I still think of 2nd baseman as the the one position where the scrappy little guy can be a MLB star. Growing up its was Nellie Fox, with a wad of chewing tobacco bulging in his cheek, or Bobbie Richardson, and then Joe Morgan who were the role models, of the dirt dog defensive whiz who could hit a bit, and more recently Pedroia and Altuve, were the small guy who excelled at the position. IIRC it wasn't until Grich excelled at 2nd for the Os, in the early 70s, that a tall guy was considered the best fielder at the position.