標籤: basemen

Who is the best second baseman in MLB? As part of our preview for the 2026 Major League Baseball season, we’re ranking every position ahead of Opening Day. Based on various MLB statistics from 2025 and recent seasons, we are determining who we see as the best second baseman in MLB right now. What’s worth noting is that this position feels thinner than it has in years and is one of the weakest in baseball.

Based on both run production and fielding ability, here are the 10 best MLB second basemen in 2026.

1. Catel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks

Ketel Marte is the best second baseman in baseball. The subject of MLB trade rumors for months, he will at least begin the 2026 campaign with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Over the past two seasons, he has led all second basemen in FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement (9.5) – one of only two with a fWAR of 8-plus – and he tops the leaderboards in home runs (54), OPS (.911) and RBI (143), with the second-best batting average (.287) and fourth-most runs (155). Heading into his age-32 season, Marte should deliver his fourth consecutive campaign with a .840-plus OPS, 20-plus home runs and 70-plus RBI.

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2. Nico Horner, Chicago Cubs

Nico Horner is the most accomplished second baseman in MLB. In 2025, he led the field in defensive runs saved (17) and ranked in the 98th percentile for outs above average (15). Additionally, the Chicago Cubs home fielder had more than 29 steals for the third consecutive year and boasted the highest batting average (.296) while being the only second baseman with a strikeout rate under 10 percent (7.4 percent). Hoerner doesn’t hit for much power, but that doesn’t really matter when you can get on base 34 percent of the time (.339 OBP over the last three seasons), add value on the base paths and win a Gold Glove award.

RELATED: Best MLB Catchers 2026

3. Bryce Turang, Milwaukee Brewers

Bryce Turang is the latest breakout star of the Milwaukee Brewers’ player development pipeline. He earned a Gold Glove Award in 2024 and is tied for the most defensive runs saved (29) at second base the last two seasons. Turang took a bit of a step back defensively (34th percentile out above average). [-1] and 7 defensive runs saved [ninth]), but he made up for it with career highs in OPS (.794), home runs (18), RBI (81) and batting average (.288). He is also excellent on bases, topping the league in steals (74) over the past two seasons. Turang has a great chance to earn his first All-Star selection in 2026.

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4. Jazz Chisholm Jr., New York Yankees

Jazz Chisholm Jr. has found a nice home at second base with the New York Yankees. Since joining the club in the middle of the 2024 season, he has posted an .816 OPS with 103 runs, 49 steals, 32 home runs, 22 doubles and multiple RBI in 638 at-bats. Those numbers at second base, along with league-average defense, are incredibly valuable at a time when the position is so thin. However, in a contract year, teams anticipating MLB free agency in 2025 may question his .207 batting average and .299 OBP out of Yankee Stadium.

RELATED: Best MLB First Basemen 2026

5. Brendan Donovan, Seattle Mariners

One of the many skills that Brendan Donovan brings to the table is his versatility. He has appeared in 153 games at second base and 123 games in left field over the past two seasons, as well as appearances at third base (nine games) and shortstop (six games). Now with the Seattle Mariners, he will spend more time at the hot corner this season. Donovan earned his first All-Star selection in 2025 and finished the campaign with a .775 OPS, 32 doubles and a .287 batting average. This matches his production since his major-league debut in 2022, and he ranks fourth in batting average (.278) and sixth in OPS (.753) over that four-season span. With even more talent in the Mariners’ lineup, Donovan has a chance to put up even better numbers in 2026.

RExcited: Best MLB Third Basemen 2026

6. Ernie Clement, Toronto Blue Jays

By the end of the season, fan-favorite Ernie Clement of the Toronto Blue Jays could be viewed as one of the five best second basemen in MLB. Defensively, despite playing only 60 games at the position last year, he had the third-most defensive runs saved (10) and placed in the 98th percentile for strikeouts above average (15). Winning a Gold Glove Award is a very important thing. We are also looking at his performance in October. Clement set a single-season MLB postseason record for hits (30) by posting an incredible .411/.416/.562 triple-slash line with a .977 OPS, 13 runs scored, and 9 RBI in 18 playoff games. Gold Glove-caliber defense with a .760-plus OPS makes you one of the second-best players in MLB.

Read More: MLB Power Rankings 2026, evaluating all 30 teams

7. Gleyber Torres, Detroit Tigers

Five years after earning his second All-Star selection in 2019, Gleyber Torres returned for his first year with the Detroit Tigers. Leaving the Yankees turned out to be the best thing for him, as evidenced by his career-best .358 OBP last season, which had 74 RBI, 22 doubles, 16 home runs and almost as many walks (85) as strikeouts (101) in 532 at-bats. Torres ranks fifth in OPS (.754) among second basemen over the past three seasons. Run production is the only positive thing in the 29-year-old’s game, but he has firmly established himself as one of the 10 best players at his position.

8. Xavier Edwards, Miami Marlins

A former top prospect with the San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays, landing with the Miami Marlins really changed the direction of Xavier Edwards’ career. Last year Miami moved him from small to second base, and the results were impressive. He finished with the second-most defensive runs saved (12) and placed in the 77th percentile for strikeouts (2) above average. At the plate, he now sports a .298/.361/.375 triple-slash line with a .736 OPS, 69 RBI, 68 steals and 32 doubles over the past two years. Miami has him under contract through 2029, so he will be one of the most cost-effective second basemen for a few years.

9. Bryson Stotts, Philadelphia Phillies

It’s at this level with the best MLB second basemen where we’re talking everyday players who are worth replacement at about 2-3 wins per season above. Bryson Stotts seemed to be a rising star in 2023, hitting a .280/.329/.419 line with a .747 OPS, 15 home runs and 4.3 bWAR with 32 doubles. Stotts has been worth a combined 4.7 bWAR over the past two seasons. As of 2024–25, he ranked 14th in batting average (.254) and 15th in OPS (.698) among second basemen. He’s an everyday above-average player at this stage of his career, but the version of him we saw a few seasons ago is clearly not coming back.

10. Marcus Semien, New York Mets

From 2021-23, Marcus Semien hit 100 home runs with 285 RBI and had a .263/.329/.482 triple-slash line with an .811 OPS. Those numbers landed him on the All-MLB First Team twice and landed him in the All-Star Game twice. Unfortunately, by the time we reach our mid-30s the fighting has subsided considerably. Semien has been responsible for a .686 OPS (19th at second base) with a .234 batting average (21st) over the past two seasons. The New York Mets are probably going to get even more than that in 2026, but Semien (92nd percentile above average) is still very good defensively.

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

Who is the best first baseman in MLB? Ahead of the 2026 Major League Baseball season, we’re going position-by-position to rank the best players at each position ahead of Opening Day. Today, we’re focusing on the best first basemen in MLB at a time when there are some rising stars at the position.

Let’s take a look at our list of the 10 best MLB first basemen entering the 2026 season.

1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the best first baseman in MLB. The Toronto Blue Jays superstar has been remarkable over the past two seasons, posting a .308/.389/.506 triple-slash line with an .895 OPS and nearly as many RBIs (187) as strikeouts (190). While he ranked seventh in OPS (.848) at first base last year, he was the only first baseman with a walk rate over 12 percent and a strikeout rate under 20 percent. Guerrero Jr. is also coming off a season where he hit 8 home runs with 15 RBI and a remarkable 1.289 OPS, including a 1.074 OPS in the World Series. Heading into his 27 season, we think Guerrero Jr. is back to putting up over 30 homers and over 100 RBI this year.

RELATED: Best MLB Catchers 2026

2. Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson has not missed a game in the last four years. He hasn’t replicated his excellent 2023 campaign when he finished fourth for NL MVP, posting league-highs in home runs (54), RBI (139) and slugging (.604). Still, he has the 11th-best OPS (.820) over the past two seasons and is fourth in fWAR (9.8) over that two-season span. He brings that run production with a golden glove, as shown in 2025 when he led all first basemen in defensive runs saved (17), almost double the second-best first baseman with over 1,000 innings. Gold Glove defense simply provides added value at first base and Olson is capable of hitting 28-plus homers with an .850-plus OPS again in 2026.

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3. Nick Kurtz, Sacramento Athletics

Nick Kurtz burst onto the scene in 2025 and took home both the AL Rookie of the Year and the Silver Slugger Award in a year in which he had a four-homer game. Playing in a minor-league ballpark certainly helped Kurtz, as demonstrated by his 22 home runs and 1.039 OPS at home. That said, his .967 OPS on the road would still make him the only first baseman in baseball with an OPS over .900. Heading into his Year 23 campaign, Kurtz could be even better this season if he improves against southpaws (.685 OPS). Additionally, the Athletics added some talent to surround them in the lineup.

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4. Freddy Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, entering his 36-year-old season, has built himself quite the Hall of Fame resume. He is now a nine-time All-Star selection and three-time World Series champion, with the NL MVP and World Series MVP in his trophy case. Freeman will also become part of the 2,500-hit club this year and should reach 400 home runs in 2027. Production is starting to decline and Father Time may cause it to decline further, but he is still one of the best first basemen in MLB.

Read More: MLB Power Rankings 2026, evaluating all 30 teams

5. Pete Alonso, Baltimore Orioles

It would be very strange to see Pete Alonso in a Baltimore Orioles uniform this season. With the New York Mets from 2019–25, he posted an .857 OPS with 264 home runs and 951 hits. Now, he’s never recaptured the form from that historic rookie campaign, but he’s still averaged 39 home runs and 111 RBI per season with an .842 OPS since 2021. Alonso brings negative value defensively, which is saved by his position-worst -9 defensive runs in 2025, but he is just as consistent as a power hitter. He’ll never be an All-MLB team caliber player for Baltimore, but looks like one given over 30 homers and 100 RBI.

6. Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies

There’s a reason Dave Dombrowski called out Bryce Harper this offseason. After posting a .291/.396/.540 line with a .936 OPS in 2020-24 with the Philadelphia Phillies, Harper compiled a .261/.357/.487 line with a .844 OPS last season, including a .808 OPS over the final two months. However, who knows, maybe having his blood removed will bring the 33-year-old back to his former self. Even if Harper repeats what happened last season, he is still a great player.

7. Josh Naylor, Seattle Mariners

Josh Naylor found a home with the Seattle Mariners. He was a very productive player for the Cleveland Guardians (.805 OPS) and Arizona Diamondbacks (.807 OPS) from 2023-25, but the best version of Naylor emerged in Seattle. Maybe it was the special bond with the Mariners’ clubhouse lab, Tucker; Naylor hit a .299/.341/.490 line with an .831 OPS, 33 RBI and 9 home runs in 54 games with Seattle. He endeared himself to even more fans with his postseason excellence (.967 OPS). Heading into his 29-year campaign, Naylor has firmly established himself as one of the best MLB first basemen currently.

8. Rafael Devers, San Francisco Giants

It took time for Rafael Devers to adjust to and play first base again after a midseason trade with the San Francisco Giants. This was evident in his production – .236/.347/.460 with an .807 OPS – and his fielding at the position. However, he produced an .886 OPS with 16 home runs over the final two months of the season, and the organization liked his defensive progress. He may not be a top-four player this term, but Devers can still be a perennial All-Star and he’s still entering the prime of his career. Plus, San Francisco will be happy to finally have multiple 30-homer hitters in the lineup.

9. Michael Bush, Chicago Cubs

Acquired by the Chicago Cubs in January 2024, Michael Bush took a big step forward in his second full season. Among first basemen, he finished 10th in batting average and second in both home runs (34) and OPS (.881). While the numbers are certainly repeatable, Chicago’s first baseman ranked in the 90th percentile for average exit velocity (92.2 mph), 96th percentile for launch angle sweet spot rate (41.1 percent) and 95th percentile for barrel rate (17.1 percent), according to Baseball Savant. Even if Bush is initially negative defensively, he could contribute 30 home runs, 80-plus RBI and a .840-plus OPS to the Cubs lineup.

10. Willson Contreras, Boston Red Sox

Some of the best first basemen in MLB have found new homes within the past year, including Willson Contreras with the Boston Red Sox this offseason. The former catcher struggled to start the year in his first full season at first base, but eventually settled in. Contreras slashed .268/.358/.495 with an .853 OPS, 50 RBI, 21 doubles and 14 home runs from June to September last season. He will now get the added boost of playing like a contender and should return to his usual ways at the plate with an OPS over .800.

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson