Fantasy players can approach second base in a lot of different ways this season. Do you pay up for one of the studs like Mookie Betts or Ketel Marte? Do you target a potential breakout youngster in the middle or late rounds? Do you grab an undervalued veteran?
Betts is the only second-base-eligible player currently being drafted in the first round, and Marte is the only other option with an ADP inside the top 44. The second tier is comprised of a trio of veterans – Jose Altuve, Ozzie Albies, and Marcus Semien – before giving way to a host of youngsters outside the top 100.
While there are a number of potential options to consider, there are also a few that you should be wary of. Let’s dive in.
Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves, 51 ADP
With Albies, the biggest question mark is always his health. He’s been limited to less than 100 games in two of the past three seasons, and he played just 29 of a possible 60 games in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign as well. Overall, he’s played in 496 out of 708 regular season games over the past five years (70.1%).
In addition to injuries, Albies didn’t appear to be the same player on the field last year. He posted just a .307 wOBA, and his .302 xwOBA suggests he wasn’t particularly unlucky. Albies’ Statcast metrics were down significantly from 2023, with his hard-hit rate dipping from 39.0% to just 32.0%. His xSLG was 80 points lower than it was in 2023 when he clubbed a career-best 33 homers in 148 games.
If Albies isn’t going to hit for the same type of power – he had just 10 homers in 99 games last season – he doesn’t bring a ton to the table. He’s stolen more than 15 bases just once, and he’s hit .271 or lower in four of the past five years.
Albies is still young and benefits from playing in an elite lineup, so a bounce-back season is certainly possible. That said, I’m not willing to pay a premium price tag for him. There are enough intriguing young options that have the potential to provide the same type of production at a fraction of the cost.
Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers, 60 ADP
Semien doesn’t have the same injury concerns as Albies. He’s been an Iron Man throughout his MLB career, playing in at least 159 games in six straight full seasons. He’s played in at least 161 games in four of the past five, so he’s in the lineup more than just about any player in baseball.
However, he’s creeping up there from an age standpoint. He’ll turn 35 years old in 2025, which puts him well on the backside of his career. His best days could be in the rear-view mirror.
We already started to see signs of decline with Semien last season. His batting average dipped nearly 40 points compared to his first year with the Rangers (.276 vs. .237), while his .699 OPS was his second-lowest mark since becoming a full-time regular in 2015.
Semien still puts the bat on the ball well, but he doesn’t generate the same power at this point. He ranked in just the 10th percentile for swing speed, and he was in the 19th percentile for average exit velocity. He clubbed just 23 homers last season, and it’s hard to envision much of a bounce-back in 2025. Steamer projections currently have him pegged for 25 bombs, while THE BAT X has him at merely 20.
Overall, Semien finished as just the No. 10 second baseman in the ESPN Fantasy Player Rater last year. For someone who played 160 games, that’s not all that encouraging. He’s not a huge killer in any one category, but his impact is declining across the board. I’m not coming anywhere near him inside the top 100 picks, and his ADP of 35 on ESPN is downright egregious.
Xander Bogaerts, San Diego Padres, 146 ADP
Bogaerts has been skating on thin ice for years, and regression finally came home to roost in 2024. His underlying metrics have been on the decline over the past few seasons, but he managed to survive due to some fortunate batted-ball data. He managed a .307 batting average in his final year with the Red Sox despite a .259 xBA. The difference? An inflated .362 BABIP. The gap wasn’t quite as stark as in 2023, but Bogaerts still outperformed his xBA by a comfortable margin (.285 actual vs. .255 expected).
That all changed in 2024. His xBA remained in line with the previous two seasons – it was actually up slightly at .262 – but his actual production fell off a cliff. He dipped to just a .264 batting average, while his .307 OBP was more than 40 points lower than the previous year.
If Bogaerts isn’t going to hit for a high average, what exactly does he bring to the table? He’s hit less than 20 homers in three straight seasons, and he’s stolen more than 15 bags once in his entire career.
It’s hard to get excited about a bounce-back for Bogaerts in his age-32 season. He still plays half his game in one of the least hitter-friendly venues in baseball, with San Diego ranking 24th for right-handed hitters in particular. Like Semien, Bogaerts might not kill your team in any one area, but he’s living more off reputation than anything else at this point.
Gleyber Torres, Detroit Tigers, 190 ADP
Could Torres benefit from a change of scenery in 2025? I’m not betting on it. For starters, leaving Yankee Stadium isn’t ideal for any batter. It’s not quite as friendly for righties as it is for lefties, but it still ranks as the second-best ballpark for homers for batters from that side of the dish. Comerica Park – Torres’ new home in Detroit – ranks merely 24th in the same department. Torres already saw a significant reduction in power last season, ranking in the 28th percentile for xSLG, so it’s tough to envision a huge improvement in Detroit.
Additionally, Torres isn’t going to get nearly the same level of lineup protection with his new squad. He routinely hit near the top of the Yankees’ lineup last season, putting him directly in front of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. No disrespect to guys like Riley Greene, but the Tigers have no one in the same weight class. They were 21st in runs per game last season, while the Yankees were tops in the AL at more than five runs per game. At a minimum, Torres should score fewer runs and have fewer RBI opportunities than he did last year.
Runs and RBI were the best thing Torres had going for him. He’s projected for just 17 homers and nine steals in THE BAT X, and he’s hit below .260 in four of the past five seasons. He’s not particularly expensive, but I’m not sure what the case is for drafting him in 2025.
Luis Rengifo, Los Angeles Angels, 209 ADP
Rengifo is coming off a solid campaign in 2024. He was limited to just 77 games, but he managed to hit .300 and swipe 24 bags in that time. He’s posted a wRC+ of 102 or better in three straight years, so there’s some reason for optimism with Rengifo heading into 2025.
Still, his numbers deserve further examination. He benefited from a .339 BABIP last year, which represents an increase of nearly 50 points compared to his career average. He did that primarily by putting the ball on the ground more: his ground-ball rate spiked to 54.8% last season after sitting at just 46.8% in 2023. Rengifo is more of a smart baserunner than an outright burner – he ranks in the 37th percentile for sprint speed – but he gave himself more opportunities to get on base by keeping the ball out of the air.
Of course, that had an impact on his power numbers. He had just a 24.7% fly-ball rate last season, and just 10.2% of his fly balls turned into homers. His xSLG fell by 50 points, while he had just six “barrels” in 240 batted-ball events.
If Rengifo can duplicate that style in 2025, he has the potential to be a solid contributor in terms of average and steals. However, his downside is tremendous. If his batting average dips to where his xBA was last season (.262), he brings very little to the table. He also plays for one of the worst teams in baseball, so even if he hits near the top of the lineup, he doesn’t offer a ton of upside in terms of runs scored. There are other guys I’d rather take a flyer on late in drafts.