Clearing The Bases: Second Basemen

Today and tomorrow we shall go over the middle infield position, starting with our top 15 second basemen.  The position is certainly top heavy, but also hurt by major injury concerns to two of the better players in Chase Utley and Brian Roberts.  Neither one has been announced that they won’t be ready for the season as of yet, but both are dealing with injuries that could sideline them for most if not all of the season.  Huge risks indeed.

1. Robinson Cano, New York Yankees:  On most teams Cano would hit third or fourth in the lineup, but for the Yankees he will hit fifth.  Of course that is not such a bad thing batting behind Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez, opposing pitchers have to pitch to someone.  Anyone who say Cano hit in the post-season last year saw the kind of offensive player he can become.  Outside of stealing bases, he can do it all.

2. Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox:  More injuries concern here as Pedroia missed a big chunk of last season after suffering a foot injury.  The good news is that he is apparently 100% recovered in spring training, the bad is that Pedroia is not the biggest of specimens and there will always be questions about whether or not he can last through a 162 game schedule without breaking down.

3. Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers:  Kinsler can do it all and would rank second on this list except for those nagging injuries that always seem to keep him out for 3-4 weeks each season.  Pedroia may have suffered a major injury that cost him half a season, but he doesn’t have anywhere near the injury history that Kinsler does.  If you’re drafting him, make sure u have a suitable backup.

4. Dan Uggla, Atlanta Braves:  The Braves acquired Uggla from the Marlins during the off-season as they were looking for a little more punch in their lineup.  The trade was good news for Uggla as he will play for a team that should be in the race for a playoff spot, but probably won’t help his power production all that much as Atlanta is no more of a friendly park than Florida was.

5. Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds:  Phillips is sort of the safe option.  He has played in at least 141 games the past five seasons and will give your fantasy team a nice balance of power and speed.  The bad news is that he doesn’t have the upside of some of the other players, so you will need to choose, do you want to take the injury risk, or would you rather go with the safe selection?

6. Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee Brewers:  Speaking of injuries, Weeks finally showed the baseball world the kind of numbers he could produce if he stayed on the field.  For the first time in his career, Weeks played more than 130 games, he hit 29 HRs, drove in 83 runs, scored 112 times, stole 11 bases, and had an OPS of .830.  Now the question is, can do it again?

7. Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies:  We all know that Utley is a powerful offensive force when able to play, but just how often he will be able to play this season is a huge question.  When healthy, Utley is arguably a 1st round selection, but he is dealing with a knee problem that could keep him out of action for a significant amount of time.  As of this writing Utley still haven’t been able to take the field, and that is a big problem when you’re playing in the National League, no DH there.  Utley has always played the game with reckless abandon and now it is catching up with him.  He seems to be at 32 year old playing in a 38 year old man’s body.  He is almost certain to being the season on the DL, and when he returns is anyone’s guess.

8. Martin Prado, Atlanta Braves:  Prado had a career year in 2010 and will look into improving those numbers this season.  He’s never going to be a big power guy, and not much speed either, but he has multi-position eligibility and that can add value to a fantasy team.  Certainly not the sexy pick like the players above, but you could certainly do worse.

9. Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays:  Hill catches a lot of grief for his terrible year at the plate last season, but he still hit 26 home runs, so the power hasn’t gone anywhere.  It’s just that if he didn’t hit a home run he only had 82 other hits which equated to a .205 AVG and big drops in RBIs and Runs.  If you’re looking for a player who could have a bounce back season, Hill is it, and even if he doesn’t, the HRs should still be there.

10. Gordon Beckham, Chicago White Sox:  Beckham was a fantasy favorite at the draft last season and then promptly went bust.  So the question is, which do you believe more, his 2009 season where he looked like a cornerstone of the White Sox offense, or his 2010 season where it took him until August to figure things out at the plate?  Count me as a believer as I think he could be a steal if you are able to get him late in your draft.

11. Chone Figgins, Seattle Mariners:  Figgins’ first season in Seattle was an unmitigated disaster as he was nowhere near the player for the Mariners that he was for the Angels.  His stolen bases were equal to what he had done in the past, but all of his other numbers fell off considerably.  One has to believe that he will improve, but he is a gamble.  His third base eligibility at some point early this season could help however.

12. Kelly Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks:  Now here is a player who benefitted greatly from a change of scenery.  Leaving the Braves and a chance to play in the post-season each year may be tough, but Johnson can’t complain about finally getting a full-time job and he rewarded the Diamondbacks for their faith in him.  How high you place him on your list depends on whether or not you believe he can repeat last year’s numbers, or even improve on them.  Well he’s playing in a park that the ball flies out of, count me as a believer.

13. Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay Rays:  Another one-year wonder player.  Came out of nowhere to have a big 2009 season, but then fell back to his old ways in 2010.  I’m not one to trust Zobrist although is eligibility at OF does make him more intriguing than he otherwise might be.  I just don’t believe he will ever approach his 09 number again.

14. Neil Walker, Pittsburgh Pirates:  Walker may be another player who has only performed in one season, but he is only 24 years of age and there is room for improvement.  Don’t think he will ever approach the numbers of the big boys, but he will hit enough where he won’t hurt you.

15. Brian Roberts, Baltimore Orioles:  How the mighty have fallen.  Roberts was once a top five pick but back and neck injuries that kept him out for a good chunk of last season have cropped up again.  Like Chase Utley, there is no way of knowing just how much Roberts will play, or if he will be anywhere near his best if he does.  Howie Kendrick may give you more for the buck here.