Every offseason, The Shredder comes up with a list of top 10 players at each position for MLB Network. I try to pay it no mind, because it’s always hilariously ridiculous. But sometimes, I don’t have a choice but to point out that, whatever The Shredder is, it needs to be burned into a million pieces and never make an appearance again.
Top 10 Second Basemen (According To The Shredder)
- Ketel Marte
- Jose Altuve
- Marcus Semien
- Brendan Donovan
- Jazz Chisholm Jr.
- Tyler Fitzgerald
- Brandon Lowe
- Nico Hoerner
- Andres Gimenez
- Gleyber Torres
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I cannot emphasize enough how absurd it is Ozzie Albies is not included on this list.
Albies is coming off a down season, accruing just 1.6 WAR while hitting .251 with 10 homers and a .707 OPS, which was the second-lowest mark of his career. Those aren’t exactly elite numbers, but remember, he suffered multiple injuries that kept him out for over a month at a time and only played 99 games.
When Ozzie Albies is healthy, there are few players across all of baseball that are as consistent. In the four seasons he’s played over 100 games, he’s never recorded a WAR less than 3.6. He’s never hit fewer than 24 homers, and never recorded an OPS south of .757.
In Albies’ last two healthy seasons, he has 63 combined homers, an .822 OPS, and accrued 8.3 WAR, making the All-Star team both times. In Albies’ four full seasons, he has three All-Star appearances, two silver sluggers, a  World Series ring, and has accrued 17.3 WAR. So, let’s take a look at some of the guys who made this list in front of him.
Gleyber Torres has 16.1 career WAR over six full seasons. In his past four seasons, he’s accrued 3.0 WAR just one time, back in 2022, and has never won a Silver Slugger award.
Andres Gimenez and Nico Hoerner are both elite defensively but are also below average offensive players that offer next to zero power at the position. Defense cannot be completely overlooked in these conversations, but I’ll take the guy that can hit 30 homers and drive in over 100 runs each season over highlight plays in the field every day of the week, and I’m sure their respective teams would as well.
Tyler Fitzgerald had a very nice rookie season, recording 2.8 WAR with an .831 OPS over 96 games. But are we really taking 96 game sample sizes over three-time All-Stars with multiple Silver Sluggers? I’m sure that won’t backfire, especially when they are damn near the same age! Ozzie Albies was in the All-Star Game and winning the World Series while Fitzgerald was in the lower levels of the minors.
Jazz Chisholm Jr? Is this a joke? Chisholm is just a year younger than Albies and has never once produced a 3.0 WAR season. This is easily the most laughable name on the list, but he’s got some swag and is on the Yankees, so let’s overrate the hell out of him.
Bendan Donovan, again, is a nice player. Still, he’s nowhere near Ozzie Albies. He’s accrued just 4.7 WAR over the last two seasons, has never made an All-Star team or won any award of significance, and he and Albies are the same age. That’s laughable.
The top three, I have no problem with. I actually don’t take an issue with Brandon Lowe either, who ranks seventh on this list. He’s a player of a similar caliber as Albies but has also dealt with his fair share of injuries over the years.
Any baseball analyst that doesn’t think Ozzie Albies is a top 10 second baseman needs to find a new job. Any machine that doesn’t believe Albies is a top second baseman must be re-calibrated. What an abomination of a list from top to bottom.
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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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