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MLB Network Ranks Toronto Blue Jays’ Andrés Giménez as Top 10 Second Baseman

Andrés Giménez has been the biggest addition of the Toronto Blue Jays' offseason thus far, and the former Cleveland Guardians infielder could continue his Gold Glove streak in 2025.
Sam Connon|
Sep 1, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter Oneil Cruz (15) steals second base beside Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez (0) in the seventh inning at Progressive Field.
Sep 1, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter Oneil Cruz (15) steals second base beside Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez (0) in the seventh inning at Progressive Field. | David Richard-Imagn Images

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Toronto Blue Jays

Andrés Giménez's standing around the league may be trending down, but the Toronto Blue Jays' new second baseman is still picking up some pretty solid praise.

MLB Network continued its annual "Top 10 Players Right Now" series on Thursday, moving on to second basemen. Past performance, advanced metrics, traditional stats and input from the MLB Network research team were all taken into account, and it was Arizona Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte who ultimately earned the top spot.

Giménez came in at No. 9 – down from No. 7 last year and No. 3 entering 2022.

The Blue Jays acquired the three-time Gold Glove winner in a trade with the Cleveland Guardians in December, parting ways with up-and-coming infielder Spencer Horwitz to get the deal over the finish line. Giménez arrives with five years and $98.9 million remaining on his contract, so the 26-year-old should be in Toronto for the foreseeable future.

Across 152 games in 2024, Giménez hit .252 with nine home runs, 63 RBI, 30 stolen bases, a .638 OPS and a 4.0 WAR.

Giménez was once a top prospect in the New York Mets’ farm system, until he got dealt to the Guardians as part of the blockbuster Francisco Lindor trade in 2021. Back in 2017, he had been ranked as the No. 7 prospect in baseball.

By 2022, Giménez was an everyday player in Cleveland. He hit .297 with 17 home runs, 69 RBI, 20 stolen bases, an .837 OPS and a 7.4 WAR.

Giménez’s WAR dipped to 5.3 the following year, the 4.0 the year after that, but he remains a defensive stalwart. He leads all second basemen with 58 defensive runs saved since the start of 2022, on top of a 16.7 WAR in that span that ranks 10th among all position players.

FanGraphs' Steamer projections have Giménez batting .263 with 13 home runs, 67 RBI, 26 stolen bases, a .711 OPS and a 3.5 WAR in 2025.

Here is the full list of top 10 second basemen that MLB Network compiled for 2025:

1. Ketel Marte, ARI
2. Jose Altuve, HOU
3. Marcus Semien, TEX
4. Brendan Rodgers, STL
5. Jazz Chisholm Jr., NYY
6. Tyler Fitzgerald, SFG
7. Brandon Lowe, TB
8. Nico Hoerner, CHC
9. Andrés Giménez, TOR
10. Gleyber Torres, DET

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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