2019 Position Rankings: Second Base

Image credit: Keston Hiura rounds third base after a hitting a grand slam Wednesday at the Arizona Fall League. (Photo by Bill Mitchell)

Second base becomes more of an offensive position each passing year in the majors. In that sense, the prospect crop of 2019 fits right in.

The second base prospect class of 2019 is filled with players who have considerable offensive potential. Keston Hiura is one of the best hitters in the minors at any position, while Luis Urias, Nick Madrigal and Garrett Hampson are all undersized with little power but show the contact skills to become everyday players anyway. Vidal Brujan is another riser who projects to make an offensive impact, combining growing power, elite speed and an advanced feel to hit.

While the top of the class is strong, the depth falls off rather quickly. Upper-level performers Brandon Lowe, Cavan Biggio and Kevin Kramer still face questions over just how much impact they’ll make in the majors, while the remainder of the group is filled with players who either need bounceback years (Jahmai Jones, Isan Diaz), face age-relative-to-level questions (Andy Young, Nick Solak), or are teenagers with a long way to go (Luis Santana, Tucupita Marcano).

Still, it’s a solid crop that should produce some everyday players at the top and has some notable breakout candidates below. If anything, the group should only reinforce second base’s growing status as an offensive position.

Rating: 3 of 5 stars