Preseason Rankings: Top-10 Second Basemen in Baseball

The ¨Captain of the infield¨, a teams second baseman; a crucial player on any good Baseball club, responsible for calling out signs, shifts, and turning double plays, the second baseman is one of the most important players on the field defensively and offensively. Guys like Derek Jeter, Joe Morgan, Rogers Hornsby, and Eddie Collins headline some of the best to ever man the middle infield, though the league today may not have some of the big names we are used to, fans still have the privilege to watch some of the most talented guys to ever play the position. So today as we continue the 2023 preseason position ranking, I will count down my top 10 Second Basemen in the game.

10. Cincinnati Reds, Kevin Newman: 288 AB, 79 H, 24 RBI, 2 HR, .274 BA, .687 OPS, 1.1 WAR

A guy who has been seen as a utility player for the majority of his career in black and gold; Kevin Newman quickly turned himself into one of the best Second Basemen in all of Baseball last season. Despite sharing the second base job with the likes of Ji-Hwan-Bae and Rodolfo Castro, Newman was still able to make his mark slashing a .274 BA with a .687 OPS. Newman´s season was also cut short as a result of injury. During the offseason, Newman signed a 1-year $2.6 Million dollar contract with the Cincinnati Reds where he will most likely compete for a middle-infield job with Jose Barreo and former rookie of the year Jonathan India.

9. Atlanta Braves, Ozzie Albies: 247 AB, 61 H, 35 RBI, 8 HR, .247 BA, .703 OPS, 0.9 WAR

Once considered as possibly the best Second Basemen in Baseball, Ozzie Albies took a big step back in 2022 mainly being attributed to a Broken Left Foot and Broken Pinky that kept the former All-Star sidelined for the final 100 games of the year. Furthermore, when Albies was on the field, it never seemed he was producing at the same level as years past. The Braves 2B batted just .247 with a .703 OPS in 64 games during the ´22 campaign, though his SLG did remain high as Albies struck a .409 line in his early season appearances. One thing that didn´t take a hit was Albies defensive production, in a limited capacity he rung in a .990 Fld%, a monstrous 6 points over the league average, all the while committing only 3 errors. The Braves will now look for Albies to turn it around in a big way as the ´23 season gets underway, if he can stay healthy there shouldn´t be much of a question as to if the former World Series champ can return to his prior form.

8. Boston Red Sox, Trevor Story: 357 AB, 85 H, 66 RBI, 16 HR, .238 BA, .737 OPS, 2.5 WAR

2022 was a rough year for the former All-Star Trevor Story, in just 94 games for the Sox Story struggled to produce at the rate he once did in Colorado. A .238 AVG with a .737 OPS, while not horrid by any means aren´t numbers we are used to seeing from a guy who was once being heralded as the next superstar shortstop. In his first season in Boston, a platoon of Xander Bogarts and Christian Arroyo made playing at Shortstop nearly impossible for Story who played the position for the Rockies during the first 6 seasons of his career. While his fielding didn´t take all too much of a hit, it was once again not the level of play we were used to from Story. Here´s to a better 2023 season for the first-rounder in his second year in Beantown.

7. Toronto Blue Jays, Santiago Espinal: 449 AB, 120 H, 51 RBI, 7 HR, .267 BA, .692 OPS, 2.2 WAR

One guy who really broke out in a big way last season was Toronto Blue Jays second basemen, Santiago Espinal. Espinal, 28, made his inaugural All-Star game in 2022 as he slashed .267/.322/.370 with a .692 OPS. Crammed into an already stacked Jays infield, competing with the likes of Cavan Biggio and Whit Merrifield, Espinal had to prove himself and make every opportunity count in 2022, and he did just that. After coming to an arbitration agreement with the Blue Jays this offseason, it looks as though Espinal will be the front-runner for the Jays middle infield job this spring as he looks to capitalize on the prime years of his career.

6. New York Yankees, Gleyber Torres: 526 AB, 135 H, 76 RBI, 24 HR, .257 BA, .761 OPS, 4.1 WAR

Gleyber Torres, an All-Star back in 2018 and 2019, enjoyed a renaissance season during the 2022 campaign. The now 26-year-old Torres batted .257 with a .761 OPS in 140 games, all the while blasting 24 homers into the bleachers of Yankee Stadium. The Yanks and Gleyber recently came to a nearly $10 Million dollar Arbitration agreement for the 2023 season, however, rumors have circulated that the Bronx Bombers may look to move the former All-Star to make way for top prospect Anthony Volpe come next season.

5. Miami Marlins, Jazz Chisholm Jr: 213 AB, 54 H, 45 RBI 14 HR, .254 BA, .860 OPS, 2.4 WAR

Jazz Chisholm has quickly become one of the hottest new faces in the league and a top second baseman in all of Baseball. The newest MLB the show cover athlete had possibly the best season of his career, despite playing in only 60 games for the fish. Chisholm batted .254 with a .860 OPS and a .535 SLG, mainly attributed to his ability to routinely stretch singles to doubles and doubles to triples. The 2022 All-Star has quickly become the face of a Miami Marlins club on the rise, and with the multitude of moves made by general manager Kim Ng during the 2023 offseason, the young Chisholm will have the chance to possibly lead his club to their first postseason berth since the shortened 2020 season.

4. Miami Marlins, Jean Segura: 354 AB, 98 H, 33 RBI, 10 HR, .277 BA, .723 OPS, 1.8 WAR

Speaking of moves made by the Marlins this offseason, former All-Star second baseman Jean Segura became a headliner down in South Beach after signing a 2-year $17 Million dollar contract with the Fish in December. Segura, who was coming off one of the best seasons of his long career; reaching the World Series with the Phillies, turned himself into undoubtedly one of the best hitters in all of Baseball. With an average sitting above .310 for most of the season and a +.850 OPS Segura showed that even as he ages he hasn´t lost a step from his All-Star years of the past. It remains to be seen what the Marlins will decide to do with Segura, especially with the addition of Luiz Arraez in a trade with the Minnesota Twins, though a possible DH role or maybe a spot at 3rd base could be in the works for Segura.

3. Cleavland Guardians, Andres Gimenez: 491 AB, 146 H, 69 RBI, 17 HR, .297 BA, .837 OPS, 7.4 WAR

A former number one prospect with the Mets; Andres Gimenez was the main cog in New York´s blockbuster deal for Fransisco Lindor back in the 2021 offseason. Since heading to Cleavland nearly two years ago Gimenez has quickly turned himself into one of the best young middle infielders in the game. In particular last season where the former top pick came in 6th in AL MVP voting while also bringing home the Silver Slugger, deservingly so as he batted .297 BA with a .837 OPS. Headed into 2023 it looks as though Gimenez could be an MVP dark horse as he attempts to lead his Guardians to their second straight AL Central title.

2. Houston Astros, Jose Altuve: 527 AB, 158 H, 57 RBI, 28 HR, .300 BA, .921 OPS, 5.1 WAR

Despite his many scandals and the unwavering hatred MLB fans everywhere have for Jose Altuve, there is absolutely no denying his natural talent. Altuve has been one of the best hitters in the game ever since he broke onto the scene all the way back in 2011. 2022 was no outlier as the now 8-time All-Star batted .300 with a .921 OPS and 28 bombs, good enough for a 5.1 WAR. Altuve´s clutch hitting was enough to once again land his team in the World Series, and eventually, earn him the second ring of what has become a Hall-Of-Fame type career for the former MVP. It looks like 2023 will be more of the same for Altuve and company as the Astros look to reach their third consecutive Fall Classic.

1. New York Mets, Jeff McNeil: 533 AB, 174 H, 9 HR, 62 RBI, .326 BA, .836 OPS, 5.7 WAR

Jeff McNeil has quite possibly turned himself into the best hitter in all of Baseball in only a few seasons. A former 12th-round pick back in 2013, McNeil won the batting title in 2022 with a league-leading .326 Batting Average, while also bringing home the NL Silver Slugger at second base and his second career All-Star appearance. Often overlooked by the much bigger names that crowd the New York lineup such as Pete Alonso and Fransisco Lindor, McNeil is unquestionably the best all-around second baseman in Baseball. And the Mets knew that better than anyone as they recently locked McNeil up with a 4-year $50 Million dollar extension to stay in Flushing through 2026.