Today, we’re taking a look at some widely available players available at the Second Baseman position to help players needing to upgrade this area.
The players are listed in order from least likely to help your team down the stretch to most likely.
Currently owned in 6% of leagues and also eligible at SS. If you are looking to him to put you over the top, the question to ask is how badly do you need the stolen bases he provides? Currently his BABIP is at .293 indicating that his average is not going to deviate much from .256, he’s never hit for very much power but there is no denying he can help in at least one category. However, he’s not a very strong option overall.
Bottom Line: Stolen bases not worth minimal production in other categories
Currently owned in 20% of leagues and also eligible at SS. After a slow start to his career, Panik has been scorching hot as he hit .379 in August & .350 during the first nine games of September. The question to ask is how long will the good times last?
While Panik has helped the Giants play well as we go down the stretch, he also has a relatively high BABIP (.354) and there’s not enough of a sample size to indicate how much regression is in store for him. My estimate (which is fairly conservative) is that he’s closer to a .270 hitter long term.
He may be worth a short-term pick up to see if he can keep his hot streak going but I’m not sold on his long term fantasy value as he’s still hit for very limited power and has yet to steal a base.
Bottom Line: Possible short-term hot streak value, but questionable long-term value
Currently owned in 31% of leagues and also eligible at SS. He has spent most of the season being a fantasy baseball dud, but is hitting better at the right time (.346 AVG, 2 HR, 6 RBI in first nine games of September).
Even with this recent surge, his batting average is full of warts (.216). He has also been on the unlikely side of the spectrum, sporting a .260 BABIP. Even with this factored in, he’s probably not going to help much at shortstop as he’s likely closer to a .250 hitter.
The question remains whether he can at least provide some power. I think his power is reflective of his actual value as he has a pretty average 10% HR/FB ratio. While his overall value is slightly lower than Mercer at this point, I think there is more upside but also higher risk of his performance crashing and burning.
Bottom Line: Could provide some power, but just as likely to go cold for extended period of time
Currently owned in 22% of leagues and also eligible at SS. He has improved his stock steadily by having a strong second half where he’s hit .279 with 5 HR & 22 RBI in 165 PA. The question to ask is whether he’s turned the corner or should we expect the limited production he had in the first half.
While Mercer’s upside is fairly limited, he’s also not a major liability waiting to happen. Despite having a BABIP .290 below his career total of .303 he has a batting average of .262, in the long-term he’s likely more of a .270 hitter.
With this being the first time he’s cracked double figures in home runs, it also needs to be asked if we can expect more of this going forward. I would say yes (but don’t expect anything beyond this year’s modest power production) as his HR/FB rate this year (8.8%) is very close to his career total 9%.
Bottom Line: Not much upside but also lower chance of crash and burn
Currently owned in 39% of leagues and also eligible at SS. While 2013 was much better to him than 2014 has so far, he still has a chance to finish this year strong. In his first 10 September games, he has a .368 AVG, 1 HR & 3 RBI.
While his .249 AVG is unsightly, he has also been unlucky as he has a .279 BABIP (compared to .292 career total). In the long term, I see him being closer to a .260 hitter. He has also been very unlucky in the power department as his 3.5% HR/FB rate is well behind his 6.5% career total and this time is as good as any for his luck to balance out there.
Bottom Line: Decent buy low candidate, not as bad as his 2014 stats indicate
Currently owned in 37% of leagues but not eligible at any other position. Honestly, I’m surprised at that total. Granted, his batting average was dragged in the mud by a no-good, terrible June (.103 average in 12 games). This season, his BABIP (.278) is pretty low and adjusting for this I could see him hitting around .270.
In addition, he has been a threat on the base paths with 20 stolen bases and has even thrown in 11 home runs. Going into 2015, and only being 23, I could easily see him having 20-20 potential going forward and potentially swinging the outcome of several leagues.
Bottom Line: Pick him up now if you still have the chance
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All stats referenced found on fangraphs.com
All ownership% numbers based on Yahoo! Fantasy
Main Photo via Getty Images
