Early 2025 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Top 20 at second base shows Ketel Marte far ahead of everyone else

We've hit it: rock bottom.

If you've been following along to this point, you may have noticed that with each passing position, I've been all the more burdened by how bad things look for 2025. Second base, it would seem, hardly even qualifies as a position. It's become like tight end in Fantasy Football. There are a handful of useful options at the top, basically the same names we've seen there for years, and while they don't deserve superstar treatment, pure scarcity moves them into that range. And then, after them, we're either lobbing up Hail Marys or resigning ourselves to mediocrity.

Early rankings: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP

"But what about Xavier Edwards and Tyler Fitzgerald?" you ask. "Didn't they help to revitalize the position midseason?"

Yes, but they mostly played shortstop and won't be eligible at second base to begin 2025. Also losing eligibility at second are Spencer Steer, Luis Arraez, Ryan McMahon, Ha-seong Kim, Tommy Edman, Ceddanne Rafaela, and the biggest of all, Mookie Betts.

"Well, at least Matt McLain will be back. We really missed him in 2024."

Sorry, but no. The position he played most the last year he played was shortstop, and that's where he'll be eligible to begin 2025. Surely, he'll regain second base eligibility in short order since that's where the Reds figure to play him, so if you wish to draft him with the intention of using him at second base eventually, then by all means. But you'll need to draft another second baseman to use in the meantime.

Let's see what your options are.

Note that the focus here is standard 5x5 scoring (such as Rotisserie leagues), but scroll a little further, and you'll see my rankings for points leagues.

Top 20 second basemen for 2025

1	Ketel Marte Arizona Diamondbacks 2B
It's jarring to see Marte go from being about Pick 200 to being about Pick 100 to being about Pick 25 in just three years' time, but we're long overdue in giving this guy his due. He can be slippery from year to year and doesn't have the greatest health history, but when you dig into the data, he genuinely rates as a stud hitter, which this position sorely needs.
2	Jose Altuve Houston Astros 2B
Altuve just wrapped up his first 20/20 season since 2017 and remains as bankable for batting average as anyone at the position, showing no signs of skill decline at age 34. His modest run and RBI numbers perhaps nudge him out of the stud conversation, but he'll likely be drafted as one in the name of position scarcity.
3	Ozzie Albies Atlanta Braves 2B
Albies is likely to carry the injury-prone label after another year (his second in three), where broken bones got the better of him, but it's worth noting that such injuries have a low rate of recurrence. The lack of high-end talent at second base won't allow for much of a discount anyway. He'll only be 28 next year and is generally good for 30 homers and 15 steals when healthy.
4	Marcus Semien Texas Rangers 2B
Semien's overall production took a notable step back in 2024, which is concerning for a player who just turned 34, but by the usual age indicators, he was basically unchanged, striking out just as infrequently and hitting the ball just as hard. In fact, his Statcast readings are nearly identical to 2022, with the biggest difference being that he didn't run as much. A bounce-back season is viable.
5	Jordan Westburg Baltimore Orioles 3B
If you assess players mostly by the amount of red on their Statcast page, then Westburg would rank second only to Marte at this position, but of course, Altuve, Albies, and Semien have a history of thriving on blah data while Westburg is a relative newcomer. I don't want to undersell his upside, though, which is direly needed here and reflected by his.287 xBA and .509 xSLG.
6	Luis Garcia Washington Nationals 2B
Between his surprising stolen base contributions, his continued power growth, and his revitalized hit tool, which yielded a 90th percentile xBA, Garcia is the most logical choice to occupy this sixth spot in these rankings. But for him to live up to it, the Nationals will have to commit to playing him against left-handers, which they've been reluctant to do so far. He could stand to walk more, too.
7	Nico Hoerner Chicago Cubs 2B
We're quickly descending into mediocrity here, but Hoerner, for two years in a row now, has represented something slightly better, overcoming some unfortunate batted-ball outcomes in 2024 to deliver a respectable batting average and a creeping start on the base paths to deliver 30-plus steals. His lack of over-the-fence pop severely limits his upside, but he'll at least steady you at a weak position.
8	Brice Turang Milwaukee Brewers 2B
A tale-of-two-halves scenario makes Turang an uneasy draft target, particularly since it's not immediately clear why he hit 60 points less in the second half than the first. He's a better base-stealer than Hoerner -- maybe even the best at the position -- but you can't be certain what you'll get from him as a hitter. The good first half is the aberration so far.
9	Xander Bogaerts San Diego Padres 2B
A fractured shoulder cost Bogaerts about a quarter of this season and earns him some benefit of the doubt heading into 2025, but he will be 32 and, to put it bluntly, doesn't seem capable of the same heights in San Diego that he achieved in Boston. A 15/15 outcome is more plausible than 20/20 at this point, but if it comes with a .280-.290 batting average, he'll be well worth this pick.
10	Brandon Lowe Tampa Bay Rays 2B
Since his rookie 2019 season, Lowe has been among the most productive second basemen on a per-at-bat basis, but between the all-too-frequent injuries and the Rays' usual lineup shenanigans, getting those at-bats has been a struggle. We're at a point, though, where dreaming of a 30-homer outcome isn't your worst option, and hey, maybe the Rays will see fit to move him this offseason.
11	Jackson Holliday Baltimore Orioles 2B
I want to rank Holliday higher because he's a player of elite prospect pedigree who will have the inside track on a starting job next spring, and, yeah, this position could desperately use an infusion of upside. But he was so bad in 2024, even after a return trip to the minors, striking out at an untenable rate, putting the ball on the ground a ton, and falling short of the exit velocities befitting of that pedigree. He's a blind-faith investment, basically.
12	Luis Rengifo Los Angeles Angels 3B
Struggling to field a competitive lineup, the Angels turned to Rengifo on an everyday basis and watched him become a batting average and stolen base standout, at least until wrist surgery ended his season in early August. He had never been those things before, but you could see how, at 27, he became those things. At this position, you'll take on extra risk for a glimmer of upside.
13	Andres Gimenez Cleveland Guardians 2B
Each of Gimenez's past two seasons has been worse than the one that preceded it, and by now, it should be pretty obvious that his 2022 was an outlier, particularly with regard to batting average. Even so, his ground-ball rate was uncharacteristically high in 2024, which suggests there's still hope for him being a 15-homer, 30-steal guy, albeit with poor peripherals, at age 26.
14	Bryson Stott Philadelphia Phillies 2B
If 2022 was Gimenez's outlier year, then 2023 would seem to be that for Bryson Stott, with 2024 representing a predictable step back. They're essentially the same player, at least as Fantasy Baseball is concerned, with the biggest difference being that Stott often sits against left-handed pitchers.
15	Gleyber Torres New York Yankees 2B
It's unclear what went wrong for Torres in 2024, and while the improved batting average down the stretch is reason for optimism, there was no corresponding power increase. Still, he's only 27 and likely leaving the New York pressure cooker via free agency. If you'd prefer him to Gimenez and Stott, anticipating a return to his 25-homer ways, I wouldn't blame you.
16	Jonathan India Cincinnati Reds 2B
I started with India much higher and kept finding excuses to move him down. He's not terrible at anything, which can make him pretty useful once the attrition kicks in, but that attrition is just as likely to come for him. He's more valuable in leagues where walks count, such as Head-to-Head points, but even then, you have to be wary of him losing at-bats to a healthy Matt McLain.
17	Zack Gelof Oakland Athletics 2B
Poor contact skills combined with middling exit velocities is a bad combination -- bad enough, it turns out, to sink Gelof in his sophomore season. His combined home run and stolen base total was still pretty impressive, but it hinges on him continuing to get at-bats that he probably doesn't deserve, by the percentages. Growth is possible at age 25, but I'm not counting on it.
18	Jake Cronenworth San Diego Padres 1B
You may have noticed that Cronenworth doesn't crack my top 20 at first base, his primary position.. That's partly because I suspect the Padres will look to upgrade there, transitioning Cronenworth to more of a utility role. Even if they don't, you're looking here at a mediocre batting average with fewer than 25 homers and steals combined.
19	Maikel Garcia Kansas City Royals 3B
Garcia's first two months might have convinced you he was a legitimate Fantasy asset, but the truth is he wasn't a starting-caliber player the rest of the way. His stolen base output made him better for Fantasy than real life, but with the Royals emerging as contenders, they'll likely be looking to upgrade. He could improve his batting average if he gets a chance, but he's no difference-maker.
20	Brendan Donovan St. Louis Cardinals LF
Donovan is the sort of steady hand who no one is excited to draft but who needs to be ranked this way, if only for deeper leagues, where you know he's going to be better than most anything you'll find on the waiver wire. He'll deliver adequate home run, run, and RBI totals, with a batting average slightly better than that, but if you may prefer to chase the upside of a Spencer Horwitz or Colt Keith.