Second base has long been the thinnest position in fantasy baseball. Sure there will always be guys like Robinson Cano and Dustin Pedroia who provide great numbers at the position but for the most part you are going to have to look else where. The main reason for that is because a lot of fantasy owners like to reach for second basemen because they know how valuable it is to have them. They are also aware of the drop off from tier to tier. My trick for you here is to wait on a second basemen and try and find some late round value instead of taking the risk early on for a guy like Brandon Phillips whose numbers have been declining. Below is some late round names to keep an eye out for.

Jurickson Profar, Texas Rangers

The Rangers traded Ian Kinsler to the Detroit Tigers which has opened up a chance for young prospect Profar to play everyday. You are obviously not going to get the big home run numbers that you would like but he is going to give you some consistency all around. The main risk here is that he is still very young at the tender age of 20. He has yet to play a full seasons in the Majors but did get 85 games in, in 2013. In those games he batted .234 with six homers and 26 RBIs. He did only steal two bases but you can expect that number to rise as he does have some speed. The best part about taking the risk on this guy is that you don’t have to snag him up until the very late rounds as a lot of people are still skeptical on how well he will perform. It’s the perfect combination of low-risk, mid-reward and if he doesn’t do well at least you didn’t waste a mid-round pick on him like some will do with Phillips. Your fantasy season is not make or break on the second basemen that you have.

Marco Scutaro, San Francisco Giants

Here we have arguably the best late round second basemen available in the draft. Scutaro is being taken in the late, late, late rounds and in some instances not being taken at all. He is 38 years-old but has a career batting average of .278. What’s even better is that he batted .297 in 127 games last season for the Giants. He is not going to hit for power but he will hit for average and rarely strikes out. If you have a team with a lot of power but very little average to help than this would be the perfect fit to help even out your squad. Even though he has been flying under the radar in the eyes of many fantasy players he can still become a late round valued asset. Don’t sleep on the wily veteran.

Howie Kendrick, Los Angeles Angels 

Fantasy baseball is a very odd sport. The big name guys often get taken far too early in drafts and the lesser known, more valuable players seem to drop year after year. Kendrick is the perfect example of a great fantasy option who doesn’t get the love that he deserves. In 2013 he played in 122 games; batted .297, hit 13 home runs to go with 54 RBIs and 55 runs scored. He is only 30 years-old but is being drafted in as low as the 20th round. Once again you don’t need your second baseman’s hitting a huge number of home runs. All you really want is consistency and that is exactly what he can give you. I would go as far to say take this guy in the mid-teen rounds but the best part is that you may be able to wait even longer than that to get him. Trust me when I say Kendrick can help your team out greatly and he will if you just wait on second base.