WELCOME BACK!!! Despite a scorching hot stove (I can’t believe the player you’re thinking of did or did not sign with the team you thought they would!), January and February can be some of the darkest months of the year (figuratively and literally). But fear not, restless readers. The Dynasty Guru is here to the rescue.

While you were celebrating the holidays and ushering in the New Year, our brave group of writers has been ranking, debating, re-ranking, re-debating, and re-re-ranking over 600 players for dynasty leagues. The fruits of our efforts will be filling January and February with the deepest, most thoroughly and painstakingly selected dynasty baseball rankings on the internet. We have top-40s, top-50s, top-125s, top-200s, and of course top-500s (of course!).

The Dynasty Guru’s hard-working staff has spent countless hours crafting these rankings, and we hope you enjoy and continue to support our efforts.

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Without further ado, it’s time to continue our 2020 consensus rankings by looking at the 1-20 second basemen in dynasty leagues.

1) Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves, (Age: 23, Previous Rank: 4)

Although Atlanta probably did not envision getting quickly bounced out of the playoffs for two consecutive years in the divisional series, the Braves have an extremely bright future ahead, lead by young stars such as Ronald Acuña, Mike Soroka, and Ozzie Albies. At just twenty-three years old, Albies already has an All-Star appearance and a Silver Slugger award under his belt. He was able to improve his Barrel % and exit velocity this past season. Pair that with elite sprint speed, xBA, and xSLG and you have a .295 average with 24 dingers, 15 steals, and an OPS of .852 for the ultra-talented second basemen in 2019. With a combined 48 home runs over the past two seasons, Albies has put MLB.com to shame who once had his power rated as a 20-grade as a prospect. (Andrew Lewis)

2) Keston Hiura, Milwaukee Brewers, (Age: 23, Previous Rank: 7)

Drafted with the #9 pick in the 2017 draft, it is safe to say that Milwaukee is ecstatic to say the least with Hiura’s development thus far. Making his major league debut in the 2019 season, Hiura went right to work proving repeatedly why he was so highly regarded for having a double-plus hit tool. The playing time was inconsistent over the first half, but once Milwaukee began rolling him out in the lineup every day Hiura went to work. In just 348 plate appearances, Hiura produced a .303 BA with 19 homers, 49 RBI, 9 steals and an OPS of .938. He also had 23 doubles in this time period. The one downside was that Hiura struck out 107 times, but if he can cut down on the Ks in 2020 it is difficult to see how he will not be able to compete for multiple batting titles in his career. Lofty expectations for such a young player—but the talent warrants it. (Andrew Lewis)

3) Jose Altuve, Houston Astros, (Age: 30, Previous Rank: 1)

6x All-Star. 5x Silver Slugger. 3x Batting Title champion. Top that off with a World Series ring and an MVP award. Jose Altuve has been a staple of consistency at second base the past decade. Not bad for a 5’6” superstar who was constantly told that “he was not good enough,” had to go to multiple open tryouts to even have a shot at playing professional baseball and signed for a measly $15,000. Altuve continues to prove year in and year out that he is still one of the best pure hitters in baseball, but he is 30 years old and it looks like he may end up being conservative on the base paths for the rest of his career. This may be the last real chance to sell him in a dynasty league for an extraordinarily high price. (Andrew Lewis)

4) Gavin Lux, Los Angeles Dodgers, (Age: 22, Previous Rank: 35 at ss)

A seemingly good-but-not-great prospect coming into 2019, this past season was Lux’s coming out party. For 49 games in the PCL this season, Lux had a slash line of .392/.478/.719 with 13 home runs and 18 doubles and mashed against every pitcher he faced. Overall, he had one of the most impressive seasons in all of Minor League baseball and finally ended up making his debut near the end of the season during the Dodgers’ postseason hunt. Lux has a beautiful swing from the left side that is geared more for line drives. Long term, I can see Lux settling in with a batting average around the .300-mark, 20-25 home runs, and double-digit steals. (Andrew Lewis)

5) Jonathan Villar, Miami Marlins, (Age: 28, Previous Rank: 10)

This has been an eventful offseason for the seven-year MLB veteran. He will be taking his talents down to South Beach (Thanks, Lebron). Although the Orioles finished the season with the second-worst record in baseball at 54-108, Villar was able to enjoy a breakout campaign with multiple statistical career-highs. He had 24 home runs, 73 RBI, 111 runs, 40 stolen bases, and a .453 slugging percentage. There is some cause for concern, as here are some of Villar’s advanced metrics: Exit Velocity (28th Percentile), Hard Hit % (39th Percentile), and xwOBA (29th Percentile). Pair that with playing in a larger stadium now, and Villar’s redraft ADP of 29 (via Fantrax) makes for an intriguing, yet risky fantasy asset. (Andrew Lewis)

6) Max Muncy, Los Angeles Dodgers, (Age: 29, Previous Rank: 10 at 1b)

I am going to get straight to the point: Max Muncy rakes. Drafted by the Oakland A’s in the fifth round of the 2012 draft, it took a while for Muncy to begin getting consistent playing time at the highest level. In two seasons with Oakland, Muncy had a slash line of .195/.290/.321 in 245 plate appearances. The Dodgers took a chance and signed then-26-year-old Muncy to a minor league deal to play with Oklahoma City (the Dodgers Triple-A affiliate). How has that investment panned out you may ask? 70 home runs, middle of the order force, and a player with the ability to play a plethora of positions for the Dodgers over the past two seasons. The rich continue to get richer. (Andrew Lewis)

7) Whit Merrifield, Kansas City Royals, (Age: 31, Previous Rank: 5)

Whit Merrifield has been one of the only bright spots on the Royals over the past four seasons. A true gamer. A fixture at the top of the lineup, Merrifield is always a tough-out and causes havoc on the base paths. Unfortunately, Merrifield made his first all-star appearance this season amid a 59-103 finish by Kansas City, good for fourth in the AL Central. Expect another season with a batting average around .290-300, 15 home runs, and 25 stolen bases for Merrifield while he waits out the clock for his contract to expire at the end of 2022. You deserve better, Whit. (Andrew Lewis)

8) DJ LeMahieu, New York Yankees, (Age: 31, Previous Rank: 27)

Coming into the 2019 season, you would be hard-pressed to find someone in the fantasy baseball community that thought LeMahieu had the ability to produce the way he did this past season. As a Yankees fan, I thought that he was simply going to be a super-utility guy with roughly 350-400 plate appearances, a good bat, and minimal power. At 30 years old, spending his first season playing in the Pinstripes, LeMahieu produced a .327 average, 26 taters, 102 RBI, 5 steals, an OPS of .893, an All-Star appearance, a Silver Slugger award, and top-5 finish for MVP. The hit tool was never in question… LeMahieu has had four seasons with a batting average that has eclipsed .290. The 26 home runs were what completely came out of left field. In LeMahieu’s seven previous seasons playing at COORS FIELD, he only hit 49 home runs TOTAL. Let’s see what is in store for 2020. (Andrew Lewis)

9) Vidal Brujan, Tampa Bay Rays, (Age: 21, Previous Rank: 22)

I was recently asked who I thought had a higher ceiling between Vidal Brujan and Nick Madrigal. Although I love Madrigal’s hit tool and believe he could end up being a very productive player in the Windy City, the right answer to this question is Vidal Brujan and I do not believe that it is very close. A switch-hitter, Brujan hit very well from the left-side in 2019, but the same cannot be said for his performance from the right side (nearly below the Mendoza line). It will be interesting to see if Brujan discontinues switch-hitting by the time he hits the Major Leagues (most likely 2021). To this point in Brujan’s minor league career, he has nearly walked as much as he has struck out and has shown that he can hit for double-digit home runs. He is very disciplined at the plate, and when he gets on base he can terrorize opponents with his elite speed. The Rays have a ton of young infield prospects with high ceilings to dream about (Franco, Brujan, and Edwards just to name a few). (Andrew Lewis)

10) Brendan Rodgers, Colorado Rockies, (Age: 23, Previous Rank: 15 at SS)

Drafted with the third pick in the 2015 draft by the Colorado Rockies, Rodgers was instantly expected to be the next face of the franchise. To this point, he has produced at every single level of minor league baseball. He has justifiably looked like a top-50 prospect for four years now (I say that conservatively) and was starting to produce prospect-fatigue. Rodgers played in 25 games this season with the big-league club where he hit .224 and no home runs. He suffered an injury on June 23rd against Los Angeles, which ultimately ended up being a torn labrum in his right shoulder which ended his season immediately. At his peak, Brendan Rodgers could hit 25-30 home runs (and maybe even more at Coors Field, who knows) and steal 5-10 bags, which would put him right in the running as one of the best fantasy second basemen in the game. (Andrew Lewis)

11) Cavan Biggio, Toronto Blue Jays (Age: 25, Previous Rank: 34)

We won’t see the .312 average Biggio put up in triple-A before getting called up to the majors last year, but we don’t need it. The Power/Speed combo has the possibility of a 20/20 season looming every year and entering his age-25 season, there may be several of those years still to come. If he can get his average into the .260 range it would be a nice boost to his overall value, and being sandwiched between Bichette, Gurriel Jr., and Guerrero Jr. for the next half-decade will keep the counting stats coming. Current 2020 ADP has him going off the board as the 14th second basemen, 133^rd overall. The buying window has likely closed. (Paul Monte)

12) Nick Madrigal, Chicago White Sox (Age: 22, Previous Rank: 12)

The triple-A ball did not give the same boost in the power department to Madrigal that most of the players in the league experienced. Power continues to be the major concern for 5’7″, 165-pound second baseman; even the most optimistic of projections have him struggling to reach double figures. He is a lock to hit for a very high average, and steals will make him valuable in roto leagues with stolen bases always at a premium. He should debut early in 2020 in a very improved White Sox lineup. If he can work his way into the top of that lineup, he will provide a healthy number of runs scored along with his stolen bases. (Paul Monte)

13) Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays (Age: 25, Previous Rank: 21)

Lowe looks like a platoon player and he plays for an organization that loves to platoon its players. Suffering a midseason injury halted what was an excellent first half of the season, as Lowe slashed .276/.339/.523 with 16 home runs and 5 stolen bases. The issue is that he only saw 66 at-bats versus left-handed pitching, and in those at-bats, he managed to strike out 36 times while walking just twice. I did some checking, and a 55% strikeout rate is not good. There is still time for him to figure out lefties but the question will be how much of a chance the Rays give him to figure it out. (Paul Monte)

14) Nick Solak, Texas Rangers (Age: 25, Previous Rank: 33)

The 14^th ranked player at second base will be the Texas Rangers starting third baseman entering 2020 and may only have UT eligibility in your leagues. Rougned Odor, listed 6 spots down will likely hold on to the second base position in Texas, so if you are looking for a second baseman in the future, Solak may not be your guy. After spending several seasons blocked by the depth of the Rays system he was traded to the Rangers in August and played well for Texas through the end of the year. There is nothing that jumps out about the fantasy production, but he is average or better in all categories and should see plenty of at-bats. (Paul Monte)

15) Ryan McMahon, Colorado Rockies (Age: 25, Previous Rank: 29 1B)

The Rockies finally let McMahon have the at-bats that fantasy owners had been waiting for, and while he did not have the same success as some of his peers, his season was not a disappointment. After starting slowly, the second half of the season was promising as he slashed .244/.326/.500 with 17 home runs and 47 runs batted in. The hope is that he will be able to settle into second base and begin to focus more on his bat. He played 19 games or more at 1B, 2B, and 3B last season.  The Home/Road splits are worrisome, but getting 81 games in Coors is always a nice bonus. (Paul Monte)

16) Luis Arraez, Minnesota Twins (Age: 22, Previous Rank: NR)

Leading the league with a strikeout percentage under 8% and walking more than striking out makes it hard to ignore the 22-year-old second baseman. But if you dig a little deeper, there is not much else to see. Six home runs in 1,428 minor league at-bats translated to 4 in his 92 games in the majors, Arraez is starting to feel like Madrigal, but without the speed. One category guys are always difficult to value: he will be elite in batting average but won’t provide much else. His playing time is also at risk if he is platooned and benched against lefties. (Paul Monte)

17) Xavier Edwards, Tampa Bay Rays (Age: 20, Previous Rank: 31 at ss)

Edwards was the slapdick prospect included in the December 5^th trade that sent Hunter Renfroe to Tampa Bay and Tommy Pham to San Diego. Finding someone with less power than Madrigal or Arraez is hard to do, but with Edwards, we may have found that guy. Madrigal is probably the closer comp as Arraez lacks the speed that Madrigal and Edwards possess. Given the 70-80 grade speed, Edwards will need to continue to get on base at a high clip to be able to provide fantasy owners the 30-40 stolen bases a year they will need to return a profit. Second base is deep in the Tampa Bay system, so a move to CF may be in the long-term plans. (Paul Monte)

18) Garrett Hampson, Colorado Rockies (Age: 25, Previous Rank: 14)

Hampson was the darling of drafts in the 2019 preseason and left many owners with a horrible taste in their mouths. Breaking camp with the Rockies led to a .194/.224/.269 slash line and a trip back to triple-A in May. Returning at the end of June, the rest of the summer was more of the same as he had been dropped in most redrafts and even some shallower dynasty leagues. Just when the industry seemed to be ready to move on, those who were smart (or stubborn?) enough to hold onto Hampson were rewarded handsomely. From September 12 through the end of the season, Hampson hit .343/.387/.586 with 5 home runs and 7 stolen bases. He won head-to-head leagues and that will be just enough to keep him in the minds of owners heading into 2020. His current ADP in the early NFBC drafts is the 16^th 2B, just ahead of his teammate, Ryan McMahon. (Paul Monte)

19) Kolten Wong, St. Louis Cardinals (Age: 29, Previous Rank: 35)

After a career year in 2019, Wong jumped 16 spots in the rankings to join the group of 25 and unders that rank from 11-20. While the power numbers stayed the same, the batting average enjoyed a good BABIP year and rose to back to his 2017 level of .285. The biggest boon to his value came in the stolen base department, as he stole more bases in 2019 (24) than he had in the previous 3 seasons combined. Figuring out if he will continue to run will be the key to Wong; most projections systems have him around 16 SB in 2020. His 2019 season was good for 15^th overall for second baseman in standard 5×5 roto leagues, and at his age, he will likely be cheap enough for those who are in win-now mode. (Paul Monte)

20) Rougned Odor, Texas Rangers (Age: 25, Previous Rank: 11)

25? That can’t be right. Biggio, Lowe, Solak, McMahon, and Hampson are all 25, but Odor? After hitting 30 home runs for the 3^rd time in the last 4 seasons, he tumbled 9 spots in the TDG rankings from 11^th to 20^th. The .205 batting average and career-high 178 strikeouts were the biggest reason for the drop. He found himself in manager Chris Woodward’s doghouse multiple times last season but did finish with a strong September. You know what you are going to get with Odor: he’ll give you the home runs and sprinkle in double-digit steals, but he’ll more than likely destroy your batting average. The juiced ball made home runs less valuable last year, which is why he finished the season as the 27^th ranked 2B in 2019. (Paul Monte)