2023 NL East Position Rankings: Second Base Edition

The National League East enters the 2023 campaign with a perfect blend and mixture of talent at the second base position. After a recent trade by the Marlins, both batting title winners from 2022 are in the division while another familiar face re-enters the fold following an unfortunate series of injuries. With that, here is MMO’s rankings of the NL East second baseman headed into next season.

5. Luis García, WSH

Luis García has had a peculiar start to his career. Once the Nationals No. 2 prospect, he was called up during the 2020 season at age 20 despite never appearing above Double-A. He went on to struggle as a rookie, slashing .276/.302/.366 with a 79 wRC+ and -0.5 fWAR in 40 games. It was clear then and now that he was rushed to the big leagues, and his development was more or less stunted as a result. While he showed incremental improvement in 2022 with a .275/.295/.408 slash line, he still has plenty to prove in order to cement himself as a regular for Washington moving forward.

García’s profile as a hitter is unique in that his bat-to-ball skills were often lauded as his crowning trait coming up through the minors, but it simply hasn’t translated to the majors thus far. He’s posted a mediocre 74.8% contact rate over his career and put up a 22.3% strikeout rate last season. Considering the fact that he has below-average power (.401 career slugging percentage) and one of the worst walk rates in the league (2.9% in 2022), García’s offensive outlook is rather bleak as things currently stand.

Where there should be optimism, though, is in the field. García struggled immensely during his time at shortstop with -20 Outs Above Average and -2 Defensive Runs Saved total but has fared far better at second. He posted 1 OAA and 3 DRS at the position last campaign and should continue to improve with more consistent reps there now that CJ Abrams projects as the full-time starter at short.

García has some work to do to move up these rankings in the future, but the potential is there, and he has yet to receive a full body of work while still being just 22 years old.

4. Bryson Stott, PHI

Bryson Stott was thrust into a sizable role as a rookie in 2022 and performed admirably, slashing .234/.295/.358 with an 84 wRC+ and 1.4 fWAR in 127 games. While his bat lagged behind in his first taste of major-league pitching, his impact on the basepaths and with the glove made him a valuable part of a Phillies’ team that made the World Series.

Stott recorded 3 Outs Above Average and 1 Defensive Run Saved in limited action at second last season, far outweighing his production at shortstop. He also put up 12 stolen bases and a 4.7 BsR according to Fangraphs, which ranked second on the team. His sprint speed, which was in the 91st percentile according to Baseball Savant, is a further indicator of just how much of a weapon his legs are and will continue to be in the long run.

Stott’s peripherals and expected stats were not particularly good last year, highlighted by a .284 xwOBA, 36.8% hard hit rate and 4.4% barrel rate. Additionally, he failed to generate much of a power stroke despite playing his home games at one of the league’s most hitter-friendly parks, hitting 10 home runs in 466 plate appearances. He did, however, show the ability to avoid swing-and-misses with a 17.2% whiff rate and displayed increased prowess at the plate in the second half with a 106 wRC+, providing optimism that he could keep the momentum rolling into 2023.

Stott likely will never be a marquee hitter, but he doesn’t have to be in order to stay an effective player on a game-to-game basis. With newcomer Trea Turner superseding him at shortstop, Stott’s move to second base is a likely positive for his career as he looks to become a long-term solution for the Phillies.

3. Luis Arráez, MIA

Luis Arráez has one of the more distinct skill sets in the majors with his hit tool. The 2022 All-Star and American League batting champion, who was acquired from the Minnesota Twins on January 20, slashed .316/.375/.420 with a 131 wRC+ and 3.2 fWAR. Arráez finished in the 100th percentile in both strikeout and whiff percentage while also ranking in the 97th percentile for expected batting average last season, speaking to just how prolific of a contact hitter he has become. Outside of that though, there are some noticeable holes in his game that drag him down to No. 3 on this list.

The Marlins announced that Arráez would be the club’s starting second baseman in 2023, shifting Jazz Chisholm Jr. to center field in the process. The decision was met with some confusion, as Arráez played just 41 games at the position last season and was also a Gold Glove finalist at first base. He put up 1 OAA and 3 DRS at second in 2022, but has stumbled there over the course of his career with -15 OAA and -2 DRS.

Arráez’s offensive profile severely lacks any sort of power element, as he hit eight home runs in over 600 plate appearances and had a hard-hit rate of just 7% in 2022. His second half was cause for concern too, as he slashed .285/.325/.389 with a 106 wRC+ after recording a 150 wRC+ in the first half. However, he has shown that he can reach base at a decent clip and posted an xwOBA that was in the 69th percentile, perhaps signaling that there is more depth than meets the eye for Arráez at the plate.

2. Ozzie Albies, ATL

Ozzie Albies had a rough go of it in 2022. He fractured his left foot in June only to come back in September and immediately fracture his pinky sliding into second base. In his 64 games last season, he slashed .247/.294/.409 with a 93 wRC+ and 1.1 fWAR. He has quickly garnered the reputation as being one of the league’s premier second basemen, and for good reason.

Albies has always been an above-average hitter, putting up 92 homers and a 106 wRC+ to go with a .271/.322/.470 slash line across his career. What makes him stand out from the rest of the pack, though, is his defense and ability on the basepaths. He has had three seasons of double-digit stolen bases while consistently recording an elite sprint speed and ranking among the top players in baserunning metrics. With the glove, Albies has recorded 22 DRS and 16 OAA while being nominated for several Gold Glove awards.

Albies is the quintessential player in many ways, providing a balance in every area of the game. However, that wasn’t quite enough to get him No. 1 honors on this list.

1. Jeff McNeil, NYM

Jeff McNeil tops this year’s list after a 2022 season that saw him earn All-Star and NL Batting title honors while slashing .326/.382/.454 with a 143 wRC+ and 5.9 fWAR. McNeil, who was just awarded an extension for four years and $50 million, was a catalyst for the Mets’ 101-win campaign and got back on track in a big way after a disappointing 2021 season.

McNeil’s body of work isn’t all that dissimilar from Arráez’s, as both won the batting title and relied on their elite hit tools to succeed despite failing to make hard contact on a consistent basis. However, what sets McNeil apart from him, and the rest of the players on this list, is his truly elite play on both sides of the ball. He finished in the 95th percentile for OAA with 8 at second base, which was among the leaders at the position and a nice step-up for McNeil from prior years.

McNeil’s 143 wRC+ fell inside the top-15 among qualified hitters in the majors this season while his 5.9 fWAR finished just outside that range at No. 16. It was a career year for McNeil in what’s been a stellar run for him, and he will continue to be a face of the Mets’ organization for years to come.

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