With the playoffs looming in fantasy baseball, owners are looking for those players who may be able to give them that little edge they need to secure a playoff spot or hold off an opponent. So let’s change things up a bit this week and talk about those who are not listed at the top of the rankings. We all know who the top second baseman are and they aren’t available to you unless you make a trade for them.
However, there are a handful of second basemen who are eligible on the waiver wire. A few of these players could be the key to you making the playoffs or watching the postseason from the outside. So, who are these magical players some of you should be adding to your roster?
Cesar Hernandez is ranked 14th in my rankings right now, but that accounts for his entire season. Owned in only 47 percent of ESPN leagues and 34 percent of Yahoo leagues, Hernandez is slashing .302-.378-.570 over the last month with 14 runs scored, six homers, and 15 RBI.
Ranked right ahead of Hernandez is Jonathan India. He is not as readily available in either Yahoo (74% rostered) or ESPN (77% rostered), but that means he is still available in a host of leagues, which doesn’t make much sense.
For the season, India has an OPS of .864. Over the last month, he has slashed .313-.436-.594. In case is math is not your strong suite, that is an OPS of 1.030. He also has 22 runs scored, seven homers, and 12 RBI during this stretch. If he is available, get him. If an owner is silly enough to trade him to you, make the trade.
Before we get to the rest of the players you should focus on, let’s take a look at this week’s rankings of the Top 25 Fantasy Second Baseman.
Tier 1
| Rank | Name | Team | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marcus Semien | TOR | 1 |
| 2 | Jose Altuve | HOU | 2 |
| 3 | Chris Taylor | LAD | 4 |
| 4 | Max Muncy | LAD | 5 |
| 5 | Ozzie Albies | ATL | 3 |
Tier 2
| Rank | Name | Team | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Jorge Polanco | MIN | 10 |
| 7 | Eduardo Escobar | ARI | 7 |
| 8 | Whit Merrifield | KC | 6 |
| 9 | Jake Cronenworth | SD | 9 |
| 10 | Jonathan Schoop | DET | 8 |
Tier 3
| Rank | Name | Team | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Ryan McMahon | COL | 12 |
| 12 | Brandon Lowe | TB | 11 |
| 13 | Jonathan India | CIN | 15 |
| 14 | Cesar Hernandez | CLE | 13 |
| 15 | Luis Urias | MIL | 14 |
Tier 4
| Rank | Name | Team | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Ty France | SEA | 21 |
| 17 | Kike Hernandez | BOS | 16 |
| 18 | Jed Lowrie | OAK | 19 |
| 19 | David Fletcher | LAA | 18 |
| 20 | Jean Segura | PHI | NR |
Tier 5
| Rank | Name | Team | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Kyle Farmer | CIN | NR |
| 22 | Abraham Toro | SEA | NR |
| 23 | Brendan Rodgers | COL | NR |
| 24 | Jeff McNeil | NYM | NR |
| 25 | Adam Frazier | SD | 17 |
Dropped Out
| Name | Team | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Joey Wendle | TB | 20 |
| Josh Rojas | Ari | 22 |
| DJ LeMahieu | NYY | 23 |
| Lourdes Gurriel Jr. | TOR | 24 |
| Ramon Urias | Bal | 25 |
The players I’m going to highlight are all ranked in Tier 4 or 5, but that is due to the entire body of work this season. Owned in less than 70 percent in either Yahoo and ESPN leagues, the production of these players is good enough to spark any team to a win that is in need of a good second baseman.
Jed Lowrie has put together a solid season for Oakland, and while he doesn’t have a great batting average, he drives in the important runs for the A’s. Slashing .263-.337-.438 the last month, Lowrie is rostered in only 23 percent of Yahoo leagues and 38 percent of ESPN leagues. He has some pop with 12 home runs for the season and 54 RBI as well.
Jean Segura has been in and out of the rankings due in large part to the injuries that have sidelined him this year. When healthy, Segura has been outstanding for the surging Phillies, slashing .308-.368-.456 with 47 runs scored, seven homers, 39 RBI, and seven steals in 318 at-bats.
Reds fans know about Kyle Farmer, but if you don’t of him, you should. Farmer is rostered on only 48 percent of ESPN leagues and 68 percent of Yahoo leagues, yet over the last month he is slashing .393-.446-.616 with 15 runs scored, three homers, and 11 RBI. Making him even more special is the fact you can play him at catcher and any of the four infield positions in Yahoo or middle infield and third base in ESPN leagues.
Three more to snag
The next group of players features a familiar name, a former highly touted prospect, and a player who was traded at the trade deadline and is taking advantage of being in the lineup every day.
Abraham Toro is the player traded at the deadline, going from the Houston Astros to the Seattle Mariners. With the Astros he was stuck behind Alex Bregman at third and Yuli Gurriel at first base. But the Mariners have been playing Toro at second base (where he would have been blocked by Jose Altuve in Houston) and Toro has shined since the move.
Through his first 11 games with the Mariners, Toro is slashing .425-.489-.750 with three homes and seven RBI as well as nine runs scored and one steal. Over the last month, the switch-hitter has 14 runs scored, six homers, 12 RBI, and three steals while slashing .295-.368-.590. He is not second-base eligible in ESPN leagues yet but is rostered by only 30 percent of ESPN leagues and 35 percent of Yahoo leagues.
Brendan Rodgers was the third overall pick in the 2015 draft and is finally making his mark with the Rockies after hitting .196 in 32 games over 2019 and 2020. Through his first 58 games with Colorado this season, Rodgers is slashing .286-.345-.483 with nine homers and 28 RBI. He’s been even better in the last month, slashing .316-.350-.539 with 14 runs scored, four homers, and eight RBI. He is available in 75 percent of Yahoo leagues and 78 percent of ESPN leagues.
Last but not least, we have a Jeff McNeil sighting! The season has been of ups and downs for McNeil, who was limited to only 42 games from April to June and had only three homers and 10 RBI. But in July he slashed .351-.419-.494 with 11 runs scored, two homers, and 14 RBI.
I know he is not widely available, as he is rostered in 76 percent of Yahoo leagues and 79 percent of ESPN leagues. But that means that he is still out there in 24 and 21 percent of those leagues. Thus, it is time to add him to your roster if you can.
One to Grow On
Jack Mayfield doesn’t make the list in the Top 25, but he has been outstanding for the Angels the last month. Mayfield is only a second baseman in Yahoo leagues, but he is rostered by only three percent of Yahoo teams. Yet in his last 68 at-bats, he is slashing .265-.306-.632 with seven homers and 14 RBI. With Anthony Rendon out for the season, Mayfield will get plenty of action and is a player to watch.
