Top 10 Second Baseman for 2025
Is Second Base the deepest infield position for 2025?
Let me start by saying that Mookie Betts is far and away the best player who will play second base at some point this season. However, I decided to leave him off this list because he plays all over the field, and with the signing of Hyeseong Kim, he may not play second base at all.
Honorable Mentions:
Brice Turang - Milwaukee Brewers
2024 - 4.7 WAR | 7 HR | .254 BA | 57 RBI | 50 SB | .665 OPS | 87 wRC+
I hate leaving these two guys off the list, but I must. Turang is an animal on the bases when he does get on. The stolen bases are elite, in fact, good for 3rd best in MLB. The issue is the batting average splits. He is a career .239 hitter, and I think his second half last season was closer to who he is as a player. In July, he batted .169 and followed that up by batting .213 through August. That is brutal for a guy who lacks power and whose true asset is speed on the offensive side of the game. Defensively, Turang is as good as they come and is the reining National League Gold Glove Award winner for the position in 2024.
Jonathan India - Kansas City Royals
2024 - 1.7 WAR | 15 HR | .248 BA | 58 RBI | 13 SB | .750 OPS | 108 wRC+
Jonathan India is as consistent as it gets in the batter’s box. It was tough not to put him in the top 10, but the one thing I learned while putting this list together is how deep second base is for 2025. He was also the one man on this list who is switching teams this offseason. A change of scenery could be a great thing, but he is no longer playing half his games in the best hitter’s park in all of baseball.
Nico Hoerner - Chicago Cubs
The Cubs have themselves a very nice piece at second base. Hoerner is not only a very talented hitter, he also has stolen 20 or more bases for the past three seasons. Similar to Turang, he lacks power but makes up for it with his plate skills. I would have him higher on this list, but he might miss some time as he is still rehabbing a forearm injury that he dealt with for most of 2024. He even had surgery to repair his flexor tendon during the offseason.
2024: 7 HR | 48 RBI | 35 2B | 44 BB | .273 AVG | .335 OBP | .373 SLG | .708 OPS | 3.7 bWAR | 103 wRC+
Career: 29 HR | 217 RBI | 102 2B | 153 BB | .278 AVG | .338 OBP | .381 SLG | .719 OPS | 15.1 bWAR
Brendan Donovan - St. Louis Cardinals
Call me crazy, but Donovan might be the safest bet for the Cardinals lineup in 2025. Donovan is an excellent contact hitter and is projected to hit in the cleanup spot of the St. Louis lineup, according to Rotochamp.com. Since 2022, Donovan has been as solid as it gets at the plate. He also won a Gold Glove Award back in 2022, so the defense is right there with anyone currently playing the position entering his fourth year in the league.
2024: 14 HR | 73 RBI | 34 2B | 47 BB | .278 AVG | .364 OBP | .417 SLG | .759 OPS | 2.6 bWAR | 115 wRC+
Career: 30 HR | 152 RBI | 12 2B | 152 BB | .280 AVG | .364 OBP | .407 SLG | .771 OPS | 8.6 bWAR
Luis Garcia Jr. - Washington Nationals
Yes, Garcia Jr. saw the most plate appearances in a season he has ever seen in an MLB season in 2024, but he did not disappoint. Garcia hit 18 bombs and stole 22 bags during the 2024 campaign. At age 24, the sky is the limit for this guy who finds himself in the middle of a young and talented Washington lineup. I will be targeting Garcia Jr. in all fantasy formats, as he is a stud. It wouldn’t hurt if he walked a little bit more, would help the .302 career On-base Percentage (OBP).
2024: 18 HR | 70 RBI | 25 2B | 27 BB | .282 AVG | .318 OBP | .444 SLG | .762 OPS | 2.2 bWAR | 111 wRC+
Career: 42 HR | 203 RBI | 90 2B | 81 BB | .270 AVG | .302 OBP | .410 SLG | .712 OPS | 3.2 bWAR
Jordan Westburg - Baltimore Orioles
The 25-year-old All-Star is poised to have a massive season in Baltimore. Surrounded by all the young talent in the world with bats like Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, and Ryan Mountcastle, there is no pressure for Westburg to be “the guy” for this Orioles ball club. The truth is that Westburg has one of the highest floors on this list. He is only going to get better with experience. After his first two seasons in Major League Baseball, he has shown that his plate skills are legit. In an ideal world, I’d love to see him improve on the base running and walk more often.
2024: 18 HR | 63 RBI | 26 2B | 22 BB | .264 AVG | .312 OBP | .481 SLG | .792 OPS | 2.4 bWAR | 125 wRC+
Career: 21 HR | 86 RBI | 43 2B | 38 BB | .263 AVG | .312 OBP | .455 SLG | .767 OPS | 3.7 bWAR
Brandon Lowe - Tampa Bay Rays
I could not be more excited to watch Brandon Lowe get a full season of run in 2025. Every year that this man has played north of seventy games, he has hit double-digit home runs. We are talking about 39 bombs in the 2021 season across 149 games. That is an elite number regardless of position. Lowe is a hot draft target for the 2025 fantasy season which makes sense as he will be hitting in the heart of a sneaky good Tampa Bay lineup.
2024: 21 HR | 58 RBI | 19 2B | 33 BB | .244 AVG | .311 OBP | .473 SLG | .783 OPS | 2.4 bWAR | 123 wRC+
Career: 126 HR | 363 RBI | 107 2B | 244 BB | .245 AVG | .330 OBP | .482 SLG | .812 OPS | 16.0 bWAR
Marcus Semien - Texas Rangers
Semien is one of the elite second basemen in the game. Yes, he is coming off a down year, but the entire Texas roster had a down year. That can be chalked up to a World Series hangover. I have nothing but faith in Semien rebounding in 2025, so I will throw him in the top 5 for this list. Semien will be in the middle of a very good lineup, all of whom have something to prove in 2025.
2024: 23 HR | 74 RBI | 27 2B | 64 BB | .237 AVG | .308 OBP | .391 SLG | .699 OPS | 4.1 bWAR | 99 wRC+
Career: 238 HR | 739 RBI | 307 2B | 581 BB | .255 AVG | .323 OBP | .440 SLG | .763 OPS | 45.8 bWAR
Jazz Chisholm Jr. - New York Yankees
This is a guess that Jazz slots in at second base over third. It is no secret that Chisholm Jr. has all the talent in the world. If he can put it all together this season there is no ceiling on the damage he can do from the plate. Jazz will be hitting in a loaded Yankees lineup and has plenty of opportunities to drive in runs and cross the plate himself. Not to mention he is a lefty who is a pull-heavy bat with a dream situation of a shallow Right Field wall at 314 ft.
2024: HR | 48 RBI | 35 2B | 44 BB | .273 AVG | .335 OBP | .373 SLG | .708 OPS | 3.7 bWAR | 110 wRC+
Career: 29 HR | 217 RBI | 102 2B | 153 BB | .278 AVG | .338 OBP | .381 SLG | .719 OPS | 15.1 bWAR
Jose Altuve - Houston Astros
What else is there to say about Jose Altuve? The guy is going to be enshrined in Cooperstown someday. He is one of the best players in the game and will be yet again batting in a loaded Houston offense. There is talk about him possibly transitioning to the outfield to make room for other pieces Bregman?!? (just kidding the Astros GM, Dana Brown, suggested earlier today that Breggy will not be back with the team.
2024: 20 HR | 65 RBI | 31 2B | 47 BB | .295 AVG | .350 OBP | .439 SLG | .790 OPS | 3.4 bWAR | 127 wRC+
Career: 229 HR | 812 RBI | 431 2B | 600 BB | .306 AVG | .363 OBP | .468 SLG | .831 OPS | 52.8 bWAR
Ozzie Albies - Atlanta Braves
Albies suffered a couple of injuries last year with a fractured toe and left wrist fracture, which limited him to just 99 games. Albies is a multi-time All-Star, and for good reason. He is a machine at crushing baseballs. At the age of 27, he has already had four seasons where he has hit 24+ home runs. The Braves are due to rebound, with the team getting healthier, and I love that for Albies counting stats in 2025.
2024: 10 HR | 53 RBI | 29 2B | 27 BB | .251 AVG | .303 OBP | .404 SLG | .707 OPS | 1.6 bWAR | 95 wRC+
Career: 141 HR | 508 RBI | 212 2B | 252 BB | .270 AVG | .322 OBP | .470 SLG | .792 OPS | 21.8 bWAR
Ketel Marte - Arizona Diamondbacks
Ketel Marte is one of my favorite players in Major League Baseball. I had him in fantasy in 2024, and he was a beast! Marte has had two top-5 MVP finishes in the last 5 seasons. Right now, he is in the middle of the prime of his career, playing on an Arizona team with aspirations to go back to the playoffs.
2024: 36 HR | 95 RBI | 23 2B | 44 BB | .292 AVG | .372 OBP | .560 SLG | .932 OPS | 6.8 bWAR | 95 wRC+
Career: 143 HR | 515 RBI | 242 2B | 153 BB | .280 AVG | .348 OBP | .467 SLG | .815 OPS | 31.2 bWAR
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