[brid video=”194582″ player=”10951″ title=”Top 20 2nd Basemen for 2018 Fantasy Baseball”]
Before we get into the top 20 2nd basemen for 2018 fantasy baseball, let’s go bobbing for clickbait. Here’s my top 10 for 2018 fantasy baseball, top 20 for 2018 fantasy baseball, top 20 catchers for 2018 fantasy baseball and the top 20 1st basemen for 2018 fantasy baseball. So, without further hubbub on the tomfoolery, the top 20 2nd basemen were shallow like how Altuve likes his pool water as recently as three years ago, then bounced back two years ago, then were drowning in a puddle last year. So, what about this year? Thanks for the expository segue! As always, my projections are included and I mention where I see tiers starting and stopping. Anyway, here’s the top 20 2nd basemen for 2018 fantasy baseball:
1. Jose Altuve – Went over him in the top 10 for 2018 fantasy baseball.
2. Jose Ramirez – Went over him in the top 20 for 2018 fantasy baseball.
3. Anthony Rizzo – Went over him in the top 20 for 2018 fantasy baseball.
4. Dee Gordon – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Dozier. I call this tier, “Ceiling fan in a tiny house.” By the tier name I mean, these guys were just barely above the next tier. Here’s what I said when Jeter unloaded Gordon quicker than Minka Kelly, “Dee Gordon was traded to the Mariners because Jerry Dipoto got a call from his mother that went like this, “How many titles did Theo Epstein have by the time he was your age?” Jerry Dipoto put down the phone, turned to a mirror and yelled, “You’re better than this!” The Mariners have tried this whole center field SAGNOF gambit before: Jarrod Dyson, Chone Figgins. All a play to get back to the days of wine and roses and Ichiros? Maybe. Trading for a guy turning 30 in April who relies on his legs seems to be a meh move — mehve? — but we’re here for the fantasy. Last year, Gordon stole a league-high 60 bags, though Hamilton had an award-winning musical. Gordon’s line drive rate was up year over year, but he did have a PEDs suspension, so not much to learn there. His batted ball profile is eerily similar for the last few years, and I see no reason why anything would change in 2018. He’s going to be playing center field now, which should make for some interesting relay throws involving the entire outfield, but that won’t affect Gordon’s hitting.” And that’s me quoting me! 2018 Projections: 108/2/36/.292/54 in 633 ABs.
5. Brian Dozier – I hate that he’s going to be 31 years old in May, and he seems to be a drag in the 1st half, but his peripherals look like he can do what he’s done the last two years for one more year. What has he done the last two years? Averaged 38 HRs, 17 SBs and .270, so, yeah, kinda butter. 2018 Projections: 105/30/84/.266/13 in 609 ABs
6. Jonathan Schoop – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Cano. I call this tier, “Good old fashioned side.” By the tier name I mean, this guys will give you a solid floor of stats, without a ton of downside or upside, just good old fashioned side. As for Schoop, I nearly put him in the tier with Gordon and Dozier, but Schoop’s lack of steals left him out. Why does this matter? Because players in tiers are interchangeable. If I said Schoop, Dozier and Gordon were in the same tier, then I’m saying you can draft Dozier, Gordon or Schoop and it’s the same diff, which I don’t think it is. Semantics-shemantics, I guess. By the way, shemantics sounds derogatory AF. Any hoo! Schoop’s walk rate, while still low, is moving in the right direction. Number of pitches he swung at outside the zone dropped dramatically, as well as the number of pitches in general, i.e., his increased plate discipline looks legit. Maybe he’s not a .293 hitter like last year, but he looks better than the .265-.275 he was before last year. The power is obviously real, too. For a 26-year-old, he looks remarkably safe for 27-32 HRs and .280-.290. There’s more about Schoop in the video, as well. 2018 Projections: 91/30/102/.286/1 in 602 ABs
7. Daniel Murphy – Before I rank players, I look at their standard 5×5 stats. Then I look to see if they make sense. If a guy has a high average and BABIP, I check his batted ball profile to make sure he hits the ball hard, etc. This was me for Murphy, “.322 average with a .341 BABIP? He better hit some serious line drives.” *sorts line drive rates, sees Murphy has the best line drive rate for last year* So, Murphy is a .320 hitter, fair enough. I do have two notes in my iCal. One note says check on Murphy’s microfracture knee surgery, and the other note says to buy Cougs an anniversary gift for 2015. 2018 Projections: 79/22/98/.318/3 in 520 ABs
8. Chris Taylor – Ya know what he feels like? A potential trap for not trusting his breakout. You look at his numbers and expect him to not repeat last year, and he goes and repeats it. Yes, all his numbers scream outliers, but don’t mess with not trusting legitimate swing adjustments. I believe the 20-homer power, and the 17 SBs looks repeatable. The one part of his game that seems a bit high might be his .288 average. 25% K-rate is a tad high, but he does hit plenty of line drives so hopefully it doesn’t bottom out to .260, but it could. 2018 Projections: 104/20/62/.273/17 in 603 ABs
9. Robinson Cano – Either he will be the epitome of this tier with just some side, and no upside, or he will be the one guy to disappoint and have downside. I see no upside anymore for Cano. Yes, I am a bit of an ageist, but 35 years old does not scream career about to peak, unless his hearing is going and he is literally screaming. It’s funny (not funny) that people are getting excited about the Mariners. Have you seen their pitching? *shudders* And the middle of their lineup — Cano and Cruz — are a lot closer to retirement than their prime. Told ya it was funny (not funny)! 2018 Projections: 84/20/94/.274/1 in 598 ABs
10. Rougned Odor – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Albies. I call this tier, “2nd base is Neil deGrasse Tyson.” By the tier name I mean, this players will either show how deep 2nd base is, or they will be revealed as a imposters and, instead of finding out you’re smart for drafting them, you will discover their brilliance is a scam and they’re spouting science they learned from an online course, and 2nd base is actually crazy shallow. As for Odor, I nearly wrote a sleeper post for him, but I figured I went in so hardcore last year, that you kinda know where I stand when it comes to what he’s capable of on the upside of things. You also know what he could do on the downside of things after what he did do last year. His .224 BABIP was crazy low for him, but his Ks went up, he never walks and he flies out a ton, so, while the BABIP should come up, to get anywhere near a .300 BABIP (and a .270 average) it would take a small miracle. He’s closer to a .245 hitter if his Ks stay near 25%. With 30 homers and 15 SBs, there’s value there, but unless he can hit .270 again like in 2016, there’s definitely room for him to hit .205 again and just be death. Also, I went over him in the video. 2018 Projections: 72/31/86/.241/14 in 598 ABs
11. Whit Merrifield – *takes a deep breath* Sighs. I don’t know. For every positive, there’s a negative. His HR/FB% doesn’t scream aberration, but his home runs didn’t travel far on average. He stole 34 bags, but that’s a career high when including his minor league years. He hit .288 and didn’t have an obscene BABIP, but his walks dropped. He seems like a guy that needs to pull the ball for his power, and is likely closer to a 16-homer guy than the 19 last year. Like four of his home runs last year, I’m really on the fence with him. Gonna be a call on where he ends up being drafted. 2018 Projections: 89/15/59/.279/22 in 597 ABs
12. Javier Baez – Some guys in this tier have sleeper posts about them or I’ve seriously considered it. As for Baez, I’m shocked I didn’t write a sleeper on him, but I might’ve figured there was too much hype about him already. That’s right, I don’t remember what I was thinking. Wait until you get older, you’ll know what it’s like to walk into a room and be like, “Why did I come in here? Do I have to pee? Should I pee into the hamper?” 2018 Projections: 80/25/79/.270/11 in 494 ABs
13. Ian Happ – Already gave you my Ian Happ sleeper. It was written on the back of upside down plane stamp. 2018 Projections: 69/29/77/.261/11 in 466 ABs
14. Yoan Moncada – Another name for this tier could be a horn bet. The chances of you rolling boxcars is slim to anorexic, but if you bet it and it comes out, you’re sitting pretty. Moncada feels similar. You’re gonna have to pay to ride the lightning of risk, but if he does what he’s capable of, he could help you win a league. He could also help you lose everything you hold dear, and force you to call your mom from a check cashing place on Baltic Avenue. 2018 Projections: 73/22/58/.236/16 in 523 ABs
15. Paul DeJong – Already gave you my Paul DeJong sleeper. It made so much sense you could put it in your coconut monkey bank. 2018 Projections: 74/26/82/.267/3 in 561 ABs
16. Tim Beckham – Can you tell I like the guys in this tier a lot? I kinda want to write a sleeper post for all of them. Tempus fugit, as they say in Latin America. Tempus Fugit is also the sister of the kid in Almost Famous. By the way, the kid from Almost Famous is now almost famous. Weird, right? Beckham’s early ADP looks ridiculously low, but I’m doing these rankings before a lot of mocks are in the bag, so maybe he moves up. Right now, I’m guessing the general consensus is Beckham can’t repeat. His .365 BABIP was high, and he still only hit .278, so a .250 average might be in the cards, or I should say in the Orioles. Baltimore will play him every day, unless he gets injured, and he was a top prospect once upon a time. Don’t think there’s a ton of upside, unfortch, and why I’m prolly not writing the sleeper. A near-repeat, though, is still valuable. 2018 Projections: 88/20/58/.261/5 in 592 ABs
17. Jose Peraza – Member ex-Red, Paul Janish? Now that the shine is completely off Peraza we should call him Gone Varnish. G. Varnish could still breakout, he’s only 23, but he needs a lot more luck than he had last year, and stop trying to hit home runs. That’s the rub with Gone Varnish. I also go over him in the video. 2018 Projections: 64/7/43/.286/30 in 554 ABs
18. Ozzie Albies – Yo, what the eff happened to the 2nd base resurgence? I mean, I’m all about it with Albies, but the entire position takes a dump after this? Already? Oy. There’s a way to look at Albies’ stats and just see a slightly more hyped, Eduardo Nunez. Being 21 years old and that upside, though, man, doodes, guys, five girls, I kinda want to draft Albies everywhere, and not simply because my autocorrect keeps writing his name as, Easy Labias. He looks like he could go from 130 overall to top 20 next year with a pretty simple 15/30 season. Those stats are crazy, pie-in-the-sky-type numbers though. Reality could be closer to… 2018 Projections: 77/14/52/.291/22 in 524 ABs
19. DJ LeMahieu – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Kinsler. I call this tier, “Boring AF, but productive.” Tier name is self-explanatory. As for LeMahieu, it’s odd that he has a name you want at every party, and yet is so little fun in reality. He’s like a DJ with all show tunes. Actually, that would be awesome. “Play ‘Salman Get Out’ again from Fatwa, The Musical!” 2018 Projections: 103/10/62/.312/10 in 602 ABs
20. Eduardo Nunez – True story alert! I had Nunez ranked in the Merrfield tier, but then I saw the news “…he didn’t need knee surgery this offseason…” and moved him down here. I am a code breaker like you’d see in a spy thriller, and, not needing knee surgery — kneeding? — is code for “needing knee surgery.” I know, not the hardest code to break. I also recently broke the code, “I have a headache” to mean, “Stop pushing your penis into my leg.” I’m good at this code breaking stuff! Nunez relies heavily on his knees, and I’d be worried about drafting him. UPDATE: Nunez signed with the Red Sox. Solid landing spot for him (less so for J.D. Martinez. Right now, J.D.’s at City Hall like, “Can I change my name from Just Dong to Job Damnit?” Nunez will fill-in early on for Dustin Pedroia, then play all over the field, and all over the bench when he’s filling in for Hanley, who’s a solid video game injury away from a 60-day DL stint. 2018 Projections: 64/10/57/.301/17 in 412 ABs
21. Matt Carpenter – Went over him in the top 20 1st basemen for 2018 fantasy baseball.
22. Marwin Gonzalez – Went over him in the top 20 1st basemen for 2018 fantasy baseball.
23. Ian Kinsler – Here’s what I said this offseason, “(Kinsler was) traded to the Angels. Angels were on Kinsler’s no-trade list, but Kinsler was so impressed with the reserved celebrations of film he saw with Ohtani, he couldn’t refuse. “That guy high fives like a gentleman,” said Kinsler. This boosts Kinsler’s stock a little, since prior, he was hitting in front of Ghost Cabrera and someone the Tigers Mahtook for a major leaguer.” And that’s me quoting me! 2018 projections: 102/17/48/.251/10 in 544 ABs
24. Scooter Gennett – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until here. I call this tier, “Seether.” By the tier name I mean, I kinda wanted to put Scooter in the above tier, and in the below tier, but didn’t feel right in either, and I can’t fight the Seether. As for Gennett, Scoots McAir-out-the-ball will either Halt or Catch Fire this year, doing exactly what he did last year if the ball is continually stuck with Capri Sun straws and juiced, or he will crash back to earth and become a platoon player by July. We’ll see if Scooter can’t fight the Seether. 2018 Projections: 71/22/79/.255/4 in 479 ABs
25. Jonathan Villar -This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Kingery. I call this tier, “Perception is reality, until reality has your fantasy team in last place on May 1st.” This tier is filled with guys that are going to have you say something like, “Damn, can’t believe I got him that late!” Then two weeks later, “I wish I didn’t get him at all.” I suppose one of these guys could return to former glory, but at best they’re SAGNOF, at worst they’re killing your team. As for Villar, member last year when the perception was at worst he’s a 10/40/.250 guy? I mean, he had 62 SBs the year before, right? Well, now he’s in a platoon. 2018 Projections: 58/13/38/.244/27 in 412 ABs
26. Jason Kipnis – Think we can write off most of Kipnis’ last year as an injury-plagued pu-pu platter, but unless he has some spare ribs, he might not have a 155+ game season in him anymore. 2018 Projections: 71/14/51/.245/10 in 442 ABs
27. Scott Kingery – Already wrote my Scott Kingery fantasy. I wrote it sitting in a rather large gravy boat. UPDATE: Kingery will break camp with the team. Kingery dingery dock, Grey ran up to the waiver wire to grab this Scott. He has no starting job right now, but Cesar Hernandez, Maikel Franco and J.P. Crawford are all disposable compared to Kingery. Actually, besides Hoskins, I’d bench anyone for Kingery. 2018 Projections: 64/14/54/.282/17 in 435 ABs
28. Yangervis Solarte – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Zobrist. I call this tier, “Parity, riiiiiiiight. Yes, eight I’s.” By the tier name I mean, these guys wouldn’t be starting on big market teams, except Joe Maddon has an undying love for one whose name rhymes with Amen, No Cyst. This tier is fine in deep leagues where there’s no replacements, you just want guys that will be on the field and get you some stats. This tier in shallower leagues will be on waivers before the season even starts. As for Yangervis, he was traded to Toronto, so Solarte needed to bust out his Yangervisa. High five me! C’mon! No? Okay. He’ll likely start at 2nd base, and gives the Jays an injury replacement for Donaldson, Travis and Tulo. Not sure why the Jays would ever think they need that. A bunch of Ripkens, the lot of them. 2018 Projections: 61/17/68/.257/3 in 479 ABs
28. Eduardo Escobar – No foolsies, I almost wrote an Eduardo Escobar sleeper. Then I had a nightmare where it was like the end of Magnolia, but, instead of frogs, it was a deluge of crickets. 2018 Projections: 57/19/71/.267/4 in 440 ABs
29. Cesar Hernandez – He’s going into his age 27 season, so he’s going to hit 35 homers and steal 40 bases, plus or minus 35 dingers and 40 steals. 2018 Projections: 82/6/41/.288/17 in 542 ABs
30. Josh Harrison – In 550 ABs at the leadoff slot in the last three years, his stats are 71/8/46/.285/16. Be lazy to just give him those numbers as projections, so I’m subtracting three steals, adding three homers and taking off .010 from his average. Not lazy at all! 2018 Projections: 71/11/46/.275/13 in 524 ABs
31. Starlin Castro – Here’s what I said when he was traded to the Marlins, “Castro better start working on the tears now for when he finally wins a World Series in 2030 when he’s 37 years old and about to retire, because he seems destined for grr-ness in Florida.” And that’s me quoting me! 2018 Projections: 72/15/58/.279/4 in 538 ABs
32. Austin Barnes – Went over him in the top 20 catchers for 2018 fantasy baseball.
33. Ben Zobrist – I’d draft Zobrist (if I was in a league with Joe Maddon and knew I could trade Zobrist to him for Mike Trout). 2018 Projections: 54/14/47/.241/3 in 418 ABs
34. Brad Miller – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Walker. I call this tier, “So, you’re saying he has a chance?” The tier name’s meaning will become apparent. As for Miller, he has one great season, and three awful ones…So, you’re saying he has a chance? 2018 Projections: 50/15/62/.221/9 in 466 ABs
35. Kolten Wong – I called him a sleeper for, like, six years in a row (though he disappointed each time)…So, you’re saying he has a chance? 2018 Projections: 46/11/54/.281/10 in 398 ABs
36. Jed Lowrie – He’s never been good, the A’s are egregious, but Lowrie’s peripherals actually weren’t terrible last year….So, you’re saying he has a chance? 2018 Projections: 72/15/71/.260 in 517 ABs
37. Neil Walker – Went over him in the top 20 1st basemen for 2018 fantasy baseball.
38. Jose Reyes – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Dietrich. I call this tier, “Yoga moms.” By the tier name I mean, these guys will be hot for stretches. Reyes is still a free agent, which has to be hard for the Mets. He’s everything they love, which is a low character POS who is old. UPDATE: As mentioned in the blurb, the Mets just could not resist the allure of Reyes. Think we’re about three years from seeing new Mets’ batting coach, Jose Reyes, five years from him being their manager, then ten years from him being part-owner, GM and manager, then fifteen years from the Mets being found dead with a waiter from Mezzaluna and Reyes questioned in their murders. 2018 Projections: 51/9/41/.252/18 in 389 ABs
39. Asdrubal Cabrera – The Yankees traded for Giancarlo. The Mets picked up Asdrubal’s option. The Mets would’ve had more success this offseason if they signed new Yankees manager, Aaron Boone, to play 3rd. 2018 Projections: 61/15/53/.265/3 in 488 ABs
40. Adam Frazier – With the departure of McCutchen — Inappropriate Man crosses himself — Frazier will likely take over left field for at least the strong side of a platoon. Jordan Diplo Luplow will likely get the lefties. Lots of ‘likely’s because after the Pirates traded their two marquee players for six throw-ins it’s hard to say what they’re thinking. 2018 Projections: 54/9/47/.284/13 in 402 ABs
41. Brandon Drury – Traded to the Yankees to play 3rd base, and make every Noo Yawker sound drunk when they say his last name. “Awfficer, I’m sorry for rawning dat red light, I was gettin’ somethin’ outta my car Drury.” “Drury?” “Yeah, dat thing, other there.” “You mean, glove compartment?” “Glove compartment-Drury…Tomato-tomahto. Let’s hurry up here.” The Noo Yawk Glove Compartment finds himself in a good place to play, but, unfortunately, it’s still him doing the playing. 2018 Projections: 46/14/57/.268/2 in 443 ABs
42. Jedd Gyorko – Went over him in the top 20 1st basemen for 2018 fantasy baseball.
43. Wilmer Flores – Went over him in the top 20 1st basemen for 2018 fantasy baseball.
44. Derek Dietrich – Went over him in the top 20 1st basemen for 2018 fantasy baseball.
46. Franklin Barreto – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Pinder. I call this tier, “Check out the big brain on Brad.” Brad in this example is you, and you’re in a very deep league, and trying for some upside. He made it on Prospector Ralph’s top 100 fantasy baseball prospects, but he’s on Oakland, so that’s “Meh, A’s, okay” to me. 2018 Projections: 41/10/29/.248/9 in 364 ABs
47. Chad Pinder – My eyes bug out like John Lithgow in The Twilight Zone: The Movie, when I prorate Pinder’s 15 HRs in 282 ABs last year, but they get a little less buggy when I see a 30% K-rate and a .238 average with a .292 BABIP. Maybe he surprises with a 24/5 season, but it could come with a .205 average. 2018 Projections: 37/14/33/.221/3 in 308 ABs
48. Jurickson Profar – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until the end. I call this tier, “Traffic cone.” By the tier name I mean, you didn’t draft a middle infielder. You placed a traffic cone on your team, holding a space for someone else. As for Profar, he was a 20/20 guy in the making when he was Double-A at the age of 19. Now, the best we can say is he still has 20/20 vision. 2018 Projections: 39/6/30/.242/4 in 276 ABs
49. Chris Owings – Every year he enters Spring Training with the starting job, and, every year, he seems to only get around 400 ABs. If he could get 550 ABs and move up the order, he could be very valuable. I’m getting a strong breakout vibe from Owings, but I also just ate soup dumplings and shizz is bubbling around in my stomach right now. UPDATE: If the humidor didn’t convince you that the Diamondbacks don’t want anyone to own their hitters in fantasy, they’ve announced Owings will not start. 2018 Projections: 38/7/28/.261/7 in 227 ABs
50. Joe Panik – In 511 ABs last year, he had 10 HRs and 4 SBs. Panik doesn’t feel right, how about Joe Dread? Joe Soul-Crushing? Joe D. Horror? 2018 Projections: 51/8/43/.261/3 in 477 ABs
51. Dustin Pedroia – Nothing sadder than watching a once great baseball player age. *watches CNN for 5 minutes* Okay, there’s sadder things, but in our little realm of fantasy it’s one of the sadder things. 2018 Projections: 68/9/42/.268/5 in 433 ABs
52. Devon Travis – He’s slated for the bench, but Tulo, Donaldson and Yangervis are going to all stay healthy…*opens envelope and reads* It says, ‘Moonlight.’ Hmm, thought it was going to say, “No.” 2018 Projections: 56/13/51/.266/9 in 435 ABs
53. Dixon Machado – Should be the starting 2nd baseman for the Tigers. And…uh…Cool! 2018 Projections: 48/6/52/.252/14 in 481 ABs
54. Carlos Asuaje – Should be the starting 2nd baseman for the Padres. And that’s worse than the Tigers 2nd baseman. 2018 Projections: 57/5/53/.248/8 in 464 ABs
55. Wilmer Difo – He’s like a rich man’s Raul Mondesi. I will call him, Raul Julia. 2018 Projections: 29/3/19/.275/15 in 308 ABs
56. Johan Camargo – He has 2nd base eligibility, but is slated to play 3rd. Yes, the Braves have a 3rd baseman who is projected to hit nine homers in a full season. They’d be better off luring Wade Boggs out of retirement by changing his name to Johan Camargoadams. 2018 Projections: 51/9/60/.254/1 in 502 ABs
57. Howie Kendrick – Signed with the Nationals. That sounds like a move that happened because Dusty scheduled an email to go out in January to sign Kendrick, and someone forgot to disable his account, but that would mean Dusty Baker was not only using email but also using it to schedule future emails. That sounds improbable. Kendrick is on the bench right now, but will be backing up Turner, Murphy, Rendon, Zimmerman, Eaton and Taylor, so he could fall into 400 ABs. 2018 Projections: 38/8/42/.287/10 in 377 ABs
58. Hernan Perez – His breakout season in 2016 with 13/34/.272 still looks repeatable, and he’s only going to be 27, but, in shallower leagues, your patience is going to be tested the first time he sits five games in a row in April, and the road rage you get in a drive-thru car wash doesn’t indicate to me that you have great patience. 2018 Projections: 27/5/27/.264/10 in 175 ABs
59. Logan Forsythe – Your mileage might vary on your optimism looking forward on Forsythe, but, in 119 games last year, he had a 6/3/.224 season last year, so I’m not crazy about Logan Hindsythe either. 2018 Projections: 43/9/50/.235/6 in 345 ABs
