The Dynasty Guru Annual Ranking Season is upon us!  Up next, second base!  The rankings presented here are the composite rankings of all the writers at The Dynasty Guru, and after healthy debate and only a little name-calling, we are ready to share them with you. The comments below each tier are the work of the writer cited at the end of the section.  Don’t forget to check out Chris and Drew’s analysis of each position on the Join the Ranks podcast.

11 – 20

After much consideration, I’m going to label this group “Choose Your Own Adventure.”  As you’ll see when you read the other articles and listen to the Join the Ranks podcast, there are varying opinions on many of the players on this list, and although they may differ, they are all valid depending on your point of view and risk tolerance. For instance, some gurus think Nico Hoerner’s consistency, high OBP, and stolen bases earn him a spot in the top ten now and for the foreseeable future. Others bemoan his lack of power and point to his barely above-average wRC+ and think a mid-teens ranking is appropriate. I had him ranked 9th and in a lineup that will allow him to pick up runs and RBI, I think back-end top ten is where he should be for the next few years. For different reasons, I think the same about my personal 8th-ranked second baseman, Brandon Lowe. Even in the years when he’s played just over 100 games, he’s hit over 20 home runs, and when healthy he’s good for 30. There’s no guarantee on health, but at this time, at this position, it’s a gamble worth taking.And since this isn’t a position where you’re counting on power, Xavier Edwards is an excellent source of steals, has decent OBP, and plays in a lineup that will enable him to score runs when he gets on base. The lack of power will keep him off of top-ten lists but not by much. 

For a manager in a win-now situation and in dire need of stolen bases, Ceddanne Rafaela is an option. From the perspective of ranking dynasty second basemen, he is not. The Red Sox can’t figure out their infield, and they’d love to roll out Wilyer Abreu, Roman Anthony, and Jarren Duran in the outfield every day, but none of those three can come close to playing centerfield as well as Rafaela. More relevant for the fantasy manager is that in spite of a penchant for late-inning heroics, Rafaela is not that strong a hitter. He has yet to post an OBP over .300 or a wRC+ over 100. On the other hand, I’m all in on Kristian Campbell’s bounce-back. I know our waiver wires are littered with players who had great years in Double-A and never realized that potential at higher levels, but I don’t think the Sox would have given him the extension last year if they didn’t see true skills. Boston’s recent signings of any free agent who can find second base make it look like an open try-out, but the job is Campbell’s to lose, in my opinion, and he’ll be a top ten second baseman very soon. 

Gleybar Torres and Matt McLain are both solid values for fantasy, providing double-digit home runs, and in Torres’s case, decent OBP, and they are appropriately ranked here. Either will suffice in fifteen-team leagues if you don’t have one of the more elite players. 

Luis Peña is the next infield phenom in the Milwaukee system. As an 18-year-old he struggled after his promotion to High-A Wisconsin, but that hasn’t dampened the enthusiasm of scouts and fantasy managers alike. If we see the projected 60 grade power come to fruition, he’ll have a spot in the top five of these rankings for quite a while, it’s just going to take some time before we see that. I am a Colt Keith believer for the same reasons I believe in Kristian Campbell. Unlike Campbell, Keith’s positional future is unclear as Detroit eventually moves on from Torres and the youngsters in the system make their debuts, but good bats will play, and as long as he maintains position eligibility, he’ll be just outside the top ten on this list.

Fantasy managers have been predicting a breakout year for Luis Garcia Jr for the past three years. Now, 604 games into his career, I’m here to say we’re getting what we’re going to get. Double-digit home runs and stolen bases with a below-average OBP will be his norm. With some plate discipline and lower chase rate (37% in 2025), his high in-zone contact rate could increase the OBP levels to the point where we move him up a bit in this list, but the dreams of 20-20 seasons will remain dreams. Managers in fifteen-team leagues are probably holding him while actively looking for an upgrade. 

(Drew Klein)

21 – 30

The 21-30 range at second base demonstrates the length of the plateau at the position. In fact, it wouldn’t be a surprise if many of these players out-perform those in the 11-20 ranks in the coming years. This group offers a mix of youngsters with upside, mid-career veterans, and a few players approaching the sunset of their careers. Even still, this section of our rankings offers plenty of value and utility across dynasty leagues.

Three New York Mets make this section of our rankings, with newcomers Jorge Polanco and Marcus Semien joining Brett Baty. While it’s reasonable to wonder how three second basemen will fit into New York’s plans, this isn’t exactly a fair characterization of each player’s long-term outlook. Polanco signed with the Mets after the team had already brought in Marcus Semien, and is expected to add 1B eligibility this season. His multi-position eligibility will be very useful in any format, but especially in deeper dynasty leagues. The 32-year-old came off a career year with Seattle in 2025 where he hit 26 home runs, his most since 2021, and perhaps most notably cut his strikeout rate from 29.2% to just 15.6%. Marcus Semien is coming off a down year that was disrupted by injuries, resulting in Semien playing less than 159 games in 2025 for the first time since 2017 (if the 2020 COVID season is taken out of consideration). An accumulator through and through, Semien still has a 20-10 outcome in him if he can stay healthy. Brett Baty has perhaps the most interesting outlook of this trio, as he seemed assured of beginning the 2026 season as the Mets starting third baseman before the team surprisingly signed Bo Bichette to take over the hot corner. Baty now seems poised to move into a super-utility role of some kind, spending time at DH, third, second, and potentially left field. Now 26 years old, Baty still seems likely to fill a full-time role on the dirt in the coming years, and 20-25 home run production is realistic if he can get 500+ plate appearances.

The upstarts in this group include a Marlin and two White Sox in Otto Lopez, Lenyn Sosa, and Chase Meidroth. Lopez spent the majority of his time in 2025 at shortstop, but played enough at the keystone to regain eligibility for 2026. Lopez took a strong step forward in his second season in Miami, putting up a 15-15 season and a .246 batting average that was suppressed by a low 264 BABIP. Lenyn Sosa also took a big step forward in 2025, belting 22 home runs on the season, 13 of which came in his final 59 games. Meidroth arrived in Chicago in the Garrett Crochett deal and needed just nine games in Triple-A before being called up for good for the remainder of the season. He emerged as an asset in OBP leagues as his high walk rates throughout the minors translated to the big leagues, but a 10-15 HR-SB total seems like the ceiling for the 24-year-old.

Bryson Stott and Brendan Donovan are two players who have some of the most bankable stats in this group. Stott has been a stalwart for the Phillies for years, and he consistently hits 10-15 home runs, steals 20-30 bases, and hits for a good average. At 28 years old, Stott has plenty of quality production ahead of him. Donovan, who just turned 29 years old, offers a slightly different profile; 10-15 home runs but without the stolen base upside, while hitting for an average between .270 and .290. While neither player can ever be characterized as a “league winner”, both can be expected to be steady options for years to come.

The last two players in this group are two youngsters who may not end up at 2nd base long term. The arrival of Jordan Lawlar has been highly anticipated since the Diamondbacks drafted him 6th overall in the 2021 draft out of high school. Unfortunately, the now 23-year-old has battled a host of injuries and limited opportunities at the big league level, resulting in accumulating just 108 MLB plate appearances despite initially debuting in 2023. The 30-30 upside with Lawlar is still there, but the playing time outlook remains murky as ever. And finally, Michael Arroyo represents the prospects in this group. Arroyo made quick work of High-A Everett in 2025 before spending the second half of the season at Double-A Arkansas where his power dipped but he still put up a 123 wRC+ as a 20-year-old. There is 20-20 upside in his bat, and the Mariners are currently expanding the righty’s defensive capabilities as they look for ways to get his bat into the lineup.

(David Gofman)