Fantasy Baseball 2026 – Top 30+ Second Basemen (2B) for OBP Leagues (Rankings & Commentary)
Last Update: February 2, 2026. Added Luis Arraez. Top 36 with commentary. For full update log, please scroll all the way tf down.
I don’t love the second base position much at all going into the 2026 Fantasy Baseball season. There’s a ton of mid bats that won’t kill you in deeper leagues with additional slots for middle infielders, but there’s definitely a lack of star-quality hitters that play every day. If you don’t end up with one of the top two hitters at this position, then you may end up settling for a modest accumulator who may have trouble hitting 15 home runs and/or will need a caddy versus left-handed pitching.
In any case, my weird-ass league with 13 teams will draft at least 13 players eligible for second base, plus our middle infield slot. We’re going to cover as many fantasy-relevant 2B that we find interesting enough to cover, so please be sure to bookmark and save this page!
Top 13 Second Basemen (2B) for OBP Leagues
1. Jazz Chisholm Jr. — (2B/3B)
Even with all the playing time he’s missed, Jazz Chisholm has posted HR/SB numbers in the double-digits every season of his career. Jazz is also finally staying healthy (at least compared to his past), averaging 138.5 games and 576 plate appearances his past two seasons, and it’s not a coincidence that they’ve been his two best seasons. Jazz will turn 28 in February and he comes with 2B/3B eligibility, making him a very valuable fantasy asset in 2026. That plus SB give him the edge over the guy below him.
2. Ketel Marte
Ketel Marte is a star who has especially slugging the shit out of the ball the last two seasons, posting xSLG of .538 in 2024 and .524 in 2025. You will not want for power drafting Ketel, and his Statcast profile says he should continue to slug going into his Age 32 season.
3. Brice Turang
If Brice Turang is the full-time everyday lead-off hitter for the Brewers, he’ll be that much more useful with his runs and super-solid BB%, especially since he was able to improve vs LHP a good deal. Brice stole 50 bases in 2024 and half that amount last year, so while it’s tricky to make an exact prediction, it still sets a pretty good range of outcomes for 2026, and the drop-off from star second baseman is pretty quick, and Brice Turang’s boatload of stolen bases put him above the rest for now.
4. Jose Altuve — (2B/OF)
Jose Altuve will be 36 in May, and his very good counting stats belie his very weak and blue Statcast. He’s able to use his home park in Houston to his advantage, with 26 actual home runs and just 19 xHR. Altuve’s exit velocity was in the 4th percentile last year, and his hard-hit% was in the 10th percentile, and that power will probably keep declining. His OPS is a hundred points better at home than on the road (.820 and .723) and he can still hit left-handed pitching (.799 OPS). He’s also eligible for the outfield, making him extra versatile in deeper leagues. Here’s to one more season in the sun for the future Hall of Famer, who should use his veteran wiles and home park to his advantage and collect enough counting stats to help your team and his case for Cooperstown.
5. Gleyber Torres
Gleyber Torres probably won’t hit 38 home runs again in his career, but he did mange to spike his BB% to 13.5% last year with a career-high 85 walks. Back with the Detroit Tigers after accepting their qualifying offer, he enters his Age 29 season with a really really solid floor and maybe a tad of power upside if you’re banking on a floor of 15-20 home runs.
6. Marcus Semien
Start spreading the news, Marcus Semien is newest 2B for the New York Mets and while he may not get 700+ plate appearances again like he did from 2021-24, he could get his share of counting stats if the Mets bat him between Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto. However, he’s also entering his Age 35 season and he could fall off a cliff pretty quickly. We’ll find out!
7. Nico Hoerner
Despite a poor 22nd percentile BB%, Nico Hoerner has the kind of elite contact skills to post the kind of excellent batting average that should help your team. However, do not expect double-digit home run totals and note that he often bats in the bottom third of the Chicago Cubs lineup, slightly capping his R/R.
8. Jackson Holliday
I mean, the upside to drafting Jackson Holliday — who was the #1 overall pick of the 2022 draft and will enter his Age 22 season with 857 MLB plate appearances — is obviously enormous. Assuming he is healthy and playing everyday, he probably already has a 15/15 floor with whatever potential you want to dream on. However, beware of his 200/263/309 slash vs LHP in 179 PA. The Orioles will continue to send him out there but if he doesn’t learn, then he could be a platoon bat very quickly.
9. Jorge Polanco — (eventually 1B probably)
Jorge Polanco is a New York Met now, and he does not appear to be done hitting. His .495 slugging was the second-highest of his career, and so was his 26 HR and his .229 isolated slugging. Jorge will be 33 next July, and going into a year with a lot of unexciting options for second base, Polanco will probably be starting for someone in your league on Opening Day. And now that the Mets plan on using Jorge Polanco to recreate Pete Alonso in the aggregate, he should get first base eligibility pretty quickly.
10. Ozzie Albies
Ozzie Albies is still hard to strike out but that is a very very uninspiring Statcast profile he’s had the past two years. He’s entering his Age 29 season and while he has hit 30+ HR twice and score 96+ runs four times and had 100+ RBI twice, his career can’t help but feel like a disappointment, as Ozzie has been less than league-average hitter three out of the last four seasons.
11. Brandon Lowe
Note the purple! In my personal spreadsheets that I’ve been using to prepare for my drafts the last few years, I have been changing the text color for strong-side platoon hitters to purple. Purple means the hitter is best deployed (and often is so by the team) vs RHP, and light purple is LHP. Purple bats, particularly dark purple, can be plenty useful in deeper leagues, but require a bit extra planning and mindfulness of opposing SP.
Brandon Lowe posted DDBB% from 2020 thru 2023, but it went down to 7.8% in 2024 and then down again with 6.9% in 2025, which is kinda discouraging for a skill set that is supposed to age well. His Statcast profile still says he’s a power hitter, even if his .317 slugging percentage vs LHP says you need to draft a backup.
12. Luke Keaschall
Luke Keaschall swiped 14 bags in 49 MLB games last year, and along with his history of DDBB% in the minors, that’s why you’ll be drafting him. He hasn’t learned to hit LHP yet (.513 OPS in 66 PA), but if the Minnesota Twins make Luke their new leadoff hitter, his value jumps up. And if the Twins move him around the field defensively and he adds new positional eligibility, so much the better. However, do not expect more than a dozen or so HR.
13. Xavier Edwards — (2B/SS)
Zero power but a good batting average and average BB% give Xavier Edwards a good OBP, and he should give you the kind of stolen bases to rank among the league leaders. He was bad vs LHP last year (.564 OPS) but decent the year before (.762), so I don’t want to prematurely purple a hitter going into his Age 26 season. The 2B/SS flex is useful, too.
The Best of the Rest of the Second Basemen
Since my 13-team league also has a Middle Infielder (MI) slot, at least the first few guys below will be rostered, and a few more will make sufficient bench pieces, and a few more after that will be decent fill-ins when your guy is hurt. I’m going to need to know these names on Draft Day and you should, too.
14. José Caballero — (2B/3B/SS/OF)
José Caballero (or Joey Cowboy in English) has pretty much zero power and hits lefties better than he hits righties, but that’s not why I’m rostering him. Two consecutive seasons of 40+ stolen bases (and he led the American League both times) and all that sweet-ass eligibility? Gimme gimme gimme. His walk rate was 5.6% in 2024, but DDBB% the year before and last year, so I’m going to assume that was an aberration. Mr. Cowboy is very underrated in super-deep leagues like the one I play in, so he’s a target for me.
15. Brett Baty — (2B/3B)
*Beware of purpleness
Did 2024 count as a Brett Baty breakout? At the least, it’s a level up, as he added over a hundred points of slugging, and the Statcast profile suggests he could top the 18 home runs he had last year. Brett Baty is entering his Age 26 season and was the 12th overall pick in 2019 and sometimes it can take talent a while. The 2B/3B flexibility and the opportunity for another level-up makes for a pretty compelling option on Draft Day. It would be especially cool if he leveled-up against LHP (678 OPS).
16. Colt Keith — (2B/3B)
*Beware of purpleness
He has lost his 1B eligibility (for now) and sits against LHP, but Colt Keith batted leadoff for DET for 218 plate appearances in 2025. He’s entering his Age 24 season with 1,000 major league plate appearances under his belt, and guys like that tend to improve. He was much better vs LHP in 2024 (305/352/366) even if he couldn’t slug a lick and the Tigers believed in him enough to guarantee him a $28M before he was called up for the 2024 season, so the upside potential is certainly here. But for now, Colt Keith is the epitome of a league-average bat and he will help you with his modest counting stats (esp. if he continues to lead off) and positional flexibility in deeper leagues, so long as you mind his purpleness.
17. Jonathan India — (2B/3B/OF)
It was not a great year for Jonathan India, as he battled owies and learning LF on the job during his first season in Kansas City. Going into his Age 29 season, though, the Royals and manager Matt Quatraro have stated he will stay at second base and play everyday, and even pointed out his “on-base and the lead-off ability.” This ranking may be more aggressive than the rest of the industry but if Jonathan India actually does lead off for the Royals, that would be an awesome complement to his 2B/3B/OF eligibility.
18. Jeff McNeil — (2B/OF)
Jeff McNeil underwent “minor” TOS procedure after the 2024 season and had a 111 wRC+in 2025 anyway that included his first DDBB%, which is interesting considering all the times he’s posted OBPs north of .380. Now in Sacramento and turning 34 in April, he could be a very good 2B/OF roster piece for deeper leagues that count OBP. Though he hasn’t hit more than 12 home runs a year since he hit 23 home runs in 2019, he’s got the most home run opportunity of anyone in this tier, thanks to that non-MLB ballpark.
19. Bryson Stott
Beware of purple!
Bryson Stott is a decent hitter (if a bad power hitter) who should play every day and give you decent counting stats with a helpful helping of stolen bases and a decent BB%. However, he is downright awful against LHP and because his defense is decent enough, the Phillies will continue to send him out there, at least until they get a better option at second base.
20. Brendan Donovan — (2B only)
Brendan Donovan will be 29 in January, and with 18 games in left field and six games at shortstop, he’s not quite the Swiss Army knife as he’s been in prior fantasy seasons, at least going into Draft Day in ESPN leagues. Donovan is a popular trade candidate right now, and while he’s never hit more than 14 home runs in a season, his new team will enjoy his very good contact skills and average walk rate, and maybe even positional flexibility, which would help us fantasy players, too.
21. JJ Wetherholt — (SS and probably soon 2B)
The St. Louis Cardinals have been shopping Brendan Donovan around the league and once that happens, JJ Wetherholt is expected to take over second base, ideally by Opening Day. Since Masyn Winn is the everyday SS in St. Louis, Wetherholt will have to learn the position on the job while also learning to hit MLB pitching, but the rebuilding Cardinals will give him all of the space to do so. In the meantime, his DDBB% in the minors says there will at least be an OBP floor if he struggles, and the expected dual positional eligibility will help. If we were assured that he was starting the year in the MLB, he might be ranked a little higher.
22. Luis García Jr.
Beware of purple!
Luis García the hitter of the Washington Nationals is probably a much better bet for batting average leagues but his BB% and production vs LHP (.445 OPS last year) don’t really make him a target for my league. García turns 26 in May and he can give you some pretty good expected batting averages and a 20/20 ceiling so he’s going to be higher on other lists but the walk rate and platoon splits are a bit too much for me to overcome.
23. Matt McLain
He’ll be 27 in August and after a left shoulder surgery that wiped out most of his 2024, Matt McClain played 147 games with a 77 wRC+ despite respectable-ish counting stats that included DDHR and DDSB. Shoulder injuries are a bitch for hitters, but he’ll probably be cheap on Draft Day, at least far less expensive than what Cincinnati paid in outs after giving him 577 plate appearances.
24. Otto Lopez — (2B/SS)
Otto Lopez is going into his Age 27 season having taken a step forward from his 2024. Otto is hard to strikeout and looks to be a pretty decent batting average hitter and he has some wheels that helped him steal 15 bags last year and 20 the year before. With a wRC+ of 90 for his career so far, he is not a league-average hitter nor is he a league-average bases-on-baller, but the positional flex and stolen bases helps in deeper leagues with middle infielder slots.
25. Josh Smith — (1B/3B/SS/OF and probably 2B eventually)
*Beware of purpleness!
Josh Smith will be 29 in August, and was a very useful Swiss Army knife in deeper leagues last year, what with his handy positional flexibility and his near-DDBB% and leading off for the Texas Rangers for 398 plate appearances. However, Josh Smith cannot hit LHP at all. In fact, he’s so bad against them that his .224 slugging managed to be like 50 points lower than his OBP. Thing is, the Rangers already need caddies for Joc Pederson and Evan Carter so Mr. Smith may see more time against left-handers than is good for him, and the arrival of Brandon Nimmo could put an end to his leadoff days. Now that Marcus Semien has been shipped out of town, Josh Smith should get his 2B eligibility back in 2026 after just four games there in 2025.
26. Luis Arraez — (1B only for now but soon 2B)
If only this guy played 50 years ago! Luis Arraez does a lot of things well with a bat as far as making contact and not swinging and missing and striking out, but he has a plummeting BB% (9% in 2021 and 3.6% in 2024 and 5% last year) and almost nonexistent power and with just 14 games at second base last year, he is now only eligible as a first baseman in ESPN leagues. If you’re in a batting average league and can stomach the single-digit home runs, go for it but I’m going to pass. Now a Giant, Luis Arraez should get his 2B eligibility back in San Francisco pretty quickly.
27. Zack Gelof
Zack Gelof had left shoulder surgery in late September after slashing a pretty pathetic 174/230/272 line in 101 plate appearances in 2025. Did it bother him in 2024, too, when he slugged just .362? In any case, it’s always a bitch when a hitter is recovering from a shoulder injury and despite his pre-peak age going into his Age 26 season and a promising rookie campaign in 2023, I’ll be avoiding. Especially now that the Athletics have said he may not be ready for Opening Day.
28. Sung Mun Song — (2B/3B)
Sung Mun Song is new to Major League Baseball and signed with the San Diego Padres/ He will turn 30 in August, and it remains to be seen how his KBO game will play stateside but in his last 1248 plate appearances the last two seasons, he’s hit 45 home runs, stolen 46 bases, scored 191 runs with 194 RBI to go along with a DDBB% that was much much much improved from previous seasons. It’s an impressive leap, and he will probably have to level up his game once again to make it in MLB, but in the meantime, he may be a pretty useful roster piece as the Padres plan on playing him all over the diamond, including maybe the outfield.
29. Ceddanne Rafaela — (2B/OF)
Ceddanne Rafaela’s career 3.8% BB% is just bad bad bad bad, and there is no power at all in his Statcast profile. The 2B/OF is nice and his defensive WAR is so good that he may already be a star. You’ll get your double-digit HR/SB and his batting average may make him more palatable in fantasy, but you can do much much better in OBP leagues.
30. Tommy Edman — (2B/OF)
Tommy Edman had surgery for an ankle that was bothering him all year long, and he’s a decent buy-low if you think that was holding him back from stealing 30 bases again, but he’s never hit more than 13 home runs in a season (which he’s done three times), and the judicious Dodgers may deploy him mostly against LHP. The positional eligibility is nice enough and it’s tempting to assume that being a Dodger will help his R/R but his walk rates are pretty bad and he has trouble cracking a .300 OBP.
31. Gavin Lux — (OF and 2B eventually)
*Beware of purpleness
Gavin Lux was just traded to the Tampa Bay Rays, who say they see him as a full-time second baseman, even supposedly against LHP. For now, he’ll only be eligible for the outfield on Draft Day in ESPN leagues, and his only hit tool is his DDBB%. Until he regains some of his positional eligibility back, he won’t be worth rostering, but he could come in handy later in the season when your backup’s backup goes down and you need an OBP floor in the middle infield slot.
32. Willi Castro — (2B/3B/OF)
Going into his Age xx season, Willi Castro’s splits have been all over the place but his OPS was nearly 100 points higher against LHP than it was against RHP. He’s also routinely submitted exit velocities in the 10th percentile, and has never come close to matching the 33 bags he stole in 2023, before or since. Now a Colorado Rockie, Willi Castro is currently penciled in as their third baseman, but has positional flexibility that could be pretty useful if the Denver air helps his game even a lil bit.
33. Richie Palacios
The Tampa Bay Rays have said that Richie Palacios will be the team’s second baseman now that Brandon Lowe has been shipped out of town, which automatically makes Palacios interesting (if unexciting) from a fantasy perspective. Richie has a career DDBB% and he OPS’d 848 in 48 plate appearances last year and while it’s unclear if the Rays plan on platooning him, he could be plenty useful with that walk rate and a starting job.
34. Hyeseong Kim
With 11 games at shortstop and 17 more in the outfield, Hyeseong Kim may be eligible for more than just second base in your league, but idk how much more useful that will be for your fantasy team. Kim is entering his Age 27 season, and he wasn’t exactly a rousing success in his 170 plate appearances with the Los Angeles Dodgers last year, slashing 280/314/285 with a 4.1% walk rate. Kim did have a 952 OPS against LHP in a very small sample size of 21 plate appearances, and the judicious Dodgers may see him as a short-side platoon bat.
35. Lenyn Sosa — (1B/2B)
I mean there are only so many interesting bats on the White Sox right now so Lenyn Sosa could be an ok Swiss-army knife kind of accumulator in very deep leagues if he gets more positional eligibility back but his BB% is pretty much literally the worst in Major League Baseball.
36. Kristian Campbell — (2B only for now)
I’m glad Kristian Campbell got his bag because idk what kind of player he is yet. Apparently Campbell lost weight during the season and is still adding it back on, which may well have impacted his exit velocity (89.5 in April and 84.0 after demotion). Alex Cora has said that he will play more left field than second base, and there is speculation that Kristian will be a platoon outfielder against LHP. That would kill his fantasy value, to say nothing of his IRL value.
Where are the rest of your Fantasy Baseball 2026 rankings by position?
Stay tuned! I’ll be adding all the positions and updating them throughout the winter. Don’t forget to bookmark this page and stay tuned for updates throughout the offseason until Opening Day!
UPDATE LOG
- November 30, 2025: Published Top 13 second basemen with commentary.
- December 6, 2026: Added Jose Altuve because I just totally forgot him lol. Top 14 second basemen with commentary.
- January 6, 2026: Top 26 second basemen with commentary.
- January 12, 2026: Top 31 second basemen with commentary.
- January 14, 2026: Top 33 second basemen with commentary.
- January 20, 2026: Top 35 second basemen with commentary.
- February 2, 2026: Added Luis Arraez. Top 36 second basemen with commentary.
Cover Image Credit: public domain via Wikimedia Commons
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