We may be coming up on Thanksgiving where things such as Black Friday and the Holiday Season are on the forefront of everyone’s mind but that doesn’t mean there isn’t enough time to look ahead to next season. With that in mind, today i’m unleashing part 1 of my Second Base Fantasy Rankings.
25 – Joe Panik
Projection: .274/.325/.349 4 HR 50 RBI 55 R 1 SB
Joe Panik may have gotten a World Series ring with the Giants but that doesn’t mean he has high fantasy value. While he did hit .305 last year, he also had a BABIP of .343 and there’s likely to be some regression to that total in 2015.
24 – DJ LeMahieu
Projection: .272/.312/.357 4 HR 45 RBI 55 R 13 SB
Not even the Coors Field effect is enough to make LeMahieu enough of a power force to even hit double digit HR. While he can provide some cheap steals, Coors Field at least provides the only reason he even has marginal value (he hit .316 at home last year versus .216 on the road).
23 – Scooter Gennett
Projection: .301/.335/.452 10 HR 45 RBI 50 R 8 SB
If Gennett could demonstrate an ability to hit left-handed pitching, he would be much higher on this list. The current projection assumes that he continues to get benched against lefties next year (he had 42 PA against lefties last year). Even if he doesn’t get shielded against lefties this likely wouldn’t help his value as this would likely decrease his batting average.
22 – Brett Lawrie
Projection: .256/.313/.427 17 HR 60 RBI 60 R 5 SB
Lawrie may be only 24 and have tons of potential but that doesn’t mean he automatically gets a high spot in these rankings. While he has plenty of power in his bat, he has yet to demonstrate the ability to stay healthy over a full season and he doesn’t provide much in batting average. Select him at your own risk.
21 – Aaron Hill
Projection: .254/.302/.404 15 HR 65 RBI 60 R 6 SB
If you are expecting the force that hit 26+ HR three times, you are likely to be disappointed. While I think his power rebounds somewhat next year the combination of a sharp decrease in HR/FB rate coming at the age of 32 gives me the feeling that he’s starting on the downward slope of his career.
20 – Omar Infante
Projection: .272/.312/.375 9 HR 65 RBI 60 R 8 SB
While Infante has been never been spectacular, he has at least been able to provide a decent batting average and flirt with double digit power. While he did hit .252 last year, I think this should move back into the .270s as his .275 BABIP from 2014 was 31 points below his career total.
19 – Roughned Odor
Projection: .276/.323/.441 16 HR 60 RBI 60 R 7 SB
I wouldn’t be surprised if Odor was top-10 second basemen within the next five years. For 2015, I think his fantasy value will take a step forward and at least provide double digit home run power.
18 – Arismendy Alcantara
Projection: .233/.294/.418 23 HR 65 RBI 65 R 20 SB
As Alcantara gains more experience, he should find himself in the top 10 of these rankings sooner rather than later. While he is currently on the rise, drafting him is not going to come without a high level of risk at the moment. While I think a 20/20 season is realistic for Alcantara so is the fact that he is likely to be an anchor on your batting average.
17 – Jason Kipnis
Projection: .265/.336/.404 14 HR 55 RBI 65 R 20 SB
Last weekend, my wife and I were excited to take our 1 year-old to see Santa Claus. That excitement turned into disappointment as he acted scared of Santa Claus and made it clear that hanging out with this holiday icon was not his idea of fun.
After an exceptional season in 2013, Kipnis appeared headed for better and more exciting things. However, his abysmal performance in 2014 elicited a similar disappointment from Fantasy Owners. While I see Kipnis playing better in 2015, at this point I just don’t trust Kipnis as a high-level fantasy option.
16 – Brandon Phillips
Projection: .278/.319/.431 17 HR 65 RBI 60 R 6 SB
While I think Phillips has enough of a track record to trust him to stay healthy in 2015 (he played in at least 141 games in each season from 2006-2013) I’m not quite as convinced of him returning to his peak level of production that he enjoyed earlier in his career. It’s been a few years since he’s been a threat on the base paths. With that being said, he’ll at least hit for a decent AVG and there is still some power left in his bat.
15 – Asdrubal Cabrera
Projection: .254/.318/.409 16 HR 65 RBI 75 R 10 SB
He may have hit 25 HR in 2011 but it seems to be established the likelihood of that repeating with each season. There’s some power and a few stolen bases but not very much upside.
14 — Dustin Pedroia
Projection: .277/.339/.378 8 HR 65 RBI 75 R 4 SB
As recently as 2011, Pedroia had a 20/25 season and hit .307. However, there has not been much to get excited about from a fantasy standpoint lately. The Stolen Bases have progressively decreased and he’s had single-digit HR totals the last two seasons. He still should hit for a decent average but his peak has come and gone.
13 – Daniel Murphy
Projection: .290/.332/.418 9 HR 55 RBI 70 R 15 SB
Murphy has been consistent over the last few years, hitting between .286-.291 hitting double figures in SB and throwing in the occasional home run. These trends should all continue in 2015.
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BOSTON, MA – APRIL 24: Dustin Pedroia #15 of the Boston Red Sox bobbles the ball at second base while trying to turn the double play over Brett Gardner #11 of the New York Yankees in the second inning during the game at Fenway Park on April 24, 2014 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
