One of MLB's best second basemen plays in Cleveland

There should not be a single person who is surprised by that headline, but in the event anyone is, yes, Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez is one of the best in the sport.

Ranking the Top 25 Second Basemen of the 2024 MLB Season was recently published by Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter, with Gimenez being ranked rather highly. Reuter has Gimenez as the fifth-best second baseman in baseball, and it is no wonder why. As Reuther points out, Gimenez won a Gold Glove for the third consecutive year, with his defensive abilities being a primary factor for his placement in this list.

"Andrés Giménez continues to be one of baseball's best all-around defensive players, and after winning AL Platinum Glove honors in 2023, he took home his third straight Gold Glove this year."

Joel Reuter on Andrés Giménez

The skills of Gimenez in the field are doing some heavy lifting here for his ranking, as his offensive production is not at an ideal level. Slashing .252/.298/.340 with 22 doubles and nine home runs in 2024, the 82 OPS+ from Gimenez was nothing special. In fact, when compared to the rest of the Guardians, Gimenez's OPS+ is only better than three of their most frequently used players (Tyler Freeman - 79, Brayan Rocchio - 76, Bo Naylor - 73). When putting it next to the low numbers of three of his teammates, Gimenez being ranked this high is quite the accomplishment.

In an ideal scenario, Gimenez can get closer to where he was in 2022, a year in which he slashed .297/.371/.466 with 26 doubles and 17 homers. Even if he is unable to match the career-high 144 OPS+ he posted in that season, getting back to double-digit home runs and a slight increase in his slash line could make a huge difference, not only in a ranking like this one but for the Guardians' success in 2025.