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Complete 2013 Projections

ESPN's projections are the product of an analysis of a player's past performance, growth or regression potential and expected playing opportunity. While the overall ranking is based in large part on the player's projected performance, it also takes into account risk factors such as age, injury history and past statistical fluidity, the players' ceiling (upside), as well as positional and categorical scarcity.

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PROJECTED 2013 SEASON STATS
31. Johnny Giavotella, KC 2BYEARABRHRRBIBBKSBAVGOBPSLGOPS
2012 Statistics181211158353.238.270.304.574
2013 Projections4465454629677.262.310.354.664
2013 Outlook: Granted multiple opportunities to nail down the Royals' starting second-base role the past two seasons, Giavotella finds himself fighting for at-bats at the position this spring. Although he finished 2012 as the starter, he managed mediocre .250/.276/.330 rates and only three stolen bases in 32 games in that most recent audition. Outside of a respectable first two weeks as a big leaguer, Giavotella hasn't looked anything like the .308 career hitter he was in the minors, and we'll point out that his big league career walk rate (3.7 percent) is less than half his number in the minors (10 percent). Ultimately, even his best-case scenario has a relatively low ceiling in the key rotisserie stats, making him AL-only roster filler.
32. Maicer Izturis, Tor 3B, 2B, SSYEARABRHRRBIBBKSBAVGOBPSLGOPS
2012 Statistics28935220253817.256.320.315.634
2013 Projections40347433335315.261.323.347.670
2013 Outlook: There are a handful of players who, despite playing a lot and getting a decent number of at-bats, you just don't know when, where or how many at-bats are coming their way. Izturis heads that list. Players of this ilk are gold in deep leagues since you can move them around different positions, but they are better suited as reserves in mixed formats. If he lands a regular gig, and second base is open (with Emilio Bonifacio as his main competition), Izturis could even help mixed teams as a late pickup.
33. Mark Ellis, LAD 2BYEARABRHRRBIBBKSBAVGOBPSLGOPS
2012 Statistics4156273140705.258.333.364.697
2013 Projections4656373935679.262.322.361.683
2013 Outlook: Just your run-of-the-mill, near-the-league-average second baseman here -- his .265/.331/.394 lifetime rates are only marginally better than the .256/.317/.382 major league averages by second basemen in 2012 -- Ellis is the kind of player whose role will drive his NL-only value. He's adept enough with the bat, and capable enough of drawing a walk, to stick in the Dodgers' regular lineup, and he could fit as a No. 1 or 2 hitter -- he started 99 times combined between those spots last year -- which might result in a decent runs total. Now 35, Ellis probably isn't much better than the player he was in 2012, and his days of double-digit steals are presumably behind him. But he does have a strength: He hits lefties well, with a .800-plus OPS against that side in two of the past three years. That at least gives him value in daily formats.
34. Jemile Weeks, Oak 2BYEARABRHRRBIBBKSBAVGOBPSLGOPS
2012 Statistics44454220507016.221.305.304.609
2013 Projections46156231447319.249.319.341.660
2013 Outlook: Weeks' sophomore campaign in 2012 ranked among the game's most disappointing. In a year's time, he went from a line-drive-hitting, legging-out-grounders dynamo to a light-hitting, weak-grounder-generating bust. His .158 well-hit average rated him among the 10 worst players in the game at making hard contact. Nevertheless, Weeks will be in the second-base race during spring training, and it's difficult to imagine that a speedy, contact-hitting 26-year-old has entirely lost it in the majors this quickly. He's worth targeting for cheap speed in AL-only leagues, especially since the Athletics don't have any clearly better alternatives at his position, but there are no promises.
35. Chris Nelson, LAA 3B, 2BYEARABRHRRBIBBKSBAVGOBPSLGOPS
2012 Statistics3454595327842.301.352.458.810
2013 Projections3824995223834.272.315.419.733
2013 Outlook: Largely as a result of his superior defense, Nelson is the favorite to win the job at the hot corner for the Rockies. But Colorado needs production from a corner infield spot, so Nelson is going to have to hit to keep the job. The problem is his contact rate is trending in the wrong direction and Nelson has only marginal power and speed. Since he does have second and third base eligibility in most leagues he could be worth a reserve pick in mixed leagues, but nothing more.
36. Logan Forsythe*, SD 2BYEARABRHRRBIBBKSBAVGOBPSLGOPS
2012 Statistics3154562628578.273.343.390.733
2013 Projections3234252934818.238.321.347.668
2013 Outlook: Forsythe, whose 16.3 percent walk rate during his minor league career was his path to a sizeable enough role in San Diego, settled in as the right-handed half (and a little more) of a second base platoon in the second half of last season thanks to him crushing lefties to the tune of .384/.465/.545 rates for the full year. He has a straight shot to a roster spot this spring, though more likely as a utilityman than someone granted a sizable share of the second base gig; the Padres are reportedly hoping that top prospect Jedd Gyorko will emerge there. That the team changed Gyorko's position, blocking Forsythe, speaks volumes about how they regard Forsythe: He'll probably be a backup, contributing barely enough in terms of steals and on-base percentage (where applicable) to help deep NL-only owners.
37. Chris Getz, KC 2BYEARABRHRRBIBBKSBAVGOBPSLGOPS
2012 Statistics1892201711179.275.312.360.672
2013 Projections26131020192813.253.304.310.614
2013 Outlook: Long the Royals' fallback option at second base, Getz again finds himself in competition with Johnny Giavotella for the starting job, though this season the two might also be up against dark-horse contender Christian Colon. Getz's fantasy strength is simple: He's quick enough to contribute a handful of stolen bases to an AL-only team when granted the at-bats. If the Royals must turn to Getz as their regular once more, he'd be in the middle infield conversation in that format. If not, he's reserve fodder.
38. Stephen Lombardozzi, Wsh 2B, OFYEARABRHRRBIBBKSBAVGOBPSLGOPS
2012 Statistics3844032719465.273.317.354.671
2013 Projections2723021913416.257.298.342.639
2013 Outlook: Lombardozzi, the son of the former second baseman of the same name who played for the 1987 world champion Twins, is effectively a speedier version of his father. A .298/.369/.411 hitter who averaged 27 stolen bases per 162 games played during his minor league career, Junior carved himself out a utility role with the Nationals last summer, albeit with so-so fantasy stats. He's a handy backup for the team, especially in light of Danny Espinosa's attempt to play through a left shoulder injury, and a late-round NL-only option on the prospect he could play himself into more at-bats. But it might take a regular gig -- second base being his best shot -- before Lombardozzi contributes the number of steals to make a noticeable fantasy impact.
39. Daniel Descalso, StL 2B, 3B, SSYEARABRHRRBIBBKSBAVGOBPSLGOPS
2012 Statistics3744142637836.227.303.324.627
2013 Projections3023532629584.245.315.344.659
2013 Outlook: Projected to begin the year as the Cardinals' starting second baseman, Descalso is a player whose skill set profiles better in a utility role, but who serves as a placeholder until prospect Kolten Wong is ready. The reason: Descalso doesn't really stand out in any one aspect of his game, other than perhaps walks, and let's point out that he had an 8.6 percent walk rate but a .347 on-base percentage in his minor league career, and 8.6/.318 numbers in those categories in his first three years in St. Louis. Do those look like the stats of an on-base specialist? Hardly. NL-only owners will need to plug middle-infield holes with players like this -- assuming he keeps a starting job -- but Descalso doesn't have much more to offer.
40. Jerry Hairston Jr.*, LAD 3B, 2BYEARABRHRRBIBBKSBAVGOBPSLGOPS
2012 Statistics2381942623271.273.342.387.729
2013 Projections3183463329363.264.331.377.709
2013 Outlook: Though he never made much of himself as a regular in his pre-age 30 days, Hairston has carved out a nice little niche for himself as a utilityman since reaching that age plateau. He has back-to-back seasons of respectable .270/.340 slash numbers, and last season he was a .293 hitter against left-handers who could've been a handy plug-in in the deepest of daily leagues. Hairston is a player with more value in the real rather than fantasy game, but the advantage he provides us is multi-position eligibility (second and third base initially in ESPN leagues) to help fill final roster spots in NL-only or deep-mixed leagues. He'll be in the mix for at-bats at third base for the Dodgers.
41. Donovan Solano*, Mia 2BYEARABRHRRBIBBKSBAVGOBPSLGOPS
2012 Statistics2852922821587.295.342.375.717
2013 Projections4764624128909.269.312.342.654
2013 Outlook: Signed as a minor league free agent in November 2011, Solano was granted a chance to serve as the Marlins' utilityman when Emilio Bonifacio got hurt in May, then as the team's starting second baseman following the trade of Omar Infante and subsequent season-ending injury to Bonifacio. Solano surprised -- to the point where he's the team's projected Opening Day starter at the position -- batting .295 with seven stolen bases, both higher than he had in any single minor league year previously. That'll put him on the NL-only map, though his prospective owners in the format should know that he was never projected to have more than a backup's/below-average starter's career, as he's a .260 lifetime minor league hitter who contributes little in terms of homers and steals.
42. Tyler Greene, CWS 2B, SSYEARABRHRRBIBBKSBAVGOBPSLGOPS
2012 Statistics305341130199512.230.274.400.674
2013 Projections29640929259113.230.297.385.682
2013 Outlook: In 621 major league at-bats, Greene has 16 homers and 28 steals -- an impressive fantasy season. The problem is that it has taken Greene parts of four campaigns to accrue those numbers. The part missing is the .224 batting average driven by fanning in more than 25 percent of his plate appearances. With Houston now in the American League, there's a chance Greene is afforded some time at designated hitter. This does not grant him mixed-league status, but it does propel Greene to middle infield or utility consideration in AL-only leagues if you can absorb his low average.
43. Ryan Roberts, TB 3B, 2BYEARABRHRRBIBBKSBAVGOBPSLGOPS
2012 Statistics439511252409210.235.296.360.656
2013 Projections2874193631598.240.314.390.704
2013 Outlook: Roberts surprised in 2011, finishing one homer and two steals short of a 20-20 season. Perhaps lost in the numbers was an unrepeatable line-drive rate. Sure enough, Roberts' production fell, leading to a change of address as the Diamondbacks shipped him to the Rays. As usual, Tampa has a bunch of moving parts, which means Roberts will get playing time in a few different places, though his days as a regular are in jeopardy unless Tampa opts to play Ben Zobrist in the outfield so Roberts could win the job at second. Starting the year with dual eligibility at second and third base is a nice benefit, making Roberts a nice late or reserve pick with playing-time upside.
44. Skip Schumaker, LAD 2B, OFYEARABRHRRBIBBKSBAVGOBPSLGOPS
2012 Statistics2723712827501.276.339.368.707
2013 Projections2523012522371.270.329.345.674
2013 Outlook: Scooped up by the Dodgers on the cheap in December, Schumaker should serve as a utilityman/pinch hitter for his new team, with less of a promise of regular at-bats at second base than he had in St. Louis. While it's possible that he could steal the occasional start against right-handers from Mark Ellis, Ellis' superior defensive ability should keep that to a minimum. Schumaker's appeal in fantasy is his ability to hit righties, and only righties -- he has .305/.350/.403 career rates against them, but just .205/.276/.245 against lefties -- but that's mostly of use in deep leagues, primarily NL-only, that afford you daily transactions.
45. Alexi Casilla, Bal 2BYEARABRHRRBIBBKSBAVGOBPSLGOPS
2012 Statistics29933130165221.241.282.321.603
2013 Projections20627118153112.248.301.340.641
2013 Outlook: Scooped up off waivers from the Twins by the Orioles this winter, Casilla will serve as a reserve infielder and fallback option at second base for his new team, thanks to quality defense and decent speed. He has averaged 22 steals per 162 games played in the bigs; that is what AL-only owners are seeking from him in the endgame. Casilla's contributions in the category do come with a drawback -- he's a lifetime .250 hitter -- but if he works his way into regular at-bats, he still should be of help in your middle infield spot.
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