2022 Fantasy Baseball: 5 second basemen to target

Positional weeks roll on as we take a look at some values at the keystone in fantasy baseball. Due to some dual eligible players, i.e. Trea Turner and Javier Baez, the second base position looks much stronger than in years past. Take advantage of that. Shortstop is still much deeper and will likely occupy the middle infielder spot on most roto league rosters. That being said, there is still value to be had at second base.

Here are a few names I’m targeting in drafts at second base.

Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks

My Rank: 8
ECR: 8
NFBC ADP: 82.41

Steamer projection: .289, 23 HR, 83 RBI, 94 R, 5 SB, 149 games

Ketel Marte has the profile to be a top 5 second baseman by year’s end. He absolutely crushed the ball last season. He posted an 82nd percentile average exit velocity and a 86th percentile hard hit rate. He also posted a 97th percentile max exit velocity, the fourth straight season he's been top 4% of the league or better in that metric. Those Statcast numbers give him awesome xStats as well. His xwOBA of .371 was 29th best among hitters with at least 250 batted balls last season. Among that same group, Marte had the third-best xBA of .307. I'm perfectly fine with Marte as my starting second baseman in 2022.

Tommy Edman, St. Louis Cardinals

My Rank: 10
ECR: 12
NFBC ADP: 83.78

Steamer projection: .268, 14 HR, 61 RBI, 84 R, 23 SB, 143 games

Batting average and speed are getting more and more rare among fantasy options, especially among non studs. Tommy Edman swiped 30 steals in 2021, good for a tie for fourth-most in baseball. Edman also has xStats that imply he underperformed last year. His xBA of .275, xwOBA of .318, and xSLG of .406 were all noticeably higher than his actual numbers. Hitting at the top of the lineup will help the runs scored numbers as well. Edman is a sneaky value for stats that get harder and harder to find as drafts go on.

Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images

Brendan Rodgers, Colorado Rockies

My Rank: 18
ECR: 28
NFBC ADP: 159.85

Steamer projection: .281, 21 HR, 74 RBI, 78 R, 2 SB, 131 games

One of the most interesting stats of 2021 might be Brendan Rodgers’ home and away splits. Average, hits, runs, and plate discipline are all fairly even. The eye popping numbers are in the power department. Rodgers hit just three of his 15 home runs at home. He also had just a .404 SLG at home compared to a .536 SLG on the road. Need I remind you the dude plays at Coors Field! This has to improve going forward. When it does, Rodgers could live up to his high prospect upside most people seem to have forgotten about.

Eduardo Escobar, New York Mets

My Rank: 19
ECR: 21
NFBC ADP: 190.18

Steamer projection: .241, 22 HR, 74 RBI, 65 R, 2 SB, 138 games

Lost in the Starling Marte and Max Scherzer signings, Eduardo Escobar signed with the Mets during the offseason as well. Since 2018, Escobar has a .260/.318/.475 slash line. His 162-game pace is 29 home runs, 99 RBI, and 85 runs. Not bad for a guy going close to 200th overall. I see no reason why he can't post comparable numbers as the Mets’ everyday third baseman.

Josh Rojas, Arizona Diamondbacks

My Rank: 25
ECR: 24
NFBC ADP: 228.62

Steamer projection: .244, 12 HR, 54 RBI, 68 R, 11 SB, 130 games

Josh Rojas had a finger injury in late July that caused him to miss more than half a month. Prior to the injury, Rojas hit .268 with a .795 OPS. He also had 10 home runs and 50 runs over those 93 games. After his injury, Rojas hit .258 with just a .671 OPS over the final 46 games. An ADP outside the top 225 seems like a worthwhile risk to see if Rojas can play at his pre-injury pace for the entire duration of 2022.