Fantasy baseball second base preview: Rankings, tiers, targets, top prospects and more

We’re almost there, everybody: After a long, cold, frustratingly slow offseason, MLB’s regular season begins on Wednesday, March 20, with the Dodgers and Padres squaring off in Seoul (the 28 other teams will get things started on Thursday, March 28). With precious little time to go until Opening Day, now is the time to start cranking up your fantasy baseball drafts — and we’re here to be your one-stop shop for all things draft prep. We just recently unveiled our top 300 overall for redraft leagues in 2024, as well as top prospects to know; now it’s time to start breaking things down position by position, giving you the lay of the land along with positional rankings, tiers, sleepers, busts and breakouts.

Next up: second base, a position that’s a bit stronger than in years past but is still very much in the eye of the beholder. There’s a legit first-rounder in Mookie Betts, plus three more early-rounders … all of whom are entering their mid-30s, with some signs of wear. The position’s middle class is coming off of exciting 2023 seasons … without the track record to support that level of production. If the older guys can keep outrunning Father Time and the young guys prove it wasn’t a fluke, second base will be a surprisingly deep position yet again, and there are approximately a zillion guys worthy of dart throws late in drafts. Of course, they could all blow up by late April, but such is life at second base this year.

Second base tiers

Tier 1: Mookie Betts
Tier 2: Ozzie Albies, Marcus Semien, Jose Altuve
Tier 3: Matt McLain, Nico Hoerner, Spencer Steer
Tier 4: Gleyber Torres, Bryson Stott, Andres Gimenez, Thairo Estrada, Isaac Paredes, Ha-Seong Kim, Ketel Marte
Tier 5: Luis Arraez, Tommy Edman, Nolan Gorman, Edouard Julien, Jonathan India, Jordan Westburg, Christopher Morel, Luis Rengifo
Tier 6: Zack Gelof, Ryan McMahon, Brandon Drury, Brandon Lowe, Jorge Polanco, Willi Castro, Gavin Lux, Joey Ortiz, Luis Garcia, Justin Turner, Michael Massey
Tier 7: Jake Cronenworth, Brendan Donovan, Brendan Rodgers, Jeff McNeil, Davis Schneider, Geraldo Perdomo, Whit Merrifield, Zach McKinstry, DJ LeMahieu, Cavan Biggio, Amed Rosario

Second base sleeper

Edouard Julien, Minnesota Twins

Julien is something of a three-true-outcomes player, with an elite eye at the plate (15.7% walk rate) and some in-zone contact issues to work out. But his contact metrics were excellent in his rookie season, helping him launch 16 homers in just 109 games. The Twins have cleared the deck for him to start every day at second base, and if he can make some K rate gains, he’s got the speed and Minor League track record to think he can improve on his three steals from last season. If that gaudy OBP earns him the leadoff spot, he could produce 100+ runs, 20+ homers and 8-10 steals with a batting average that won’t hurt you.

Second base breakout

Gavin Lux, Los Angeles Dodgers

Lux was a buzzy name this time last year, only for a torn ACL to send things sideways. But he’s back healthy now, and the Dodgers seem confident enough in him as a starter this season. Whatever optimism there was around Lux this time a year ago has largely disappeared, but if reports that he added 6 mph to his bat speed at Driveline are true, there could still be breakout potential — we know he’s got the raw athleticism, even post-knee surgery, and he could be a five-category contributor in a strong lineup available basically for free.

Second base bust

Ha-Seong Kim, San Diego Padres

Kim’s quality of contact didn’t come close to backing up his apparent growth as a hitter, with his hard-hit rate and average exit velocity both dropping from 2022 to 2023. Of course, much of his fantasy value was tied up in his 38 steals last season, but that’s another place where it’s fair to be skeptical – he had just 12 steals in 2022, after all, which is a massive jump even given the new rules. It’s not hard to imagine a world in which Kim backslides to something more like a .250, 12-homer hitter at the plate, meaning he’ll have to really, really run to recoup top-100 value.

Top second base prospects

Colt Keith, Detroit Tigers

Age: 22
Minor League stats: .306 BA (507 AB) 27 HR, .932 OPS, 60 BB, 121 K
ETA: Opening Day

The extension Keith signed earlier this winter basically guarantees him an Opening Day job somewhere on the infield, and the bat certainly seems ready for the challenge. A shoulder injury cut his 2022 breakout short, but when Keith returned last year, he just kept right on mashing: .325/.391/.585 with 14 homers in 59 games at Double-A, then .287/.369/.521 with 13 homers in 67 games at Triple-A, both of which came in his first taste of those levels. He’s got a swing geared for pull-side power, and while the batting average likely won’t be a boon, something like .270 or so with 25 homers over a full season feels very attainable.

Jace Jung, Detroit Tigers

Age: 23
Minor League stats: .265 BA (486 AB), 28 HR, .878 OPS, 79 BB, 139 K
ETA: Midsummer

Josh’s younger brother began to make good on his own draft hype last season, blitzing Double-A late in the year. Detroit’s infield picture is wide open right now, even with Keith set to take an Opening Day job; if Jung hits the ground running again, he could be up by June or July and not look back — with a fantasy profile somewhat similar to his brother (decent-enough average, big-time power).

Thomas Saggese, St. Louis Cardinals

Age: 21
Minor League stats: .306 BA (555 AB), 26 HR, 12 SB, .903 OPS, 52 BB, 144 K
ETA: Midsummer

Saggese hit .351 with 20 homers and a 1.076 OPS over his final 73 games at Double-A, and he’s been punching above his weight for long enough that it’s time to take him seriously. The Cardinals have been churning out hitting prospects like this for a long time now, and at this point, it seems safe to say that Saggese just has a swing optimized for the modern game despite a lack of particularly loud tools.