Leagues ’26 Depth Report: Second Baseman, American League | Baseball prospectus

Translated by Pepe Latorre

Today we look at the second basemen in the American League for our in-depth report on the league. It cannot be denied that there is a decrease compared to 2025.

Table 1: Comparison of the 2025 and 2026 ADP

ADP doesn’t perfectly reflect a league’s draft pick value, but the drop from fifteen American League second basemen in the top 300 last year to just eight this year is telling. The most important factor is the departure of second basemen from the American League to the National League (Semien, Lowe and Jorge Polanco), but the move of García and Westburg to the hot corner is also a problem. Six of the eight second basemen in the “2026” column are new additions to the Top 300, making 2026 a transitional season.

If you don’t pay for Chisholm Jr. (nor, to a lesser extent, any of the second basemen from Altuve to Keaschall), your decisions will likely be based more on the overall needs of your team than on each player’s individual preferences. With only eight second basemen in the Top 300 according to ADP (and only four of those eligible for other positions), you may have to get used to the idea of ​​spending little at second base and betting on other positions.

There are some reinforcements on the way (esp Travis Bazzana j Michael Arroyo), but it is not advisable to rely too much on help from the minors this season. One benefit of only playing in the American League is the volume of plays, and unlike some positions, there are several options below that can accommodate that volume. Better yet, you should get a good batting average and/or steals from most of these players.

Sosa Island (also 1B) ADP 302 ($17)
Sosa’s 22 full return tackles last season seemed to come out of nowhere, but he underperformed his xSLG in 2023-2024. An almost full-time role gave him the chance to shine. Unfortunately for him, a full line-up suddenly emerged after signing Munetaka Murakami relegates him to a backup role and his low OBP, combined with his limited defensive utility, makes him less attractive than expected even if he only plays in the American League. He is clearly worth selecting and there is potential for improvement if the price is low enough, but he is unlikely to surpass Murakami (1B). Chase miles (2B) of Edgar Quero (DH) and the template.

Foal Keith (3B) ADP 304 ($12)
Although his raw numbers remained stable, Keith improved in his second season thanks to a keen eye and tougher hitting stats. I don’t see star status in Keith’s future, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the 24-year-old improve even further and get closer to 20 home runs in 2026. He probably won’t play much against lefties, and if you think you need speed in the middle of the infield, look elsewhere.

Andrés Giménez (3B) ADP 310 ($7)
Giménez had a disastrous regular season. Two injuries (a quadriceps strain in May and an ankle sprain in July) cost him about two months of playing time. He had bad luck with batted balls, but you can’t overdo it, even if Giménez restores his production from 2023-2024, which is nothing to write home about. The key will be if his legs are healthy and he recovers the 30 steals from those seasons. Even if Gimenez only gets 20-25, he will be significantly undervalued at this price.

Brooks Lee (SS/3B) ADP 316 ($11)
Lee’s offense improved in his second Major League season, but was still well below average. His numbers dipped in the second half, and it’s hard not to wonder if the wear and tear (he’d never played more than 125 games in a season as a pro) was getting to him. He doesn’t have much potential anymore (20 home runs would be nice). The hope, if you draft him, is that Lee will be more consistent and see his batting average rise to an acceptable level. He is the only acceptable shortstop on the Twins’ projected Opening Day roster. I don’t know if this is good or bad.

Chase Meidroth (SS/3B) ADP 331 ($11)
Some young hitters with low exit velocity have growth potential here, but I guess Meidroth is what he is and you’ll be lucky if he hits more than 10 or 12 home runs as a starter. He’s also not a super fast hitter, so what you’re looking for is a hitter with a 10/15 batting average who is better than average. He’s essential on the roster, but even on a second-tier team like the White Sox, I worry that a weak month will remove him from the starting lineup and turn him into a utility player (see Sosa above).

Jeff McNeil (FROM) ADP 353 ($10)
Sacramento has a reputation for being an offensive park, and while this often gives the illusion of more hitting power, improvements for many A’s hitters in 2025 came in the form of higher batting averages. This brings us to McNeil, a previously high-average hitter who was acquired from the Mets in December. I’m not suggesting that McNeil will suddenly be competing for batting titles again, but a .280 batting average seems much more achievable in American League-only leagues than in mixed leagues.

Jonathan India (3B/OF) ADP 375 ($8)
I’m not a big Indian fan, but this price seems too low for the Kansas City Royals’ projected starting second baseman. India performed dismal last season, but his underlying batting stats weren’t much worse than normal, and he should revert to a boring 15-homer hitter with a .245-.250 batting average, whose high walk rate and high on-base percentage will give him a chance to score 90-plus runs. If he can get 10-15 stolen bases again, so much the better, but in the American League he’ll do just fine for this low price even if he doesn’t run at all.

Kody Clemens (1B/OF) ADP 389 ($10)
This ADP dates from the time Clemens was on the list Twins starting first baseman. That was before they signed Jos Bell. Clemens is certainly only useful in the American League as a late-game $1-2 player, but you don’t want to rely on him as a key part of the team anymore than the Twins did before Bell.

Brayan Rocchio (SS) ADP 407 ($8)
Rocchio’s defense faltered last season, which we don’t mind overall, but it turns a questionable starter whose offensive contributions are like that into someone who could easily lose his job if the arrow doesn’t point up this season. What was expected was a younger version of it J.P. Crawford (solid if unspectacular stats and a high walk rate that has helped him throughout his career), but Rocchio hasn’t come close to that yet, and while he’s still very young, I suspect the profile is more of a backup infielder than a star fantasy player.

Romy González (1B) ADP 409 ($16)
González occupies first place in the template for the Red Sox at second base, but if he ends up being their starter, it means something went terribly wrong with Kristian Campbell and others during spring training. González is an offensive machine against lefties (his .931 OPS against left-handed pitching is the seventh-best mark in the Majors since 2024 with a minimum of 250 plate appearances), and ranks 299th in OPS among 381 players against right-handed pitching during that same span. What Gonzalez brings to the table only has value in the American League, but I bet he won’t be a starter and you shouldn’t pay him for what he did in 2025.