Ranking the projected starting American League second basemen for 2019

A three-time American League batting champ, Altuve equaled his career .316 average with that same mark in 2018. While he still had a superb season, his 13 homers were much less than the 24 he had in both 2016 and 2017. His 17 steals are well behind the slightly-over 37 that he averaged in the six years prior. That seems like nitpicking thought for the 28-year-old who is still a star player. MLB.com lists him as the top second baseman in fantasy.

A late bloomer, Merrifield now must be included on the short list of the best second basemen in the game. Now 30 years old, he led the American League in both hits (192) and steals (45) in 2018. He also batted .304 with 12 home runs and 43 doubles. His impressive year gave him a 17th-place finish in American League MVP voting.

Entering 2018 with just 36 career MLB games under his belt, the 28-year-old Wendle was one of the main catalysts in 2018 for a Rays team that surprised with 90 wins. He hit an even .300 with seven home runs, 33 doubles, and 16 stolen bases. Solid defensively all around the infield, his excellent 2018 garnered him a fourth-place finish in American League Rookie of the Year voting.

Listed by Baseball America as the #2 prospect heading into the 2017 season, the 23-year-old Moncada is still trying to find his groove in the big leagues. He received regular playing time last year and hit just .235 with a league-leading 217 strikeouts. He did show signs of potential future stardom though also connecting on 17 long balls and 32 doubles. He will want to lower his amount of errors from last year (21).

Which version of Schoop, now 27 years old, will the Twins get in his first year with Minnesota? The one who struggled last season to the tune of a .233 average, .682 OPS, and 17 homers? The one who excelled in 2017 with a .293 average, .841 OPS, and 32 long balls? Or somewhere in between like 2016 when he batted .267 with a .752 OPS and 25 homers?

The 2008 American League MVP, Pedroia appeared in only three games last season due to a knee injury. Now 35 years old, Boston still has some hope he can produce as in 2016, he batted .318 with 15 homers and 36 doubles. A former four-time Gold Glove winner, Pedroia's range has declined a bit although he still looks smooth in the field.

LeMahieu comes to the Yankees after spending the last seven years with the Rockies. The 2016 National League batting champion ended a string of three straight seasons batting over .300 last year as he dipped to .276. The 30-year-old also clubbed 15 homers and 32 doubles. Stellar at his position, he has earned a Gold Glove each of the last two seasons.

The former #1 rated prospect in all of baseball according to Baseball America in 2013, Profar easily saw his most action in the majors last year. Turning 26 on February 20, he ended the season with a .254 average, 20 home runs, and 35 doubles. In 55 career starts at second base, he has made seven errors.

After arguably one of the worst 30-homer seasons ever by a player in 2017 (.204 average, .252 on-base percentage), the 25-year-old vastly improved last year. While his home run total fell to 18, he hit .253 with a .326 on-base percentage. After a combined 58 errors at second base from 2015-17, he made just nine last season.

An excellent 2016 was followed by a wildly disappointing 2017 for Villar. The 27-year-old bounced back with a strong 2018 with the Brewers and Orioles. He hit .260 with 14 homers and 35 steals. He made just eight errors while starting 100 games at second base.

Gordon was somewhat of a disappointment in his first year with Seattle in 2018. The 2015 National League batting champ hit only .268 last year. After averaging 53 stolen bases from 2014-17, he dropped to 30 last year. The 30-year-old somehow walked only nine times. His play in the field has worsened according to metrics since winning a Gold Glove in 2015.

Kipnis has now had two straight subpar seasons for Cleveland. The two-time All-Star did hit 18 homers and 28 doubles but batted just .230 with a .704 OPS. Turning 32 on April 3, it doesn't seem all that likely he will return to the player who four times had a WAR of at least 3.9. He is steady in the field with just 16 errors over the last two years.

The 24-year-old Fletcher provides little pop at the plate but is someone who play all over the field without any worries. In his first season at the big league level in 2018, he hit .275 in 80 games with one homer and 18 doubles. He's proven to be a quality hitter in the minors as he has batted .307 in 105 games at Triple-A.

Gurriel Jr. made his MLB debut in late April of last year and provided value as a hitter for Toronto (albeit with only nine walks). In 65 games, the 25-year-old batted .281 with 11 home runs. Defensive metrics rated him as below-average both at second base and shortstop.

Turning 27 on February 28, Goodrum finally got the chance at his first extended action in the majors last season. He ended the year with a .245 average, 16 homers, 29 doubles, and 12 stolen bases. While he's not a Gold Glove candidate, he is versatile enough to start all over the field as he did in 2018 playing at second, first, and third base, shortstop, and the outfield.