Second base is one of the most overlooked positions in the game. Its history is filled with constantly overlooked guys that provide offensive value in spades. Today, however, we look at the guys that don’t offer as much value to their team as people expect them to. Today, we cover the most overrated second basemen in baseball.
The same rules apply as when we went over the overrated catchers and overrated first basemen. This list is based on national recognition, injury history, contract, and if the player is still being held to a standard that he set years ago that he no longer lives up to. For those keeping score at home, the New York Mets are the current leader in the clubhouse with two first-place finishes. Can they three-peat?
3 Most Overrated Second Basemen
3. Brendan Rodgers, Colorado Rockies
We start today’s list with a guy that does still have a chance to prove himself and make it off of lists like these in Colorado Rockie Brendan Rodgers. Once a top prospect, Rodgers has done nothing to live up to the hype so far in his young career. Through 221 games, he has a line of .266/.312/.420 with 24 home runs and an 89 OPS+. All while playing half his games at Coors Field.
Debuting as a shortstop, Rodgers has since moved to the other side of the bag to man second, the position that a former Rockies shortstop now mans in Boston. Rodgers did have some big shoes to fill, but he has not come close to doing so in his four years with the big squad. He has more range defensively than league average, but other than that, he has been one of the most overrated second basemen to this point in his career.
2. Cesar Hernandez, Washington Nationals
The one-time Philadelphia Phillie now turned journeyman/current Washington National is our next contestant in today’s edition. Cesar Hernandez has widely been regarded as a solid contributor from second base for the majority of his career when in reality, that just is not the case. Cesar has a career OPS+ of 95 which means that he has been five percent worse than league average in that time.
The best part of his career did come in Philadelphia. In seven years there, he played in 832 games and held a line of .277/.352/.382 with 46 home runs and a 97 OPS+. In the three years since leaving Philly? A .245/.317/.364 line with 24 home runs and a 90 OPS+. People see him as even better than he was as a Philly when he wasn’t even a league-average producer then. That is why he is one of the most overrated second basemen in the game.
1. Adam Frazier, Seattle Mariners
JP Crawford and Adam Frazier have Seattle’s only hits on the game, who will step up and get the @Mariners on the board?
Shot by @_LivLyons #SeaUsRise #LevelUp #SeattleMariners #HoustonAstros #HOUvsSEA #Baseball #MLB #MarinersBaseball #SeattleBaseball #JPCrawford #AdamFrazier pic.twitter.com/TYhZDssf38
— Circling Seattle Sports (@CirclingSports) July 23, 2022
We now fly across the country to the pacific northwest and land in sleepless Seattle to visit our dear friend the Seattle Mariners and their off-season acquisition, Adam Frazier. The Mariners traded the San Diego Padres a pair of prospects for the second sacker who was coming off of a .305/.368/.411 season that gave him a 114 OPS+.
Most of that line was achieved as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. You see, the Padres traded for Frazier at the trade deadline last year, sending three prospects the other way. Before the trade, Frazier was hitting .324/.388/.448 with a 126 OPS+. After the trade, he hit .267/.327/.335 for an 86 OPS+.
This year has been worse for Frazier, and in turn, the Mariners. So far this year, Frazier holds a line of .239/.297/.309 with a 77 OPS+. In regards to OPS+, this has been Frazier’s worst season in the Majors to date.
It would be different if he provided at least some power to go along with those numbers, but he has only hit three home runs this season, and his career high is 10. All of the stats above and the national media attention and love he garnered coming into this season and still currently are what make him one of the most overrated second basemen in baseball.
