2026 Fantasy Baseball: Second Base Tiers

Rankings are extremely important. Drafting without them is simply impossible. Well, it’s possible, but you aren’t going to do too well. And that’s not what we want for you here. Fantrax is all about creating fantasy baseball winners.

Once you have your rankings, it’s then important to break them down into tiers. Where is the depth in the position, and where are the drop-offs? Having this information will help you navigate the draft room and formulate your plans.

Now, let’s jump into how our second base tiers look ahead of the 2026 fantasy baseball season. While we can certainly dig deeper and break this into any number of tiers, I wanted to keep it simple. Second base is also unique in that its strength is more in depth than standout performers. The first two tiers should represent picks within the first 100, as a rough estimate, and the following two reflect how you should be constructing your roster.

2026 Second Base Tiers

Superstars

• Jazz Chisholm, New York Yankees

• Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks

Chisholm represents a true power and speed combo that we want to target at the top of draft boards. The fact that he has additional positional eligibility at third base helps as well.

Marte doesn’t run, but he fills the stat sheet in the other four categories and is a top-tier hitter. Generally, he’s not someone who ends up on my teams due to the draft price and the lack of stolen bases. However, there’s a lot to like with the plate skills, and positional scarcity comes into play as well.

Strong Options

• Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers

• Maikel Garcia, Kansas City Royals

• Jose Altuve, Houston Astros

• Jordan Westburg, Baltimore Orioles

• Nico Hoerner, Chicago Cubs

It’s a mixed bag here overall, with Westburg likely being my favorite target in this tier. There’s a lot to like in his batted ball profile after he hit 17 home runs in 85 games last year. After playing just 107 games in the year prior, the big thing is health. If Westburg and his 11.2% barrel rate can stay healthy, there’s a lot to like over a full season.

Both Turang and Garcia are here for their speed, but have solid profiles all around. Neither is going to leave you hanging in the power department, and they also come with solid batting averages.

Altuve still has a lot to offer at the plate, but we do have to keep an eye on a decline. The good news is that it’s been slow, and he’s still one of the better options, and in one of the better lineups.

If Hoerner had some power, he’d be right up there with Turang and Garcia. Just understand that the home runs and RBI have to come from somewhere else.

Solid Options

• Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox

• Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves

• Jackson Holliday, Baltimore Orioles

• Luke Keaschall, Minnesota Twins

• Brandon Lowe, Pittsburgh Pirates

• Xavier Edwards, Miami Marlins

• Matt McLain, Cincinnati Reds

• Bryson Stott, Philadelphia Phillies

• Otto Lopez, Miami Marlins

• Jorge Polanco, New York Mets

There is a lot to like here. For as much criticism as the position gets, this is the perfect example of why you don’t need to reach or force anything. Yes, the first two tiers look light when compared to other positions, but don’t let that become an issue.

Whether you need power (Lowe) or speed (Edwards), you can get what you need here. In the case of Ceddanne Rafaela, you get both as a 20/20 season appears to be incoming. Can Holliday take the next step? Is Keaschall going to build on his late-season success? There’s also the possibility that Albies turns back the clock to a few years ago as he’s still not even 30 years old.

It’s very possible that McLain, assuming he stays healthy all season, leaves this tier for the 2027 season. Only a season ago, that’s the way he was drafted, and everything is in place for him to find his groove.

Stott is a fine target who can deliver both power, especially if his second-half adjustments hold, and speed. To me, he’s the perfect case study for waiting at the position. Lopez quietly went 15/15 last season and should pick up where he left off. While Polanco will be playing first base, his bat (how about 25 home runs and 80 RBI) plays from a second base perspective.

Middle Infield Territory

• Luis Garcia, Washington Nationals

• Gleyber Torres, Detroit Tigers

• Brendan Donovan, St. Louis Cardinals

• Jose Caballero, New York Yankees

• Tommy Edman, Los Angeles Dodgers

• Marcus Semien, New York Mets

• Lenyn Sosa, Chicago White Sox

• Willi Castro, Colorado Rockies

• Gavin Lux, Tampa Bay Rays

• Marcelo Mayer, Boston Red Sox

• Luis Arraez, Free Agent

• Caleb Durbin, Milwaukee Brewers

• Ernie Clement, Toronto Blue Jays

This is where you get a little bit of everything. There are some solid veterans (Luis Garcia, Gleyber Torres, Brendan Donovan) who can provide consistent and reliable production. None will make an impact on the bases, but all are solid bats who should receive regular playing time.

Should you be in need of stolen bases at this point in the draft, then Jose Caballero should be on your radar. Just be prepared to make up for his shortcomings, more pronounced with home runs and RBI than runs scored, elsewhere. But if everything goes well, he could steal 50 bases.

If we had proof that Tommy Edman would stay healthy, then he’d likely be elevated a tier. When available, though, Edman represents solid value. Last year, he finished with 13 home runs, 49 runs scored, and 49 RBI in 97 games. The problem, though, is that he doesn’t run anymore and had only three stolen bases last season.

Despite the fact that the Mets just acquired him, Marcus Semien is on the down slope of his career and is hard to trust.

Lenyn Sosa is coming off a strong season and has to find regular playing time, but doesn’t appear to be locked into a starting role. That’s the main concern here.

As we close out our top-30 second baseman, this is more likely going to be waiver wire territory. If the Boston Red Sox don’t block Marcelo Mayer, this could be a good year for the former top prospect. It will be interesting to see how the change of scenery to Tampa Bay works for Gavin Lux, who is even further removed from the prospect rankings. The move to Coors Field could also be interesting for Willi Castro.