Top 25 Dynasty 2B Prospects - 2024
We're going to go over the next wave of 2B prospects in the game
Nobody who has debuted in the big leagues will appear on this list. This will purely be a ranking of 2B prospects who I think will be effective players and contribute to your fantasy teams.
There will be some speculative names in the lower minors ranked based on upside who may switch positions or have already switched positions. If they’ve played Second Base in the minor leagues, I’m going to assume they’ll at least have the opportunity to do so in the major leagues.
I value OBP and OPS more than I do AVG as the trend is for fantasy leagues to tread towards OBP or OPS scoring if they haven’t already.
Proximity may factor in but doesn’t play a huge role here as these rankings will be predicated on each player’s perceived value/upside/and floor.
Let’s get started on the top 25:
1) COLT KEITH (DET):
Keith is an extra-base machine. He hit 38 doubles and 27 homers in just 126 games last year between AA and AAA. He was only 21 at the time. Fast forward to today and he has a job at second base lined up on opening day.
I remember people freaking out about Sal Frelick’s lightning-quick hands and when I watch Keith, I see the same quickness, except now it’s paired with plus power potential. Keith maintained a BB% north of 10% for about 3 years now in the minors. And he’s kept his K% right around 20% during that same period. The consistency, approach, and power potential excite me — sorry for getting carried away there.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Keith has the job at 2nd base on opening day and gets a full season’s worth of at-bats leading him to accumulate 30+ doubles and 20-25 HR while posting a modest to above average OBP. All the kid does is hit at every level he’s been at — posting a wRC+ of 150 and a .244 ISO in 2022 (as a 20-year-old) — and posting a wRC+ of 140 and a .247 ISO in 2023 (as a 21-year-old in the upper minors). His profile even gets a boost by the fact that he’ll be eligible at 2nd base and knowing the type of power he can contribute at an otherwise scarce position. I can see an OBP over .340 to go with 25+ doubles and 20+ HR in his first season in Detroit. A part of me thinks that might just be his floor.
2) ADAEL AMADOR (COL):
I’ve had a prospect crush on Amador ever since he broke out stateside in 2022. For 2 years, he’s consistently posted a BB% > K% while basically being at a .300/.400/.500 slash line. That’s become the norm for Amador and seems to be what’s expected by now. Yet, Amador still feels underrated.
He has a 70-grade hit tool as per Fangraphs and despite the lack of projected raw power, he runs into power at a decent clip. It’s not only enough that his BB>K but he also rarely strikes out in general. He posts low SwStr%s and is excellent at making contact, although he may be someone who gets into the trap of hitting too many ground balls at times. Something that can be fixed, especially at his age.
I don’t think Amador is going to be someone who hits 20-25 home runs a year in the show but a consistent 15HR + 25SB to go with a high average and OBP is something he’s capable of, especially at Coors. The ceiling might not be as high with Amador as it is with some of the others ranked below him, but there’s an excellent floor here that would allow me to sleep at night if he was my 2nd baseman of the future.
3) JETT WILLIAMS (NYM):
Imagine Dustin Pedroia with borderline elite speed to go with high OBP numbers. That’s Jett Williams. The swing and pedigree are reminiscent of Pedroia — and the speed as mentioned before is borderline elite. We’re talking 35-40+ SB potential yearly to go with a BB% in the upper teens to 20%. Getting on base is no problem for Jett as his approach is excellent while his contact ability is better than average with potential for more.
Like Amador, this points to a high-floor potential for Jett Williams. We’ll have a better understanding of his upside once he navigates a full season at AA — as he popped 7 HR in just 36 games at A+. That’s a 27 HR pace through 140 games. Now is that something he’s capable of given his lack of size? I'm not convinced. But something in the middle ground of 18-22 HR is possible given his profile. We’ve seen players his size lift the ball with consistency and Jett may be able to do the same — while adding a ton of steals and high BB rates — exactly what you’re looking for in a player at a fairly thin position.
Williams finished 11th overall in HitTilt+ rankings for 2023 which is a testament to the power and speed he showed between A and A+ last year:
He also posted low SwStr% numbers as shown on this plot:
He’s in the same company as Amador except he displayed more power and more speed. So why is he ranked 3rd and not 2nd? The floor for Amador mentioned above is safer in my opinion, although Jett has a solid floor as well. The upside here is also high-teens HRs with a lot of stolen bases. Don’t shy away from acquiring Jett Williams just because of his size or lack thereof. He will be a good Major League asset and someone who you can plug into your 2B spots on your fantasy rosters without hesitation — at least that’s what the profile suggests.