Next up on the docket in the "Top 10 Right Now" series is second baseman. Second base is a position where there are certainly the haves and have nots and a position where having a solid glove, along with defensive skills, is an absolute must.
Currently, there are only a few guys who play at second base, who could be potential future Hall of Famers, but who knows what the future holds at that position and what could end up happening later on. In it's simplest terms, second base is a position that isn't the strongest in the game, but it's certainly not the weakest position, around the diamond, either.
Here are the Top 10 Second Baseman in the game right now:
1. Jose Altuve (Houston Astros) - Any list that doesn't start off with Jose Altuve in the number one spot is an absolute joke and one that isn't credible by any means. When we mentioned future Hall of Famers above, Jose Altuve was the guy we were looking at and he is certainly on the right track to making that happen. While Altuve had a down season last year, he did experience a knee injury in July and had to undergo offseason surgery to repair it, but you can still expect greatness out of the franchise star. Just remember, last year he finished the year batting: .316/.386/.451 over 599 plate appearances with 17 stolen bases and 55 walks. Very good numbers for a guy that was sidelined, but credit to him for playing through the injury.
2. Whit Merrifield (Kansas City Royals) - Even though the Kansas City Royals have been rebuilding the last few years, there's a reason they still have Whit Merrifield on their team and why they agreed to a contract buyout with him a few weeks ago. Merrifield led all of baseball in hits (192) and stolen bases (45) last season and has tremendous defensive skills. When you mix together speed and defense, you usually get a fabulous baseball player and that's exactly what the Kansas City Royals have in Merrifield. It should be fun to watch Merrifield become even better this coming season, assuming he stay's healthy, because he's only 30 and right in the middle of his peak.
3. Jed Lowrie (New York Mets) - Over the past handful of seasons, Jed Lowrie has been extremely underrated and that's likely because of the team that he played for, over that span, the Oakland Athletics. On a national spectrum, the A's simply do not get nearly enough attention or credit, but now that Lowrie is playing with the Mets, he should finally get the recognition that he deserves. Last season, during his age 34 campaign, Lowrie put up a career high in home runs (23), RBI (99), and matched his OPS+ value from 2018 of (120). Simply put, there's still plenty left in the tank and Jed Lowrie should be a great addition to an up-and-coming Mets squad.
4. Scooter Gennett (Cincinnati Reds) - Ever since he was cut from the Milwaukee Brewers, Scooter Gennett has totally reinvented himself and become one of the great hitters in the game of baseball. In fact, over the last two seasons, Gennett has put up a combined 50 home runs, which outpaces other great players like: Manny Machado, Alex Bregman, and Kris Bryant, over that span. The effects of Great American Ballpark certainly helped to benefit Gennett to a degree, but when you look at his splits, he put up a higher slugging percentage, away from Cincinnati. Don't be shocked if he takes another step forward this year considering it's his walk year.
5. Robinson Cano (New York Mets) - Yes, you read that right - the New York Mets have two Top 10 Second Baseman on their current 25 man roster, as the Mets acquired Cano this offseason in a package deal, alongside reliever, Edwin Diaz. While Cano has undergone a lot of scrutiny and generated criticism over the past year to year-and-a-half due to PED use, he still deserves a nod in the Top 5 of this list. Cano has long developed the reputation of being one of the game's best power hitters, as illustrated by his career .493 slugging percentage, but exercise caution, as Cano is heading into his age 36 season, which could mean that some regression might take place.
6. Ozzie Albies (Atlanta Braves) - Ozzie Albies is the guy most likely to move up into the Top 5 on this list, especially if he builds off of his promising 2018 campaign, at the ripe young age of 22. Albies had plenty of success throughout all of last season, but sort of hit a wall during the second half, which is to be expected with a young player that is trying to find their way at the big league level. Still, Albies earned an All-Star nod, put up 24 home runs along with 72 RBI, finished the year with a .757 OPS, and provided plenty of energy and excitement both on and off the field for the Braves. If he can stay healthy and put in another tremendous year, the sky is the ceiling for Ozzie Albies.
7. Joey Wendle (Tampa Bay Rays) - Joey Wendle deserves some serious credit for what he quietly did with the Tampa Bay Rays last season. In fact, it appeared as though second base was going to be a huge area of need for the Rays moving forward, but Wendle stepped up to the plate and certainly proved that he is more than capable of holding down the position on a daily basis. Although Joey Wendle doesn't exhibit a lot of power necessarily, he does enough to contribute on the field when it comes to speed and generating runs. Among second baseman last season, he ranked 7th in Weighted Runs Created Plus (WRC+) with a value of (116) and 7th in BsR (3.0), a metric that strives to measure how effective a player is on the base paths.
8. Ben Zobrist (Chicago Cubs) - When you look at Ben Zobrist as a whole, you have to like the player on and off the field. He was a big reason why the Chicago Cubs won the World Series back in 2016 and continues to put up some impressive numbers even as an aging player. Last season, Zobrist finished the year with the fourth highest walk percentage (10.6%) among second baseman and a .331 BABIP (Batting Average on Balls in Play), putting him 8th in that category. While the Cubs entertained the idea of trading Zobrist this offseason, they might be glad they didn't come this season.
9. Gleyber Torres (New York Yankees) - In reality, you could probably put Gleyber Torres higher up on this list, but for right now, number 9 is a fair ranking. Torres had a tremendous first half in which he hit: .294/.350/.555, but then seemed to experience somewhat of a decline come the second half, something that once again is typical for a young player trying to find their way at the big league level. Still, the Yankees have certainly not lost hope in him and he's a solid pillar for them moving forward. Maybe, he will get the chance to play next to Manny Machado this coming season and beyond. What a fun left side of the field that would be.
10. Caesar Hernandez (Philadelphia Phillies) - The offensive and defensive metrics used by front office staff members today certainly aren't kind to Caesar Hernandez, but remember that his name has been floated in the trade market over the past two years, meaning that teams still see something in him. In fact, Hernandez led all second baseman in walk percentage last season (13.4%), put up a (.315) BABIP good enough for 10th place among second baseman in that category, and had a Weighted On-Base Average (wOBA) of (.320). The Phillies are certainly hoping that Hernandez can continue to develop and that can still happen, given that Caesar Hernandez, is heading into his age 29 campaign.
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