Second base 2018: Focus on speed
With a scarce commodity like speed, second base is where you need to stock up. There are 10 multi-asset mid/full-time players who include speed as part of their skill set. You need to get at least one of them, even if that means bypassing an otherwise solid power commodity. You can get power anywhere.
In all, there are 17 dual asset players going into 2018, which is up from 14 last year. So mixed-leaguers will always be able to roster someone who contributes.
Here are the BABS ratings for the second-basemen who will potentially provide some positive value to your team:
ASSETS: PT (Playing time), Pw (Power), Sp (Speed), Av (Batting Effectiveness)
LIABILITIES: Av (Batting Ineffectiveness), Inj (Injury), Ex (Experience)
BABS continues to undersell Jose Altuve’s (pictured) power skill, but it hardly matters. His combination of speed and extreme batting elevate him to an elite level on their own. Stolen base scarcity pushes Dee Gordon ahead of him on this chart, but if you can grab either one to anchor your middle infield, you’ll be off to a good start.
Behind that duo are seven other 2Bmen who each have unique skill sets within this position. Any of the full-timers – particularly those with speed – are good picks at their respective price points/ADPs.
The (SB,a) asset group is your first chance to play the market. Last year’s surprise, Whit Merrifield, is a solid buy at his spot, but BABS doesn’t see him maintaining his power. That potentially puts him in the same class Jose Peraza, who can be drafted over 130 picks later.
The (s,a) group offers some market play as well, although this trio is deep enough into the draft that it probably won’t matter much. A better play is the (p,a) group. Jonathan Schoop is the name grabbed first, but there are huge potential discounts if you wait on comparable talents Scooter Gennett or Neil Walker.
As for the end game – lots of speed options there as well.
I’ve made it a point to focus on speed here. That’s not to take anything away from the value of players like Daniel Murphy (p,A+) or Brian Dozier (PW,a). Murphy’s batting contribution makes him a worthwhile pick. Dozier, however, is not as good of a target. There are many (PW,a) players at other positions (I’ve already discussed guys like Justin Smoak, Nick Castellanos, etc.) who are available later and provide the same basic skills set. Ditto for the (p,a) group above. Better to grab one of the comparable talents and focus your 2B options on the fleet of foot.
Can you tell me why Dozier does not get any speed skill. It looks like on HQ he is over 100 on spd each of the last 5 years and projected the same in 2018. Are you using some other metric?
Yes. Spd is just one of the metrics we use to assign a BABS speed grade.
Ron,
I’ve used BABS the last two years for drafts and really found it useful. I’m having issues with the “download” report being usable. First off, I’m not sure how to create one single usable sheet with both pitchers and hitters in one place. Now, that might be on purpose, but if so I’d love for you to maybe do a walk through of how you would use them in a draft. I know we know better than ranking the players, but maybe you could “rank” the skills tiers. That way they could line up roughly together?
Second, I liked the color coded sheet we received years before. Allowed me to take it and run. Is there anyway we can have something similar this year.
Thanks.
That’s coming. I held off, waiting for more free agents to sign, but it looks like we may be waiting for a long time. I hope to get the integrated spreadsheet out this Friday.
I’ve stared at the BABS list for two days and am still uncertain which seven guys this is talking about.
At first I thought it was the block from Murphy to Nunez, but Dozier is specifically ixnayed later in the piece. Then I thought when the piece started naming values that it would be THOSE guys, but seven aren’t named. Then I counted down the next seven guys with a speed asset, but that didn’t seem right.
Anyone care to list them? I tab them all in Rotolab.
“Behind that duo are seven other 2Bmen who each have unique skill sets within this position. Any of the full-timers – particularly those with speed – are good picks at their respective price points/ADPs.”
Yes, it’s Murphy through Nunez. To be clearer,
Behind that duo are seven other 2Bmen who each have unique skill sets within this position. In other words, they represent their own asset groups so there is no place for leveraging the market – you have to evaluate them individually.
Among those seven – Murphy, Taylor, Hernandez, Albies, LeMahieu, Dozier, Nunez –
any of the full-timers (eliminate Taylor, Hernandez, Nunez) – particularly those with speed (eliminate Murphy, LeMahieu, Dozier) – are good picks at their respective price points/ADPs.”
That leaves Albies.
You’re right – I’m an idiot.
But Murphy, LeMahieu and Dozier are still good picks at their price/ADP. Just not “particularly” good.
It’s a good thing I don’t write for a living.
OK, I’m seriously confused. Jose Altuve has ht 24 homers each of the last two seasons. Murphy has hit 25 and 23. Turner hit 21 last year. Why do Murphy and Turner get a “p” and Altuve doesn’t?
Clearly there’s something in this system I’m not getting.
I think.
There are a few players that appear to be anomalies. Altuve is a groundball hitter with below average power skills, but his elevated homerun to flyball rate has helped boost his HR totals. Probability says he can’t keep that up. That’s what BABS is reading.