MLB Projections: Top 10 Second Basemen in 2020
#3 – Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Ozzie Albies is perhaps the first player on this list to strictly call himself a second baseman. In three seasons, Albies has only played second base, nothing else. What’s more, he plays the position at an elite level, ranking third in DRS (8) behind Yolmer Sanchez and Kolton Wong – who probably should’ve been ranked in the top 10.
Perhaps that is why Albiez is ranked third. We already know he is an elite defender, and given that, he can truly focus on continuing to improve offensively, which he has.
In the 2019 season, Albies set career highs across the board, literally…
- Career-high stats set in 2019
- 189 H
- 43 2B
- 8 3B
- 24 HR (tied with 2018)
- 86 RBI
- 15 SB
- .295 AVG
- .500 SLG
Truly extraordinary, but not better than…
#2 – Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
I struggle with ranking Houston Astros hitters high on these lists given recent allegations. However, who doesn’t absolutely love Jose Altuve?
Since Ichiro Suzuki, Altuve has without a doubt been the best hitter in the game. In fact, in 9 years, Altuve has amassed 1568 hits, exceeding 200+ hits in a single-season 4x. His career slash line, .315 / .364 / .463 is extremely remarkable and Hall of Fame-worthy.
Over the last two seasons, however, Altuve has been battling injuries. In 2019, he posted his lowest batting average since 2013, which raised some alarms. What’s more, defensively, he posted a -2 DRS, which is also troubling.
In 2020, however, Altuve is looking to rebound. I wouldn’t be surprised if he returned to the prominent hitter he used to be.
#1 – Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks
Ketel Marte emerged as a force during the 2019 MLB season and is looking to stay there in 2020. In all, he posted career-highs in…
- Runs – 97
- Hits – 187
- 2B – 36
- HR – 32
- RBI – 92
- AVG – .329
- OBP – .389
- SLG – .592
All the while, he appeared in his first All-Star game and placed 4th in the MVP voting, behind Cody Bellinger, Christian Yelich, and Anthony Rendon.
I think it’s safe to say that after posting such a season, it’ll be difficult to look back for Marte. I’m assuming this is why he’s ranked so highly… and I agree that he should be.