If you are a fan of MLB Network or various baseball social media profiles, I am sure you have seen a bunch of top 10 position lists heading into 2023. Because I enjoy creating these lists, I have avoided all lists so that my rankings are not influenced by someone else. So far, I have created my catcher and first base rankings.
The second base position is often the leftover position as most teams wait and see if a player can play shortstop before moving the player to a new position, often second base. The position has also lost some of its top talent as players like Luis Arraez, Tommy Edman, and D.J. LeMahieu play more of a super-utility role rather than being a permanent second baseman. The position group also lost the electric Jazz Chisholm Jr. to the outfield.
In order to qualify for this list, a player needed to play at least 50% of his games at the position in ‘22. If you lose hours and hours on Fangraphs like I do, you will see that Minnesota’s Luis Arraez is on Fangraphs’ first base list as well as the second base list but he played less than 50% of his games at the position, therefore he does not qualify. Arraez would fit perfectly on a super-utility list.
As always, please feel free to comment and leave your top 10 rankings in the comment section. Now, let’s dive into the top 10 second basemen heading into the 2023 season.
10. Kolten Wong
2022: .251 / .339 / .430 / 117 wRC+ / 2.5 fWAR / 3.4 BsR / -1 DRS
2-Year Range: .262 / .337 / .439 / 113 wRC+ / 5.0 fWAR / 4.8 BsR / 5 DRS
As a Red Sox fan, whenever I hear the name “Kolten Wong” I always think of him getting picked off by Koji Uehara in the World Series. The reality is Wong has been a productive big league second baseman for a long time. The 31 year-old hit his career high in home runs last year with 15. Wong had never had a season in which he had a barrel percentage above 2.8% but over the last 2 seasons, he has had a 5.5% and 5.4% barrel rate. Some players take time to figure out how to consistently hit big league pitching and make the necessary swing adjustments to maximize their swing. Wong is never going to be a player that you put in the middle of the batting order but a player that will always give a competitive at-bat. His 9.3% walk rate is a luxury for any offense and he should be a nice addition to the Seattle offense. Wong’s consistency earns him a spot at number 10.
9. Brendan Rodgers
2022: .266 / .325 / .408 / 92 wRC+ / 1.7 fWAR / -1.7 BsR / 22 DRS
2-Year Range: .274 / .326 / .435 / 95 wRC+ / 2.7 fWAR / -2.0 BsR / 17 DRS
A former top 15 prospect in baseball, Rodgers is a perfect example of a prospect that needs big league at-bats to make the adjustments to be a productive hitter in the show. When Rodgers broke into the league in 2019 in September, he struggled with strikeouts. Last season, he had a 17.4% K-rate, which suggests he is quickly becoming an elite contact hitter. He improved his walk rate from 4.6% in ‘21 to 7.9% last year. Rodgers only hit 13 home runs last season in friendly Coors Field but not every player has to hit home runs to be productive. Rodgers is only 26 and I believe there is still more power to tap into with his swing. Defensively, Rodgers led the group with 22 defensive runs saved, which was 6 more than any other second baseman. The elite defensive skills along with the contact skills earns Rodgers a spot on this list.
8. Gavin Lux
2022: .276 / .346 / .399 / 113 wRC+ / 3.0 fWAR / 3.2 BsR / 3 DRS
2-Year Range: .261 / .338 / .384 / 103 wRC+ / 4.1 fWAR / 7.0 BsR / 7 DR
Gavin Lux has been one of the prospects that the Los Angeles Dodgers decided to keep during their long run of success rather than trade at the deadline for another impact player. Lux did not make an immediate impact as some thought he may but in his second season in which he played more than 100 games (129 in ‘22), it’s quite clear that Lux has become a productive big league second baseman. Lux almost doubled his barrel percentage from the previous year and has continued to drop his K-rate from 29.3% when he entered the league to 20.2% last year. The Dodgers second baseman has a terrific eye (10% walk rate), which will help him be productive even in a slump. Lux is another solid all-around player as he is a good base runner and defender. I think Lux could be a breakout candidate for 2023.
7. Jorge Polanco
2022: .235 / .346 / .405 / 119 wRC+ / 1.8 fWAR / 0.9 BsR / -1 DRS
2-Year Range: .255 / .332 / .465 / 122 wRC+ / 6.0 fWAR / 4.0 BsR / 2 DRS
Polanco was much higher on this list a year ago after he hit 36 home runs and showed he was one of the best run producers at the position. Fast forward a year later, Polanco is hoping for a rebound season in ‘23 as the Twins second baseman only played 104 games last year due to a couple of nagging injuries. Despite a down year, there is nothing in Polanco’s batted ball profile to suggest that Polanco cannot return to his ‘21 form. Polanco doubled his walk rate last season from 7% (in a season he hit 36 HR) to 14.4%. Pitchers obviously are still careful with Polanco. Even with a 1.8 WIN season last year, Polanco still ranks 7th in fWAR over the last 2 seasons which indicates he belongs on this list.
6. Gleyber Torres
2022: .257 / .310 / .451 / 115 wRC+ / 2.7 fWAR / -0.2 BsR / 9 DRS
2-Year Range: .258 / .320 / .411 / 106 wRC+ / 3.9 fWAR / 0.0 BsR / 7 DRS
The worst thing that Gleyber Torres could have done was have a big rookie season and a massive sophomore campaign where he hit 62 home runs before he turned 23. The expectations were sky high and impossible to achieve. Then from ‘20 -‘21, Torres had a power outage along with the Yankees experimenting with Torres playing SS. Last year, Torres returned to second base and looked a lot more like the player he was early in his career. Torres saw his barrel percentage jump up to 10.7%, which ranked first among second basemen by 3%. Torres’ home run total jumped back up to 24 as he has the perfect right handed swing to take advantage of the short porch in right field in Yankee Stadium. As a second baseman, Torres is a solid all-around player and Yankees fans should enjoy watching one of the more talented players at the position.
5. Ozzie Albies
2022: .247 / .294 / .409 / 93 wRC+ / 1.1 fWAR / 1.5 BsR / -1 DRS
2-Year Range: .256 / .306 / .466 / 103 wRC+ / 5.0 fWAR / 9.8 BsR / 0 DRS
In years past, Albies has been an elite run producer for a second baseman but unfortunately a broken foot in June derailed his season. Albies returned in September only to fracture his finger 1 day after his return. Albies only appeared in 64 games and never quite found his ‘21 form. The Atlanta second baseman has seen his batting average drop every season since he hit .295 in 2019 but ironically he has reduced his strikeouts every year in each of the last 3 seasons. Second baseman who can hit 30 and drive in 100 are incredibly rare and I believe a healthy ‘23 will allow Albies to return to his all-star form. In terms of his ability, there is no one ranked 6-10 who can match his talent and previous production.
4. Andres Giménez
2022: .297 / .371 / .466 / 140 wRC+ / 6.1 fWAR / 3.4 BsR / 16 DRS
2-Year Range: .275 / .346 / .434 / 122 wRC+ / 6.9 fWAR / 6.0 BsR / 14 DRS
Jiménez surprised many with his showing in the truncated 2020 season and was a big piece in the Francisco Lindor trade with the New York Mets. Jiménez really struggled in his first season in Cleveland and spent a portion of the season in AAA. 2022 was a completely different story for Jiménez as he was an all-star, won a Gold Glove, and finished 6th in the American League MVP voting. Offensively, Jiménez almost doubled his barrel rate (6.2%) and increased his hard hit rate by 30.4% to 37.6%. Jiménez’s breakout season has some questioning the Lindor trade and the only reason he is ranked 4th on this list is due to the 3 second basemen ahead of him having a big 22’ season and have a longer track record of success.
3. Jeff McNeil
2022: .326 / .382 / .454 / 143 wRC+ / 5.9 fWAR/ 2.0 BsR / 3 DRS
2-Year Range: .295 / .356 / .415 / 122 wRC+ / 7.2 fWAR / 0.9 BsR / 7 DRS
If you watch Jeff McNeil play, you would have a hard time identifying which era he plays in because of his elite contact skills. In a day when strikeouts are the norm, McNeil rocks a 10.4% K-rate, which was the third lowest in baseball. The reigning NL Batting Champion seems to have a defined role on the Mets roster and just signed a 4/50M dollar extension. McNeil continues to get better in every aspect of the game. McNeil ranked 6th among second basemen in outs above average with 8. The complete package that McNeil brings to the table earns him a spot in the top 3 and based on his batted ball profile, I expect him to be able to repeat his 22’ season next year.
2. Marcus Semien
2022: .248 / .304 / .429 / 107 wRC+ / 4.2 fWAR / 7.0 BsR / 11 DRS
2-Year Range: .257 / .319 / .484 / 119 wRC+ / 10.4 fWAR / 11.0 BsR / 22 DRS
It was quite a shock to look up on June 1st and see Marcus Semien with 1 home run after hitting 45 the previous season. Even after an incredibly slow start, Semien did manage to hit 26 home runs and was still slightly better than a league average hitter at the position (107 wRC+). Clearly, Texas is paying him to be like the MVP candidate that he was in ‘19 and ‘21 and not just a league average hitter. Semien is a great all around-player as he an elite defender (11 DRS - 3rd) and a great base runner (7.0 BsR - 2nd). Players all respond differently after they sign a big contract, especially with a new team. As Texas continues to make big splash after big splash, more of the pressure is off of Semien and he can just go out and play his game. Semien’s all around game and MVP potential earns him the second spot on this list.
1. Jose Altuve
2022: .300 / .387 / .533 / 164 wRC+ / 6.6 fWAR / -1.5 BsR / -15 DRS
2-Year Range: .288 / .368 / .510 / 145 wRC+ / 11.9 fWAR / 1.0 BsR / -18 DRS
Altuve continues to put up big offensive season after big offensive season as he is by far the best hitter at the position. In his last 3 full seasons, he has hit 31, 31, and 28 home runs while hitting .292. Altuve led the position in fWAR despite -15 defensive runs saved. In case you were wondering if Altuve’s defense was really that bad, Baseball Savant had Altuve at 2 outs above average, which ranked 21st among second baseman, which at the very least sounds a lot better than -15 DRS. Despite the drop-off in defensive production along with his decline in base running skills, Altuve’s elite contact skills along with the elite power, especially for second base, earns Altuve the top spot at the position heading into 2023.
Who doesn’t belong on this list?
Who did I miss?
What is your top 10 second basemen list?