Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Over the last decade in fantasy baseball drafts, the second base position has become increasingly thin. There are only a handful of elite options, Robinson Cano obviously leading that list, and the lack of depth at the position has hurt it’s sleeper appeal.
However, there are still some sleepers to be had at second. One of these underrated second baggers is Jedd Gyorko of the San Diego Padres. The Human Gyro is falling outside of the top-10 in almost every format, and as a result, he has become a popular sleeper to look for this spring.
The former West Virginia Mountaineer standout quickly showed he has the skill to compete in the big leagues. In his rookie year, Gyorko smashed 23 home runs. That is a staggering number considering that he plays at Petco Park, a stadium that has allowed a meager 1.8 home runs per game last season alone.
Gyorko really started to put it all together towards the end of the season. He crushed eight home runs in the month of August and surprisingly hit another seven in September. Over that time, he has also added a staggering 37 RBIs. These All-Star quality numbers and simply showcased the astonishing potential that Gyorko has in his bat.
Gyorko doesn’t have size on his side (5’10”, 210 pounds), but he has amazing bat speed. He fearlessly swings the bat through the strike zone and his 73.8% contact percentage was among the best in the league. He did strikeout a staggering 123 times in his rookie campaign, but that is natural with a first-year hitter.
Fantasy owners can expect big things from Gyorko this season. He will be one of the best mid-round second basemen to look for this season and the sophomore will mature into a decent weekly starter in deeper formats.
Adam McGill is the Senior Fantasy Sports Writer at Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @adammcgill83, like him on Facebook, or add him to you networks on Google here or here.
