MLB Top Ten Second Base Prospects For 2017

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Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

With the season just around the corner, who are the top 10 second base prospects in MLB?

An Introduction

These lists will be coordinated by Benjamin Chase, one of our MLB contributors at Call To The Pen.

Ben reviewed each MLB organization’s top 10 prospects in November and December, then also reviewed the top 125 prospects in the game in January. Throughout spring training, he’s also been contributing scouting reports on players that are part of his top 25 prospects in the game.

Each slide will feature two players with a brief write up, then one final slide with a prospect who is not in the top 10, but very possibly could find his way into the top 5 with an impressive 2017 campaign due the player’s high upside.

These rankings are based on dozens of conversations with multiple people around the game about different prospects, and certainly each list could be much longer, but for brevity, we’ll stick to 10!

Let’s get started with today’s position group, the men who man the keystone position:

Next: #9, #10

10. Max Schrock, Oakland Athletics

At 5’8″, 180 pounds, Schrock looks like the prototype “grinder” player, and he was a selection from South Carolina by the Washington Nationals in the 13th round of the 2015 draft.

In 2016, the Nationals traded Schrock to the Oakland Athletics for Mark Rzepczynski for their playoff run, and the Athletics barely got a view of Schrock, with just 8 games total in the Oakland system on the year.

Schrock is a guy who can handle other positions, but he profiles best at second base with good fielding actions and smooth work around the second base bag.

His bat has been what has impressed thus far. In his minor league career thus far, he’s hit .326/.369/.449 with 42 doubles, 11 home runs, 24 stolen bases, a 5.77% walk rate, and a 7.61% strikeout rate over 175 games.

Granted, he’s just played 6 games at AA or higher at this point, but at only 21, that’s fairly expected. Schrock turned 22 over the offseason and will likely open 2017 with AA Midland. If he can keep his impressive pace, he could challenge for a major league job as soon as 2018.

9. Scott Kingery, Philadelphia Phillies

The son of former big league outfielder Mike Kingery, Scott has always received high marks for his baseball instincts and feel for the game through his time at the University of Arizona.

The Phillies selected him in the 2nd round of the 2015 draft, and by the end of 2016, he was playing with their AA club in Reading, an impressive leap through the system.

Kingery really doesn’t have a standout set of tools in that he’s not likely going to be a guy that sets fantasy teams’ seasons in a positive or negative direction based on his production, but he should be an above-average hitter with plus speed and excellent fielding at second base.

With young elite fielder J.P. Crawford prepared to take over as the Phillies shortstop of the foreseeable future at some point in 2017 most likely, and 2018 if not this season, Kingery could soon join him as the future up the middle in Philadelphia.

Kingery’s offensive profile is that of a guy who will likely top out at 10-12 home runs, but could slap a ton of doubles with good gap power along with excellent speed and quality defense at the position.

Next: #7, #8

8. Luis Urias, San Diego Padres

Finally busting out offensively in 2016, Urias took steps forward to being the player that the Padres saw when they signed him originally out of Mexico.

Urias has always hit for good average, but in 2016, he hit 26 doubles, 5 triples, and 6 home runs, which meant he hit 37 of his career 50 extra base hits in the 2016 season.

With that level of hard contact to go with already present excellent hands at second base and quality strike zone judgement, it’s easy to dream on Urias becoming a very solid contributor up the middle.

While he has good hands defensively, his range at short is not what you’d want from a starter at the position. He’s also had a struggle with refining his instincts on the base paths, with less than a 50% success rate stealing bases in his minor league career.

Those are some fairly minor nit picks, however, for a player who has a very bright future. Urias should spend 2017 at AA, and he won’t turn 20 until early June.

7. Travis Demeritte, Atlanta Braves

Braves general manager John Coppolella has spun some impressive trades the last few years as part of the Atlanta rebuild, but in the end, moving two guys the Braves signed off the scrap heap in May for a quality player like Demeritte in July could end up one of his best.

Travis Demeritte was originally drafted in the 1st round of the 2013 draft out of high school in Georgia by the Texas Rangers, and he showed big time offensive statistics out of the gate with an equally big strikeout rate.

After a suspension for using a performance-enhancing drug, Demeritte returned to the field and showed in 2016 that his power and speed were still present without substances.

Many noted the home run production for Demeritte dropped off significantly for Demeritte after he moved to the Braves, but then he continued to hit similar to how he hit with the Braves’ high-A affiliate in the Arizona Fall League.

If you tally in his AFL stats to his regular season stats, Demeritte hit .265/.356/.548 with 34 doubles, 13 triples, 32 home runs, 20 stolen bases, a 12.28% walk rate, and a 31.5% strikeout rate.

The strikeout rate is striking, but so is Demeritte’s pure athleticism. He highlights that with some of the most elite second base defense you’ll see played in the minor leagues (and possibly much of the major leagues as well).

Demeritte will likely open 2017 with AA, and it will be interesting to see how the Braves handle him with Albies and Dansby Swanson up the middle already.

Next: #6, #5

6. Jorge Mateo, New York Yankees

Once the Yankees acquired Gleyber Torres from the Chicago Cubs in midseason, it cemented the idea of something many had suggested for some time, which was moving Mateo to second base on a more permanent basis.

Mateo is a legit burner, with true 80-grade speed. He seemed to struggled to use that elite speed well on defense, but on the bases, that’s never been a problem for him.

I’m not sure that you’ll see Mateo as a legit offensive threat beyond his speed as he moves up the line, but like Billy Hamilton, when your speed gets to a certain point, you can be a productive player without adding a ton offensively.

Mateo in his time at second was quite impressive in his comfort at the position with his relative little time at the position. He threw well from the position, something many players struggle with in the transition.

Mateo should see the high minors in 2017, opening in AA, and that will be a very interesting test for his incredible speed.

5. Andy Ibanez, Texas Rangers

Ibanez was signed out of Cuba by the Rangers for $1.6M, a very reasonable figure considering his stature in the Cuban game and the figures given to fellow Cubans even in that same signing period.

Ben Badler of Baseball America called the signing a bargain when it happened, and it’s only looked even more ever since.

2016 was Ibanez’s first professional season, and the Rangers gave him plenty of exposure, giving him time at low-A, AA, and then the Arizona Fall League.

Combined in the regular season, he hit .285/.355/.449 with 36 doubles, 13 home runs, and 15 stolen bases while posting a 9.59% walk rate and 13.32% strikeout rate. He hit .281 in the Arizona Fall League as well.

Ibanez is by no means an elite defender at second base, but he handles the position well enough for sure, and his bat is very solid and could carry him to Texas quickly.

With Roughned Odor in place in Texas, however, Ibanez may be looking toward a position change in his future, which is likely why he was playing some third base in the AFL. He’ll likely open in AAA.

Next: #4, #3

4. Willie Calhoun, Los Angeles Dodgers

For a guy who is generously listed at 5’8″ tall, Calhoun is able to generate impressive game power, but his batting practice displays are even more impressive.

Calhoun is listed at 187 pounds, and he’s likely filled out to roughly 200 pounds at this point, and his frame is such that he’s likely going to fill out with bad weight as he ages fairly easy (think Pablo Sandoval‘s frame).

Calhoun was a 4th round draft pick out of small Yavapai College in Prescott, Arizona in 2015, and he finished 2015 having played 20 games in high-A, impressing many scouts and certainly impressing the Dodgers.

He played the entire 2016 season with AA Tulsa, and his line was impressive – .254/.318/.469, 25 doubles, 27 home runs, 8.04% walk rate, and 11.61% strikeout rate. For a guy to have power like Calhoun has and be able to keep his strikeout rate as low as he has is incredibly impressive.

Calhoun’s defensive abilities are not exactly going to allow him to stay at second base long term as he’s already a question mark there now, and he’s going to fill out more most likely.

3. Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs

Happ was selected 9th overall in the 2015 draft out of the University of Cincinnati. His position was uncertain, which led to some teams viewing him more as an outfielder than a legit infielder.

In his first season, Happ played well with the short-season A-ball team in Eugene and the Midwest League affiliate in South Bend. He continued that production in 2016 with high-A Myrtle Beatch and AA Tennessee before finishing his season with time in the Arizona Fall League.

Happ hit .279/.365/.445 with 30 doubles, 15 home runs, and 16 stolen bases on the season with an 11.99% walk rate and 22.75% strikeout rate.

Happ has shown well enough to handle second base, though he’s not going to likely win any Gold Gloves there. One particular observer mentioned to me that his likely time line for Happ would be 2018-2019, and that he fits well in the Ben Zobrist role in Chicago for Joe Maddon. Zobrist’s contract is up after 2019, so that could be a very smooth transition to have the two on the team together for a season before Zobrist leaves.

Happ should likely open in AAA this season, and, depending on how the Cubs want to use him, could spend the entire season developing his ability at other positions to become a high-end utility guy or may spend 2017 at second base before doing that in 2018.

Next: #2, #1

2. Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves

When the Atlanta Braves acquired former #1 overall selection Dansby Swanson in the offseason deal the featured Shelby Miller going to Arizona, the question among Braves fans immediately became which of the two elite SS prospects stays at short and which moves?

The Braves didn’t answer the question throughout spring training in 2016, assigning Albies to AA Mississippi to play short and Swanson to high-A to do the same. After less than a month, both players were bumped up a level.

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While both players struggled somewhat with their new level, Swanson bounced back quickly out of his initial slump, while Albies struggled mightily in his. The Braves made the decision at that time to move Albies to second, and the results were near immediate on the offensive end.

Albies is certainly a small-build guy, listed at 5’9″ and 160 pounds, and the height seems exaggerated a bit, though his weight may be low as he’s added some solid strength in the last year, and at just 20 all season, he should have the ability to keep building on the additional power he showed in his game last year.

Albies moved down to Mississippi to play alongside Swanson until Swanson was called up to Atlanta, and the combination was tantalizing to say the least. Albies’ defense at second is incredibly elite, and his elite speed and contact at the top of the lineup is the perfect table setter ahead of a guy like Swanson with excellent gap contact.

In total, he hit .292/.358/.420 with 33 doubles, 10 triples, 6 home runs, and 30 triples. He also posted an 8.41% walk rate and 15.53% strikeout rate.

An unfortunate injury to his elbow kept Albies from competing in the Arizona Fall League, and likely will delay his start to 2017, but he should open with 2017 once he does, and it would be surprising if he doesn’t reach Atlanta by the time August is complete.

1. Yoan Moncada, Chicago White Sox

Considered a generational talent when he came over from Cuba, the Red Sox certainly paid Moncada like a once-a-generation guy. After two amazing seasons in their minor league system, however, the Red Sox chose to use Moncada as the primary piece to acquire the ace they needed when they acquired Chris Sale from the Chicago White Sox.

Moncada has ridiculous speed and impressive raw power, the latter of which you’d expect in seeing Moncada’s extremely cut 6’2, 205-pound frame.

In 2016, Moncada opened in high-A before moving to AA and eventually to the majors for a stint before an injury ended that for him. He posted a .294/.407/.511 line in the minors with 31 doubles, 6 triples, 15 home runs, 45 stolen bases, 14.66% walk rate, and 25.25% strikeout rate.

There are some questions on Moncada’s defense at second base, though in my viewings on him in Salem, he handled second very well before the Red Sox attempted to shift him to third bse, and he’s working to re-adjust back to second again this spring with Chicago.

With the path to Chicago cleared by the release of Brett Lawrie, it’d not be surprising at all to see Moncada up from AAA before the All-Star break to take over in Chicago for a long, long time.

Next: One To Watch

Anderson Tejeda, Texas Rangers

This one is cheating a bit as Tejeda is still playing most of his games at shortstop, but he is strongly projected as a second baseman, and after playing a few handfuls of games at the position in 2016, and his profile being a guy to play 2B or 3B, I’m going to include him here.

Tejeda’s arm is impressive on defense, and that’s the main reason he’s been able to handle shortstop to this point, which will likely change very quickly as he continues to grow into his body.

Tejeda flashed the balanced approach he has at the plate in 2016, jumping from the Dominican Summer League all the way to short-season A-ball at 18 years old.

He hit .283/.326/.520 across three levels with 14 doubles, 10 triples, 10 home runs, 7 stolen bases, 6.25% walk rate, and 25.35% strikeout rate in 66 games.

The strikeout rate was a bit worrisome, but it was a result of an aggressive approach when he got to the hitter-friendly Northwest League, where he struck out in 1/3 of his plate appearances.

Tejeda will likely open in low-A ball for his first full-season exposure this season, and it should iron out quickly where his final position destination truly is, but right now second base is where he’s shown best defensively and makes the most sense.

Next: Top 10 Catcher Prospects

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