Second Base is a thin position. If you want any kind of plus production from the position, it will cost you. Here's what's out there:
1. Robinson Cano, Yankees. 105 R, 33 HR, 94 RBI, .313 BA, 3 SB, 627 AB. There is not wider break between the top player at the position and the rest of the field than Cano at 2B. I would rank him #4 overall behind the 3 headed monster of Trout, Braun and Cabrera. He's a nice piece to build a team around if you miss out on one of them.
2. Aaron Hill, D'Backs. 87 R, 26 HR, 85 RBI, .302 BA, 14 SB, 609 AB. Hill had a huge season last year. He's had his ups and downs and it could be a career year, but in a weak field, you have to take the chance that he can come close to that again.
3. Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox. 81 R, 15 HR, 65 RBI, .290 BA, 20 SB, 563 AB. Pedroia will give you solid production in 5 categories.
4. Ben Zobrist, Rays. 88 R, 20 HR, 74 RBI, .270 BA, 14 SB, 560 AB. Zobrist also has SS eligibility, but given the weakness of the current 2B crop, it's probably a tossup which position you use him in. He also has OF eligibility so versatility is big plus.
5. Brandon Phillips, Reds. 86 R, 18 HR, 77 RBI, .281 BA, 15 SB, 580 AB. Solid 5 category production.
6. Ian Kinsler, Rangers. 105 R, 19 HR, 72 RBI, .256 BA, 21 SB, 655 AB. Just missed as a 20/20 guy. Some people would rank him higher, but the BA hurts.
7. Jason Kipnis, Indians. 86 R, 14 HR, 76 RBI, .257 BA, 31 SB, 591 AB. Kipnis has the added allure of being young and on the upward arc of his career trajectory. A good guy to target in the middle rounds. There will be managers hunting the SB's though, so you can't wait too long.
8. Jose Altuve, Astros. 80 R, 7 HR, 65 RBI, .290 BA, 33 SB, 576 AB. Nice late pick for SB's while bolstering your BA. Watch out for the SB hunters though.
9. Danny Espinosa, Nationals. 82 R, 17 HR, 56 RBI, .247 BA, 20 SB, 594 AB. 20/20 potential. Also has SS eligibility. The BA hurts, though.
10. Marco Scutaro, Giants. 87 R, 7 HR, 74 RBI, .306 BA, 9 SB, 620 AB. Doesn't add much in HR and SB's, but solid in BA, R, RBI. Can't count on another half season as hot as last year's second half, though.
11. Rickie Weeks, Brewers. 85 R, 21 HR, 63 RBI, .230 BA, 16 SB, 588 AB. Could be undervalued here. 20/20 potential, although I'm not sure he will ever see 20 SB again. BA hurts a lot, but should rebound some in 2013.
12. Omar Infante, Tigers. 69 RBI, 12 HR, 53 RBI, .274 BA, 17 SB, 554 AB. Pedestrian production, but a nice fallback option if you want to wait until the end of the draft.
13. Neil Walker, Pirates. 62 RBI, 14 HR, 69 RBI, 7 SB, .280 BA, 472 AB. Another nice fallback option.
14. Howie Kendrick, Angels. 57 R, 8 HR, 67 RBI, 14 SB, .287 BA, .550 AB. My days of thinking this guy might win a batting title are over. He won't hurt your BA, but that's about all you can say positive. One of the emptiest BA's in all of baseball, if you ask me.
15. Daniel Murphy, Mets. 62 RBI, 6 HR, 65 RBI, 10 SB, .291 BA, 571 AB. Another empty BA.
16. Dan Uggla, Braves. 86 R, 19 HR, 78 RBI, 4 SB, .220 BA, 523 AB. Dude helps you in 3 categories, but kills your BA. Someone in your league will probably pay quite a bit for him. Let them!
17. Dustin Ackley, Mariners. 84 R, 12 HR, 59 RBI, 13 SB, .226 BA, 607 AB. If you believe in career trajectories, you might look at the 84 R, and double digit HR's and SB's and think his BA will be a lot better in 2013. Could be a post-hype sleeper.
18. Chase Utley, Phillies. 48 R, 11 HR, 45 RBI, 11 SB, .256 BA, 301 AB. Utley is damaged goods and may never play a full season again, but gives solid, though not elite production when he is in there. Might be worth a flyer late if it looks like he will start the season out of the gate.
Rookie Watch: Kolton Wong, Cardinals. Wong is obviously the Cards 2B of the future. Descalso will probably start the season at 2B. Wong could be called up sometime midseason and is a good bet to contribute in 5 categories from the get-go.
My advice is to either go large and get Cano or keep your powder dry and take whatever falls to the bottom of the draft.
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Saw a segment on MLB network's clubhouse confidential ranking 2B. Harold Reynolds and Bill James both put Scutaro at #5 in their top ten. Now this ain't fantasy baseball, but I thought that was interesting. We'll see how the best contact rate in the majors holds up to father time. Shawshank Scutaro!
ReplyDeleteAlso of note: some early dribblings are coming in on minor league systems rankings, and the Giants aren't nearly as lambasted as we would have thought. Its looking like solid middle of the pack, 14-18 area. That is better than what I was expecting, taken with a grain of salt. Nice sleeper system, we gots.
I also saw a review of the 2002 draft on a BP writer's personal site. It was interesting. his review of the Giants rang out, you draft a star, you win big, you draft a couple role players as well and its A+. He also mentioned the Doyers draft, they grabbed Russell Martin in the 17th. And I was reminded again who it was who popped him. I think Belt and Crawford might be the tip of the iceberg under Barr. Brown and Panik have work to do, no doubt, but really held their own last year. Just because we don't have a potential star at the moment...