Baseball is back! Without question, those are glorious words. The owners and players finally came together on an agreement and spring camps are now open. If interested, the details of the new agreement can be found here. Exhibition games begin this weekend and Opening Day is set for April 9. Fantasy baseball enthusiasts can begin preparation for the season without distraction. As a review, the top ten starting pitchers were revealed in a previous article, which can be found here. Let’s move on and review the fantasy baseball top 2B/SS as ranked by Belly Up’s own Vince Stover, Dan Damico and myself. These rankings were revealed on the Belly Up Fantasy Live Baseball Show Sunday night, available here.

Top Ten Fantasy Second Basemen

Kevin’s Picks:

1. Trea Turner, LA Dodgers, Age- 28, 147 games played, his most since 2018, .327-28-77, 32 SBs, 5 CS, 108 runs, .374 OBP, .534 SLG, .911 OPS, .302 career BA, also qualifies at SS
2. Ozzie Albies, Atlanta, Age- 25, 156 games played, .259-30-106, 40 2B, 20 SB, 4 CS, .310 OBP, .798 OPS, 103 runs
3. Whit Merrifield, KC, Age- 33, .276-10-74, 42 2B, 40 SB, 4 CS, .315 OBP, 97 runs, had 206 hits in 2019, 183 hits in 2021, also qualifies as OF
4. Marcus Semien, Texas, Age- 33, played in all 162 games in 2021, .265-45-102, 39 2B, .334 OBP, .872 OPS, also qualifies at SS
5. Jose Altuve, Hou, Age- 31, 146 games played, that total was up after coming down every year since 2016, .276-31-83, .348 OBP, .835 OPS, 2nd straight full season with 31 HRs
6. Javier Baez, Detroit, Age- 29, .265-31-87, 18 2B, 184 Ks, .319 OBP, 813 OPS, also qualifies at SS
7. Jorge Polanco, Minn, Age- 28, 152 games played, .267-33-98, 34 2B, .321 OBP, 97 runs scored
8. Brandon Lowe, TB, Age- 27, .247-39-99, .340 OBP, 167 Ks, his HRs and RBIs were career highs
9. Ketel Marte, Arz, Age- 28, 89 games played, .318, .377 OBP, .909 OPS, in 2019 .329-32-92, 36 2B, also qualifies as OF
10. Jonathan India, Cincinnati, Age- 25, rookie last season, 150 games, .269-21-69, 34 2B

Vince’s Picks:

1. Turner
2. Albies
3. Altuve
4. Marte
5. Semien
6. Merrifield
7. Jake Cronenworth, San Diego, Age- 28, 152 games played, .266-21-71, 94 runs, .340 OBP, also qualifies at 1B and SS
8. Max Muncy, LA Dodgers, Age- 31, 144 games played, .249-36-94, 95 runs, 83 BB, .368 OBP, also qualifies as 1B
9. DJ LeMahieu, NYY, Age- 33, 150 games played, .268-10-57, 84 runs, .349 OBP
10. Lowe

Dan’s Picks:

1. Semien
2. Merrifield
3. Albies
4. Altuve
5. Lowe
6. Polanco
7. India
8. Jean Segura, Philadelphia, Age- 31, 131 games played, .290-14-58, .348 OBP
9. LeMahieu
10. Cronenworth

News and Notes-

Clearly, all three lists consist of many of the same players, as would be expected. Even so, Cronenworth and LeMahieu appear on the lists of both Vince and Dan, but not Kevin. Meanwhile, Muncy is lone represented by Vince and Segura by Dan. Marte appears on both lists of Kevin and Vince yet is missing on Dan’s list.

Further, Dan did not include Turner, as he thinks of him as a shortstop. However, Turner is listed as a second basemen on all fantasy sites and should be recognized as both a 2B and SS for fantasy purposes. That is exactly the case on this fantasy baseball top 2B/SS edition.

Equally clear, Turner should be considered the elite of the 2B class going into 2022. He can hit, hit for power, scores runs and steals bases. His .911 OPS is the highest at the position. He is a fringe first round draft pick, depending on league size. Without question, Turner should be the first second baseman off the board in all formats.

Top Ten Fantasy Shortstops

Kevin’s Picks-

1. Fernando Tatis, SD, Age: 23, 130 games despite injuries .282-42-97, .364 OBP, .975 OPS, also OF
2. Trea Turner LAD
3. Bo Bichette, Tor, Age: 24, 159 games, .298-29-102, 191 hits, .343 OBP, 25 SB, .828 OPS, .
4. Xander Bogaerts, Bos, Age: 29, 144 games, .295-23-79, .370 OBP, .863 OPS, .309-33-117 in 2019
5. Carlos Correa, FA, Age- 27, 148 games played, .279-26-92, 104 runs, .366 OBP, .850 OPS
6. Tim Anderson, Chi White Sox, Age: 28, 123 games, .309-17-61, over .300 3 str years, .335 in 2019, .338 OBP, only 22 BBs all season
7. Marcus Semien, Texas
8. Trevor Story, FA, Age: 29, 141 games, .253-24-75, 34 2B, 88 runs, 20 SB
9. Wander Franco, TB, just 20 years old, .288-7-39 in 70 games, .347 OBP
10. Francisco Lindor, NYM, Age: 28, terrible in 21, over 30 HRs 3 straight years, over 20 SBs 2 consecutive years, he has been an over .300 hitter twice

Vince’s Picks:

1. Tatis
2. Turner
3. Bogaerts
4. Bichette
5. Story
6. Franco
7. Correra
8. Semien
9. Lindor
10. Willy Adames, Milwaukee, Age- 26, 140 games played, .262-25-73, hit .285 for the Brewers after the trade, 77 runs, .337 OBP, .818 OPS

Dan’s Picks:

1. Turner
2. Tatis
3. Bogaerts
4. Bichette
5. Correa
6. Franco
7. Tim Anderson, Chicago WS. Age- 28, 123 games played, .309-17-61, 94 runs, 18 SB, .338 OBP, .806 OPS
8. Story
9. Lindor
10. Adames

News and Notes-

Truth be told, these lists were compiled before the news broke that Tatis could miss three months with a fractured wrist. It will be up to each and every fantasy manager to decide if, and when, to draft Tatis this season. Tatis will be forced to sit on the IL for months. When he does return, there is no guarantee he will return to his high rate of play. At this point, the safest recommendation would be to let another manager assume that risk. Because of the injury, this fantasy baseball top 2B/SS edition will simply place Tatis on the do not draft list for this season.

Unbelievable as it may seem, given his performance last year, Lindor has a real chance to return excellent value for anyone that selects him. Without any doubt, there is every reason to believe that he will come close to the Lindor of old. If that happens, seeing as how he can be had in the middle rounds, Lindor can return as much value as just about anyone in the game. Planning on drafting Lindor this season makes a ton of sense on this fantasy baseball top 2B/SS edition.

The Last Word

Thank you for joining me for this fantasy basketball injury updates edition! As always, I welcome suggestions, questions and input from all of my readers. Agree or disagree with any of the lists? Let’s discuss! Follow me on twitter @kevin62wilsea. Please feel free to share this article. Be sure to turn to Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Fantasy Sports & Picks for all the latest MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL happenings and all the sports news!