Good day All,
If you’ve been focusing on the NFL Draft this week, I’m happy to report we’ve had another exciting week of baseball. The Mets combined to pitch a no-hitter against the Phillies this past Friday, Bryce Harper and Mike Trout earned their 10th year of MLB service time (I feel old), and yes – something is definitely up with those baseballs.
Before we dive into the top 25 second basemen, the below tweet caught my eye that Ryan M. Spaeder retweeted from Grant Paulsen earlier this week I wanted to share with you all:
I’m no conspiracy theorist, but make of the below as you will, keeping in mind as the optimal launch angle for home runs is between 25 and 30 degrees:
Tier 1 – The Elites:
1. Trea Turner – Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Ozzie Albies – Atlanta Braves
Albies has started off slow in the batting average department, but is showing great pop and is in the middle of a deep lineup that just welcomed back Ronald Acuna Jr.
Tier 2 – The Almost-Elites:
3. Mookie Betts – Los Angeles Dodgers
4. Trevor Story – Boston Red Sox
5. Jonathan India – Cincinnati Reds
6. Brandon Lowe – Tampa Bay Rays
7. Jazz Chisholm Jr – Miami Marlins
Lowe is batting under .200, but he’s still hitting the ball hard as he normally does. His average exit velocity this season is in the 90th percentile, so I’m confident the counting numbers will come in time.
Tier 3 – The Next-Best Things:
8. Ty France – Seattle Mariners
9. Jorge Polanco – Minnesota Twins
10. Javier Baez – Detroit Tigers
11. Tommy Edman – St. Louis Cardinals
France is off to a hot start, and his underlying stats suggest he’s been a legitimate force. For you WAR lovers, he makes the top 5. According to wRC+, he’s 130% better than the league average hitter. Ty’s Savant page backs up the strong start and his triple 1B/2B/3B eligibility is gravy. France is the biggest riser in the ranks so far, and another few weeks of his current pace will bump him up a tier or so.
Tier 4 – The Last of the Mixed League Starters:
12. Marcus Semien – Texas Rangers
13. Max Muncy – Los Angeles Dodgers
14. Ketel Marte – Arizona Diamondbacks
15. DJ LeMahieu – New York Yankees
16. Jose Altuve – Houston Astros
17. Jake Cronenworth – San Diego Padres
Speaking of triple-eligible players in our game, DJ LeMahieu has been been the spark the Yankees desperately needed, looking like his old self. DJ is hitting .300, and scoring plenty of runs with a .370 OBP. After an injury-plagued 2021 and dealing with an October sports hernia surgery, perhaps I was too quick to write DJ off.
Tier 5 – The Middle Infielders:
18. Owen Miller – Cleveland Guardians
19. Ryan McMahon – Colorado Rockies
20. Whit Merrifield – Kansas City Royals
21. Jurickson Profar – San Diego Padres
Whit Merrifield is my biggest faller, as he owns a 4/0/4/.141/.190/3 slash line entering the weekend. His sprint speed is still in the 90th percentile, so the speed is still there, but the old adage says you can’t steal first. 2022 is looking like a long season for Merrifield owners.
Tier 6 – The Leftovers:
22. Eduardo Escobar – New York Mets
23. Sheldon Neuse – Oakland A’s
24. Santiago Espinal – Toronto Blue Jays
25. Brendan Rodgers – Colorado Rockies
Sheldon Neuse has my attention in this tier. While he’s always been a high BABIP player throughout his time in the Minors, Neuse will likely not sustain a .400+ BABIP in the Majors. Neuse is in the top 1oth percentile in line drive rate, he’s been batting second in the Oakland A’s lineup and is exhibiting a nice blend of pop and speed. He’s definitely a useful player in deep leagues, and a .260 line with 15 homers and steals is not out of the realm of possibilities.
That’s it for now, have a great week!
I am waiting for Tatis to return. My MI has been Wong. Based on this article you recommend replacing him with Neuse? My other choices are Gimenez, Wendle,and Kim. Standard 5×5 roto, 10 team. Thanks