Andres Gimenez quickly went from a prospect who had a lot of upside to one of the best second basemen in baseball.
Fans in Cleveland saw Gimenez blossom early on in the season and then he was introduced to the baseball world during the All-Star Game. After that, it was pretty clear that Gimenez was the real deal and he’s played like one of the best second basemen in baseball ever since then.
MLB Network recognizes this talent and has him ranked as the third-best 2B heading into the 2023 season. Ahead of Gimenez in their rankings are Jeff McNeil at number two and Jose Altuve at number one.
I understand the case for Altuve being number and one and ahead of Gimenez, but there certainly can be a conversation for Gimenez being over McNiel.
The Mets’ second baseman did have a .326 batting average which was higher than Gimenez’s average. However, the Guardians’ second baseman OPS and SLG percentage had McNeil’s beat.
Gimenez was getting on base just as much as McNeil was even if it didn’t mean from a hit. Gimenez also had 69 RBI and 17 homers which McNeil beat as well.
Both players are incredible defenders, but Gimenez is ranked in the 98th percentile in outs above average whereas McNeil is in the 95th. They’re both elite but Gimenez clearly has the edge.
At the end of the day, these rankings don’t really mean much, but it is fun to look and see where others view the Guardians’ talent. Both Jeff McNiel and Jose Altuve have established themselves at MLB Superstars and it’s awesome to see Andres Gimenez being mentioned with them.
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