With the fantasy baseball draft right around the corner, it’s time to start narrowing in on who you want to select at each position and a safe range to get them in. You don’t want to be the member of your league who reaches early and stunts your team the rest of the way. Here is a list of the current top-five second basemen to draft this season to help.
Coming in as the fifth-best second baseman to draft in any fantasy league in 2026 is the veteran Jose Altuve. While he might not have won another Silver Slugger Award in 2025 as he did in 2024, Altuve still had another great season at 35 years old. Heading into 2026 at 36, expect the same old Altuve and draft him as one of the top five.
Altuve’s 2025 season was once again another solid performance by this eight-time All-Star, having 156 hits, including 26 home runs, while playing in 155 games. Even though he has fewer stolen bases and combined extra base hits than others in this list last season, he still scored 434.5 fantasy points, being a reliable every-day starter.
Having sustained no major injuries over the past two seasons, Altuve once again enters 2026 expecting his regular top-five second baseman value, even at his older age. Most websites have his average draft position around 99th overall, and anything as early as the 92nd overall is worth the draft pick.
The fourth-best second baseman to draft in any fantasy league in 2026 is Nico Hoerner. Cracking this list for second baseman comes as no surprise after another fantastic season by Hoerner in 2025. Heading into this season, he is ready to pick right up where he left off and add tremendous value to any fantasy owner’s team.
In Hoerner’s 2025 season, he had 178 hits, including 29 doubles and four triples, while stealing 29 bases, scoring a total of 459.5 fantasy points. With an amazing stat line and the best average on this list at .297, an owner may argue he should be ranked higher than fourth overall. They could, but with him never eclipsing 10 home runs in one season, it limits his fantasy value compared to others. Nevertheless, Hoerner appeared in 156 games last season and is one of the most reliable second basemen to draft.
While being a reliable second baseman for fantasy owners over the past five seasons, Hoerner is well deserving of being the fourth player to draft at this position in 2026. Most websites have his average draft position around the 91st overall, but as early as the 80th overall is worth the pick to secure this star.
Slotting in as the third-best second baseman to draft in any fantasy league in 2026 is Ketel Marte. Not only was Marte an All-Star last season, but he won his second consecutive Silver Slugger award, proving that at 31 years old, he can still rake at the plate. Heading into 2026, if he can stay healthy, he looks to earn his third consecutive Silver Slugger Award and be a dominant choice by any fantasy owner.
In 2025, Marte had a .283 batting average with 136 hits, including 28 home runs, scoring a total of 437.5 fantasy points. While he did have one of the best stat lines among second basemen last season, the main concern, given his injury history, is how many games he will play this season. In 2025, he appeared in only 126 games due to various injuries, limiting his production for fantasy owners.
Heading into 2026, Marte appears healthy, and as long as he remains this way, he deserves to be drafted as one of the top three second basemen. Most websites have his average draft position around 27th overall, but given his injury history, a safe range to select him is 36th to 46th.
The second-best second baseman to draft in any fantasy league in 2026 is Jazz Chisholm Jr., after another dominant season. In Chisholm Jr.’s first full season as a New York Yankee, he was an All-Star and earned his first Silver Slugger Award, smashing over 30 home runs. Heading into 2026, if he can remain healthy, he will crush his 2025 statistics and should be one of the top two second basemen selected.
In 2025, Chisholm Jr. not only hit over 30 home runs but also stole 31 bases, joining the 30-30 club. While he did have an amazing first full season as a Yankee, scoring 423 fantasy points, he is not first on this list because of his injury history and strikeouts. In 2025, he missed a month due to an oblique strain, which was the fourth time in his career that he missed major time. Not only did he miss significant time, but he also had 148 strikeouts, both limiting his production for fantasy owners.
As one of the best fantasy second basemen last season when healthy, some owners will argue that Chisholm Jr. should be drafted first. This may be a discussion, but with him missing more than 30 games four times in his career, drafting him as the first second baseman is not worth the risk. While many websites have his average draft position around 22nd overall, a safer range to draft him is 26th to 35th.
The top second baseman to draft in any fantasy league in 2026 is Brice Turang. Even though he didn’t earn any awards in 2025, he had a fantastic season, leading to him scoring more fantasy points than anyone else on this list. In 2026, expect Turang to be the best again and draft him early.
In Turang’s great 2025 season, he had 168 hits, 18 home runs, 24 stolen bases, and hit for a .288 average, scoring a total of 465 fantasy points. The biggest concern heading into the season was his 150 strikeouts last year, 45 more than in 2024. This could be scary and a reason a fantasy owner may stay away, but even with those strikeouts, he led all second basemen in fantasy points. If he worked on his plate discipline, as most young stars do, he is going to take a turn and destroy all other second basemen in points in 2026.
Looking past Turang’s strikeouts, he ranked third in steals, second in hits, and had the second-best average of any player on this list in 2025, while playing in 156 games. He is one of the most well-rounded players in this position and has never missed any major time due to an injury. He is the safest bet of any second baseman to play nearly a full season and score 450+ fantasy points. Most websites have Turang’s average draft position around 46th overall, but he will be worth getting as early as the 22nd pick.
Any fantasy owner wanting to lock down a second baseman early, the clear choices are Turang, Chisholm Jr., or Marte. In my opinion, Turang, with no injury history, should be the top choice, but since the three are very close in value when healthy, it’s up to your personal preference.
If you want to sit back and wait to fill some other positions before second base, the next best options are Hoerner and Altuve. They won’t be touched until rounds nine through eleven and still offer great value to any fantasy team.
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