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Fantasy Baseball Roundtable - Second Base Edition

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TheScore put together a comprehensive series of rankings for each position. This week, our fantasy analysts will discuss the positions and several concerns heading into draft season.

Stud = Player expected to have a high floor (excluding the most obvious top names)
Dud = Player expected to drastically underperform ADP/or hurt a team
▲ = Player whose value will be on the rise from previous years
▼ = Player whose value will be on the decline from previous years

ANALYST STUD DUD
Wilson DJ LeMahieu Dustin Pedroia Logan Forsythe Brian Dozier
Bisson Jason Kipnis Daniel Murphy Logan Forsythe Robinson Cano
Ghatak Rougned Odor Hanley Ramirez Jonathan Schoop Jean Segura
Wegman Matt Carpenter Rougned Odor Devon Travis Jean Segura

ADP Consensus can be found at FantasyPros.

Which aging 2B is least likely to decline hard in 2017?

Jason Wilson: Ian Kinsler continues to defy the odds with the Tigers. While I doubt he'll tease 30 home runs again, Kinsler should be able to hit for a decent enough batting average, steal a few bases and score a ton of runs with Justin Upton and Miguel Cabrera hitting behind him. He's also stayed remarkably healthy for most of his career.

James Bisson: Robinson Cano came out of nowhere to sock a career-best 39 home runs in 2016, his age-33 season. So much for Safeco Field squelching his power numbers. While Cano likely won't reach that lofty plateau this season, he doesn't have to; a 25-30 homer season, combined with 90-100 runs and a .290+ BA, makes him a top-five 2B on draft day.

Josh Ghatak: All Boston Red Sox mainstay Dustin Pedroia does is hit .300 and register a .350 OBP every year. Despite being 33 years old, the Boston veteran is such a pivotal part of his team's success that I refuse to doubt him. With Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts batting behind him, Pedroia will continue to be a steady source of runs and BA/OBP.

Josh Wegman: There will surely be decline with Daniel Murphy, but I don't believe it will be as dramatic in comparison to the others. Robinson Cano led MLB with 16 "just enough" home runs. Pedroia won't have Big Papi hitting one or two spots behind him anymore. Kinsler's HR/FB ratio was extremely high. Expect a .320 average and 15-20 homers from Murphy.

Devon Travis was ranked between 13th and 21st among 2B. Explain your ranking.

Wilson: It's the injury bug keeping him outside my top 20, plain and simple. Travis is a solid sparkplug second baseman who cannot stay on the field with any consistency. I'd rather take a player who will play 150 games. Why anyone is ranking Travis above Baltimore Orioles slugger Jonathan Schoop is a mystery to me.

Bisson: I have him 18th. It all depends on where manager John Gibbons slots Travis in the lineup. If he gets a shot at leading off, he should see a huge boost in runs scored - and might even get more of a green light on the basepaths than he has in seasons past. But if he's banished to the bottom third, there isn't enough value to warrant making him a top-15 2B pick.

Ghatak: I have Travis at 16. I'm not too high on him and I'm not too low. While he has shown the ability to hit for a high average, he hasn't provided the steals you might expect. Along with injury issues, I expect Travis to be a mediocre fantasy play at 2B and not much else.

Wegman: I have Travis at 13. He hit .300 last year despite missing spring training and the first two months of the season. That's a bigger deal than you think. He has been working out with gym rat Marcus Stroman, which paid dividends for Aaron Sanchez last year. Hitting in front of Josh Donaldson could result in a .315 average and 100 runs.

Which 2B are you hoping is available in the final round?

Wilson: Why does no one ever talk about Neil Walker? His play is vanilla, but it's effective. In his first season with the Mets, Walker hit .282 with 23 home runs. This was helped by an overall increase in fly ball percentage and a career high 16.2% home run to fly ball ratio, but even if the home runs dip, he's poised to hit fifth. The switch hitter is wrongly being ignored.

Bisson: If I forsake the position until the end of the draft, I won't be the least bit disappointed to see Starlin Castro still on the board. Castro reached the 20-homer plateau last season (who didn't?) while maintaining a solid batting average. The Yankees' lineup around him should be better - and even though his elite SB days are gone, he's dependable in the other four categories.

Ghatak: Hernan Perez could be situated on the bench for much of the season, but his ability to run is unquestionable. He nabbed 34 steals in 123 games last year, and I'll happily take those swipes at a discounted price in the closing rounds.

Wegman: I'll have the position addressed by the final round and won't likely be taking a second baseman for my bench, but hypothetically, Jedd Gyorko would be my pick. He quietly hit 30 home runs last season and has a legitimate shot at beating out Kolten Wong for the starting 2B job in St. Louis.

Who is a better source for steals in 2017, Trea Turner, Jean Segura, Jonathan Villar, or Dee Gordon?

Wilson: I have a feeling people in general will be low on Gordon due to residual resentment over his PED-related suspension. He's still effectively the exact same player who stole 122 bases between 2014 and 2015. He's more of a known quantity, and I won't be surprised if Turner underwhelms in the speed department in his first full season depending on where he bats.

Bisson: It's Villar. Not only does his hit profile slant heavily toward ground balls, but he saw a significant boost in his walk rate last season - and high-OBP speedsters are the best sources of steals. Look for that 20% HR/FB ratio from last season to plummet, forcing Villar to rely more on singles and walks to return value. He's a great bet to surpass 60 steals again this season.

Ghatak: This will be a three horse race between Turner, Villar, and Gordon. And while Villar cracked 60 steals last year, Turner and Gordon were on pace to do so, as well. I don't think any of three will be miles ahead of the other two, but I'll take Turner thanks to the .342 average he sported last year.

Wegman: I'll go with Turner because I believe he is the real deal and will get on base more than any of the other names. Nationals manager Dusty Baker is very old school and likely won't hesitate to give him the green light.

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