Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our second base fantasy baseball draft values and targets for 2025 fantasy baseball drafts. We are back with more mid-round sleepers and targets to help you crush your upcoming drafts. Today, we focus on second base. While second base lacks star power, plenty of fantasy talent is at the keystone that can be found in the middle of the draft. The middle rounds of the fantasy draft are essential for any fantasy baseball draft, as it's about the time to decide when to select emerging prospects, overlooked veterans, or even players returning from injury.
We're looking at some middle-round second base options for you to consider drafting in your season-long leagues this season. Are their ADPs undervalued? Will they make significant fantasy contributions and become a priority mid-round draft target? Read on to see our take.
Our editors have hand-picked these specific MLB players for your draft prep enjoyment. Usually only available to Premium subscribers, the five outlooks below are meant to give you a taste of the in-depth analysis you receive with our industry-leading 2025 Draft Kit. Be sure to subscribe today to start reading all of our in-depth 2025 player outlooks and many other premium articles and tools, including Team Sync, the Live Draft Sync assistant, Custom Rankings Service, and so much more - available exclusively in our 2024 Draft Kit.
After a dazzling Major League debut in 2023, the 2024 season was a lost one for Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain. He underwent shoulder surgery in March and failed to take the field for the Reds. McLain did feature in the Arizona Fall League and came through it unscathed.
The expectation is that McLain will commence spring training without limitations. If he can reach Opening Day unscathed and stay off the IL, McLain is a leading candidate for Comeback Player of the Year. The Reds promoted McLain to the Majors in 2023 after he hit .340/.467/.688 with 12 homers, 40 RBI, 30 runs, and 10 steals in 40 Triple-A games.
McLain went on to hit .290/.357/.507 with 16 home runs, 50 RBI, 65 runs, and 14 stolen bases in 89 games with the Reds. There's no doubt McLain has the potential for a 20/20 season and will be aided by calling one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks home.
In most formats, McLain is eligible at both middle infield spots and could add outfield eligibility early in 2025. Providing McLain can stay on the field, he has the upside to be a top 50 player in fantasy.
Jordan Westburg fashioned a strong season for the Baltimore Orioles in 2024, sneaking up on fantasy players a bit. Westburg hit .264 with 18 home runs, 63 RBI, 57 runs, and six stolen bases before breaking his hand in early August. He missed almost the rest of the season, coming back only for the final week.
If we look at his work before the All-Star Break, we see a player on the potential verge of stardom: Westburg hit .271 with 15 home runs, 50 RBI, 46 runs, and all six of his stolen bases. With health, he could easily be a 20 home run/20 stolen base player with multi-positional eligibility at second and third base.
His current ADP of 97 puts him as a mid-seventh-round pick in snake drafts making him the fifth second baseman off the board, and the seventh third baseman off the board. Westburg is not sneaking up on anyone as he did last year, and if you want to roster him, you are going to have to pay the price.
Washington Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. burst on the scene in 2024 with an outstanding season. Garcia Jr. The 24-year-old played in a career-high 140 games and hit .282 with 18 home runs, 70 RBI, 58 runs scored, and 22 stolen bases.
The ATC projections for 2025 are very similar, with just some slight pullback in the counting stats. Garcia Jr. will likely be hitting sixth in the lineup, ceding a higher spot in the batting order to youngsters Dylan Crews and James Wood, and veteran acquisitions Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Bell.
However, Garcia Jr. had a terrific second half, and if he could further capitalize on those gains, he could easily be a 20/20 or 25/25 player in 2025. Garcia Jr. figures to be one of the top seven or eight second baseman drafted this season.
In 2024, Los Angeles Angels infielder Luis Rengifo was well on his way to having a career year before a wrist injury in July ultimately required season-ending surgery, cutting his campaign short after 78 games. The switch-hitter posted a .300-6-30-41-24 line with a .335 wOBA and 117 wRC+ over 304 plate appearances.
While the home run and RBI totals were underwhelming, even by his standards, it was an 81-run, 47-steal pace if given 600 PA. The batting average was much higher than his career average of .253, perhaps boosted by a higher-than-normal .339 BABIP, but he tallied a 79.1% Contact% and the 14.5% K% was a career-low, so there was legitimacy to it.
It should give managers confidence that much of what he did last season is repeatable as the 27-year-old heads into his prime. The 5-foot-10 Venezuelan is versatile, able to play 2B, SS, 3B, and OF, which will help keep him in the lineup and push for 600 PA. He also has positional flexibility on Yahoo (2B, 3B), which will add to his fantasy appeal, and with an NFBC ADP of 161, he looks like a slight value as RotoBaller ranks him at 148 overall.
Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien disappointed fantasy managers in 2024, slashing .237/.308/.391 with 23 HR and eight steals over 718 PAs. His batting average should rebound. Semien's .250 BABIP was more than 30 points below his .283 career mark and 40 points below his 2023 mark of .291, largely due to a 17.9% LD% more than two points below his 20.2% career rate. LD% fluctuations aren't generally predictive and Semien posted an xBA of .251 despite it.
Semien posted a 14.6% K% in 2023 and 2024, so he wasn't striking out too often either. Semien didn't have great Statcast power indicators with a 6.6% rate of Brls/BBE and a 91.1 mph average airborne exit velocity, but he never has. Semien hits for power by lifting the ball frequently, and his 42.5% FB% was in line with his career 43%.
The 34-year-old only attempted 11 steals last year, so he might not be the 20 SB threat he was in his younger years. Everything else looks normal for Texas's leadoff man though, making him a great value at his ADP of 89.83.