Second Base is one of those positions where a lot of utility guys find 'homes.' This makes making a top 10 list of second basemen very difficult, because if your team's corner outfielder, shortstop, third basemen, or even first base on some occasions gets injured, the team typically looks at the second basemen to go fill that void. Look at Jorge Polonco for example, was a second basemen on the Mariners, will play first on the Mets. That being said, I tried to make the list with guys I had a good amount of confidence that they are going to stick at that position for 2026, which means I've left off names like Cronenworth, and Romy Gonzalez.
10. Gleyber Torres, Detroit Tigers
Gleyber Torres is coming off a career awakening season after singing with the Tigers. A season so good, he wasted little to no time to make sure he stayed there for 2026. However, these lists look at who will be good for 2026, not who was good in 2025, so I have Torres here at 10. Why is that? The second half of the season, Torres cooled off to a more league average bat. Now, that is not neccisarily shocking considering the collapse the Tigers had in the second half, but it is getting harder for Torres to trend in the right direction. His glove is subpar, he isn't very fast nor swipes many bags, and if you combo that with a league average bat, he just makes the top 10. I think his bat will return to form next season, but likely nothing of the likes of his 2023 season. For what it's worth, he probably will prove me wrong here, but I'm choosing to roll the dice on the 9 guys in front of him. Plus, second base, at least through my formula, values your glove and speed more than a position like first base.
9. Bryson Stott, Philadelphia Phillies
Bryson Stott is in the same boat as Torres in the sense that I went back and fourth on who to have higher, but their 2025 seasons were vastly different. Stott had a slow start in the first half, then got hot in the second half of the season. Stott has a great glove at second base, and has shockingly great sprint speed. Stott also stopped chasing as much as he has in the past, and it has resulted in more squared up baseballs. For the position of second base, you aren't expecting the power output that say first or third basemen have, so you see a lot of guys have more of a hit for average approach. I think if Stott leans more into that, he still has enough pop in his bat to be a all-around good player. his exit velo's and barrel rates are still relatively poor, but I like the all-around player here.
8. Ernie Clement, Toronto Blue Jays
Had the Blue Jays not made the World Series, there is a solid chance people wouldn't be as familiar with Clement, and would see this ranking as blasphemy. However, He had a record breaking postseason in terms of total hits, and solidified himself in the lineup to the extent the Blue Jays were okay with Bichette walking in free agency. Clement has a great glove at second and above average speed and baserunning. What I said Stott should lean into more, is exactly what Clement does as a player. Is Ernie Clemement going to barrel any baseballs? Probably not, as he only had a 2.4% barrel rate, but He won't strikeout with an elite K%, he won't whiff with an elite whiff%, and he is going to square up baseballs. The guy lacks power for sure, and even needs to get better at chasing balls out of the zone, but having a guy like this in your lineup that can get on base for Vladdy is all you need.
7. Marcus Semien, New York Mets
The Marcus Semien trade truly shocked me, as I didn't see it coming. Once I looked under the hood though, it started to make sense why the Rangers dealt him. Semien was a consensus top 3 second basemen in the sport for a good long time, but these past two seasons, his offensive output has been lackluster, for lack of a better term. I don't think the Mets will be getting the 2023 Marcus Semien, but I do think they could get the 2021 Marcus Semien. That was when he was traded to the Blue Jays and was surrounded by a lineup of great players, which helped him put up a very productive season. I can see that happening here with the Mets, but I also have to weigh regression in for him, as he is 35 years old. It's not completely off the table that the regression continues to spiral to the point that this looks very dumb in a year, but i'm choosing to be optimistic. A healthy Semien is still a well above average glove, and a bat with great discipline.
6. Luke Keaschall, Minnesota Twins
There is a good chance that if you're not a Twins fan, you might not even know who this is. Well, get familiar. Luke Keaschall is a top prospect for the Twins who has battled injury's throughout the 2025 season, but when he was on the field, he showed immense promise. He has the same under the hood stats that Clement has, but add an elite whiff rate rather than a poor one, and an elite sweet spot%. His hitting tools and overall outlook for 2026 is oozing breakout season, as long as he can stay healthy.
5. Jazz Chisholm Jr., New York Yankees
Jazz is one of those players that won't play second base everyday, but I would imagine he spends most of his innings logged at second. Jazz doesn't have the typical second basemen hitting profile, as he hits more like a corner outfielder. Jazz has an excellent barrel rate, bat speed, and BB%, which is a good recipie consistent offensive output, which I have no issues with for Jazz. What I would be worried about for Jazz is staying healthy, and cutting down on the swing and miss in his game. he whiffs a lot, and doesn't square up many baseballs, which can be concerning. However, He is still an above average glove, which is more impressive being a utility man, and has good speed. He has a lot of tools as a player, but unless he cleans up the swing and miss, he feels like he has a ceiling.
4. Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers
Turang was your typical second basemen archetype, fast, good glove, and hits for average. Then in 2025, he went for a balanced approach, and a balanced result is what we got. He wasn't elite at really anything, but he was at least slightly above average to above average at everything. That is good, but it makes my job boring writing about him. One thing to note is that he ended his 2025 campaign relatively poorly, with a below league average xwOBA, but I feel like he will return to form in 2026.
3. Brendan Donovan, St. Louis Cardinals
Brendan Donovan is who Luke Keaschall can be. Now Donavan is a utility guy like Jazz, playing at every position except catcher, but second base is where he logs his most innings. Donovan has an above 92 percentile in the following: xBA, LA sweet-spot, Squared-up%, Whiff%, and K%. In simpler terms, he gets a lot of hits, hits the ball very well, doesn't swing and miss, and doesn't strikeout. Oh and he is a gold glover. This man has immense value in a lineup, and it makes sense that the reported packages that have been offered to the Cardinals for him include Top 100 prospects in the sport.
2. Nico Hoerner, Chicago Cubs
Call me old-school, but Nico Hoerner checks all the boxes of your stereotypical second basemen. Gold glove defense, terrific baserunning, and possibly the most hit for average approach only behind Luis Arraez and Jacob Wilson. You won't get him to swing and miss, let alone strikeout, and he is going to tally hits and square up the baseball. Now, obviously, Nico has almost no power in his game, never eclipsing 10 home runs on a season, which is fine. One thing he can/should work on, is his plate discipline. He has a far below average walk rate and chase rate, something that a player with his kind of approach can surely clean up.
1. Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks
The Gap between Ketel Marte and Nico Hoerner is IMMENSE, and that is with no disrespect to Hoerner. It's more that Ketel Marte is arguably a top 10 player in the sport. This is a five tool player, with an ELITE bat. You all knew that Marte was going to be number one, and there is almost no aspect of his game that goes unnoticed. If there is anything I can add, it would be that in 2025 he pulled the ball in the air more often than he ever has in his career. This is a good thing if you are unfamiliar, because the more balls you pull in the air = more home runs. Ketel Marte could hit more home runs than he has in years past.
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