Sports
Buster Olney’s 2026 top 10 at every MLB position: Second basemen
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Buster Olney
Multiple Authors
Spring training camps are underway, which means it is time to look at the state of baseball. As part of our 2026 MLB season preview, ESPN’s Buster Olney surveyed those around the industry to help him rank the top 10 players at every position as part of his annual positional ranking series.
Today, we rank the best of the best at second base.
The objective of this exercise is to identify the best players for the 2026 season, not who might be best in five years or over their career. We will roll out a position per day over the next two weeks. Here’s the rest of the schedule: starting pitchers (Monday), relief pitchers (Tuesday), catchers (Wednesday), first basemen (Thursday), third basemen (Feb. 23), shortstops (Feb. 24), corner outfielders (Feb. 25), center fielders (Feb. 26), designated hitters (Feb. 27).
The most coveted free agent in the fall will be Tarik Skubal, probably commanding offers that might well shatter the record for a starting pitcher — the $325 million contract signed by Yoshinobu Yamamoto in 2023. But as for impending free agent position players, Jazz Chisholm Jr. would seem to be a candidate to land the biggest deal, with some gaudy numbers on his résumé.
He was a 30-30 player for the Yankees last season, with 31 homers and 31 stolen bases, after swiping 40 bases in 2024. He has been an All-Star twice and won a Silver Slugger Award. He has been on the cover of MLB: The Show. The speed, the power, it’s all there. One evaluator says Chisholm could hit 40 homers in a season: “The strength in his wrists — just incredible.” He ranks fourth among all second basemen in Fangraphs’ defensive metric, just behind Xavier Edwards and just ahead of Bryson Stott.
But what Chisholm has lacked — what he needs in the season ahead, as he builds interest in his upcoming free agency — is consistency: a season with more peak performances and fewer valleys, longer stretches when he’s affecting games. Last April, he batted .151/.279/.312 with 35 strikeouts in 27 games. Then, in 23 games from June 16 to July 11, he hit .315/.390/.652. In 21 games from Aug. 10 through Sept. 2, he mashed .271/.398/.700 with nine homers and 16 walks. Over the final 31 games — including seven in the postseason — he scored only 10 runs and batted .207. Underneath that 30-30 accomplishment, his triple slash was .242/.332/.481 for an OPS of .813.
Look, slumps are inevitable — Shohei Ohtani, the greatest player we’ve ever seen, went through one during the playoffs last year. But the feedback from evaluators around the sport is they just want to see Chisholm’s talent affect games more often.
He’s going to get paid when he hits free agency, undoubtedly. Whether he gets a monster deal could largely depend on how consistently he hits this season; he probably has as much — or more — at stake than any position player in the big leagues.
Chisholm ranks high among the top 10 second basemen in the game entering the 2026 season.
Top 10 second basemen
1. Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks
You can understand why Arizona maintained a high asking price on Marte before deciding not to trade him. Over the past three seasons, he has produced about 15 fWAR, or about $135 million in value, while making $40 million under the terms of his contract. Even in a season in which he invited scrutiny by going AWOL after the All-Star break following his home being robbed — a decision for which he eventually apologized to his team — he was still an incredibly effective player, with 28 homers, 87 runs and a 145 OPS+ in 126 games. He excels offensively, and while the numbers suggest he is just average defensively, he continues to be the preeminent player at this position.
He led all second basemen in fWAR last season, doing what he does best — excelling on defense and winning his second Gold Glove Award; scoring 89 runs in 156 games; and stealing bases at a high rate (29 in 35 attempts). Hoerner hit .297 and his strikeout rate was 7.6%, third lowest in the big leagues (behind Luis Arraez and Jacob Wilson).
3. Jazz Chisholm Jr., New York Yankees
Based on Chisholm’s production in WAR, ESPN analyst Paul Hembekides says he believes his contract value as a free agent could look like this — $80 million over two years, or $140 million over four years. But Chisholm probably needs to balance his home/road splits to draw heightened interest from teams other than the Yankees. These were his 2025 numbers:
In Yankee Stadium: .277/.364/.528, for a 150 wRC+
In all other parks: .207/.299/.432, for a 101 wRC+
Again: Consistency. Teams will pay for it.
4. Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers
He was one of MLB’s breakout stars last season, performing so well that he earned some down-ballot support in the National League MVP voting. Turang scored 97 runs in 156 games, with an OPS+ of 121, and he continues to improve in his power production — he had 28 doubles and 18 home runs to go with 24 stolen bases in 2025. That was all part of a larger design: Turang’s exit velocity jumped from 85.1 mph to 89.2 mph (with his strikeout rate also spiking). His defensive numbers dipped last year, with his defensive runs saved falling from a remarkable 22 in 2024 to seven last season.
5. Brendan Donovan, Seattle Mariners
He could play some third early in the season, or get some time in the outfield, but if the Mariners decide to play top prospect Cole Emerson on the left side of the infield, Donovan could get a lot of games at second. No matter where he lands, he’s going to get on base and he’s going to create opportunities for runs. He had a 119 OPS+, with 32 doubles and 10 homers in 119 games, and he appears to be a prime candidate to lead off for Seattle against right-handed pitching. Last year, Donovan hit .315 with a .383 OBP against right-handers.
6. Gleyber Torres, Detroit Tigers
That Torres accepting a one-year qualifying offer from Detroit is a strong indication that he knows he needs a strong offensive performance to set himself up for a multiyear contract (with the benefit of breaking away from draft pick compensation). As Torres has gained experience, he’s drawing more walks and getting on base at a higher rate — he accumulated 136 hits and a career-high 85 walks last season, while reducing his strikeout rate from 20.1% in ’24 to 16.1%.
7. Xavier Edwards, Miami Marlins
The shift from shortstop to second base seemed to really benefit him last season — he had 12 defensive runs saved and nine outs above average while playing only 96 games at second. The 26-year-old accumulated 159 hits and 49 walks in 139 games last season, for a .343 on-base percentage.
8. Marcus Semien, New York Mets
He’s still a high-end defender and now part of David Stearns’s effort to improve the Mets’ run prevention, even at age 35. But the Rangers made him available for a trade largely because of the decline in his offense the past two seasons:
2023: 126 OPS+
2024: 103 OPS+
2025: 97 OPS+
9. Bryson Stott, Philadelphia Phillies
If the Phillies had acquired Bo Bichette — and they thought they were going to get him — then Bichette probably would’ve played second base for Philadelphia, with Stott moving to third. Stott will hit for some power and steal some bases (24 last season), but his struggles against lefties were acute last year: a .225/.287/.575 slash line, with one homer in 123 plate appearances.
10. Ernie Clement, Toronto Blue Jays
He makes this list on the strength of how well he performed this past October. Facing the best pitching under the most pressure, Clement made contact, batting .411 over 18 games in the postseason. With Bichette’s departure and the shift of Andres Gimenez to shortstop, Clement takes over second, a spot where he excelled last year, with 10 defensive runs saved in only 423 innings.
Honorable mentions
Jose Altuve, Houston Astros: Houston is obviously well aware of his defensive issues at second base, which is why they tried him in left field. But Altuve can still do damage offensively — he hit 26 homers and had an adjusted OPS of 112.
Luis Arraez, San Francisco Giants: He wants to return to his former position, so he signed with the Giants, who are buying into his goal of becoming playable at second base — and into his ability to make contact.
Jackson Holliday, Baltimore Orioles: Still just 22 years old, he improved in his second year in the majors, hitting 17 homers and becoming more of a threat against left-handed pitching. But he’ll probably sit out the start of the season after suffering a hand (hamate bone) injury.
Brandon Lowe, Pittsburgh Pirates: Here’s the good stuff: 31 homers and a slugging percentage of .477 last season. The not-so-good stuff: minus-14 defensive runs saved and minus-13 outs above average.
Luke Keaschall, Minnesota Twins: You could make a reasonable case that he should already be in the top 10 after his strong showing in 49 games last year, when the former second-round pick hit .302 and generated 2.0 bWAR.
Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves: He remained largely injury-free last year, playing in 157 games, but he dipped to a .671 OPS and 89 OPS+. The Braves hold a $7 million club option for 2027.
Chase Meidroth, Chicago White Sox: One of the players acquired in the Garrett Crochet trade, Meidroth mustered 1.3 bWAR over 122 games in his rookie season of 2025.
Pakistan made a sizzling start to their Fifa Series campaign with a record-breaking 8-0 victory over the Turks and Caicos Islands at the Stade Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan on Thursday.
Four goals by four different scorers in the first half set the tone for Adeel Rizki’s side before two more players got their names on the scoresheet as Pakistan surpassed their previous-best victory — 7-0 against the Maldives in September 2022.
Pakistan made their attacking intent clear from the very beginning when Mariam Mahmood, fresh from winning the Welsh league title with Wrexham Women, struck the side netting with a shot from an acute angle inside the first four minutes.
After Nadia Khan tested Turks and Caicos goalkeeper Archenie Desir with a shot from long range, Pakistan opened the scoring in the 10th minute with Zahmena Malik finding the back of the net.
It was 2-0 two minutes later, Aqsa Mushtaq slotting in after a rebound after Mariam had forced a save from Desir.
Pakistan continued to press with midfield metronome Layla Banaras showing her quality when she made it 3-0 with a weaving run and smart finish just past the half-hour mark.
In a game where Pakistan had pinned their opponents in the opposing half for almost the entirety of the match, Mariam got on the scoresheet in the 38th when she expertly volleyed in a cross at the back post.
Pakistan continued in the same vein in the second half, Nadia planting a perfect header to a cross from the left in the 56th to make it 5-0.
Aqsa scored a pearler to make it 6-0 in the 76th before Layla also got her second with a perfectly-placed shot from outside the box. Isra Khan’s goal in the 81st completed the record-breaking triumph.
PFF president Mohsen Gilani hailed the historic win. “I congratulate the players and the coaching staff for creating history. This is the start of a new era for women’s football in Pakistan and I hope the team continues in the same vein in the Fifa series.”
The Big Ten Conference amassed nearly $70 million from NCAA distributions that will be paid for team appearances and performances in the 2026 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.
That is by far the most among conferences, largely because the Big Ten swept the national championships — Michigan won the men’s and UCLA the women’s — and had Illinois‘ men’s team advance to the Final Four.
The NCAA, which has multibillion-dollar broadcast deals for the two tournaments, since 1991 has rewarded conferences for their number of tournament bids and how far those teams advance in the men’s tournament. A similar system for the women’s tournament began in 2025.
For this year’s tournaments, nine men’s teams and 12 women’s teams from the Big Ten combined to make at least $69.4 million, with $63 million coming from the men’s side.
The Southeastern Conference, which had 10 teams in each tournament, totaled at least $56.2 million ($50.4 million for men, $5.8 million for women). Other distributions will total at least $42.9 million for the Big 12, $34.2 million for the Atlantic Coast Conference and $22.2 million for the Big East.
The NCAA sends payments directly to the conferences, which distribute the money among their teams according to their policies. Payments for the 2026 tournament will begin in April 2027.
Teams in each tournament earn what’s known as a “unit” for making the field of 68 and an additional unit for each round in which it appears. The national champion is awarded an extra unit. The value of a unit increases each year. A portion of revenue from the tournaments’ broadcast agreements are directed to distribution payments — 24% for the men and 41% for the women.
The estimated value of a unit for the 2026 men’s tournament will be about $350,000, an NCAA spokeswoman said, and that amount will be paid annually for six years. A single unit earned in 2026 would have a total value of at least $2.1 million over those six years and probably more because Division I distribution funds — including the basketball funds — are scheduled to increase each year, typically by 2.9%.
For the women’s tournament, full funding for units earned will be achieved in 2027. Payments for each unit earned will be made for three years rather than six. The unit value was $75,000 for 2026 and will decrease to about $63,000 next year as part of the NCAA’s formula for getting the fund fully up and running. Using $63,000 as an estimate for the 2028 value, a single unit earned in 2026 would be worth at least $201,000 by the time it is paid off over three years.
The Big Ten’s nine teams in the men’s tournament appeared in 29 games. Michigan earned $14.7 million for the conference by playing in six games and receiving a seventh unit for winning the championship. Illinois earned five units for making the Final Four ($10.5 million) and Iowa and Purdue four apiece for reaching the Elite Eight ($8.4 million each).
The Big Ten landed 12 teams in the women’s tournament, and they combined to play in 31 games. UCLA earned just over $1.4 million by playing in six games and receiving an extra unit for winning the championship. Michigan‘s four games earned $804,000 and Minnesota‘s three earned $603,000.
The championships in men’s and women’s basketball continued what has been a banner 2025-26 for the Big Ten. Indiana won the conference’s third straight College Football Playoff, and other national championships have been won in men’s wrestling (Penn State), women’s ice hockey (Wisconsin), men’s water polo (UCLA), men’s soccer (Washington) and field hockey (Northwestern).
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Super Bowl champion LeSean McCoy took to the defense of New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and New York Times/The Athletic NFL reporter Dianna Russini.
Photos originally published by the New York Post’s Page Six showed the coach and journalist holding hands, hugging and sitting in a pool in bathing suits at a resort bungalow in Sedona, Arizona. While a lot of people have been highly critical of Vrabel and Russini, McCoy took no issue with it.
“I like Mike, I love Mike. I mind my business. They work together,” McCoy told TMZ Sports.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back LeSean McCoy runs with the football against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on Feb. 7, 2021. (Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports)
“Everybody makes something big out of everything. He’s a big-time coach, he’s a big-time player. He was just in the Super Bowl, they got something to talk about. That’s what happened.”
“I ain’t see nothing wrong with it.”
Both Vrabel and Russini are married, and both denied any wrongdoing. Vrabel married his wife, Jen, in 1999, and they have two sons together. The 50-year-old coach said the interaction was completely innocent.
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” Vrabel told the New York Post. “This doesn’t deserve any further response.”
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel watches during the first half of the AFC Championship NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Russini, who married her husband Kevin Goldschmidt in 2020 and they have two sons together, said the photos misrepresented what actually occurred.
“The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day. Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues,” Russini told the New York Post.
Vrabel took the Patriots to the Super Bowl in his first season as the Patriots head coach and won NFL Coach of the Year for the second time in his career.
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Dianna Russini attends the 2026 Fanatics Super Bowl Party at Pier 48 in San Francisco, California, on Feb. 7, 2026. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
Russini, 43, joined the The Athletic in 2023, leaving ESPN after over eight years.
McCoy played 12 seasons in the NFL. He spent six with the Philadelphia Eagles, four seasons with the Buffalo Bills, one with the Kansas City Chiefs, and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 37-year-old won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs in 2019 and the Buccaneers in 2020. In 170 games, McCoy ran for 11,102 yards with 73 touchdowns, while catching 518 passes for 3,898 yards and 16 touchdowns.
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