MLB 2017: Top ten second basemen

1. Jose Altuve, Houston Astros

The littlest player in the game, it is almost comical at times to watch Jose Altuve run around the diamond with men nearly a foot taller than him. There is, however, nothing comical about Altuve’s game. He has led the AL in hits for three years running, with two batting titles, two stolen base crowns, three Silver Sluggers, and three All-Star nods. To top it all off, he developed a home-run swing in 2016 and hit 24 bombs.

The leaping swing by Altuve to protect his teammate on the hit-and-run play will remain one of the greatest at-bats in league history (for entertainment purposes, anyway), but Altuve has become a transcendent star. He has almost single-handedly propelled the Astros back into the upper ranks of baseball. On the road last year, he batted .376 with more walks than strikeouts.

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The Astros built their team on the back of analytics, but no statistical model could have predicted that 5’6″ Altuve would blossom into the toughest out in the game. He is the unquestioned heart and soul of the team, and the complete package on and off the field. It really is a joy to watch Altuve accomplish so many unlikely things, and his place as the best complete second baseman in baseball cannot be disputed.