For many years second base, along with shortstop, have been considered the shallowest positions in all of fantasy. Much like first base this is kind of a half-truth since while only 14 second baseman finished 2014 with a offensive WAR above 3.0 that’s still plenty of players that can be drafted and there’s even some that managers will overlook that have a strong chance to be productive in 2015. Second base is where you’d traditionally get speed from but in recent years it’s actually become a more offensive threat and those pure speed guys are a rarity at the position.

While the position isn’t as shallow as everyone but this doesn’t mean that managers can hold off thinking “It’s ok there’s just as good of players near the end of the draft.” Don’t be that guy; please don’t be that guy. Second base has many good players but they quickly devolve to 1 stat guys and while there are worse things in the world than being stuck with Scooter Gennett and Kolten Wang as your second baseman, it’s also not the first choices you want either. As a strategy, it’s to any managers benefit to figure out when second baseman are going on average in mock drafts and plan accordingly.

Jose Altuve

2015 Predictions: .290/.340/.430, HR-5, RBI-50, R-90, SB-55

Altuve is one of the few examples of second baseman that actually does fill in that stereotype of a speedy second baseman with no power. Thank you Altuve for perpetuating stereotypes for years to come. All kidding aside Altuve had an amazing 2014 and mostly because of his stolen bases and amazing slash line. Good news is that those stolen bases are legit and a repeat isn’t out of the question for this tiny speedster. Bad news is that this is a guy that averages a strikeout rate of 10.7% and last year he had a 7.5% so expect some regression in that slash line. Think 2012 numbers but with 2015 speed and you still have a great season nonetheless.

On a side note there was only one height joke made so more power to this guy!

Robinson Cano

2015 Predictions: .320/.370/.490, HR-20, RBI-90, R-70, SB-10

This was a tough choice on who deserved to be the top spot but, in the end, yours truly went with the speedster over the power guy. If a manager decides to draft Cano over Altuve that’s fine and more power to them since it’s really a toss up.

Cano had a power outage that makes the India power outage of 2012 look like child's play. Don’t remember the power outage in India? 620 million affected and lasted about 3 days? Ok, well moving.

Cano had some major growing pains in his new home in Seattle and that is to be expected in such a pitchers park. The odds of his ISO staying nearly 60 points under his career average isn’t likely so it’s possible to see a comeback of that power. Cano is however 32 and starting the down slope of his career so that ugly regression might start showing its head at anytime.

Anthony Rendon

2015 Predictions: .284/.340/.480, HR-23, RBI-70, R-105, SB-20

Rendon was always looked at as a possible breakout star and in 2014 we got it. At 24 Rendon showed us a power/speed combo that the position sorely lacked for a while and with 21 homeruns he was 3rd among second baseman. The only real negative to bring up is the fact he’s a free swinger and this can lead to some slumps at times.

Last year Rendon swung at pitches outside the zone 23.7% and only made contact with said pitches 73.2% of the time. Fantasy owners would like to see both of those go in the positive direction sooner rather than later but he is young and has time to adjust. Another thing to remember is that with the moves that the Nationals made in the offseason Rendon is likely playing third base and not second so 2015 may be his last year of duel position eligibility. Likely to go in the 3rd round Rendon is a little of a regression risk but the reward is well worth the potential risk.

Ian Kinsler

2015 Predictions: .270/.310/.430, HR-20, RBI-70, R-90, SB-10

Kinsler is the opposite of both Altuve and Cano. While Altuve is the speedy guy and Cano is the better average and OBP guy Kinsler is all power. Even in the unfriendly confines of Comerica Park he was able to finish 3rd overall in homeruns by second baseman. That power does come at a cost of his on-base ability and batting average. Kinsler may not strike out much, a strike out rate of 11.7% in his career, he also doesn’t walk much and being a free swinger it means he’s prone to weak contact at times. Still a legit 20/20 threat but the likely he reaches 20 on either of them is low since at 32 he’s not getting any faster or younger. Great option for power but make sure you get a guy that will balance out that batting average problem.

Dustin Pedroia

2015 Predictions: .290/.360/.440, HR-13, RBI-65, R-80, SB-15

An injury to his wrist really took a toll on Pedrioa last year and it hurt his fantasy owners just as much. Pedrioa was the consensus number 2 or 3 best second baseman entering 2014 and was likely a managers 3rd round pick or maybe 4th and their faith in him was rewarded with career lows across the board. Pedroia is 31 and has plenty of talent left in the tank and with a healthy wrist he can easily come back. Pedroia could be a fairly decent buy low option during the draft but his name value will likely drive up prices or still make you pick him in the earlier rounds.

Brian Dozier

2015 Predictions: .245/.330/.430, HR-25, RBI-80, R-65, SB-20

There is an old saying in baseball “Once someone owns a skill he owns it.” Dozier has demonstrated an ability to hit for power in all 3 of his seasons in the majors. At 27 there’s a lot to like about Dozier starting with the fact that he was the only 20/20 second baseman in 2014 and that’s a big thing to take notice of. That power/speed combo comes at a cost though and that cost is very similar to Ian Kinsler’s. So far in his short career Dozier is proving to be a strikeout guy striking out at 18.1% in 2014 and this will likely limit the batting average potential.

On the plus side he also seems to be able to take a walk when needed having a walk rate of 12.6% in 2014. It does seem that he’ll be more valuable in an OBP league than a basic 5x5 league but that doesn’t me managers should overlook him when he is one of the few 20/20 options out there.

Neil Walker

2015 Prediction: .270/.345/.450, HR-25, RBI-70, R-70, SB-4

Walker, along with Dozier, was one of three second baseman to hit over 20 homeruns in 2014 and ended the season tied with Dozier with 23. Really comparing Walker with Dozier is rather apt here. They share similar skill sets and have similar stat lines in the end. The main difference is Walkers ability to make better contact, Walker having a 20 points advantage on Dozier in BABIP shows us this, and likewise Dozier is a better walker beating Walker’s 7.9% walk rate in 2014. In the end the speed of Dozier gives him the edge in a head to head battle but Walker is still a very solid player for any fantasy team. He may also cost a lower pick than Dozier will cost so that’s something to consider when planning.

Chase Utley

2015 Predictions: .268/.320/.400, HR-14, RBI-68, R-60, SB-7

Gone are the days when Utley was the kind of the fantasy world and he was in the top 5 of all players. Most do to his advanced age and then there’s also the fact that he’s on one of the worst teams in baseball and has little to no support around him. This doesn’t mean he’s not worth a pick since Utley still has some gas left in the tank to give him ample value to owners.

Utley still has one thing above others and that’s his ability to hit homeruns and yes 14 is a far cry from the 25-30 we’re used to but remember that his 11 in 2014 was roughly 8th best in homeruns among qualifying second baseman. His slash line is average and his speed is also just average so getting Utley is for the added power that he can bring. Downside is of course the age and the team since both hurt his value overall but Utley makes a great middle infield option and he is first base eligible so that adds some flexibility.

Ben Zobrist

2015 Predictions: .275/.350/.400, HR-7, RBI-55, R-80, SB-10

The trade that sent Zobrist to the A’s was quite a shock since most of people, including myself, had assumed he was going to the Giants. In fantasy terms neither was a great destination for him since both are pretty well known hitters parks and when it comes to fantasy Zobrist is the start of a long line of second baseman that are good options but lack power.

The odds that Zobrist returns to that 20 homerun hitter we saw from 2009-2012 are gone but he still has 10 homerun upside even in Oakland. It’s more than likely that he’ll be utilized in the two hole so he will be in a prime position to get some good runs scored totals and the occasional stolen base. Zobrist won’t rock the world with his slash line but .275 isn’t bad and his ability to get on base by the walk and limiting the strikeouts will be a strength if the A’s do bat him second. Zobrist’s biggest strength is versatility since he qualifies for three positions and all three are shallow.

Zobrist is probably a 5th round guy on name value alone but that seems about right with what managers will be getting from him.

Daniel Murphy

2015 Predictions: .300/.340/.410, HR-9, RBI-65, R-90, SB-10

Murphy plays much like Zobrist in fantasy since they have similar skill sets and bat in the same position in the lineup. Murphy isn’t the walker that Zobrist is though and relies more on his ability to make contact, which in of itself is fine as long as he keeps it up. So far he has with an 88.2% contact rate over his career while not striking out too much at only 13% strikeout rate.

While he has the ability to hit for power, having an ISO of .129 and 13 homeruns in 2013, Murphy seems to average about 7-9 homeruns a year. Murphy’s biggest problem area has been health having missed significant time in three of the last four seasons do to injury but the numbers back him up that he’s worth the risk. Most likely a 8th round pick Murphy is a great starting second baseman but it may be a good idea to grab a more stable backup just in case the injury bug decides to strike. As we know he is on the Mets so the odds of something going wrong are, well, very high.

Rising/Falling Stock

Rising Stock:

Kolten Wong- While his numbers in 2014 don’t look all to impressive he still showed improvement throughout the year and impressed at the end of the season. With 15 homerun upside and 25 steal upside all Wong needs to do is make contact with a little more consistency and try to work the counts better. If all goes well Wong could very well have a .275/.320/.430 season for the Cardinals and would be well worth a late round pick to get as a back up to some of the more injury prone second baseman, I’m looking at you Murphy!

Joe Panik- One of those “out of no where” prospects Panik was a major reason the Giants became world champions in 2014. Panik is very much a one stat guy but will contribute in all areas. He doesn’t have a lot of pop in the bat but if he could muscle 10 homeruns a season and while being only an average base runner he did average 10 stolen bases a year in the minors which could translate into the majors pretty well. Not someone managers will gun for as a starter but a good option if teams main second baseman goes down. Could be a big surprise in 2015 if he can continue the high batting average an OBP.

Jason Kipnis- Oh Kipnis you’re such tease to all us fantasy owners. Kipnis was once a top prospect in the Indians system and his breakout season in 2013 made most fantasy owners very happy. Sadly his 2014 season was closer to his rookie year than his breakout season. Kipnis still has the talent and the ability to recreate his breakout year with a great power/speed combo that could rival Dozier and Rendon. His major weakness is the strikeout but if he limits those or just makes more solid contact Kipnis could be on the top of the leader board by seasons end.

Stock Dropping

Dee Gordon- Most managers were surprised beyond belief when out of nowhere Dee Gordon started hitting. The speed was always there and Gordon is very smart on the base path but his sudden ability to make contact, hard contact at that, made many people think it couldn’t be real. Well it isn’t, not at all. The speed is real but look at Gordon’s first and second half splits and they’ll tell you the story. In the first half of 2014 he batted .292/.344/.398 with a strikeout rate of 15.3% and a walk rate of 6.9% overall strong even if the walks are slightly below what you’d want from a leadoff hitter. His second half numbers look a little different: .284/.300/.348 with a strikeout rate of 18.2% and a walk rate of 1.6%. Don’t touch him period.

Howie Kendrick- While he still has many good years left in him Kendrick is now on the down slope of his career. He never developed much power and he’s never been the fastest player. His ability to hit for contact is without question and it’s that reason he still has a lot of value. In fact he barely didn’t make my list in the first place and is basically tied with Zobrist and Murphy. Still a good player but in LA it could be his final hurrah.

Chase Utley- Age is the killer here but his team doesn’t help at all. Lack of good support players makes Utley’s numbers look pedestrian at best but his individual numbers are still strong enough to warrant value.