Top 40 Second Base Rankings for 2020 Fantasy Baseball

The middle infield has traditionally been pretty shallow. Fantasy owners might have grabbed one of the top few elite options and then settled for grabbing a few stolen bases much later in the draft. Shortstop has bucked that trend but as you’ll see in our second base rankings below, that position is still a bit on the shallow side. While second base can’t offer the potential 50-homer bats of a few other positions, it is possible to find multi-category potential later in drafts.

Before we get to our consensus 2020 second base rankings, we asked each of our analysts for their thoughts on the position. Not surprisingly our analysts varied in their outlooks for the position.

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2020 Second Base Outlook

Nathan Dokken – @NathanDokken – Author Archive

Second Base is a relatively weak position this year. There isn’t a lot of depth, and there are even questions at the top of the ranks with Jose Altuve and his stolen base totals moving forward. He has missed time due to injury in each of the past two seasons, and in 2019 was just 6-11 in stolen base attempts. With AJ Hinch now out as manager and Dusty Baker at the helm perhaps their philosophy changes, but there is no guarantee Altuve steals double-digit bases.

There are solid values with the likes of Gavin Lux and Cavan Biggio, so if you miss out on the elite tier, you can let the position come to you.

Eric Cross – @EricCross04 – Author Archive

While the second base position still gets thought of as the red-headed stepchild of the infield, it’s definitely a position on the rise. You have a good mix at this position too with some solid veterans like Whit Merrifield and Jose Altuve, and some up and coming youngsters like Gleyber Torres and Keston Hiura. After the top 12-13 or so, it starts thinning out quickly, so you’re going to need to spend a top-100 pick on your starter. If not, shooting for one of the upside guys like Garrett Hampson, Michael Chavis, or Carter Kieboom could pay big dividends later on.

Mike Kurland – @Mike_Kurland – Author Archive

The longer I look at my second base rankings the more I realize it’s deeper than I initially noticed. What it lacks are the truly elite players. There are some great players like Altuve, Torres, and Marte but none of them stand out as elite options to me. Second base is solid throughout but due to the lack of elite options, I still feel it’s a weaker position.

Last year Altuve stood head and shoulders above the rest but with the lack of steals and injuries piling on over the last couple seasons, he has fallen into the tier with those mentioned above. All in all, I’m not too thrilled by the options at this position. You may see people reach on second basemen due to the perceived positional scarcity but the position does have some sneaky depth and you can get by waiting on the position if need be. I will be targeting players like Gavin Lux and Cavan Biggio personally and if all else fails I can end up with a Mike Moustakas. Don’t panic about the position. Take the value that falls while others reach.

Jorge Montanez – @JMontanez90 – Author Archive

Second base has been a thin position in recent years, with Jose Altuve sitting alone at the top. Altuve continues his reign as the number one player at the position going into 2020, but some exciting young players are certainly closing the gap. Ketel Marte, Keston Hiura, Gleyber Torres, and Ozzie Albies round out the top tier for me. Meanwhile, players like Max Muncy, DJ LeMahieu, and Jeff McNeil retain eligibility at the position, adding some depth you’d feel more than comfortable starting. Include a slew of budding young talents such as Gavin Lux, Cavan Biggio, and Garrett Hampson, and we’ve got a position that’s looking as good and exciting as it’s been in recent memory.

Paul Mammino – @PaulMammino – Author Archive

The second base position was an extremely interesting position for me to rank. It seems more and more teams are using the position rather fluidly with a number of guys potentially handling the position in a given season. With the increased value of multi-positional players, there are a number of players who qualify at second base, but will likely man other positions in 2020. There is some really interesting depth at second if a few of the late-round fliers can find their way into consistent playing time. While it is not the most exciting of positions, second base could prove to be a gold mine for savvy fantasy owners.

More 2020 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP

2020 Second Base Rankings

Rnk	Player	Dokken	Cross	Kurland	Montanez	Mammino
1	Jose Altuve	1	1	3	1	1
2	Ozzie Albies	2	2	1	3	3
3	Gleyber Torres	5	3	4	4	2
3	Ketel Marte	4	5	2	2	5
5	Keston Hiura	7	4	5	5	4
6	Jonathan Villar	3	6	6	6	8
7	Whit Merrifield	8	7	7	7	6
8	Max Muncy	6	8	9	10	9
9	DJ LeMahieu	9	9	8	8	10
10	Jeff McNeil	10	10	11	9	7
11	Mike Moustakas	11	14	10	13	11
12	Gavin Lux	14	12	13	11	12
12	Cavan Biggio	12	13	12	12	13
14	Eduardo Escobar	13	11	14	14	14
15	Tommy Edman	17	18	15	17	15
16	Garrett Hampson	15	15	19	15	20
17	Danny Santana	20	17	16	19	19
18	Kevin Newman	18	16	17	18	23
19	Michael Chavis	22	19	23	16	16
20	Ryan McMahon	16	23	20	21	21
21	Brandon Lowe	25	24	18	20	17
22	Nick Solak	21	20	24	23	18
23	Cesar Hernandez	28	22	22	28	22
24	Carter Kieboom	30	25	21	22	27
24	Kolten Wong	19	26	25	25	30
26	Rougned Odor	23	27	28	26	31
27	Tommy La Stella	26	29	27	31	25
28	Luis Arraez	24	28	32	29	28
28	Dee Gordon	26	21	30	35	29
30	Robinson Cano	34	30	29	30	26
31	Luis Urias	33	32	31	33	24
32	Starlin Castro	37	34	26	24	38
33	Shed Long	31	37	35	27	34
34	Hanser Alberto	38	31	34	36	32
35	Howie Kendrick	35	35	38	37	33
36	Jurickson Profar	29	39	39	40	36
37	Nick Madrigal	NR	33	33	32	40
38	Jonathan Schoop	36	38	40	38	39
39	Adam Frazier	32	36	NR	39	37
40	Isan Diaz	40	40	37	NR	35
41	Mauricio Dubon	39	NR	36	34	NR

For all the rankings, strategy, and analysis you need for Draft Day 2020 check out the FantraxHQ Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit. We’ll be adding more content from now right up until Opening Day!

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