MLB: The game’s most valuable second basemen

A calculation of the on-field dollar value of the 10 most valuable MLB first basemen of the 2019 season. Offensive and defensive measures are included.

In MLB, we’re pretty much obsessed with the concept of value. We apply a plethora of often exotic statistical approaches to measure it: batting average, slugging, home runs, WAR, OPS+, Defensive Runs Saved, Weighted Runs Created…the list goes on.

The one factor we generally overlook in all these assessments is the most meaningfully value-oriented of all of them: salary. What, precisely, was the player paid – relative to all other players tasked with doing what he was doing – and how much of that pay did he “earn?”

The rating system that follows corrects that oversight. Based on 2019 performance, it measures which players were the most “valuable” as judged by their on-field production relative to the average salary of their positional peers. And let it be noted here that we are limiting our focus to on-field value only. Some players, megastars, are paid based largely on factors unrelated to on-field performance, their drawing power at the gate, their celebrity, their endorsement/promotional potential being among them. Those factors, while acknowledged as real, are not part of this discussion.

Since different positions require different skills, the standard for determining production will vary depending on position…although for position players there will always be an offensive component.

Today we’re looking at second base, a defensive-oriented position. Our criteria contain four components that weight toward the defensive. Because offensive production is a significant responsibility at any position, 45 percent of the rating is based on offensive WAR. But at second base, 20 percent is tied to fielding percentage, and another 20 percent is based on range per nine innings.  The final 15 percent is based on innings played; showing up remains a meaningful trait.

We’re going to discover that the talent spread at second base is substantially greater than at first base, where the dollar difference between the 10th best and best players only amounted to about $3.5 million.

As a group, the 35 second basemen who qualified for consideration – based on a minimum of 400 innings at the position – earned about $100 million less than their first base counterparts. But because first base talent was far more homogenized, the value spread among the best second basemen is greater, amounting to a $4.5 million spread between No. 10 and No. 1.

For purposes of establishing a norm, here are the positional averages:

Salary: $4.855 million

WAR: 2.051

Fielding percentage: .980

Range for 9 innings: 4.103

Innings: 962.314

MLB’s most valuable 2B of 2019

10. Adam Frazier, Pittsburgh Pirates, $5.972 million value; $584,000 salary

Frazier completed his first full season as the Pirates’ starter at second and was one of the franchises few bright spots. He delivered a .278 batting average supported by 33 doubles.

Offensively, there is room for improvement. Frazier’s 2.7 WAR was 13th best among the 35 second basemen who were considered, equating to $2.878 million in return.

Frazier’s strength to this point in his career is his reliability. He posted a .989 fielding percentage that was sufficiently above the group average to rank eighth overall and to value out at $980,000. His 4.18 chances per nine innings were also above average, but that fact is tempered by its ranking of only 16th among the group. Getting to a lot of balls is apparently a common trait among middle infielders.

It equated to $1.238 million in value.

He played 1,181 innings, 11th best at the position, with an $877,000 value.

Four rankings, all of them between eighth and 16th, explains Frazier’s 10th place rating overall.

The Pirates do need Frazier to continue his progress. He is never likely to develop into a power threat, which means he must hone his skills at getting on base and then maximizing his value at the running game. Frazier attempted to steal only 10 bases last season and succeeded only five times. His .336 on-base average was adequate but not good enough for a non-power threat to approach star status.

MLB’s most valuable 2B of 2019

9. Hanser Alberto, Baltimore Orioles, $6.366 million value; $578,000 salary

If you don’t live in or near Baltimore, do you even know who Hanser Alberto is?

The Orioles got Alberto on a waiver claim in March after the Rangers, Yankees, Orioles, and Giants all gave up on him within a span of 14 months. He spent the bulk of his time at second but did a solid segment at third as well.

In the process, Alberto set personal highs in most every offensive category, including a .305 batting average. His previous best, .222, had come with the Rangers as a rookie in 2015. He delivered his first through 12th career home runs and produced 51 runs batted in, exceeding his previous career totals by 42.

Alberto’s 3.11 WAR ranked 10th best among second basemen and equated to $3.315 million. Sure-handed? Alberto’s .990 fielding average ranked fifth, justifying $981,000.

His 4.23 range per nine innings was 11th best, valuing out to $1.252 million. Between second and third, he played 1,102 innings, earning another $818,000.

The Orioles appear to have been impressed. Alberto split second base time with Jonathan Villar in 2019, but Villar – despite having the better numbers – was shipped to Miami for a minor leaguer this winter. That move gave Alberto what he really wanted: first dibs on the second base job full-time in 2020.

MLB’s most valuable 2B of 2019

8. Jose Altuve, Houston Astros, $6.669 million value; $9.5 million salary

Many would put Altuve at or at least near the top of the ranks of second basemen, but the 2019 data doesn’t really justify that lofty gesture.

The albatross dragging down Altuve’s overall rating is his defensive performance, which in 2019 was substandard. His .972 fielding average ranked just 29th among the 35 eligibles at second base, translating to just $963,000 in on-field value.

It’s a fair criticism of fielding average that it tends to magnify the importance of select, and often judgmental, events. Altuve’s .972 average, for example, is based on 11 errors. While that matches his career-high, it’s hardly enough to eliminate the role of chance in finalizing the number.

The problem is that Altuve’s range also comes up as problematic. He got to just 3.38 balls per nine innings, well below the 4.10 group average and dead last in the group. Based on range, Altuve justifies a mere $1 million salary.

His go-to strength, obviously, is at the plate. Altuve delivered 31 home runs, 74 RBIs, and a .298 batting average, all of which would satisfy most second basemen. Altuve, however, is not most second basemen. His 149 hits and his batting average were both personal worsts since 2013. His 3.7 WAR did beat the positional average, ranking ninth best.

But even that and his slightly above average 1,026 innings played weren’t enough to erase the impact of those mediocre fielding ratings.

Every player who can hit, even those who play a defensive-oriented position, will be primarily viewed through the prism of his bat. That’s why Altuve is thought of so highly. His defense doesn’t undermine his value entirely, but it does moderate that value.

MLB’s most valuable 2B of 2019

7. Jonathan Villar, Baltimore Orioles, $7.559 million value, $4.825 million salary

You won’t see many teams with two players ranking so high at the same position. That the Orioles should be the distinctive team may seem even more incongruous.

The uniqueness of both Villar and Alberto ranking among the best at second base is founded on two things. The first is the quality of their 2019 seasons. The second is the fact that both split time at various positions and both happened to land most frequently at second.

In the case of Villar, the split involved the 658 innings he played at shortstop atop the 733 he put in at second…most of it when Alberto was over at third. In fact, Villar appeared in every game in 2019, a distinction only Marcus Semien, Jorge Soler, Whit Merrifield, and Starlin Castro could match.

Villar delivered one of the best seasons of his career, including a personal best 24 home runs and 73 RBIs. His 4.0 WAR was sixth-best at the position, equating to $4.26 million in value.

Like Altuve, Villar’s rating was dragged down by an indifferent .978 fielding percentage that ranked only 24th.  In his case, that rating was based on errors. In defense of t4he statistic, it’s worth noting that Villar was even worse at shortstop, where his .957 average included another dozen errors.

He did show good range, accepting 4.37 chances every nine innings. That was sixth-best and justified nearly $1.3 million. Between his time at second and short. Villar played 1,391 innings, the third most of anybody whose predominant position was second base.

The trade to Miami leaves open the question of how Villar will fit in during 2020. The Marlins currently list him as the front-runner at third base, although he has not played an inning at that base since 2016, and never as a regular.

MLB’s most valuable 2B of 2019

6. Whit Merrifield, Kansas City Royals, $7.717 million value; $1 million salary

Like Alberto and Villar – and also like a couple of guys yet to come on this list – Merrifield split time between second and another position or two during 2019, in his case those other positions including right and center field.

Indeed he divided time almost evenly between second and the outfield, logging only 40 more innings at second than chasing down flies.

In 2019, Merrifield’s value primarily derived from his production at the plate. He batted .302, always a nice number for somebody considered a middle infielder, with a league-best 206 base hits. Beyond that, he did while playing in all 162 games.

That equaled a 4.0 WAR amounting to $4.263 million in value for his offense alone.  The 1,331 innings he played was fifth best, generating nearly another $1 million in value.

Merrifield also displayed the best range of any second baseman in MLB,. He was the only one to average more than 5 chances per nine innings at the position, equating to $1.495 million in value and raising the question of why the Royals ever moved him into the outfield.

The only reason he doesn’t rank even higher on this list was his certainty with the ball when he got to it. He carried a .979 fielding percentage, on the low side of mediocre for the position and ranking only 21st among the 35 players assessed as second basemen. It equated to $970,000 in value for that skill.

MLB’s most valuable 2B of 2019

5. Kolten Wong, St. Louis Cardinals, $8.349 million value; $6.50 million salary

Through his first three seasons, there was legitimate doubt whether Wong would ever develop as the full-time second baseman the Cardinals projected him to be. He did so in 2017 and now stands at the precipice of generating front-rank value.

Fortunately for Wong, his performance uptick coordinated almost perfectly with the onset of a five-year contract the Cards – in a fit of faith that turned out to be justified – offered him in 2016. They’ll pay him $10.2 million in 2020 and he will probably be worth it.

Wong batted .285 last season for the NL Central champs, with supplementary numbers that added up to a 106 OPS+. That approached his 2017 career-best. His 4.7 WAR was a career-best – by more than a full point – giving his bat alone a value of more than $5 million. For a second baseman, that’s top 5 territories.

His .987 fielding average, based on nine errors in 671 chances, was unremarkable by the standards of the position. It ranked just 13th best among the 35, but the performance spread was so small that it still valued out at $978,000. That’s only $7,000 less than the position’s top dog.

Wong showed excellent range at second. His 4.98 chances accepted per nine innings ranked behind only Merrifield, and translated to $1.475 million in performance dollars. He played 1,195 innings, also top 10, worth a final $887,000.

MLB’s most valuable 2B of 2019

3. Max Muncy, Los Angeles Dodgers, $8.987 million value; $575,000 salary

The Dodgers alternated Muncy between first and second bases, and he exceeded the positional minimums required for consideration at both. Although he has made more starts and played more innings at first for his career, he rated at second because in 2019 he played five more games and nearly 100 more innings there.

It may be fairly said of Muncy that he plays second like a first baseman. That is, he’s there primarily as a way to maximize the lineup’s juice. In 2019 he hit 35 home runs and drove in 98 runs, both figures that would deserve immediate induction into the Second Basemen’s Hall of Fame if he did it full-time at that spot.

His 5.7 WAR was the position’s third best and translated to $6.075 million in salary.

Muncy’s bat is strong enough that the remainder of his rating pretty much survives the remaining categories. His .973 fielding average at second was below average, standing just 26 among the 35 candidates and translating to only $964,000 in deserved pay.

His 3.68 chances accepted at second was even worse, ahead of just three of his peers at the position. The $1.09 million it equated to was about $200,000 below the positional average.

At least Muncy did what he did with his glove with enthusiasm. Between first and second – and worth an occasional excursion to third – he played 1,156 innings, the 12th best attendance for players rated at the position.

MLB’s most valuable 2B of 2019

2. D.J. LeMahieu, New York Yankees, $9.557 million value, $12 million salary

Like Muncy, LeMahieu is rated at second because he played more innings there than anywhere else, although in truth he was a handyman with the Yankees. He delivered 580 innings at second, another 400 at third base and a final 262 at first.

Also like Muncy, his true value derived from his bat, which regenerated the heights of his career reached when he won the National League batting title with the Rockies in 2016. For New York, LeMahieu hit a career-best 26 home runs with a  career-best 102 RBIs and a .327 batting average exceeded only by the .348 that won him that 2016 batting title.

Add that all up and you get a 6.0 WAR that was bettered by only one player rated at second base. Translate that to real money based on the positional averages and it comes out to $6.395 million in salary.

LeMahieu played second exactly like you would expect a veteran to play it. His range, 4..24 chances accepted per nine innings, was acceptable, ranking 10th and equating to $1.255 million in salary.

Beyond that, if LeMahieu got to a ball he handled it. He laid down a .993 fielding average that was exceeded only by Albies, and which was worth $984,000.

When they signed LeMahieu, it’s doubtful the Yankees envisioned using him for 1,242 innings…but that’s what they did. That, too, was solidly inside the position’s top 10, justifying a top final $922,000.

His $9.557 million “earned” salary” may not quite match the $12 million he actually received, but the Yankees will be glad to cover the difference.

MLB’s most valuable 2B of 2019

1. Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks, $10.391 million value, $2.4 million salary

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When the various positional rating programs air in January, it will be enlightening to see how far up the list of second baseman Marte lands. Based solely on his 2019 work, he ought to stand securely atop such lists.

In his age 25 season, Marte blossomed with a .329 batting average that was a substantial improvement on anything he’d previously done. His .981 OPS, a 200 point jump from one season earlier, further illustrates the improvement.

Offensively, it all added up to a 6.9 WAR  that not only was the best among second baseman but one of the 10 best at any position. Given the position’s normal performance metrics, it justified $7.354 million in salary, about 50 percent more than the average salary at the position considering all skills.

While Marte would have been a positional star in 2019 considering only his bat, he didn’t exactly sleep on defense. His .990 fielding average ranked fourth, and his 1,210 innings of work was eighth.

The big drawback was range. Marte got to 3.91 plays per nine innings, only 27th best at the position and well below the 4.1 positional average. That worked out to $1.1 million in deserved pay.

The Diamondbacks may have to live with the range deficiency…and if Marte continues to hit they’ll happily do so. In recognition of his talent, they’re tied him up through 2024 to contracts that remain in the $10 million range through that period.

In other words, they have a full-blown bargain on their hands.