LeMahieu flew under the radar a bit in 2015 despite putting together a solid year, but he made the league take notice with his 2016 showing. After putting up a solid .746 OPS in 2015, he broke out to the tune of a .348/.416/.495 line, winning the National League batting title. He also put up career highs in doubles (32), RBI (66) and runs (104). The All-Star even muscled up for 11 home runs, equaling the number he hit over the previous two years combined. Thanks to all of this and an outstanding 0.83 BB/K, LeMahieu has become a steady mid-tier option at the keystone, but the longevity of his current levels of production will hinge on his future with the Rockies. He's under club control with Colorado through the 2018 campaign. LeMahieu hit .303/.353/.395 with four of his 11 homers on the road in 2016, while his output soared to a .391/.473/.591 line at Coors Field.

LeMahieu needed 150 games to mash six home runs despite playing 75 games at Coors Field, where Dodgers rookie Joc Pederson hit four home runs as a visitor in 2015 alone. Still, LeMahieu managed to sustain his solid contact skills and his ability to spray the ball across Colorado's huge outfield to record a .301/.358/.388 line with 85 runs scored, all career highs. His 23 stolen bases also marked a career high, and he had an 88 percent success rate despite being caught 10 times in 20 stolen-base attempts in 2014. Second base projects to be a weak offensive position once again, and while LeMahieu wouldn't be worth a look outside of Colorado, he's making the most out of his at-bats. If he can maintain a high average and keep running regularly, he will be worthwhile again in 2016 despite his power deficiency.

Thanks largely to his standout defense, LeMahieu retained a regular role throughout 2014 for the Rockies, playing a career-high 149 games and leading all NL second basemen in both Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating en route to his first Gold Glove. Unfortunately, this was of little relevance in the fantasy realm, where LeMahieu’s minimal power (25 extra-base hits in 538 plate appearances) and presence in the bottom third of the order deflated his counting stats. LeMahieu even noticed a decent-sized drop in the offensive categories he’d typically been an asset, as an increased strikeout rate led to a 13-point drop in his batting average from 2013, while decreased efficiency on the basepaths (10-for-20 on steal attempts) made him more reluctant to run as the season progressed. The 26-year-old’s tremendous glove should grant him the upper hand in remaining atop the Rockies' depth chart at second base, but even with the added benefit of calling Coors Field his home park, LeMahieu will struggle to emerge as much more than a lower-tier fantasy option at his position.

After Josh Rutledge flopped as the second baseman to start the season, LeMahieu stepped in to provide an immediate upgrade with a steady batting average and excellent glovework. Those attributes were to be expected based on what LeMahieu had delivered a season prior, but new manager Walt Weiss’s more aggressive approach on the basepaths allowed the second baseman to showcase another dimension of his game with 18 stolen bases. The inability to draw walks and a lack of power will continue to inhibit LeMahieu’s fantasy appeal, but in deeper leagues, his above-average contributions in two categories are enough to warrant attention at the middle-infield spot. In recognition of his strong 2013 showing, LeMahieu should be the frontrunner for the Opening Day second base job, but even if he loses out to Rutledge once again, he should see ample usage in a utility role.

LeMahieu redeemed himself following an uninspiring first callup to the Rockies in May, batting .316 after the All-Star break while becoming a defensive standout at second base, making just two errors in 311 chances. Those numbers were nice, but because LeMahieu lacks even low-end power or speed, he was a virtual non-entity in fantasy despite playing regularly in the second half. LeMahieu's mediocre on-base skills will make it difficult to sustain last season's lofty batting average, which would strip him of nearly all his value. If that does not happen, the move of Josh Rutledge to second base almost surely will, as LeMahieu projects this season as little more than a utility infielder, likely replacing Jordan Pacheco on defense in the later innings.

With little power to speak of and poor on-base skills, it's hard to see a lot of upside for LeMahieu even in Coors Field after he was traded to Colorado in the Tyler Colvin deal. LeMahieu does make good contact, so he's a fair bet to hit for average, but he doesn't run much, and the lack of walks limits his capacity to score runs. He could be in the running the second-base job this spring, but you're better off gambling on Chris Nelson or Eric Young, Jr.