Ranking MLB's 10 Best Second Baseman

Never before has more been expected from major-league second basemen.

Nico Hoerner of the Cubs is one of the top second basemen in the sport. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Sports Illustrated is ranking the top 10 players at each position. First up were the catchers and first basemen. Today, we're onto the second basemen.

Never before has more been expected from major-league second basemen. Like so many other positions, at a slot where defense was far and away the main priority, the pressure to produce at the plate is now omnipresent. The spot requires tremendous athleticism and usually asks for speed on the base paths. Nevertheless, there's no shortage of top-tier players who have staked out their territory at second base with a solid mix of veterans and rising stars.

Here are our picks for the 10 best across baseball.

10. Xavier Edwards, Marlins

Xavier Edwards is one of MLB’s best contact hitters. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Edwards has developed into one of the league’s premier contact hitters, carrying a .301 career batting average over parts of four seasons, and he’s off to a torrid start at the plate this year with other added elements to his profile. In 41 games, Edwards is hitting .322 with a career-high .886 OPS. He’s already bested his previous career high with four home runs early on this season, and his walk rate has improved dramatically from 7.9% in ‘25 to 12.8% in ‘26. Still 26 years old, Edwards is emerging as one of the game's most well-rounded players at the keystone.

9. JJ Wetherholt, Cardinals

JJ Wetherholt has been a key piece for the Cardinals after making the team's Opening Day roster. | David Frerker-Imagn Images

Wetherholt is still a rookie, but he’s already cemented himself as one of the faces of the Cardinals. Just 40 games into his MLB career, Wetherholt already ranks 30th league-wide with 1.5 fWAR. He’s displayed an array of tools, launching seven home runs with 20 RBIs and stealing five bases while playing strong defense in the middle infield. He’s still just 23, so he’s only beginning to scratch the surface of his potential.

8. Ernie Clement, Blue Jays

Ernie Clement was crucial to the Blue Jays' run to the pennant in 2025. | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

While Clement's numbers don't exactly explode off the page, anyone who watched the Blue Jays come within a few feet of winning the World Series last season knows how important he is to the lineup. A pesky out who has a penchant for putting the ball in play, Clement collected 151 hits last season and is off to an impressive start this year. His 13 doubles are tops in the American League and he has the added bonus of being comfortable at multiple positions. Best of all for Toronto, he's proven himself to be a big-time playoff performer as he carries a .411 lifetime postseason average.

7. Ozzie Albies, Braves

Ozzie Albies is helping fuel a hot start for the Braves. | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

After posting below-average offensive outputs over the last two seasons, Albies is bouncing back in a big way in 2026. The Braves’ second baseman has a 140 wRC+ and .862 OPS through 41 games, both of which are career bests. Last year, he had a career-low .671 OPS, and his .707 OPS in ‘24 wasn’t much better, but he seems to have turned things around. Albies did record a 5.0 bWAR campaign in 2023 when he hit 33 home runs and had 109 RBIs. He’s looking a lot more like that version of himself.

6. Luis Arráez, Giants

Luis Arráez has displayed much improved defense at second base in his first season with the Giants. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Arráez is doing his thing at the plate this year, smacking 39 singles and zero home runs in 38 games en route to a .311 batting average. But with 1.4 bWAR he's already exceeded his total from last year (1.2) thanks to much improved defense at the keystone. After often being moved down the defensive spectrum to first base over the last few years, Arráez now ranks first among second basemen and third among all players with eight outs above average. Working with defensive guru Ron Washington in San Francisco is obviously paying dividends.

5. Brandon Lowe, Pirates

Brandon Lowe has been hitting with even more power than usual this year. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Lowe is one of the best power-hitting second basemen in the business, and he’s showcasing that early on in his Pirates tenure. In just 35 games in Pittsburgh, Lowe has 10 home runs and a .924 OPS, already matching his season-long fWAR (1.7) from 2025 in 99 fewer games. Early on this season, Lowe is walking more (13.3% BB rate) and striking out less (21.5% K rate) than in any of his previous seasons. Last year he tied with Jazz Chisholm for the league lead in home runs (31) by primary second basemen, and his 83 RBIs led all players at the position.

4. Brice Turang, Brewers

Brice Turang hit a walk-off home run on Sunday for the Brewers. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Team USA's starting second baseman during the World Baseball Classic, Turang is a young player with the talent to one day find himself atop this list. The Brewers star collected a Gold Glove award in 2024 and his hitting took off in '25 as he posted a .784 OPS with reliable home run and double power. Already with a 50-steal season to his name, Turang looks to have elevated his game even more as the current leader in NL on-base percentage and a .934 OPS to this point in '26.

3. Jazz Chisholm Jr., Yankees

Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s bat has been heating up for the Yankees. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Chisholm is off to a slower start this year, but he’s still one of the best second basemen in the league, particularly at the plate. Since joining the Yankees in 2024, Chisholm has 46 home runs and 117 RBIs with a 115 OPS+ in 216 games. Despite missing 32 games last year, he still had his first 30–30 season. He led all second basemen with 31 stolen bases, and his 31 home runs were tied with Brandon Lowe for the most among primary players of the position, too. Chisholm has also shown the versatility to play third base and center field in the past, though the latter may be a stretch now.

2. Nico Hoerner, Cubs

Nico Hoerner is one of the more reliable bats in the National League. | David Banks-Imagn Images

Hoerner does not often hit home runs as his 40 over eight MLB seasons shows. What he does do, though, is everything else. A spark plug for the surging Cubs, Hoerner is a classic bat-on-ball guy who has been one of the best hitters with runners in scoring position over the past few years and seems to have a knack for finding ways to help his team win. He's a two-time Gold Glove winner and has stolen 123 bases over the last four seasons, during which time he's averaged nearly five WAR per year. In short, he may be seen as more of a grinder but his impact is wide-ranging.

1. Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks

Ketel Marte is back with the Diamondbacks after being mentioned in trade rumors during the offseason. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Marte has steadily put together an impressive career that suggests his struggles to begin '26 will soon be solved. A switch hitter who's won Silver Slugger awards in each of the past two years, Marte is the leader of the Diamondbacks. He's twice finished in the top four of NL MVP voting, turned in an OPS north of .840 in five different seasons and has averaged just under 30 homers per year over the past three years, a rare feat for a second baseman even in this day and age.

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