The 2024 Alternative-Degree Killers: Second Base

At the moment, we flip our consideration to the second base Killers. Whereas nonetheless specializing in groups that meet the unfastened definition of contenders (a .500 document or Playoff Odds of a minimum of 9.5%), and which have gotten about 0.6 WAR or much less out of a place so far — which prorates to 1.0 WAR over a full season — I’ve additionally integrated our Depth Charts’ rest-of-season WAR projections into the equation for an extra perspective. Typically which will recommend that the crew will clear the bar by a big margin; as you possibly can see by the desk beneath, 4 of the six groups listed right here mission to obtain greater than a win from their present forged of second base choices. Even so, I’ve included them right here as a result of the crew’s efficiency at that spot is price a glance, and the incumbent might now not look like the best choice.

Notably in gentle of these projections, I don’t count on each crew to exit and observe down an improve earlier than the July 30 deadline, although I’ll observe that a number of the gamers cited inside for his or her poor efficiency are themselves change-of-scenery candidates; one crew’s drawback could also be one other crew’s answer, albeit not essentially a really perfect one. Both approach, I’m much less involved with these options – a lot of which have extra shifting components concerned than a single commerce — than I’m with the issues. Until in any other case indicated, all statistics are by way of Sunday.

Pink Sox

Acquired within the Chris Sale commerce, 23-year-old Vaughn Grissom appeared on observe to function Boston’s common second baseman, however he battled hamstring soreness early in spring coaching, then suffered a groin pressure that sidelined him at some point of the Grapefruit League season. He didn’t make his season debut till Might 2, and performed simply 23 video games — with a .148/.207/.160 (1 wRC+) slash line — earlier than being knocked out once more, this time by a proper hamstring pressure.

In his absence inside an infield that’s additionally been destabilized by the accidents to Trevor Story and Triston Casas, Enmanuel Valdez and David Hamilton have executed many of the work, with the latter additionally within the shortstop combine with Ceddanne Rafaela. Hamilton has hit a decent .273/.327/.414 (105 wRC+), however Valdez simply .226/.282/.402 (85 wRC+). The Pink Sox are hopeful that Grisson can assist them in some unspecified time in the future, however there’s no timetable for him to start out a rehab task. Notably given the crew’s defensive woes up the center — their shortstops have mixed for -10 FRV and -9 DRS, their second baseman -6 FRV and -3 DRS — they may actually use a reliable addition, however they’re reportedly targeted on buying a beginning pitcher and a right-handed energy bat. The guess right here is that they’ll roll with a Hamilton-Rafaela center infield, at finest making a lower-impact depth addition whereas ready for Grissom to supply them an alternate.

Cardinals

Nolan Gorman loved a pleasant breakout final yr, clubbing 27 homers and posting a 118 wRC+ in his age-23 season, however like Paul Goldschmidt, Lars Nootbaar, and Jordan Walker, he was among the many many Cardinals who struggled on the outset of this season. He hit simply .196/.261/.363 by way of the top of April, chasing 34% of pitches exterior the zone, placing out 34.2% of the time, and averaging simply 85.5 mph when he made contact. He’s been considerably higher since then, hitting .212/.288/.438 (104 wRC+) with a mean exit velo of 89.5 mph, and he’s began July significantly scorching, however he now owns the majors’ highest strikeout charge amongst regulars (37.5%) to go together with a .279 on-base proportion, and his protection, effectively, it’s by no means been his robust swimsuit.

The Cardinals do have alternate options in-house, in that Brendan Donovan and Tommy Edman can each play second, however the former is already holding down left discipline, whereas the latter is about to start a rehab task after lacking your complete season so far as a result of irritation in his surgically repaired proper wrist, then spraining an ankle. The crew does even have César Prieto, a lefty-swinging 25-year-old infielder who was acquired from the Orioles in final yr’s Jack Flaherty commerce; he’s a 40-FV prospect who ranked fifteenth on the Cardinals’ checklist and is hitting .308/.355/.500 at Triple-A Memphis, however his chase charge there (44.8%) is off the charts, and that’s earlier than going through main league pitching. Provided that Edman received a Gold Glove at second base in 2021 and performed 51 video games there final yr whereas additionally seeing time in heart discipline, the most definitely state of affairs for a change — if the Cardinals do make one, which isn’t a assure — is an outfield reshuffle that brings a kind of aforementioned two into the infield, with Gorman both despatched to Triple-A à la Walker or used as a potential commerce chip, albeit a very pricey one given his 4 remaining years of membership management.

Orioles

Primary general prospect Jackson Holliday appeared on observe to interrupt into the majors on the keystone, however the Orioles surprisingly despatched him all the way down to Triple-A Norfolk regardless of a powerful spring, as an alternative opening the season with Jordan Westburg and Jorge Mateo sharing the place. On April 10, Holliday was recalled, however he went simply 2-for-34 with 18 strikeouts earlier than being demoted two weeks later. He’s hit .273/.442/.471 (144 wRC+) at Norfolk however has been restricted to DH responsibility since coming back from a mid-June bout of elbow irritation.

With Holliday out of the image, the 25-year-old Westburg has hit .271/.318/.496 (129 wRC+) whereas splitting his time between second (with Mateo) and third (with Ramón Urías); for no matter cause, he’s managed only a 100 wRC+ whereas enjoying second, and his protection there was shaky to say the least (-6 DRS, -4 FRV, -2.9 UZR in 284.2 innings). Mateo hasn’t hit a lot (.234/.273/.413, 92 wRC+) however has swiped 13 luggage and performed regular protection. With 24-year-old prospect Connor Norby — who performed second base 4 instances throughout a quick cup of espresso in early June — additionally within the combine, and with the Orioles needing pitching, pitching, and extra pitching in the event that they’re to retain their slim division lead, it’s tough to see the crew going exterior the group to spruce up second base. Extra seemingly, they offer Holliday one other look when his elbow is prepared. With sufficient heat our bodies to get by, Mateo might expendable, a helpful stopgap/utility participant for one more crew given his pace and flexibility.

Mariners

Acquired from the Twins in change for 4 gamers in late January, Jorge Polanco seems to have left his bat in Minnesota. Like so many different Mariners, the 31-year-old second baseman has struggled mightily on the plate, hitting simply .197/.285/.282 so far; his 69 wRC+ represents a 49-point drop-off from final yr. He’s really been even worse recently, managing only a 45 wRC+ in 15 video games since coming back from a four-week absence as a result of a strained proper hamstring. He’s related for simply eight extra-base hits general; his 6.7% barrel charge is lower than half of final season’s 13.8%, and his strikeout charge has spiked to 32.6%, representing his third straight season of setting a brand new profession excessive. His efficiency in opposition to four-seam fastballs has collapsed, from .291 AVG/.620 SLG to .171 AVG/.243 SLG, along with his exit velocity in opposition to the pitch falling by three ticks and his whiff charge growing 5 proportion factors, to 21.4%. Defensively, he’s beneath common in all three main metrics.

When Polanco went down, utilityman Dylan Moore and rookie Ryan Bliss did the majority of the work. Each have simply outhit Polanco, with the 31-year-old Moore batting .211/.313/.404 (107 wRC+) and seeing time at shortstop, third base, in left discipline, and even at first base (the place Ty France made the Killers checklist). The 24-year-old Bliss, chosen within the second spherical out of Auburn by the Diamondbacks in 2021, got here to the Mariners in final yr’s Paul Sewald commerce. He’s a 5-foot-6, 165-pound dynamo who “makes impressively laborious contact for a hitter his measurement, and he does so in what seems to be a brief mechanical distance,” as Eric Longenhagen wrote whereas rating him thirteenth as a 40-FV prospect on the Mariners’ checklist simply final week. Bliss has hit .247/.382/.445 (108 WRC+) at Triple-A Tacoma and .224/.297/.362 (92 wRC+) in 66 PA so far for the Mariners, albeit with a 30.3% strikeout charge.

Given the extremity of Polanco’s collapse, it is sensible for the Mariners to take a better take a look at each alternate options, although a much bigger bat would definitely be welcome in a lineup that’s second-to-last within the American League in scoring. If president of baseball ops Jerry Dipoto is aggressive, an improve might be alongside the traces of Rays’ Brandon Lowe (who has two inexpensive membership choices remaining), the Reds’ Jonathan India, or the Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. (each of whom have two years of management remaining).

Mets

I touched upon this one the opposite day in my roundup of the worst defenses on contenders. Jeff McNeil has had some superb seasons for the Mets, making two All-Star groups and successful a batting title, however he’s now 32 years previous and has slipped from a 141 wRC+ in 2022 to 100 final yr to 73 (.216/.276/.314) this yr. With the banning of the shift, he’s pulling the ball with higher frequency, however the tradeoff hasn’t been worthwhile as a result of he will get beneath so many balls; his wRC+ to his pull aspect has dropped from 205 in 2022 to 128 final yr and 112 this yr, which isn’t useful when the main league common is 174. His 1.6% barrel charge lands him within the first percentile — he just lately went six weeks between barrels — and his 30.2% hard-hit charge is within the thirteenth percentile. Defensively, he has -3 FRV and -2 DRS in 81 video games at second base. His offensive issues are much more obvious when he’s utilized in an outfield nook.

On Might 31, the Mets recalled 34-year-old Jose Iglesias, a former All-Star (2015) who performed for half a dozen groups from 2018–22 however was out of the majors final season. By no means a participant for whom offense was a calling card, he’s nonetheless hit .380/.417/.582 (184 wRC+), a slash line so scorching that it’s nearly comical given his glove-first popularity. His common exit velocity is simply 86.9 mph, however his 40.3% candy spot would place someplace across the ninetieth percentile if he had sufficient batted ball occasions to qualify. His three homers in 79 PA matches the overall he hit in 467 PA with the Rockies in 2022. Although the small-sample defensive metrics are within the pink, the Mets are 21-9 with him within the lineup, which recently has been extra usually than McNeil — he’s began 9 of the crew’s previous 16 video games at second and two at third base. What’s extra, he’s acquired one other form of hit single in “OMG,” a pop tune that he’s going to carry out on the House Run Derby on Monday night time.

Logically talking, there’s no approach this will proceed. Then once more, Iglesias is clearly residing a charmed life, and even his profession .281/.321/.386 (89 wRC+) line is stronger than McNeil’s bat this yr. With McNeil beneath contract for 2 extra seasons, it appears unlikely the Mets will make a wholesale change, but when they’re searching for a strategy to lower payroll, they may eat a few of his remaining wage and ship him elsewhere for a change of surroundings.

Yankees

The crew in Queens hardly has a monopoly on the underperforming second basemen throughout the New York metropolitan space. Gleyber Torres has been one thing of an enigma ever since he bopped 38 homers in 2019, his age-22 season; he’s had good seasons, however his 2021 was mediocre (9 HR, 96 wRC+, 1.4 WAR), and he’s had sufficient ups and downs that the Yankees by no means bothered to lock him up with a long-term extension. Now he’s in his stroll yr, and that call appears justifiable given his .230/.307/.347 (90 wRC+) slash line and 0.6 WAR. He dug himself a very deep gap in April (.220/.295/.254, 64 wRC+) and didn’t hit his first homer till Might 2. Although he’s managed a 103 wRC+ because the begin of Might, his 6.3% barrel charge is his lowest since 2020, and his 34.9% hard-hit charge is a profession low. In the meantime, his 22.6% strikeout charge matches his highest mark since his 2018 rookie marketing campaign, and his -4 DRS and -3.4 UZR stick out like a sore thumb on a crew whose protection has been one of many majors’ finest.

For all of that, Torres has began 91 of the Yankees’ 98 video games, partially as a result of accidents elsewhere throughout the infield. DJ LeMahieu, who performed 9 video games there final yr and 41 in 2022, didn’t make his season debut till Might 28 as a result of a nondisplaced fracture in his proper foot. Jon Berti, who performed 15 video games there final yr for the Marlins, has performed simply 16 video games between stints on the IL for groin and calf strains. Oswald Peraza suffered a subscapularis pressure in his proper shoulder in March and was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as soon as he rehabbed; his .210/.325/.251 (59 wRC+) in 44 video games isn’t precisely making a case for the 24-year-old former top-50 prospect’s return. Oswaldo Cabrera, who has performed seven video games on the place, has been overexposed whereas getting the majority of the third base responsibility, hitting .238/.288/.341 (80 wRC+) in 234 PA. Jahmai Jones, the one different Yankee to play second, has hit a decent .263/.333/.421 (117 wRC+), albeit in simply 43 PA whereas placing out 32.6% of the time; provided that he performed extra second base than outfield with the Triple-A associates of the Dodgers and Brewers, it’s unclear what he’s doing on the roster if supervisor Aaron Boone received’t give him extra of a gap.

Given the Yankees’ lack of productive hitters apart from Aaron Decide and Juan Soto — Ben Rice is the one non-injured common with a wRC+ of 100 or higher, although Austin Wells is shut (98 wRC+) — it is a spot the place the Yankees might actually use a bat. A month in the past, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden reported that the crew was concentrating on Gorman, India, and the Twins’ Edouard Julien, all of whom have their warts, however with pitching, first base (the place Anthony Rizzo is injured and Rice fairly inexperienced), and third base additionally considerations, the Yankees might attempt to intestine it out with Torres and hope that he figures out the place his energy went.