This week’s fantasy baseball second baseman review will help you identify second basemen available in 50% or more of Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues. For deep league players, the third is available in 85% or more of Yahoo! leagues.
Adam Frazier, Pittsburgh (25% owned)
When Starling Marte went down with suspension, the Pirates hoped Frazier would fill his power/speed combo role. While he didn’t take Marte’s spot on the field, the Pirates moved him to leadoff and he’s rewarded them handsomely. He has a quality batting profile (high walks, low strikeouts, and a naturally high BABIP). His power also seems legitimate, as his HR/FB is in line with league average and his fly ball rate is within his career norms. Over the last two weeks, he’s second among 2Bs in RBI. He has an incredibly solid .286 average and is one of only 4f second basemen with multiple homers and stolen bases over the last couple weeks.
Whit Merrifield, Kansas City (22% owned)
Merrifield doesn’t carry a long track record, but he did have a good stretch last year. This year he has come out equally strong this year, as he already cracked six homers and swiped six bags while carrying a .264 average. He never showed power in the minors, but he seems to be the result of a naturally moderately powerful player subscribing to the Fly Ball Revolution. He’s hitting fly balls at a higher rate than he ever has before, which is an approach change. His HR/FB rate is slightly elevated but not too much. His statcast data shows that his power may be legitimate, as his barrel rate is decent, as this season his barrels compare to Justin Turner, Kyle Seager and Nolan Arenado. Put that power, speed, and average together and Merrifield ranks #4 among second basemen in the last two weeks.
Howie Kendrick, Philadelphia (12% owned)
Kendrick returned from his oblique strain on May 29 and picked up where he left off six weeks before. In a small sample since he returned to the lineup, he has both a stolen base and a home run. Kendrick carries a .892 OPS so far in this young season, and pretty much everything in his hitting profile is in line with his career average. The only fluky item is his extremely high BABIP, but Kendrick always carries a high BABIP. He has to beat out Michael Saunders to play every day, but that’s a laughable speed bump. He shouldn’t be owned in a massive amount of leagues, but 12% only stems from his DL stint. Snatch him up if you need some productive multi-position eligibility.