Ranking the projected 15 starting American League second basemen
1
Jose Altuve, Astros
Yes, he and his teammates have been embroiled in a cheating scandal, but until we see otherwise, he’s the cream of the crop at his position. While his batting average fell under .300 for the first time since 2013 last year (was .298), the three-time batting champ hit a career-best 31 home runs. He’s at least adequate in the field, but he doesn’t nearly steal as many bags as he did in previous years.
A big complicating factor with any kind of analysis here is that Jose Altuve did not receive the banging signal barely at all and he was one of the Astros' best hitters. Was he really abstaining from the cheating? Or was he receiving the signal a different way? Don't know yet.
— Rob Arthur (@No_Little_Plans) January 30, 2020