Second basemen to target in 2021 fantasy baseball

Second base is clearly the weakest position outside of catcher in 2021. The depth just isn't there. DJ LeMahieu, Ozzie Albies, and Whit Merrifield...then a bunch of question marks. There are guys with hot 2020s but little track record, proven veterans coming off bad seasons, and high-end prospects that have yet to pan out. Let's take a deeper dive into some players I hope to have plenty of shares of this season.

Here are some of my favorite targets at second base for 2021.

Dylan Moore, Seattle Mariners

My Rank: 10
Expert Consensus Rank: 16
NFBC ADP: 112.61

Moore holds a little more value in roto leagues than points leagues due to his high strikeout rate, but in 2020 he was great in both. Over just 38 games, he hit eight home runs and had 12 steals. All with a nice OPS of .855. The slash line is likely to normalize, but the counting stats—especially the steals—seem legit. Moore is one of just 24 names with an ATC projection of 20 or more steals. Of those, Moore has the highest home run projection of anyone with an ADP greater than 60th overall. Basically, Moore has 20/20 upside but you don't have to pay a huge draft price to get him.

Chris Taylor, Los Angeles Dodgers

My Rank: 17
Expert Consensus Rank: 20
NFBC ADP: 219.23

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Taylor has always been a solid fantasy option on a per at-bat basis. The issue has always been the playing time. Kiké Hernandez is no longer with the Dodgers. Taylor can play multiple positions and plays in the best lineup in the NL. He's a lock for 20+ home runs, 160-180 RBI + runs, and a steady .270ish average. He'll even chip in around 10 swipes. The lineup flexibility and solid all around performance makes him a great value going outside the top 200 overall.

Kolten Wong, Milwaukee Brewers

My Rank: 22
Expert Consensus Rank: 26
NFBC ADP: 383.67

Wong’s ADP will rise now that he's on a team. In fact, in the five drafts on NFBC since February 5 (the day he signed with the Brewers) his ADP is 268.60 (over 100 spots higher). He's projected to play second base and even leadoff for Milwaukee. He has 10 homer and 15 steal potential with solid counting stats, presuming he is indeed the leadoff man. With bounce-back seasons expected from his new teammates like Christian Yelich and Keston Hiura, Wong could see a career high in runs scored.

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Joey Wendle, Tampa Bay Rays

My Rank: 26
Expert Consensus Rank: 32
NFBC ADP: 311.48

Wendle is basically Kolten Wong with Chris Taylor's positional flexibility. He has 2B, 3B, and SS capability in most leagues for 2021. He was the 12th-ranked second baseman in standard points leagues in 2020. Yet, he's ranked outside of the top 30 at the position. I like him in deeper leagues where you target stability over high risk players.

Luis Garcia, Washington Nationals

My Rank: 30
Expert Consensus Rank: 45
NFBC ADP: 564.93

Super deep league option here, but second base gets ugly fast—especially in NL only formats. Garcia is a 20-year-old infielder with a high contact rate and low K-rate. He is likely to spend some time in the minors for the Nationals in 2021. However, he's just one injury or Starlin Castro slump away from being an everyday player like he was to finish out 2020. The power isn't much to write home about, but he's still very young. I can see him developing more as he ages. The skills are there. I'm keeping my eye on him in 2021 just in case he emerges.