Top 50 Second Base Dynasty Fantasy Rankings For 2024
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Second base may not have as many standouts at the top of the list compared to first base, but the keystone still boasts plenty of positional talent worth rostering. With the move to second base full time heading into 2024, Mookie Betts highlights a positional group that’s been dominated by Marcus Semien, Jose Altuve and Ozzie Albies in recent years.
This top group, coupled with the emergence of a group of exciting young players Matt McLain, Zack Gelof and Edouard Julien, has second base on the rise in dynasty leagues.
Ketel Marte and Gleyber Torres bounced back in 2023 to recapture their once lofty stock. Luis Arraez, the 2023 batting champion, ranks outside our dynasty top 10 entering 2024, which speaks to the depth of the position.
As a reminder, these rankings are done with dynasty in mind, so we’re looking at a multi-year window with a bias toward players who might have six or more years of quality production remaining. So there is a bias toward younger players and younger major leaguers with above league-average production.
These rankings were the hardworking of the entire team here at Baseball America but were curated by Dylan White and Geoff Pontes.
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*updated February 7th
1. Mookie Betts, Dodgers (No. 11 overall player)
Had it not been for Ronald Acuña’s spectacular 2023, Betts may have run away with the NL MVP. Betts set a career high in home runs for a second consecutive season, while scoring 120+ runs for the fourth time in his career. Betts shows no signs of slowing down heading into his age-31 season and has gained positional eligibility at second base this season.
2. Ozzie Albies, Braves (No. 29 overall player)
In his age-26 season Albies hit new highs in home runs and RBIs while hitting .280/.336/.513. He takes a slight hit in OBP, but Albies finished in the top three at the second base position and has arguably the best long-term outlook among elite options at the position.
3. Marcus Semien, Rangers
Semien leads all second basemen in home runs, runs and RBIs over the last three seasons. He is a pillar of durability, making 700 or more plate appearances in each of his last five full seasons. At age 33, Semien still has five years left on his contract and finds himself at the top of a strong lineup with a talented core. He hit .276/.348/.478 scoring 122 runs with 100 RBI in 2023. Semien is one of the top names at the position, but he could start to regress as he ages into his mid 30s.
4. Matt McLain, Reds
McLain’s prospect status tumbled heading into 2023, but a scorching hot 40 games to open the season with Triple-A Louisville led to a mid-May callup. McLain hit .290/.357/.507 with 16 home runs over 89 games. His 128 wRC+ ranked fifth among all rookies and second basemen with a minimum of 400 plate appearances. McLain qualifies as both a second baseman and shortstop entering 2023, giving him a slight value bump for his flexibility.
5. Jose Altuve, Astros
Altuve fractured his thumb in the World Baseball Classic and missed more than a month to begin the 2023 season. He returned in mid May and played 32 games before an oblique injury forced Altuve back onto the IL for most of July. In the 58 games following his return on July 26, we saw vintage Altuve, as he hit .335/.404/.544 with 11 home runs. The high stolen base totals are gone, but Altuve provides an extremely high batting average floor with an opportunity to score 90+ runs with 70+ RBIs over the next few seasons even as he ages into his mid 30s.
6. Gleyber Torres, Yankees
After mediocre results in 2020 and 2021, Torres’ resurgence in 2022 gathered further steam as he took another step forward in his age-26 season in 2023. He produced a career-low strikeout rate (14.6%) while his walk rate (10%) climbed to double digits for the first time over a full season. With improved contact and on-base ability, Torres now has value for across a variety of formats, and at age 27 he’s entering his prime in a Yankees lineup that now boasts Juan Soto.
7. Nico Hoerner, Cubs
Hoerner moved to second base in 2023 following the addition of Dansby Swanson last offseason, but he played enough games at shortstop (20) to retain eligibility for another season. Hoerner lacks impact, but his combination of positive contributions in batting average, stolen bases and counting stats float his fantasy profile. He is 26 entering 2024 and should have three to four more years of premium stolen base contributions.
8. Zack Gelof, Athletics
Gelof was a revelation for those that rostered the A’s infielder in 2023. He hit .267/.337/.504 with 14 home runs and 14 stolen bases over 69 games. Gelof frequently hits the ball hard, often at good angles. His 11.1% barrel rate was tied for 10th among rookies and his .443 xSLUG ranked sixth. Gelof’s aggressive approach and below-average contact skills are red flags. The good news is those are both areas that typically improve with age and experience.
9. Ketel Marte, D-Backs
Marte returned to prime form in 2023, recapturing the 2019 production that vaulted him near to the top of second base rankings entering 2020. He struggled with health and production from 2020-2022, but finished third among second basemen in wRC+ (127) in 2023. Marte finished fifth among second basemen for overall fantasy value per the Razzball player rater, and just outside the top 50 in overall value. Marte enters his age-30 season with a talented lineup around him and a prime spot hitting behind Corbin Carroll.
10. Ha-Seong Kim, Padres
Kim enjoyed his best year to date in his third season with the Padres, hitting 17 home runs with 38 stolen bases while seeing time at second base, shortstop and third base. He showed balanced plate skills, with increased on-base skills allowing him to get the most out of his skills at the plate. Kim doesn’t hit the ball particularly hard but he shows the ability to elevate enough to run into 13-18 home runs a season.
11. Andres Gimenez, Guardians
After a 2022 season that saw Gimenez finish second in wRC+ (142) for the second base position, he slid back to a league-average performer in 2023. While Gimenez’s home runs, stolen bases, runs and RBIs were stable, his batting average dropped by 46 points. Gimenez’s contact-first profile leaves him susceptible to large swings in production based on BABIP luck. Gimenez will be 25 years old for almost all of 2024 and better luck on balls in play could be coming.
12. Nolan Gorman, Cardinals
The 2023 season was one of disappointment for the Cardinals, but Gorman’s play was a bright spot as he hit 27 home runs with an .805 OPS. Gorman finished 10th among second basemen in wRC+ (118) and was fourth in home runs. Gorman turns 24 during the 2024 season, and it’s reasonable to expect slight skill gains in the coming seasons.
13. Bryson Stott, Phillies
Stott was a below league-average performer as a rookie hitting .234/.295/.358 over 127 games. He returned strong in his sophomore campaign, hitting .280/.329/.419 with 15 home runs and 31 stolen bases in 2023. Stott shows strong underlying skills with solid-average exit velocity data. It’s not unreasonable to expect slight power gains in the coming years with slight tweaks. Stott’s contact skills provide a high floor of production outside the top names at the position.
14. Edouard Julien, Twins
The Canadian infielder made a difference for those that rostered him in OBP-style scoring formats in 2023. His 15.7% walk rate was the fifth highest in the major leagues among players with a minimum of 400 plate appearances. Julien struggles to hit lefthanders, giving him some platoon risk, but he offers moderate power to go along with his elite on-base skills.
15. Luis Arraez, Marlins
In standard 5×5 batting average leagues, Arraez is a category stuffer. His .354 batting average in 2023 was the first time a hitter qualified for the batting title hitting above .350 since Josh Hamilton in 2010. Arraez hit a career high 10 home runs while reaching new career highs in hits, RBIs and isolated slugging. His profile is heavily slanted toward batting average and point- style scoring where strikeouts are a negative. His lack of all-around skills makes Arraez less attractive than his batting average lets on.
16. Brandon Lowe, Rays
Chronic back issues have impacted Lowe’s production in each of the last two seasons and hasn’t recaptured his 2021 form. Lowe has power and on-base skills, and his 117 wRC+ ranked 11th among second basemen with 400 or more plate appearances. If Lowe can put together a full healthy season, he could return good value in OBP-style scoring formats in 2024. Lowe has ability, it’s just a matter of him maintaining health after two injury-plagued campaigns.
17. Jordan Westburg, Orioles
Westburg began his 2023 season with Triple-A Norfolk hitting .295/.372/.567 with 18 home runs over the first half of the season. He was promoted to the major leagues in late June and hit .260/.311/.404 over 68 games. While his underlying stats are pedestrian, Westburg shows a collection of skills that will make him relevant in fantasy in the coming years. His average plate skills complement above-average exit velocity data (90.2 mph average) and hard-hit rate (44.5%) while showing the ability to pull the ball in the air. But as a righthander, his home ballpark in Baltimore isn’t ideal.
18. Matt Shaw, Cubs
The Cubs drafted Shaw No. 13 overall in July. He’s a well-rounded offensive player with a productive collegiate background. Out of the draft, Shaw hit .357/.400/.618 with eight home runs in 38 games across three levels, reaching Double-A by season’s end. His data is just as impressive under the hood. Shaw’s in-zone whiff was just 9.4% in his debut, with a 15.8% whiff rate overall, both marks well within the top-10 percentile. Shaw’s exit velocity data is equally impressive with an average (92.2 mph) and 90th percentile (106.8 mph) both well above the major league average. Shaw isn’t a burner, but he’s an astute baserunner who knows how to read pitchers. His approach is somewhat aggressive, but his combination of contact and power allows it to work.
19. Tyler Black, Brewers
Of the three prospects ranked among the top 25 players in this list, Black has the best chance of contributing in the majors in 2024. He hit .284/.417/.513 with 18 home runs, 55 stolen bases and 105 runs across Double-A and Triple-A in 2023. With 39 games of experience at Triple-A, Black has an opportunity to play his way to the majors in the first half. He possesses pristine plate skills with an in-zone whiff rate (16.5%), chase rate (18.6%) and swing-chase rate (25.4%) that all rate well above-average. Black’s raw power is just average, but his ability to get the most of his hard contact allows him to project for 16-22 home runs per season at peak.
20. Jonathan India, Reds
India has combined to hit just .246/.333/.394 over his last two seasons since a standout rookie campaign in 2021 where he hit .269/.376/.459 with 21 homers. He possesses strong on-base skills, average or better bat-to-ball skills and solid underlying power, but he hasn’t put it all together since 2021. Injuries have certainly played a role. India played through plantar fasciitis last season and it may have played a role in his down season. India is a solid bounceback candidate in 2024 if he can remain healthy.
21. Thairo Estrada, Giants
Estrada has been one of the sneakiest performers in fantasy, ranking eighth among second basemen in 2022 and 22nd in 2023. Estrada’s drop in value in 2023 was heavily rooted in a drop in counting stats and the abundance of stolen bases with the new rules. Entering his age-28 season, Estrada has a good floor of mid-teens power, 25-30 stolen bases and a .260 to .270 average. He’s a perfect fit for a middle infield spot in your lineup and a complementary piece to the top names at the position.
22. Brendan Donovan, Cardinals
Injuries robbed Donovan of a potential breakout 2023 season. He showed increased power in spring training and over the first half of 2023. An elbow injury ended his 2023 in late July after 95 games. Healthy this offseason, Donovan has made adjustments to his swing and looks like he could take another step forward in 2024. After hitting .284/.365/.422 with improved exit velocity data Donovan could be in-line for a breakout healthy season in 2024.
23. Ronny Mauricio, Mets
An unfortunate injury will likely rob us of most, if not all, of Mauricio’s 2024. He tore the ACL in his right knee and will undergo surgery while playing winter ball. Mauricio .248/.296/.347 over 108 plate appearances after making his major league debut in 2023. He has huge raw power that he’s still learning to tap into with speed and baserunning ability. Mauricio has always been an aggressive hitter, but he has the bat-to-ball skills and long levers to make it work. He’s a good stash for rebuilding teams.
24. Tommy Edman, Cardinals
Following a career year in 2022, Edman was a popular fade pick entering last season. This proved prescient, as Edman hit .248/.307/.399 and ranked as the No. 24 second baseman in 2023 per the Razzball player rater. This was a precipitous drop for Edman, who ranked No. 4 in 2022 after hitting .265/.324/.400 with 13 home runs, 32 stolen bases and 95 runs. Edman’s skillset became less scarce with the new rule changes and he didn’t seize the opportunity to pad his stolen base totals in 2023. Edman is slated to move to center field in 2024 and it’s not unreasonable to see a happy medium between his 2022 and 2023.
25. Vaughn Grissom, Red Sox
Concerns about Grissom’s playing time likely evaporated once the Braves traded him to the Red Sox in exchange for Chris Sale. Expect something like .270/.350 with 12 homers and 10 steals for multiple years from Grissom, who is still just 23 years old.
26. Christopher Morel, Cubs
27. Ryan McMahon, Rockies
28. Miguel Vargas, Dodgers
29. Gavin Lux, Dodgers
30. Jace Jung, Tigers
31. Termarr Johnson, Pirates
32. Jorge Polanco, Mariners
33. Thomas Saggese, Cardinals
34. Davis Schneider, Blue Jays
35. Luis Garcia, Nationals
36. Jeff McNeil, Mets
37. Brendan Rodgers, Rockies
38. Sterlin Thompson, Rockies
39. Zach Dezenzo, Astros
40. Xavier Edwards, Marlins
41. Juan Brito, Guardians
42. Connor Norby, Orioles
43. Whit Merrifield, FA
44. Justin Foscue, Rangers
45. Brandon Drury, Angels
46. Brice Turang, Brewers
47. Nick Loftin, Royals
48. Jorbit Vivas, Yankess
49. Ryan Bliss, Mariners
50. Chase Meidroth, Red Sox