Positional Tiers: Second Base

• Tweet

• Tweet

Welcome back to the Cafe Positional Tier Rankings. In today’s edition we will discuss second basemen. Second base doesn’t appear to be terribly deep this year, with a fairly decent drop-off in talent after the top eight or so players. That being said, there are useful players to find throughout the draft depending on what your team needs end up being and how your roster is constructed. Let’s look at the players.

Tier 1: Rounds 1-2

The list of truly elite second baseman is a very short one. Both Kinsler and Utley will certainly be off the board within the first 18 picks despite the fact that both will be coming back from injuries. Kinsler had his season cut six weeks short by a sports hernia which required surgery, making the numbers above all the more impressive. He was a legitimate MVP candidate before succumbing to the injury. Utley, meanwhile, underwent off-season hip surgery, casting the beginning of 2009 into doubt. The most recent word is that Utley will be ready for Opening Day, but whether or not that actually plays out remains to be seen. In any case, I think both are good picks and would be happy to have them on my team.

Tier 2: Rounds 3-5

The next four second basemen are all fine options as well, though the skill sets are quite varied. Pedroia is typically the third 2B off the board, but I’m not a fan of his that early. I’d be very surprised to see him come close to 20/20 again, making him mostly valuable for his batting average and (team- and lineup-dependent) run and RBI totals. I’d much rather have Phillips, who has legitimate 30/30 potential, or Roberts, who doesn’t have big power but should give you around 40 steals. Ramirez is interesting in that he put up very good numbers despite not breaking into the lineup full-time until May. As negatives go, he doesn’t walk much and there is some question about how he’ll do in his second season, but on the plus side the power/speed combo is legit and he also has eligibility at SS and OF in many leagues.

Tier 3: Rounds 6-8

At this point we’re starting to get into guys who will fit onto teams in different ways. Uggla will provide big run, HR, and RBI totals from 2B, but it will come at a cost to your average. Figgins is basically a one-trick pony. He’s good for steals and runs, but won’t be terribly helpful in any other facet of the game. Cano is a guy who seems to be perpetually overvalued to me, but should hit for a good average and has a little pop. His counting stats should be solid purely based on the lineup around him.

Tier 4: Rounds 9-15

We’re now into the marginal starters. There are a lot of question marks surrounding the guys in this group. Is Kendrick going to amount to anything? Besides a high average he does not supply much in the way of fantasy stats. Is Aviles for real? An extremely high BABIP leads me to believe that he’ll be useful 10/10 guy, but the average should regress. Will DeRosa, a 33-year-old journeyman, repeat a good season? Is Johnson more like the guy who was terrible for much of the year or the guy who exploded in September? Has Lopez turned the corner? Whether or not you want to rely on these players depends on your thoughts on the answers to these questions.

Tier 5: Rounds 17-20

Considering that several of the players in tiers above are likely to be penciled in at other positions, we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel here. These are players that should only be counted on if you purposely waited until late for your 2B or have a MI slot. Matsui will get you some steals, Weeks is a boatload of unrealized potential, and Polanco won’t give you much past a good average and decent counting stats depending on where he hits in the lineup. The most upside here is most certainly Weeks, and as such I’ve seen him go much earlier in drafts than his MDP would indicate.

Tier 6: Rounds 21+

This group is for the most part uninspiring. All of these guys will help in some categories and be a drain in others. The most upside probably lies with Barmes, though that mostly depends on whether or not he breaks camp with a job. You pretty much know what you’re getting here, so draft accordingly.

Tier 7: Fliers/Waiver Wire Fodder

The last group of players are guys you might want to take a shot on. Stewart has a lot of upside if he has a job, although it is unlikely to be at 2B (LF is more likely). Hill is probably undervalued after missing much of 2008 due to injury. Cabrera struggled early last year, spent some time in the minors, but finished strong. There are questions around his job security as well but he’s a guy who could play well at MI. Sanchez is a guy I probably wouldn’t even bother with, as there’s not likely to be a whole lot of upside. If Eugenio Velez or Emmanuel Burriss wins the job in San Francisco, they could be a cheap source of steals, so that’s another set of names to keep your eye on.

All in all, second base has a little of everything. There are some top players who will produce across the board, there are players who will produce in only a few categories, and there are some real mediocre players who will do little more than fill out your roster. As such, a good way to get a leg up on the competition is to find yourself a legitimate 2B, but don’t reach for one!

We’ve covered catcher and first base. Tune in tomorrow for the next edition of our Positional Tier rankings: third base!

Rate this article: (14 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)  Loading ... Questions or comments for Gabe? Post them in the Cafe Forums! Want to write for the Cafe? Check out the Cafe's Pencil & Paper section!