As we continue through our offseason journey, we come to the rankings for the top 24 second basemen in the game. As we have said before, there are some young players ready to emerge that will likely supplant some of the players currently in the top 24. Also, there could be some moves that affect their personal ranking. If you’ve joined us before you can probably skip to the rankings.

If this is your first time, some explanation is probably necessary. Each player has been ranked in a five and six category universe. Those rankings are split based on their three year and five year averages. You will see those plus some composite statistics in each category that represent the best guess of where he is headed. Those will be the basis for our rankings, but I reserve the right to fudge those one way or another depending on current trends.

Jose Altuve—Houston Astros (.331, 15.3 HR, 93.0 Runs, 73.7 RBI, 41.3 SB, 43.0 BB)

3 Year 5 Category- 1

3 Year 6 Category- 1

5 Year 5 Category- 3

5 Year 6 Category- 4

It’s hard to see him duplicating last season’s numbers, but he has inexplicably gotten better each and every season. He added power and patience last season. Assuming good health, there is no reason why he shouldn’t surpass the run producing numbers seen above next season. The Astros lineup looks a lot better than last year’s and we are only in November. Rank: 1^st

Robinson Cano—Seattle Mariners (.305, 26.8 HR, 90.4 Runs, 93.0 RBI, 4.4 SB, 55.4 BB)

3 Year 5 Category- 3

3 Year 6 Category- 3

5 Year 5 Category- 2

5 Year 6 Category- 1

There could be a nice debate between Altuve and Cano on draft day. Cano provides more consistent power and run production while Altuve adds the speed element. The speed is probably the separating factor, but you could hardly go wrong with either guy. Cano appears to be on the second half of a Hall of Fame career, but he still has a prime season or two left in him. Rank: 2^nd

Starlin Castro—New York Yankees (.276, 15.3 HR, 57.7 Runs, 68.0 RBI, 4.3 SB, 26.7 BB)

3 Year 5 Category- 17

3 Year 6 Category- 15

5 Year 5 Category- 12

5 Year 6 Category- 14

Castro is a flawed player in real life, but if you are playing in a five category league you could do a whole lot worse. The only thing he doesn’t give you in those leagues is speed. When you add in the sixth category you start to have some problems. The Yankees appear to be embarking on a youth movement, so there may not be as many run producing opportunities for him. Rank: 15^th

Brian Dozier—Minnesota Twins (.249, 31.0 HR, 105.7 Runs, 82.3 RBI, 17.0 SB, 70.3 BB)

3 Year 5 Category- 4

3 Year 6 Category- 2

5 Year 5 Category- 6

5 Year 6 Category- 5

This is a tough one to handicap. There have been rumors that the Dodgers are hunting for a second baseman and he is one of the names that has been mentioned. Even if the Dodgers don’t move on him, he is a name you could easily see move because the Twins need an influx of talent in a number of areas. On a different team he could end up leapfrogging Cano, but I have to consider him a Twin for now. Rank: 4th

Logan Forsythe—Tampa Bay Rays (.256, 14.3 HR, 59.0 Runs, 44.0 RBI, 5.7 SB, 42.0 BB)

3 Year 5 Category- 20

3 Year 6 Category- 20

5 Year 5 Category- 24

5 Year 6 Category- 24

Forsythe will be the most underrated guy on the board no matter the circumstances. If he gets dealt that will only widen the gap. He really has only been a full-time player for two seasons, so the three-year average is deceptively low. Give him another season like the last two and he will shoot up the rankings. Rank: 20^th

Scooter Gennett—Milwaukee Brewers (.272, 9.7 HR, 51.7 Runs, 46.3 RBI, 5.0 SB, 24.0 BB)

3 Year 5 Category- 22

3 Year 6 Category- 22

5 Year 5 Category- 21

5 Year 6 Category- 23

Gennett is a decent enough fantasy backup at this point in his career. The good thing about him is that he plays almost every day and gives you a little bit of everything. The problem is that he only gives you a little of everything. The Brewers are in clear rebuilding mode, so there is not a whole lot of support in that lineup either. Rank: 22nd

Dee Gordon—Miami Marlins (.297, 2.3 HR, 75.7 Runs, 45.3 RBI, 50.7 SB, 24.7 BB)

3 Year 5 Category- 10

3 Year 6 Category- 11

5 Year 5 Category- 19

5 Year 6 Category- 19

Gordon famously (or infamously) missed half the season because he was busted for performance enhancing drugs. Gordon presents other issues. His lack of power and run production makes ranking him difficult, but you can’t deny he offers more speed than just about any player not named Billy Hamilton. Rank: 11^th

Josh Harrison—Pittsburgh Pirates (.295, 7.0 HR, 63.7 Runs, 46.3 RBI, 15.7 SB, 19.7 BB)

3 Year 5 Category- 16

3 Year 6 Category- 18

5 Year 5 Category- 14

5 Year 6 Category- 17

Harrison has established himself as an everyday player and he is an exciting player in some respects. He is a secondary speed source once you move beyond the Gordons and Altuves. Unfortunately, he offers practically zero patience. So, he probably isn’t much of a consideration in six category leagues. Rank: 16th

Cesar Hernandez—Philadelphia Phillies (.283, 3.5 HR, 62.0 Runs, 37.0 RBI, 18.0 SB, 53.0 BB)

3 Year 5 Category- 18

3 Year 6 Category- 17

5 Year 5 Category- 12

5 Year 6 Category- 15

The site formerly known as rosterresource.com has Howie Kendrick labeled as the left fielder in Philadelphia following his trade. Whether they plan to keep him there or trade Hernandez is not yet known. Hernandez is the better player at this point because he adds the element of patience to his game. He has grown each season, so another step forward could happen. Rank: 14^th

Howie Kendrick—Philadelphia Phillies (.281, 8.0 HR, 71.3 Runs, 56.3 RBI, 10.0 SB, 41.7 BB)

3 Year 5 Category- 15

3 Year 6 Category- 13

5 Year 5 Category- 13

5 Year 6 Category- 13

Are you the gambling sort? Kendrick could have seen a drop in performance because Los Angeles was a bad fit and he could never quite find a permanent position. In that scenario, he could make a comeback in Philadelphia. He also could be past his prime and prone to further drop in production. Choose wisely. Rank: 13^th 

Ian Kinsler—Detroit Tigers (.278, 17.6 HR, 100.2 Runs, 78.4 RBI, 15.0 SB, 45.6 BB)

3 Year 5 Category- 2

3 Year 6 Category- 4

5 Year 5 Category- 1

5 Year 6 Category- 2

Kinsler is another name on the trade block, but in this case it is hard to see him being more successful in another situation. The Tigers had a very deep lineup that helped him score runs by the truckload. Move him to Los Angeles or move other Tigers out of the lineup and watch his value drop. Rank: 3rd

Jason Kipnis—Cleveland Indians (.272, 13.8 HR, 82.0 Runs, 67.0 RBI, 22.0 SB, 62.0 BB) 

3 Year 5 Category- 7

3 Year 6 Category- 6

5 Year 5 Category- 5

5 Year 6 Category- 3

Kipnis came back to his usual self last season and helped the Indians advance to the World Series. He is not quite as good as the top four guys, but he gives you solid production in every category including patience. If those top four guys go off the board in a hurry you can easily wait for Kipnis and fare almost as well. Rank: 5th