Who are MLB’s best second basemen in 2023?

The All-MLB Team, created in 2019, has provided the answers to an oft-asked question following every season: Who were the best players at each position this year?

The All-MLB Team is split into a First and Second Team, with each team featuring one selection at catcher, first base, second base, shortstop, third base and DH, as well as three outfielders (regardless of specific outfield position), five starting pitchers and two relievers.

• All-MLB favorites for '23 | Best SP | C | 1B | 3B | OF

The teams are chosen through a voting process in which 50% of the vote comes from fans and 50% comes from a panel of experts. The nominees will be announced in November, and the winners will be unveiled in December.

Throughout the rest of the regular season, we will be breaking down the top players at each position and separating them into three groups: favorites, contenders and dark horses. Today, we continue our position-by-position series by covering the candidates at second base.

Here are eight second basemen who could make the 2023 All-MLB Team presented by MGM Rewards.

All stats updated through Sunday.

FAVORITES

Marcus Semien, Rangers
It'd be foolish to credit any one player for the Rangers' offensive success in 2023, but if we had to hand out shares, Semien would take a majority. Hitting a robust .273 with 20 home runs, among players who have made at least 50% of their appearances at second base, Semien ranks second in hits and RBIs and first in total bases and leads the pack with 4.7 fWAR. His command over the strike zone is also as strong as ever, as he enters play Monday significantly below his career averages in whiff rate (18.0%), chase rate (21.0%) and strikeout rate (14.0%). Meanwhile, in just his third year as a full-time second baseman, he ranks in the 97th percentile of qualifying fielders with 11 Outs Above Average, already a career-high. While the playoff race is heating up in Texas, Semien's versatility is lending a major advantage to his Rangers and has him well on his way to earning his third All-MLB selection.

Luis Arraez, Marlins
Though his pursuit for baseball's first .400 season since 1941 ended some time ago amidst a prolonged second-half scuffle, Arraez is still currently in line to become the second player in the Modern Era to win a batting title in both leagues, and he's changed virtually nothing of what earned him the honors in 2022. As of the end of play Sunday, Arraez has the second-lowest qualifying whiff rate since 2015 (8.2%) -- he himself set the record over that period with his 7.1% whiff rate in 2022 -- and he could, for the second consecutive season, end the year with more walks than strikeouts. What he lacks in power he makes up for in launch angle, as his 44.0% sweet-spot rate ranks in the 99th percentile of qualifying hitters and makes his extreme contact approach all the more viable over an 162-game season.

CONTENDERS

Ozzie Albies, Braves
Albies has never subscribed to the idea that second base isn't a power position, and he's carried that mindset into 2023, currently leading all second basemen with 28 home runs despite a two-week IL stint in late August. And while some things never change, Albies, still just 26 years old, has made remarkable strides in rounding out his approach in recent seasons. His 20.8% whiff rate is a career low, and he's also seen marked improvements in his chase rate (42.6% in 2022, 34.7% in '23) and cut down on his percentage of first-pitch swings (45.7%, 34.3%), all of which has clearly had a knock-on effect, as his hard-hit rate is up to 36.2% in 2023 after lagging behind at 26.5% in his injury-shortened 2022 season.

Ha-Seong Kim, Padres
Kim, though lost in the shuffle in San Diego, has been the Padres' most valuable player, leading the team in fWAR (4.4) with career highs in batting average (.275), on-base percentage (.365), slugging (.429), OPS (.795) and home runs (17). In a common theme among the All-MLB candidates at second, Kim doesn't hit the ball especially hard but makes up for it by picking his spots, ranking in the 93rd percentile in chase rate and the 91st in whiff rate. As something of a bonus, he's already tallied 31 stolen bases and continues to play solid defense, with his +10 Defensive Runs Saved ranking fourth at second base.

DARK HORSES

Ketel Marte, D-backs
Marte has recovered well from a down year in 2022, and while not quite back up to the pace he set in his abbreviated 2021 season, his numbers stand up well against the field. Among qualifying second basemen, he ranks third in OBP (.355), second in SLG (.475) and leads the pack with seven triples. His 21 homers are also his most since 2019, when he hit 32.

Gleyber Torres, Yankees
Torres, like Albies, has had to refine his approach almost entirely at the Major League level and appears to finally be finding some balance. Although his hard-hit rate has dipped, he is still flashing enough power -- his 24 home runs are tied for second-most among second basemen -- and he's made significantly more contact in 2023, lowering his strikeout rate 8.3 points from 2022 (14.3%). As if to prove his adjustments have paid off, he put himself back in the All-MLB conversation at second with an excellent showing in August in which he hit .327 with eight doubles, seven home runs, 13 RBIs and five stolen bases.

Bryson Stott, Phillies
This past offseason, the Phillies turned to free-agent shortstop Trea Turner to add a sense of stability and dynamism to a team that's gained a reputation in recent years for being inconsistent on both sides of the ball. A great addition, no doubt, and yet Philadelphia has found a similar asset in Turner's double play partner, the homegrown Stott. In the pool of qualifying second basemen, the 25-year-old trails only Arraez in batting average and displays a similar gift in the way of bat-to-ball skills. He also has plenty of speed, currently tied with Turner for a team-high 25 stolen bases, and leaves nothing to be desired defensively, ranking second at second base with 13 Outs Above Average.

Nico Hoerner, Cubs
Another pure contact hitter, Hoerner too has a remarkably mature approach at the plate -- his 13.1% whiff rate entering Monday's action would be the second-lowest recorded by a Cub since 2015 (min. 500 swings) -- and makes up for a lack of power with elite baserunning and defense. The 26-year-old leads all second basemen with 36 stolen bases -- 11 of which have come since Aug. 1, a period over which the Cubs have gone 19-10, reigniting their playoff hopes -- and ranks third with 12 Outs Above Average at second base.