The rankings for the second basemen listed here are for standard 5×5 Roto leagues (mixed universe). This format may be obsolete for those who play Points leagues, Head-to-Head, Best Ball, DFS or sim games. I try to note where format makes a difference, but it’s called “standard” for a reason, and we have to start somewhere.
These rankings are for 2025 only. I ranked the players at the position they played the most but tried to note when they qualify elsewhere — and often, it makes more sense to draft them elsewhere.
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1. Ketel Marte, ARI
Marte was one of the more obvious bargains of 2024. I had him everywhere because people kept taking Gleyber Torres, Andres Gimenez and Bryson Stott ahead of him. Ketel is not cheap this year — he’s going in the second round. In that range are some mighty fine bats he must match or beat. I’d rather have the guy who hits 36 home runs in a down year than the guy with the career high. See you in 2026, Ketel.
2. Marcus Semien, TEX
He’s now 34, but the decline evident in Semien’s Roto categories is not evident in his skills. It’s likely Semien just had one of his low-BA years — he’s had several. Plenty of speed remains (81st-percentile sprint speed), but his manager doesn’t like to run. He will play every possible game, which probably contributes to his down years some but pretty much guarantees 700+ PAs. His ADP has fallen from the second round to the seventh, and I’m pretty sure that’s an overreaction.
3. Jose Altuve, HOU
You expect a Hall of Famer to age well, and so far, Altuve has, but his skills have eroded. Altuve has maintained a high AVG and BABIP despite low hard-hit rates and more pull hitting, as his Ks edge up while his walk rate goes down. This suggests he’s guessing, and guessing well. His power/speed is relatively safe, given the playing time. He played 153 games last season, the most since 2017, which does not figure to repeat, but Altuve could see 3,000 hits on his horizon. He will play if he can, but I’m betting on less production across the board.
4. Luis Rengifo, LAA
Opportunity knocks: Several of the second basemen ahead of him are on-the-come bets on what Rengifo has already done. Perhaps you noticed he stole 24 bases in 78 games. He’s in a weak lineup — better with Mike Trout in it, obviously — but production will accrue from a prominent slot in the batting order. So, we’re talking about modest help in four categories and something in the range of 30 SBs. Rengifo’s overall ADP of 205 is a steal. He shouldn’t make it past pick No. 120.
5. Bryson Stott, PHI
Given his speed and success, 30 SBs are a given. Power is not so likely with his hard hits way down, but his AVG should bounce back strongly with a career 6.3% SwStr% and launch angles conducive to base hits. He also uses the whole field with great speed (91st-percentile sprint speed). If second base is as shallow as everyone keeps telling me it is, Stott should be gone before his current ADP of 153.
6. Luis Garcia Jr., WAS
He showed good growth in 2024. He turns 25 in May, so 18/22 looks like a power/speed baseline, and he should hit .300 a time or two. Garcia needs to move up in the lineup to align his production with those numbers, which is not bettable but certainly possible.
7. Brice Turang, MIL
The public is not impressed with Turang’s 50 SBs at an ADP of 129. Even more one-dimensional rabbits with fewer steals often get more love, and at the scarily scarce position, too — I’ll take him at his current going rate. Given his excellent contact and batted ball profile, a .254 AVG is at his low-end, and .300 is hardly impossible. He offers little power, but is not a complete zero there, and he’ll probably bat leadoff more this year, although, with few walks, he really shouldn’t.
8. Ozzie Albies, ATL
He played hurt in 2024, and the numbers show it. Will he give up on switch-hitting as he did late in the year? His career .746 OPS against righties is acceptable, but last year’s .653 mark is not.
He’s a stud against lefties, and I usually key on him in DFS, but that is contingent on batting at the top of the lineup. If Albies is batting fifth or sixth, he may never get that second PA against the lefty, and he’s usually expensive.
He is also a below-average runner who has stolen 24 bases in the past three years. We’ll see how far he falls, but I’m not paying anything close to top dollar.
9. Xander Bogaerts, SD
Bogaerts has settled in as a good-not-great hitter. He’s a lifetime 85% base-stealer, so the bags should hold up at their modest level (13 SBs in 2024). He’s a nice, cheapish DFS play on the road against a stiff lefty and bad bullpen. He also qualifies at shortstop.
10. Nico Hoerner, CHC
Hoerner is rehabbing from flexor tendon surgery and could miss a little time. My ranking assumes he won’t. Hoerner is your basic .280 hitter with 8 HRs and 30 SBs. His Roto value varies depending on where he hits in the batting order, so it’s distressing they pulled him from the leadoff slot. Batting sixth or seventh definitely hurts – it’s a difference of over 100 PAs for a season, and Hoerner doesn’t drive in runs anyway. He’s not an ideal leadoff hitter with a .335 lifetime OBP, but he does steal those bases and hit some doubles and triples. I need to know where he’s hitting to rank him accurately, so for now, I’ll figure he splits time. If he’s definitely batting seventh, that would knock him down below Zack Gelof here.
11. Thairo Estrada, COL
Coming off a double-injury season (hamstring and wrist), he still has his speed and a little pop. Estrada was a .262 hitter before last year. His 24-game slash of .348/.406/.565 at Coors Field can — I said “can” — regress. But there’s plenty of room to regress and still be helpful.
Give me a top shortstop, and I am very pleased to “reach” for Rengifo, Estrada, and/or Gelof (see next).
12. Zack Gelof, ATH
Gelof produced an ugly 34.4% K rate as a sophomore, but getting out of Oakland will likely help him. He had huge reverse platoon splits in his 847 PAs — .776 against righties and .482 against lefties over the past two seasons. That’s not a bad thing — he’ll face more righties than lefties and figures to improve against LHPs as he sees more of them. The SBs should at least hold up with 86th-percentile sprint speed and an 89% success rate. The metrics are not so kind to his power, but obviously, it’s at least average, and he’s hit 11 HRs in Oakland but 20 on the road so far. He’s a nice fallback option in mixed leagues and an indicator that second base is not really shallow this year. Gelof is a pretty good second baseman to land this late, and he has a realistic chance to beat several who go ahead of him.
13. Andrés Giménez, TOR
He’s been spinning his wheels. His Ks are down to 15.3%, but he gets himself out with a 36.6% chase rate. There’s been no progress against lefties (.574 OPS). Giménez always hits more home runs than the metrics say he will, suggesting he swings for the fences. Speed is near-elite, a bedrock baseline. He’s stolen 30 bases in each of the previous two seasons and could steal more. Being 26 years old with 568 games under his belt is an old-school stardom predictor that lately hasn’t manifested as it once did, but it should not be dismissed, as the concept is sound — extensive experience at the highest level meets physical peak. Obviously, 26 is not a magic number, but the idea has more validity when the player is a great fielder, which Giménez is. Now, we would say that Giménez has a “high baseball IQ.” Surely, he knows what he has to do. I might have him too low.
14. Jackson Holliday, BAL
It is unrealistic to expect major-league stardom from someone 20 years old. It’s too rare. I never get these guys because someone else — often three or four someone elses — always wants to pay more. I’m competitive when I know a player will be great. Once a super young hotshot has established himself in the majors, it’s wise to expect improvement and not foolish to bet on big improvement. But not before, and Holliday has yet to prove he belongs; however, he did, at times, show why there’s hype around him.
The talent is there. He could be Joe Morgan and has a better chance of it than Addison Russell, though that too might happen. Torres, Albies and even Vaughn Grissom are other second basemen who came up very young with comparable hype.
We can only look at the facts and go with our guts. The facts say Holliday needs to strike out a lot less, but his minor league K-rate is good, and his walks are great. Indeed, he was somewhat passive in the majors, which is the easiest problem to correct. I’ll bet conservatively that Holliday has more flashes and a .250 AVG with 15/20 at the end with lower production due to a lower slot in the lineup.
15. Jonathan India, KC
There’s no obvious reason India hits .247 instead of .274, yet he has for three years. His power/speed is decent but nothing special. The one category with breakout potential is Runs — the Reds pulled India from the leadoff slot at the end of April, but by the end of June, he was back and stayed there. The Royals seem to think they need a leadoff hitter, except they already have one in Bobby Witt Jr. India’s .357 OBP is not leadoff-ideal, but it’s good enough to score 100 runs without much of a stretch.
16. Brandon Lowe, TB
As a high-K/high-fly ball hitter, Lowe won’t hit for average over time, but he should have some streaks yet at age 30, and he will hit 30 home runs in a full season — if he ever plays a full season.
17. Otto López, MIA
Looks can deceive, but don’t tell me this guy is not an MLB player. The numbers agree as far as speed, defense and batting average are concerned. The power figures to be occasional in Miami’s ballpark and with a 53.8% GB rate, but he’s not anemic. There’s no sign of once-around-the-league syndrome — 434 PAs, including a slash line .317/.370/.447 over his final two months. He hasn’t been a big base-stealer in his seven minor league seasons, but he has the spirit and flesh to swipe 30 in the majors. I like all that experience, and for the future, it bodes well that Lopez hits righties much better than lefties. In early 15-teamers, Lopez is going in the 23rd round. He deserves better and will likely rise, but he’ll still go lower and is a good value at middle infield.
18. Colt Keith, DET
The Tigers signed him for six years and stayed patient with his early struggles, which weren’t too bad, until Keith showed he belonged at 22. His ceiling is questionable in Roto leagues, but he should be good for many years of minor contributions across the board and have a big year or two along the way. He’s got an idea at the plate, as they say, and he handled lefties.
19. Caleb Durbin, MIL
He’s supposedly getting a shot at third base for the big club at age 25, possibly as their leadoff hitter. His minor-league career is distinguished above all else by more walks than strikeouts in 1216 PAs, a rare feat indeed. Durbin is 5 feet 8 inches tall and 185 pounds but offers great speed and also has a strong propensity for the hit-by-pitch — 19 per 550 PAs. He also tore up the Arizona Fall League, including 5 HRs in 24 games and an astounding 29 SBs. It might be his defense at third base that decides his fate, for this year anyway. He’s a spring watch, and right now, I’d bet him as an average hitter.
20. Kristian Campbell, BOS
Campbell was the 2024 Minor League Player of the Year with .330/.439/.558 and 20/24 in 115 games. Check where Campbell qualifies in your league, as he played 36 games at each shortstop and second base, plus 25 in centerfield and five at third base. He shows a superior hit tool, though his power may taper in the majors. He draws plenty of walks, and it looks like he’ll run. He ranks behind Roman Anthony on all the prospect lists, but that may be mere inertia.
If you’re wondering why Campbell was only the 132nd player taken in the 2023 MLB Draft, it’s because he didn’t show much power in college. He made a conscious effort to get a higher launch angle, and it worked while improving his strikeouts simultaneously, which is beautiful.
He’s going higher in drafts than Otto López, and I don’t really disagree, but Campbell’s playing time is far from assured. True, with his defensive versatility, he will almost surely get the call soon, if not at the start.
I’m reserving the right to change my mind one day — I don’t bet on instant stardom. When stardom seems more likely, I bid the guy as an average major-league hitter. This ranking assumes that Campbell beats out the guy below him, which may not happen.
21. Vaughn Grissom, BOS
If he wins the Boston second-base battle, it will be because he’s back to where he was with the Braves, hence this ranking. If he doesn’t win the job, he’ll probably start in the minors. It’s somewhat surprising and disconcerting that Grissom didn’t hit at Triple-A Worcester either, but at least he ran like he wants to steal 25 bases. His strikeouts were up, but still not bad. He just turned 24 and is a career .312 hitter in the minors with occasional pop.
22. Gavin Lux, CIN
He’s now getting his chance in Cincy, but Lux has missed hundreds of reps against lefties (his career OPS vs. lefties is .552) since the Dodgers called him up in 2019, and now it may be too late.
Sometimes, hitters in this situation improve against their nemeses; sometimes, they don’t. What often happens in either case is that with full-time play, the hitter hits righties better, sometimes much better. You can go back a long way, and every year, at least one or two platoon lefties get a full shot and explode. Last year was not a banner year for this phenomenon, but it produced Jarren Duran.
I can’t predict an explosion from Lux. His contact and hard contact are only average when they need to be better than average. His believers point to his strong second half, but Lux slumped in September and continued through his long October. He never hit well in Dodger Stadium, and now he moves to a park that seems well-suited to him. I would take a late shot in best ball formats.
23. Jorge Polanco, SEA
Polanco has a lifetime .269 AVG, but he hit just .213 with the Mariners, driven by a highly uncharacteristic 29.2% K rate. It’s such a tough place to hit, and extra strikeouts are the biggest reason. For a few years, I’ve been saying only a superstar will beat T-Mobile more than once. No contradictions yet. And yet, I’m pretty sure Polanco is better than 2024. Even in this bad year, he hit 16 homers in 118 games, and his career .300+ BABIP fell to .274. I also like that for 11 years, Polanco has outhit his .245 xAVG by 18 points (.263), which means he knows what he’s doing.
24. Michael Massey, KC
I kinda liked Massey last year and still do. I just worry the Royals will sit him against many, if not most, lefties. He offers no speed, but good contact and average power pretty much guarantee that Massey won’t hurt you. He has a decent shot at a .280 season with 20 bombs. He slugged at least .400 against fastballs, changeups and breaking balls. That’s a major-league hitter.
25. Gleyber Torres, DET
I guess the Tigers are saying Torres is better than Spencer Torkelson. OK, but out of Yankee Stadium, is it true? Torres is, at least, a lifetime .265 hitter, but then are we sure Gleyber is an asset at third base? If he plays third base like he played second, there will be complaints. Plus, he signed a big contract with a new team — please don’t argue that $15 million per year is chump change for anyone. I’ll stop bidding on him early.
26. Jeff McNeil, NYM
He’s sure to wind up as a reserve on my teams, as his ADP is 414, but I will take him higher. Nothing has changed for the .289 career hitter — he played hurt and started slowly but picked it up in July and August before going down again. That’s the risk — injury. He’s limited, but McNeil serves a purpose if you draft power-heavy, as I do. He also qualifies in the outfield.
27. Nick Gonzales, PIT
Last season was a blossoming of sorts for the 2020 first-rounder, but without another step up, he’s not a regular. The Pirates have to wager on his potential, but we don’t. He’s not a bad reserve pick in mixed leagues.
28. Brooks Baldwin, CWS
Baldwin should get a chance to play this season. He’s not a highly regarded prospect, but he has hit .284/.358/.430 in the minors with 25-SB speed. A true switch-hitter, they say, and they only ever say that if the guy can hit. He needs to cut his Ks, but almost everyone else does, too. He’s a spring watch — assuming Baldwin is the starting shortstop or second baseman, I would chase him a little. He’s a good reserve option in deeper mixed leagues.
29. Hyeseong Kim, LAD
Kim’s speedy AVG/OBP game should translate pretty well — my dart landed on .272/.348/.387. He’s pretty much a lock to make the team, though I’m not sure if he’s a regular. If not, then Kim fills in if there’s an injury basically anywhere on this team, which pretty much means near-full-time play. His Korean SBs were 33 per 150 games, with 85% success, which is nice but hardly guarantees even 15 in MLB. Pitchers will try to knock the bat out of his hands, without real success, but there are better breaking balls and changeups in his new league.
Prospects with 2025 prospects
There are a lot of up-and-comers at second base to watch out for this year.
Ryan Bliss, SEA
Bliss is 5 feet 7 inches and 165 pounds with great speed and less-than-amazing power, given his build. Notably, the Mariners called him up and played him when they had a hole. So often, teams disagree with the prospect mavens, and many good and even great players never made a Top 100 prospects list. That said, Bliss has a contact problem that may never be solved. Defensively versatile, keep an eye on his Ks in March.
Javier Sanoja, MIA
It’s always notable when a player makes the majors just four days after their 22nd birthday. What’s also noteworthy is Sanoja’s nearly 1:1 K/BB ratio in 415 minor league games. He only offers a little HR power, but the doubles and triples are there at his tender age — Sanoja is more than a slapper despite his 5-foot-7, 150-pound frame. Add in 85th-percentile speed, and this guy is a prospect. He played 44 games at shortstop in Triple A, and he may be Miami’s best option there, with Xavier Edwards moving somewhere else. He’s worth a close eye in March — even if he’s not great. Sanoja might be one of the better hitters on the Marlins and will, therefore, play sooner rather than later.
Nick Yorke, PIT
General Manager Ben Cherington likes Yorke, as both come from the Red Sox organization. Yorke, who turns 23 in April and was the 17th overall pick in the 2020 draft, came on strong in the high minors, hitting .303 with 12/21 in 123 games. They called him up to Pittsburgh, and he hit a couple of home runs and stole a couple of bases in 11 games. He’s likely to strike out too much, but he played four positions in those 11 games and a little shortstop and centerfield in the minors. Even with excessive Ks, Yorke can steal a job and fill a hole.
Ronny Mauricio, NYM
Mauricio had to play winter ball instead of rehabbing after his torn ACL surgery because he needed the money. He also missed a year and could miss more time since he may not be ready at the start of 2025. He remains exciting for power/speed fans — he crushes baseballs and steals bases every chance he gets. A switch-hitter, he strikes out too much and faces stiff competition from Luisangel Acuña and possibly Brett Baty. Mauricio may get very few PAs this year, but if he lucks or plays his way into a job, he will provide some home runs and stolen bases, even if he flops in the AVG/OBP department. He’s a nice late reserve in deeper mixed leagues.
Will Wagner, TOR
Wagner doesn’t have much power and less speed, but he may approach .300/.400 AVG/OBP, making him a sweet leadoff hitter, at least against righties. A spring watch, Wagner has played other infield positions in the minors. He is unlikely to be a better second baseman than Andrés Giménez.
Christian Moore, LAA
He’s logged just 25 games as a pro, but the Angels will give him a chance to play this spring. He offers high-average power potential and a touch of speed. I know you won’t believe this, but he’s likely to have a problem with strikeouts.
Thomas Saggese, STL
For years, the Cardinals have all these prospects, but we never find out if they can play, and then they trade them. Saggese has power and defensive versatility. The question, as ever, is strikeouts, and it’s tough to get better when being bounced in and out of the lineup. He could end up platooning with the guy next on the list (below).
Nolan Gorman, STL
The Ks went from bad to worse, and he did not handle second base, so they sent him down. His power is real, but it has manifested only on meatballs. I don’t like it when young hitters hit more home runs than doubles. There needs to be something between all and nothing. But sometimes, these types of players get better.
Orelvis Martínez, TOR
Martínez has power and is still just 23, so he is definitely worth an eye, but for now, he gets the thumbs down because he hits more homers than doubles. It is my contention such hitters rarely, if ever, get over the strikeout hump.
There are 19 players since 1920 with at least 100 home runs but fewer than 100 doubles. You will recognize most names, with three active or near-active: Rowdy Tellez, Franmil Reyes and Tyler O’Neill. Not one of the 19 played 1000 games. So, I consider my contention proven in terms of sustained success, but a few guys get away with it for a while. That doesn’t help anybody for 2025. Sorry.
(Top photo of Ketel Marte: Chris Coduto / Getty Images)
