2024 PC Top 5 Second Basemen in the MLB

Ozzie Albies of the Atlanta Braves *(Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)*

A few days ago, we put up our list for top first basemen in the league here, and we’ll continue to cover every position by Opening Day. Today, we’ll move to the next position on the diamond and break down our list for the top five second basemen for the 2024 season. Please note, this list does include a player who has migrated from the outfield to 2B (Dodgers), similar to the way Bryce Harper made our 1B list despite making a very recent move from the outfield in light of his Tommy John surgery.

5) Andres Gimenez, Cleveland Guardians

This 5th slot came down to two Golden Glove guys– Andres and Nico Hoerner. Gimenez finished 6th in the 2022 AL MVP voting, while also winning the very prestigious Platinum Glove award (100th percentile in OAA) in 2023. He stole 30 bags last season in light of the new rules with 29.2 ft/sec speed (93rd percentile), while also flashing 15-20 homer power in back to back seasons. Andres may not hit north of .295 again (.353 BABIP), but he’s also more than a .250 hitter. Steamer projects Gimenez for 3.6 fWAR, .265, 19 HR, and 27 bags. That sounds like a top 5 second baseman to me, and I didn’t see anyone else who deserved it more. It would be nice to see Gimenez play meaningful games in October, so fans outside of Cleveland can watch him play second base and hit behind Steven Kwan in the playoffs. Nico plays a similar game and probably has the next best case, but doesn’t have as much power. Arraez, who I would rank 7th if this list was longer, has back-to-back batting titles, but he’s pretty one dimensional. Gimenez is a better overall player as one of the best defenders in all of baseball.

Andres Gimenez 2023 Stats *(Baseball Savant)*

4) Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves

Somehow, Ozzie Albies didn’t make MLB Network’s top 10 list. Top 10! Eduard Julien and Zack Gelof made this list, and somehow Ozzie didn’t. I believe in consistency and doing it more than once, so I can’t wrap my head around how many guys with one good year were placed in front of Ozzie. Perhaps he is underrated due to being undersized, but this is the position for undersized guys (e.g. Altuve, Dustin Pedroia). 3X All Star, 2X Silver Slugger, and WS champion Ozzie Albies has hit at least 24 home runs in every full season he’s played in. He struggled with injuries in 2022 and had an off year, but bounced back in 2023 by hitting .280 with 33 HR and driving in 109 runs for Atlanta. He’s a core player on one of the best teams in baseball, and that should lend some credibility to his resume in itself. It’s also worth noting that while Albies isn’t considered elite defensively, he ranks above average in his career at 2B by both OAA and RDS. Steamer projects Ozzie for 3.9 fWAR season, paired with 94 RBI and a .350 wOBA. Albies has gotten MVP votes in two of the past three years, and is a good bet to get a couple more this year.

Ozzie Albies Season Stats & 2024 Steamer Projections (Fangraphs)

3) Jose Altuve, Houston Astros

This list is worthless without HOF 2B Jose Altuve on it. Jose is a menace for every team he faces, especially in October. Jose’s won just about every kind of award, including an MVP, and can beat you in just about every way. Altuve can steal (293 bags), hit home runs (209 HR), or ruin a rally by turning an unlikely double play. His defense has definitely slipped in the last few seasons (-31 DRS in the last three years), but he can still mash enough to compensate for what you’re losing on the gloveside. Altuve is only two seasons removed from a top 5 MVP finish, and he’s the face of this historic and scandalized Astros run. Though Altuve didn’t stay healthy for all of 2023, his 154 wRC+ was 11th in the MLB (min 400 PA). His 7 year/$163.5M extension comes to an end after 2024, and I expect a game like Altuve to have a positive outcome for his contract year. Steamer projects a 4.0 fWAR season, with some of this bat value being negated by the defense. However, Steamer projects a 127 wRC+, which would be a drop from what Jose has been doing these last couple seasons. It’s not unreasonable to project a drop for a player about to turn 34 years old, but I can see Altuve continuing his top 10 offensive production in the 150 wRC+ range.

2) Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers

World Series champ Marcus Semien is 7th in all of baseball in fWAR over the past three seasons, and 1st at his position with a cumulative 16.5 fWAR. Marcus is a former shortstop and routinely posts above average performances on the diamond. After spending his entire MLB career at short, Semien won a GG at his inaugural season at 2B. From 2021-2023, Marcus has an elite 38 DRS and 27 OAA at 2B, which is only behind Andres Gimenez at the position (min 2000 innings). Semien has finished top 3 in the MVP voting in two of the last three seasons, while only missing one game over the time frame, which leads the major leagues. Durability is an underrated quality these days in the show, but having a star that you can rely on playing 160 games a year is a rare luxury that very few teams enjoy. While there may be no one thing that Marcus is the best at outside of his durability, he has all the tools you want in a star player. He’s going to hit around 30 home runs, hit .260, and steal 15-20 bags. He’s also a premium defender at his position, which creates a cumulative effect when you put it all together. Since he has no glaring weaknesses and he’s almost never unavailable, he’s averaging 6.7 bWAR over the past three seasons. Chris Young was smart to sign both Semien and Corey Seager to large contracts, even if they were expensive free agents. Afterall, who are the reigning World Series champs again?

2nd Base OAA Leaders 2021-2023 *(Fangraphs)*

1) Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers

You may have noticed that Semien ranks 1st in fWAR from 2021-2023 among 2B, but I did not place him at my best second baseman for 2024. That’s because Mookie Betts started playing the infield full time last season, and therefore doesn’t show up on that list. Mookie is actually third in all of baseball in fWAR in the last three years, so this is not a hard choice. Mookie led the NL in bWAR and tied on fWAR last year despite not winning the MVP, and I’m convinced the MVP vote should have been closer than it was. Mookie is a generational right fielder (6X GG), but also a solid 2B as well, posting a 15 RDS/yr figure at 2B in 2023. He was moved to the outfield because of Dustin Pedroia as he was coming up, but it’s reported that Mookie actually prefers the infield dirt. Betts has seen his foot speed decline more toward average, but he can still steal a bag here and there. He flashes 35+ HR power despite only being 5’9” (39 last year), and is a career .294 hitter in a ball era where few guys have career averages over .280. Lastly, Mookie’s Baseball Savant page is painted red, perhaps mostly notably in the chase % and average exit velo categories. The combination of exit velocity and lack of chase is similar to that of a pitcher who has the stuff and the command (e.g. Yoshinobu Yamamoto). Placing 94th in average exit velocity is not easy to do, but it’s even more impressive when you consider that Mookie only swings outside of the strike zone at a 16.6% clip. Betts will likely finish his career as a top 5 player of his generation, but he’s also still a stud for 2024 and I don’t see a path for any other guy to be listed #1 here.