.
Murphy playing 81 times at Coors Field is going to be fun. With his ability to hit the ball to all fields, I expect a big season from him, whether you use him at second base or at first.
4. Scooter Gennett– Cincinnati Reds
2018 stats- 154 games .310/.357/.490 23 homers 92 RBI
2019 steamer- 141 games .262/.314/.427 19 homers 77 RBI
Gennett followed up his breakout 2017 season with another excellent campaign in 2018. Not bad for a waiver claim. His slugging may have dropped slightly, but his OBP, average, and walk percentage went up while his strikeout percentage went down. That’s exactly what you want to see.
Having a run producing bat like this at second base as a part of your fantasy baseball lineup, and knowing you will get this kind of production is exactly what you want to see. The Reds have made some upgrades not only in the rotation, but in their outfield, plus, the offensive depth that they have should make Gennett even more appealing for fantasy baseball players for 2019.
Over the past three years, Gennett ranks seventh in homers and WRC+, fifth in RBI, eighth in average and sixth in slugging.
I think Gennett will put up a season somewhere between his steam projection and his 2018 numbers. I think Steamer has his numbers too low and Gennett should be one of the best second baseman in the league and in fantasy baseball for 2019.
3. Whit Merrifield– Kansas City Royals
2018 stats- 158 games .304/.367/.438 12 homers 60 RBI 45 steals
2019 steamer- 145 games .275/.330/.406 12 homers 61 RBI 30 steals
The 30-year old, newly extended, second baseman of the Kansas City Royals has been a speed asset over the past couple of seasons in fantasy baseball. Merrifield has led the American League in steals each of the past two seasons. Last year he led the league in hits also with 192. His homer production dropped from 19 to 12, but, he did hit over 40 doubles for the first time in his career.
Merrifield also plays some outfield, so another example of a second baseman with multi-positional eligibility to help you with some fantasy baseball lineup flexibility.
Merrifield ranks second in steals among second baseman over the past two seasons since taking over the job on a full-time basis. His .296 average is third, while ranking eighth in OBP and sixth in slugging and WRC+.
If you are looking for speed at second base instead of some of the other power options we’ve seen throughout this list, look no further than Merrifield to be your second baseman on your fantasy team in 2019.
2. Javier Baez- Chicago Cubs
2018 stats- 160 games .290/.326/.554 34 homers 111 RBI
2019 steamer- 147 games .269/.313/.488 29 homers 96 RBI
If not for Christian Yelich‘s insane September run last season, Baez may have won the NL MVP. Going now into his age 26 season, Baez has officially taken his place among not only the game’s elite second baseman, but among the stars of the game.
Baez is someone you’re going to have to take pretty early in fantasy baseball drafts this season. Does he still strike out a ton? Sure. He struck out a little over 25% of the time last year, but he just recorded his first 30 homer, 100 RBI season and it shouldn’t be his last either.
Over the past three seasons, Baez is fifth in homers, 10th in runs scored, fourth in RBI, and third in slugging percentage and just outside the top 10 in steals and WRC+ among second baseman.
The former first round pick is just entering his prime. He’s one of the most fun players to watch in the game today. Draft with confidence and enjoy the elite production at second and the eligibility all over the infield for your fantasy baseball team in 2019.
1. Jose Altuve- Houston Astros
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2018 stats- 137 games .316/.386/.451 13 homers 61 RBI 17 steals
2019 steamer- 147 games .303/.368/.460 17 homers 81 RBI 18 steals
A knee injury limited Altuve to under 140 games for the first time since becoming a full-time starter in his major league career. The 28 year old is still the best second baseman in all of baseball. He is an elite fantasy baseball option and someone you will have to spend a first round pick on in order to secure him onto your roster this season.
Over the past three seasons, Altuve is eighth in homers, first in runs ,average, OBP, WRC+ and FWAR, second in slugging, seventh in RBI and fourth in steals. What else could you want from your second baseman in fantasy and reality?
You should see numbers reflecting more of his 2017 and 2016 seasons rather than his 2018 season. He should be healthy and ready to go. He could be your first pick in the lower half of the first round of your fantasy baseball draft.
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So there you have it. These are the top 10 second baseman for fantasy baseball in 2019. Anyone too high? Too low? Leave a comment below.