Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Fantasy Focus: Worst Case Scenario- Second Base

Same drill as with C and SS.  Here's Yahoo's top 10 fantasy 2B players:

1.  Robinson Cano
2.  Dustin Pedroia
3.  Ian Kinsler
4.  Ben Zobrist
5.  Jason Kipnis
6.  Aaron Hill
7.  Brandon Phillips
8.  Martin Prado
9.  Jose Altuve
10. Rickie Weeks.
11. Chase Utley
12. Neil Walker

I added 2 at the end because Zobrist and Prado will likely be rostered as shortstops.  Cano is a first round pick.  Personally, I would rank Hill a lot higher so I guess that makes him the guy I would target in this list if I miss out on Cano.  The last guy in the top 10 lists has a good chance of being there in the last round of the draft, so Neil Walker is the other target.  Utley might be underranked this year as he seems to be healthy enough to play from day 1 of the season which he was not the last 2 seasons.  Here are the next 5:

13.  Kyle Seager
14.  Danny Espinosa
15.  Dan Uggla
16.  Josh Rutledge
17.  Howie Kendrick

Kyle Seager hit 20 HR's and had 16 SB's last year. He's a 3B but has 2B eligibility.  Espinosa is a 20/20 candidate with a low BA.  Mark my words, Uggla is done!  Stay Away!  I'm less sold on Rutledge than most, but the upside is quite enticing.  Howie Kendrick gives you a decent BA but not much else.  Now watch this the year he wins the batting title.  Here's a few more just for the sake of thoroughness and because I am not in love with a lot of these options.

Dustin Ackley- is he a post-hype sleeper?  Might be worth a dollar or a final round pick to find out.
Emilio Bonifacio- If he wins a starting job, will be a SB machine.
Omar Infante- Solid average with double digit HR and SB.
Daniel Murphy- terrific BA, but hasn't done a whole lot else.
Jedd Gyorko- May not gain 2B eligibility as fast as hoped due to Headley's injury.

Here is my final Worst Case Scenario rankings for 2B:

1.  Neil Walker
2.  Kyle Seager
3.  Danny Espinosa
4.  Josh Rutledge
5.  Howie Kendrick
6.  Omar Infante

2B is a position where you go bold or go home.  Cano has the biggest gap in production between him and the pack for any position in baseball.  I will be willing to pay into the low $40's for him in my auction and have him ranked #4 overall in standard drafts.  If you lose out on Cano, I would try to target Aaron Hill but you have to be careful to not overpay as he is somewhat volatile in his performances from year-to-year.  I do think the volatility thing is not as big a concern as it is with most fantasy players which is one reason why I think he is undervalued. Pedroia is worth considering but is always expensive and Kinsler is always wildly overrated.  Once past Cano, Hill and Pedroia, you might as well take 2B to the bottom of the draft and go into worst case scenario mode.

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