Top 10 fantasy baseball second basemen for the 2023 season

We continue on in our fantasy baseball rankings, this time with second basemen. This is one of the weaker positions in fantasy baseball, with an elite few at the top, a decent few at the back of the list and in the just missed section, and not much to speak of after that.

This list is a ranking of the top 10 fantasy baseball second basemen you should target for your team.

First, a few second basemen who just missed the list:

Trevor Story was right around league average in his first season in Boston. He slashed .238/.303/.434/.737, which is an OPS+ of 102. He hit 16 homers, 22 doubles, drove in 66 runs, and scored 53. He missed significant time in the second half, and he will miss at least the first half of 2023 as well. If you want to draft him and stash him in the hopes of him playing in the second half, that’s a route you can take, just know that there aren’t any guarantees.

Ketel Marte had an up-and-down season in 2022 and is looking to return to his elite form. He slashed just .240/.321/.407/.727, which is an OPS+ of 106. He hit 12 homers, 42 doubles, drove in 52 runs, and scored 68. He’s been an every-other-year performer for a few years now, and if that pattern continues, 2023 will be a good one. In 2018, he had an OPS+ of 102, it jumped to 149 in 2019, returned to 97 in 2020, jumped to 143 in 2021, before returning to 106 last year. He is a strong bounceback candidate.

Brendan Rodgers is coming off of two solid years in Colorado, but I think there’s more in the tank for him. In 2022, he slashed .266/.325/.408/.733, which is an OPS+ of 96. He hit 13 homers, 30 doubles, drove in 63 runs, and scored 72. He improved his walk rate pretty drastically, from 4.6% in 2021 to 7.9% last year. There’s also more power that he has yet to tap into. His ground ball rate is still way too high at 52.2% last year. If he can hit the ball in the air more, he is a prime breakout candidate. If you have keepers, he is one to think about as a stash-away run the final rounds as he is scheduled for shoulder surgery that could cost him the 2023 season.

Isaac Paredes broke out last year in Tampa. He slashed .205/.304/.435/.740, good for a 114 OPS+. He hit 20 homers, 16 doubles, drove in 45 runs, and scored 48 in 111 games. Contact is always going to be in issue, but he doesn’t strike out as much as you’d think (17.6% strikeout rate) and he takes his walks too (11.5% walk rate). His BABIP was very low last year at .195, so expect a bump in his slashline across the board.

These are all guys that you should be content with on your fantasy baseball teams. With the honorable mentions out of the way, let’s look at the top 10 fantasy baseball second basemen you should target for your team in 2023.

Fantasy baseball second basemen #10: Thairo Estrada

Thairo Estrada quietly had a nice season in 2022. He slashed .260/.322/.400/.722, good for an OPS+ of 103. He hit 14 homers, 22 doubles, drove in 62 runs, and scored 71. He’s primarily a second baseman, but he also saw time at third, short, and left field for the Giants, so his value goes up due to his versatility. He should be in the lineup just about every day at one spot or another, and at just 27 years old, I don’t think we’ve seen the best of him yet.

Fantasy baseball second basemen #9: Brendan Donovan

Brendan Donovan very quietly had a nice rookie campaign in 2022. He slashed .281/.394/.379/.773, good for an OPS+ of 126. He hit five homers, 21 doubles, drove in 45 runs, and scored 64. He has an incredible eye at the plate, walking 60 times and striking out only 70. If you need a contact hitter on your team, this is a great option to consider in a deep Cardinals lineup. He is another versatile player, so expect him to be eligible at a handful of positions and play almost every day.

Fantasy baseball second basemen #8: Luis Arraez

The American League batting champ comes in at number 8. The lefty slashed .316/.375/.420/.795, good for a 130 OPS+. He hit just eight homers, 31 doubles, drove in 49 runs, and scored 88. The reason he is on the lower half of this list is that a lot of fantasy value is based on extra-base hits, of which he doesn’t hit many. If your league doesn’t have those extra-base categories (doubles, triples, homers, and total bases), you can reach for him because the contact ability is elite. He only struck out 43 times last year, a remarkable number, and he also walked 50 times.

Fantasy baseball second basemen #7: Jorge Polanco

Jorge Polanco had a bit of a down year in 2022, partially due to a pair of injuries that caused him to miss 58 games. When he was on the field, he hit .235/.346/.405/.751, good for a 117 OPS+. He hit 16 homers and doubles, drove in 56 runs, and scored 54. Hopefully he will be healthy and return to his 2021 form when he hit 33 homers, 35 doubles, slugged .503, and had an .826 OPS. Given health, it would also be nice to see his stolen bases return to double digits.

Fantasy baseball second basemen #4: Andres Gimenez

Andres Gimenez broke out in 2022. The lefty hit .297/.371/.466/.837, good for a 141 OPS+. He hit 17 homers, 26 doubles, drove in 69 runs, and scored 66. He also stole 20 bases. Last year was his first year as a starter, and he took full advantage. He posted the highest walk rate of his career so far (6.1%) and the lowest strikeout rate (20.1%). Both of those rates have room for improvement, but keep in mind that he’s still just 24 years old, so he has plenty of time to make those adjustments. If he puts up similar numbers in 2023, he will cement himself as one of the best players at this position.

Fantasy baseball second basemen #3: Jose Altuve

Altuve was in the #1 spot before his thumb injury in the WBC that will cause him to miss about a third of the season, but he slides down to #3 now. The righty slashed .300/.387/.533/.921, which leads to a position-best 160 OPS+. He hit 28 homers, 39 doubles, drove in 57 runs, and scored 103. He also stole 18 bases, and only got caught once. It says a lot about this position that a guy who is going to miss so much time is still in the top three. If you want to draft him high and stash him until he returns, it’ll be worth it.

Fantasy baseball second basemen #2: Jeff McNeil

The National League batting champion comes in at #3 on the list. The lefty slashed .326/.382/.454/.836 with a 140 OPS+. He hit nine homers, 39 doubles, drove in 62 runs, and scored 73. If you’re wondering why he gets bumped a few spots ahead of Arraez, it’s because he had more extra-base hits and he’s also in a better lineup that will give him more chances to score and drive in runs. McNeil is also a versatile player who will likely maintain outfield eligibility in addition to second base.

Fantasy baseball second basemen #1: Marcus Semien

Marcus Semien had an up-and-down season in 2022. He slashed .248/.304/.429/.733, which was an OPS+ of 108. He hit 26 homers, 31 doubles, drove in 83 runs, scored 101, and stole 25 bases. The righty led MLB in plate appearances (724) and at-bats (657), and he led the AL in games played with 161. He struggled mightily in the first third of the 2022 season (.199/.266/.274/.540 in April and May), but he returned to his usual level of performance in June and maintained it for the rest of the season (.268/.319/.490/.810 from June through early October). Those early struggles sank his overall numbers, but the bounce back is encouraging. He’s still elite at this position.

How would you rank your top fantasy baseball second basemen? Let us know in the comments.