Early 2018 2nd Base Rankings
Early 2018 2nd Base Rankings
by Shane McDonald
Stock up:
Whit Merrifield
Here is a guy that had never hit more than 10 homers in a season in his professional career and then he breaks through with 19 in the majors in 2017. His 40.5% flyball rate might not be sustainable, but don’t write Merrifield off strictly because his homer numbers might regress. His BABIP is sustainable and he will likely give you a decent batting average and speed total. He did steal 34 bases last year as well. Even with regression baked into the cost, Merrifield plays a position where a 12-24 season with a .272 batting average is respectable. I definitely value him more in leagues with a middle infield position.
Stock down:
Jonathan Villar
Here is another lesson in market value. Villar had shot up in value so much after his 2016 season that he was a can’t miss star and going extremely early in drafts. Then 2017 happened. He did have a back injury in June, so that is something to watch. He dropped in every major category and may have become downright droppable in most leagues. This is probably the biggest boom or bust pick on the entire board, but with the investment looking cheaper and cheaper, it really does make sense to buy late in drafts where a guy could easily win you a league if he rebounds. His projections call for a 15-34 season which would be extremely nice in the middle infield, even if the batting average never returns to the .285 level he had in 2016.
- Jose Altuve
- Brian Dozier
- Jose Ramirez
- Daniel Murphy
- Jonathan Schoop
- Dee Gordon
- Robinson Cano
- Whit Merrifield
- Eduardo Nunez
- Ian Happ
- Roughned Odor
- Ian Kinsler
- Yoan Moncada
- Matt Carpenter
- Jonathan Villar
Featured Image Courtesy of MLB.com
