Now that you’ve started to thaw out and have taken in the deep prospects playing at second base, your reward is ready. Allow the top two tiers of The Dynasty Guru’s Top 45 Consensus Second Base Prospects to get your blood flowing again to your extremities, as you read through some dazzling comments by Brian and Daniel Labude.

Tier 1 #1 – 3

Our top tier of second base prospects is the who’s who of the stars at the position in the minor leagues. One player is fading fast in my eyes and potentially in the overall rankings this off-season, Travis Bazzana. He maintains his status among second baseman, but only due to the lack of any real upper echelon depth. He left the college ranks after having one of the better seasons in recent memory there and then was drafted number one overall by the Cleveland Guardians. Last year at this time I posited that he was the furthest away from the major leagues of the top tier players from the 2024 MLB draft and he could in fact follow his fellow Oregon State alumni and struggle. Well, he did much worse than even I imagined, he only hit nine home runs across 374 plate appearances split between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus. His slash line was not any better, .245/.389/.424 and his 24.3% strikeout rate was the cherry on top of this foul tasting desert. About the only promising part of his profile in 2025 was his patience at the plate. He had a walk rate of 17.6% on the season, but 24.2% in 26 games for Triple-A Columbus. During his time there, his statcast data was also not up to par for a number one overall draft pick, he only had an average exit velocity of 87.4 mph and a hard hit rate of 39.7. He is someone that I would put into the avoid category, because the price it costs with him sitting in this top tier is just too risky given his performance last year. Sal Stewart is actually an avoid for me as well, mostly due to circumstances. With how the off-season has played out for the Cincinnati Reds, it doesn’t look like he will be in line for very many at-bats in 2026, or maybe even 2027. If you want a top tier second baseman, I’d focus on JJ Wetherholt almost exclusively. (Brian Labude)

In this tier, I see a target and a big time avoid for me. The target is JJ Wetherholt and his above average tools across the board. He has power, hitting 17 home runs in 2025 between Double-A and Triple-A, but his speed can shine through as well. He ended up adding 23 stolen bases last season. What might be more predictive of future success is he pairs both his power and speed with great contact skills along with a superb hit tool. He walked almost as much as he struck out, while also hitting .306. Among prospects and not just second baseman, he is one of the best.

The one prospect in this tier to avoid for me would be Travis Bazzana. There may be some red flags that have crept into his profile the more he plays at higher levels in the minor leagues. The biggest for me have been the strikeout rates hovering around 25% coupled with a lack of in-game power and speed stats. His walk rates help the profile, but if he is going to be a .250 hitter with a solid OBP and only 15 home runs to go with 10 steals, the fantasy impact won’t be there like he is being valued. There is still a ton of potential in his bat, but maybe not worthy of such a lofty ranking at the moment. (Daniel Labude)

Tier 2 #4 – 13

This second tier of second base prospects could possibly be just as scary as the top tier. Luis Peña was close to joining Wetherholt, Bazzana, and Stewart on top, but his performance at High-A Wisconsin might have been too much for rankers to dismiss. He slashed .308/.375/.469, with 20 extra-base hits in 71 games for Single-A Carolina, but an abysmal .168/.220/.297 in 25 games for High-A Wisconsin. He looked over matched at his time in High-A, he struck out at a 24.8% clip there and only walked 5.5% of the time. I might be in the minority with this take, but even if his struggles were due to an aggressive assignment, I am beginning to get worried that his profile might be more of a singles hitter, with an occasional extra-base hit, and plenty of stolen bases (he stole 44 in 2025). He’s not about to drop in value anytime soon, but I would put him on a closely monitored watch list for 2026.

Josh Adamczewski is one of my favorite prospects among second baseman, but he might actually be moving off of the position in 2026 and going forward. Check out my prospect spotlight on him from the outfield position.

Jett Williams may have in fact already moved up some on rankings with his recent trade to the Milwaukee Brewers. Shortly after he was acquired, the Brewers traded away Caleb Durbin, opening up a potential everyday position for Williams to win out of Spring Training. Unless the Brewers want to move Brice Turang to shortstop, Williams could be an everyday shortstop when the team breaks camp and heads north for the start of the season. I think you are looking at a 15-25 home run bat with plenty of speed potential on the basepaths and high run totals. It will all depend on his underlying numbers. In 34 games at Triple-A Syracuse in 2025, he had an average exit velocity of 85.5 mph, a hard hit rate of 30.9%, and a barrel rate of 4.9%. It might not be as easy for him to take the reins at the major league level, unless he has a stellar spring training. (Brian Labude)

This might be my favorite tier, because I could see three impact bats climbing their way up to the top rankings or making a big league debut this year. Max Anderson is the underrated name of the group and one who I would take over Travis Bazzana, very easily at the moment. Anderson has shown the in-game power and hit tool that can rival some of the top prospects in the class. He also should be one step away from the big leagues now.

The two other names to know are Luis Peña and Michael Arroyo. Peña can do it all, but his 13.3% strikeout rate at Single-A Wilson as an 18-year-old should be the attention seeking eye opener. If he hits the ground running in 2026, his stock should soar and he will push his way into the top tier quickly. He started seeing his power numbers finally come alive late in 2025, so hopefully we will see the full five-tool player shine this year. He has elite speed, an elite hit tool, and contact ability, if the power emerges and stays, he will be the complete package as a prospect. Michael Arroyo might have the safest floor of all the second base prospects. Across High-A Inland and Double-A Everett, he didn’t strike out a lot (under 19%) and did walk a fair amount (almost 13%), while showing a good deal of power (17 home runs). The power might be a little bit of a fool’s gold scenario, but his hit tool is very good. He may be at a crossroads this coming year, where to remain a viable upper tier fantasy second baseman, he will need to keep showing some of the power he displayed at High-A. The hit tool gives him a solid floor, but to predict a fantasy impact at the major league level, he will need to remain productive in the minor leagues. (Daniel Labude)