Mound Talk

Have at it:

1. Chase Utley. Utley is the most reliable, most consistently excellent second baseman in the crop. Definite first rounder.
2. Robinson Cano. We are a little skeptical of Cano. The guy only hit above .300 for a full season two years ago and all of a sudden hit lights out. He’s a career .278 minor league hitter. The biggest concern is that he doesn’t walk.
3. Rickie Weeks. Injuries have slowed him down some and his defense has been an issue that casts him in a bad light. He’s a gamble, but before his injury last year, Weeks hit .279 with 19 stolen bases in 359 at-bats.
4. Dan Uggla. It’s hard to justify drafting him real high. Nearly all the time, Rule V Draft picks don’t end up being top notch fantasy players. Uggla seems to have a good cast around him and, while we don’t see a duplication of 2006, we see a good fantasy year.
5. Brian Roberts. He’s not as risky as the three guys above him but he’s not as good either. Still a very solid player and fairly young, Roberts is good for a .280 average with 30 stolen bases and a couple homers to boot. His runs and rbi production isn’t what you can get out of the other guys above him, but he’s a good bet to be a solid contributor.
6. Jorge Cantu. Cantu is the second best pure power option behind Utley. Though he’s struggled to stay healthy, Cantu has good power. The biggest question with him is, will he ht .290 or .250?
7. Brandon Phillips. There is a trend here of guys who have had one good season at second base. Phillips, like the players above him not named Utley, is a big risk. He has a good combination of speed and power but he has struggled to lock down a major league job for years. He’ll be 26 this season and is coming off his only solid major league campaign. He’ll have good value later in the draft, but be cautious.
8. Julio Lugo. Lugo struggled after moving to LA last season but we’re confident it was a blip and not statistically significant signal. At 31 this year, we expect some decline but still a good contribution.
9. Freddy Sanchez. There isn’t much to say except average. He’ll give you average and that’s about it. Still, not to be overlooked as owning him makes owning Adam Dunn or Andruw Jones a well-hedged bet.
10. Howie Kendrick. We love the upside and want to rank him higher but with only a half season under his belt, we still have questions. The guy did hit .361 in his minor league career though so we’re hoping that the young guy will show some big steps this year and be a draft steal. Of anyone you could draft at second base out of the top five, Kendrick has the most potential to be a top 5 producer.
11. Ray Durham. Age is a factor as is the lineup.
12. Tad Iguchi. Iguchi is pretty average. There isn’t much to like about him as he doesn’t dazzle you with a .340 average or 40 stolen bases. If he plays 150 games he could score 100 runs, but much of that is contingent upon the big guys behind him replicating last seasons remarkable performance.
13. Josh Barfield. Getting out of San Diego might help his power numbers. Barfield is another guy, like Kendrick, that has some good upside. Unlike Kendrick though, there isn’t as much evidence to suggest a huge season out of him.
14. Jose Lopez. Lopez has some good value in that he’ll give above average production for a second baseman in runs and rbi. He won’t devastate you with a bad average and can contribute some home runs. He’ll have good value later in the draft if you need a little extra production in r/rbi.
15. Jeff Kent. He’s old. His body is breaking down. He’s right on the fringe of being owned or being a FA. If you do grab him, be ready to cut bait.
16. Ian Kinsler. Kinsler has good upside and ought to be looked at all season as a guy to add if he gets hot. Some power and some speed will make him a valuable commodity if he gets a good spot in the Texas lineup.
17. Orlando Cabrera. Cabrera is pretty average for a second baseman. What drops him down our rankings is that he doesn’t have much upside. At 29 and with the lineup he’s in, Hudson just doesn’t have the potential for a big breakout that some of the younger guys do. But if you’re looking for someone safe, Cabrera is a pretty safe bet.
18. Placido Polanco. He’ll hit for a good average but he’s a marginally below average in runs and rbi for a second baseman and his contribution in home runs and stolen bases in negligible.
19. Ty Wigginton. He’s not even worth consideration unless you’re in a really deep league.
20. Marcus Giles. Injuries have taken a toll on him and we don’t see a big leap in his production.

It is pretty apparent that second base will be an easy position to fill. There are a lot of choices and, depending on your level of comfort with the position, you can fill that hole with a guy that fits your need. After the one elite player at the position, there are basically three types of players: the young, the old and the average. Guys like Weeks, Kendrick and Insler can be had later in the draft and have good upside. There are old guys like Kent and Durham that have some pop and have been there producing for a while but will slide down draft boards because of their age. Then there are a whole slew of very average players that can be had in the last couple rounds if you miss out on someone else or simply don’t want to take the risk.