Here at the TDG Headquarters, we’ve been busy looking for “The Next Big Thing.”  Just like you, we want to know who’s going to be the prospect that will become the core of our fantasy team, or be the trade piece that lands us the players who put us over the top. With that in mind, we’ve put together a team of prospect prognosticators and developed a set of tiered rankings for each position. And once they’re all posted, we’ll wrap up with our Top 200 Overall Prospects, putting it all together.

Be sure to listen to the Join the Ranks podcast for more discussion about these prospects.

Today, we bring you the second base prospect tiers 1 and 2, which include prospects #1-14.

Tier 1

What more is there to say about our top tier of second baseman, except don’t venture outside of it. If you do, be prepared for heartache and frustration. The only real sure bets for long term, top tier success, are found here. Kristian Campbell brings 20/20 upside, along with a plus or better bat. He’s a very selective swinger, only taking a hack on 42.6% of the pitches he sees and making contact at a rate of 79.2%. I’d love for that number to increase, but you can’t deny his success across High-A Greenville, Double-A Portland, and Triple-A Worcester in 2024. He hit .330/.439/.558 on the season, adding 20 home runs, and 24 stolen bases. Matt Shaw is the guy I have pegged to provide the most immediate impact in the majors for the 2025 season. He should be battling it out for the third base job on the north side of Chicago and if he gets it, you can expect him to be an above-average contributor at most of the major categories in dynasty leagues. He has a very good bat and has shown the ability to take walks at the plate with an 11.9% walk rate in 2024 playing in the upper minor leagues. My only real worry is whether or not the power will translate to the major leagues, he hit 21 home runs in 2024. At 5’9” and 185 pounds, he might see a drop in his power from what scouts and pundits have drooled over. I believe Travis Bazzana is the furthest away from the major leagues in this tier and has the most to prove. Can he provide value as a power/speed threat? Can the bat translate to pro ball better than his fellow highly touted Oregon State baseball alums, Nick Madrigal and Spencer Torkelson? I’m not ready to bet on that just yet. Ronny Mauricio is the real deal, check out my recent prospect spotlight article and see how I feel he gets unfairly knocked as a prospect. (Brian Labude)

Second base is a scary position for prospects and you could definitely make a case for one large tier. However, Kristian Campbell is worthy of being in the top tier and the top spot overall. His skyrocketing rise in 2024 came from changes he made, which let his natural power shine more with some supreme contact ability. He is one of the most dynamic power/speed combinations in the minor leagues that still have room left to improve and reach even further projections above his current profile. One of the few bats at second base who I am targeting wherever I can. (Daniel Labude)

Tier 2

It’s been a long offseason already and through it all, Orelvis Martinez and Angel Genao have grown on me a lot. Martinez missed 80 games from a PED suspension in 2024. The power is legit, he had seven extra-base hits in 11 games after he came back and was sent to Triple-A Buffalo. I wouldn’t want to fall victim to the PED-related storylines here. Genao laid waste to pitching in the low minors in 2024. Across Single-A Lynchburg and High-A Lake County he hit .330/.379/.499 and had a spectacular strikeout rate, 15.5%. If he has repeat success in 2025 at High-A and can carry it over to Double-A Akron, he will be pushing up towards the top tier of second baseman. If you want a crystal ball to see what he will look like in the future, just take a look at James Triantos. He has an excellent hit tool like Genao and comparable power. He hit .300/.346/.427, with seven home runs and 47 stolen bases at Double-A Knoxville and Triple-A Iowa. He could end up being a super utility infielder for the Cubs at some point, even this season. (Brian Labude)

This tier is a wild card. Orelvis Martinez has tons of potential and needs at-bats to showcase what he can do with the bat and his home run power. The name I’m most intrigued by in the bottom half is Angel Genao. He crushed Low-A and High-A to the tune of .330/.379/.499, with an OPS of .878, 10 home runs, and 25 stolen bases. If he can get bigger and stronger, the hit tool will carry him and he may end up as a 20 home run and 20 stolen base threat in the major leagues with top-end batting averages. (Daniel Labude)

The off-season signings of Vidal Brujan and Nicky Lopez further cloud his 2025 impact, but James Triantos could be Nico Hoerner 2.0 for the Cubs shortly. Like Hoerner, the power we dreamed of has only been a dream thus far in his career. But Triantos is proving to be more adept at stealing bases than I originally thought. Forty or more bags is an unlikely outcome based on his success rates, but I can see consistent 20 swipes to couple with maybe a dozen homers at his prime. As I said, Hoerner Lite is what Triantos looks like to me. Just continue to be patient until he gets his chance in Wrigley. (Chris Knock)