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.
I would have to go with Wong for the ROS. He just has a stronger history to base the decision on. I think Wong will provide a bit more down the stretch, especially since the Brewers are in the race and thus keeping their players more interested in playing out the season.
In a 15 team 5×5 rotisserie, any thoughts on Luis Garcia? I couldn’t stomach Dylan Moore any longer so I picked him up since he’s got ok prospect pedigree and should see pretty regular at-bats moving forward. I’m so used to absolute garbage being available on the wire, that I did an insta-add/drop before realizing the Kolten Wong was also available. Wong/Garcia ROS?
I would have to go with Wong for the ROS. He just has a stronger history to base the decision on. I think Wong will provide a bit more down the stretch, especially since the Brewers are in the race and thus keeping their players more interested in playing out the season.
Is it safe to drop DJ LeMahieu yet? He hasn’t hit a homer in 30 days..
Ceasar and Segura available on the FA.
The gut says yes. But as soon as you do, DJ will go off and make all the DJ haters feel the pain. Sarcasm aside, if you are not caring about the future and are in win mode now, I can’t argue against it. I don’t have DJ ranked, so you know how I feel about him right now.
Thanks for the question and reading the article.
Long term in a dynasty, who do you prefer: Jazz or India?
I own those two (both have been on my Inactive List all year) along with Whit and Chris Taylor. I’m in first going for my first ship, so not looking to sell one of the vets, but I would be open to moving one to the rookies (preferably for an arm).
I know this is kind of hard to judge, but what is the value you would be looking for? The team who has been interested in both India and Jazz owns Giolito, Gausman, Sonny Gray, Freddy P, Ian Anderson, Jon Gray and Skubal as probably his most appealing arms. The problem is, HE’S IMPOSSIBLE TO TRADE WITH (has to be an overpay or underpay in his favor to make a trade, there is a reason he’s near last in our league regularly lol)
10 team 7×6 – (R, HR, RBI, SB, K, Avg, OPS) x (W, L, SV, K, ERA, WHIP)
Love these articles and thanks in advance for any advice!!
Follow up question:
Was just offered Joe Musgrove for Whit. I don’t hate that idea because I know Whit is gonna lose value at some point once he stops running.
Is this a better pivot?
Dang, Dong, that is a lot to digest. Jazz and India are hard to compare as I think India has more power potential while Jazz gives you the speed with decent power.
Big picture – Taylor is a 2B next year but who knows about 2023. He has power and speed and good OPS. Whit has one real asset – his speed. His OPS and power have been dropping. We don’t have a history with India and Jazz, but India has the better slash numbers and more power. Overall, I think he will help in more areas than Jazz.
Answering your second question, first – I would take Musgrove for Whitfield because you are dealing from a strength and looking for an arm.
If you deal India or Jazz, I am going to be greedy and ask for Giolitto. I would be turned down in all likelihood and then go for Anderson and/or Skubal – a young arm for a young position player. That is win-win as you both get control of a player for years.
That’s just my opinion, but if you want to discuss more, fire away.
The good news is I ended up selling Whit and Trivino for Musgrove and some FA draft picks and then snagged Loaisigia to replace Trivino for the short term, so I honestly feel like I came out ahead here. Whit still has speed but like you said, has been declining everywhere else and I was getting scared. I know he will always have more in-season trade value than offseason and knew this might be the last time I can milk him for his value.
The other guy would not sell Anderson or Skubal (or any big name really) so I genuinely have no clue what he expects to get back. He offered me Ross Stripling for India lol
Gio is gonna die on his team. In the offseason he wanted Mookie for him in a 1-1. Long story short I sold Mookie to another team for Bichette and Lance Lynn and that trade could not have worked any better for me haha.
Thanks so much for all your feedback and taking the time to break this down for me! I feel good moving forward long term with both India and Jazz (and CT)
You did well with the Musgrove deal, and completely “won” that Betts deal. I love Bichette, and to get Lynn as well was great.
If you walk away from a deal feeling happy, then it’s a good deal.
As for that owner who won’t trade, time to stop talking g to him at all. It’s not worth bashing your head against a wall.
Where does Mike Moustakas (back from IL yesterday) rank for you ROS? I’ve got Rodgers, and carrying both probably isn’t necessary, but not sure if either are droppable in my deep NL-only league…
The way Rodgers is playing, I like him more the rest of the year. I think he will help in more categories.
Thanks for the question and reading the article.
Kyle Farmer or Ketel Marte ROS?
I just don’t trust Marte to stay healthy this year. Because of that mistrust, I’d go with Farmer.
Great read !
Wondering What do you think of this trade in a 5×5:
I’d give up Juan Soto, Merrifield and Framber Valdez for Bryan Reynolds, Chris Taylor and Lance Lynn
Wow, name-wise I’d quickly say no due to Soto being involved. However, it is pretty even. I like Soto more than Reynolds, but it’s not a complete slam dunk. Taylor offers more in 5×5 than Whitfield, so I go with Taylor.
It comes down to Valdez vs. Lynn. Valdez has been struggling with his control his last few outings. Lynn has been more consistent.
I’m not sure what need you are trying to fill and if you’re dealing from a surplus. I love Soto, but overall, ic you made that deal, I wouldn’t laugh at it.
Oh, and thank you for the comment and reading the article.