2057 BL Positional Rankings – Second Base
With Catchers and First Basemen behind us it is now time to look at the Second Basemen.
- Juan Arocho (Vancouver)
The third-year 2054 first round draft pick will be looking for a breakout season after a solid sophomore year. In 111 games split between Vancouver and Houston he slashed a modest .266/.300/.418 with an OPS+ of 103. After his loan deal to Houston his plate production dropped about 25%, as his OPS+ with Vancouver was 119 compared to his 94 with Houston. Perhaps Houston playing him at 1B compared to his natural position, 2B, had an affect on him mentally.
- Taj McMiller (Charlotte)
2056 was McMiller’s first game outside of the New Orleans organization after being drafted 4th in the 2051 draft. His bat really roared to life after being dealt. In his 21 games with the Krewe he posted .116/.265/.188 compared to his .247/.317/.412 in 50 games with Charlotte. Between his bat and stellar glove McMiller projects to be 2-3 WAR player.
- Russ Cota (Houston)
The first Moondog to not top their position is Cota going into his second full season as a starter. Last season he hit .236/.319/.401 with an OPS+ of 103, compared to his .271/.344/.443 and 115 from 2055. If his hitting production falls somewhere closer to his 2055 line he would be topping this list. Cota struggled living up to his fielding production, with a fielding % of 98.6 and a ZR of -6.9. With an improvement on both sides of the ball Cota could walk out of this season in Silver Slugger and Gold Glove contention.
- Omar Gallego (Atlanta)
Easily the one with the best hitting reputation on this list, Gallego is also the one with the worst defensive reputation. Last season in the Silver Slugger his line of .272/.372/.409 combined with 54 walks and 26 doubles was good for an OPS+ of 112. Once Gallego gets on the bases he is a force to be reckoned with, racking up 8 triples and 39 steals the last two seasons. After posting a ZR of 0 in 2055, he struggled with the glove in 2056, where he had a ZR of -8.9. If he finds his way around with the glove Gallego is another name on this list that could compete for the top stop come 2058.
- Juan Banuelos (Philadelphia)
The reigning Bronze League Gold Glove winner had a huge 2056 on both sides of the game. However, Banuelos is due for regression on offense after posting a 109 OPS+ compared to his 86 and 97 the previous two seasons. A staple in the Liberty franchise, having been selected in the 36th round of the 2050 Inaugural Draft, Banuelos should have another shot at Gold Glove. His biggest competition in that department will come for Jordan Lozoya and Efraim Ponsen.
- Efraim Ponsen (Minnesota)
Ponsen is in a similar situation as Banuelos. A member of the Freeze franchise since 2050, when he was selected in the 37th round of the Inaugural Draft, 2056 was his first season as a full time player, posting a line of .275/.322/.366 and OPS+ of 97. In 2054 and 2055 he put up 80 and 62 OPS+ respectively. In that time he accumulated -1.5 WAR compared to the 2.7 in his 2056 campaign. If the 29 year old can build on his breakout seasons he could see himself much higher on this list come 2058.
- Ricardo Nava (Miami)
The former first round draft pick had a bit of a down year, posting a sub-100 OPS+ for the first time in his 4-year career. Unfortunately his down year also poured over into his defense, having a ZR of -4.7 compared to 2055 where he was at 1.6. The two time Silver Slugger will be expected to return this upcoming season as his team continues their fight for promotion.
- Jordan Lozoya (Boston)
The reigning SL Gold Glove winner at 2B finds himself in a tough position following demotion. Having been on Boston’s big league team since 2050, when he was selected in the 4th round of the Inaugural Draft, Lozoya finds coming off a year where he led the league in strikeouts. Due to his longevity with the team he has plenty of milestones he could pass this year such as, 900 games, 200 home runs, and 300 walks. While Lozoya will more than likely end the year in Gold Glove talks, his bat will leave much to be desired after declining the last 2 seasons.
- Ruben Munoz (Seattle)
The 30 year old Cuban had a rough time at the plate in 2056, slashing .200/.249/.300 with an OPS+ of 55, 26 points lower than 2055. Munoz has only been playing pro ball in the States for three years now and two of those have been on Seattle’s big league team. Having started 203 games at 2B the last two years he has racked up 11.8 ZR in 1715.2 innings. Come awards time Munoz is a name we could hear for Gold Glove.
- Jonathan Flanders (Tampa Bay)
The 27 year old struggled mightily in his 4th season for the Palms. Flanders ended the season with an OPS+ of 68, a ZR of -7.6, and a WAR of -.6. Tampa Bay surely hopes their former 2nd round pick finds a way to return to his glory years of 2053 and 2054 where he posted OPS+ north of 100 in both seasons. In order to provide any sort of value this season, his play on one side of the ball will have to improve quickly.