Is Schumacker a Starting Fantasy 2B?

[Eagle Baseball]

I've been doing a lot of mocks and struggling on who and when to take a 2B. I'm in a keeper so I will not have a shot at the top seven (I figure) 2B. Today I did a mock that I really like (although I did get some steals that I doubt I will get in my real draft). I did not take a 2B until the last 2 rounds of the draft when I took Schumacker in rd 20 & Weeks in rd 21. I took Weeks for the 2 weeks until Schumacker becomes Yahoo eligible.

Schumacker 2008 line: .302, 87R, 8HR, 46RBI, 8S. I think if he repeats those in 2009 that he would rank above the Weeks, Kendrick, Polanco tier and maybe make him the #11 or #12 fantasy 2B.

Is it crazy to pass on Cano at MDP 94, Kendrick at MDP 129, Derosa at MDP 142 and Lopez at MDP 161 and wait to the last round to get a 2B. I am not debating that they are better than Schumacker but do they offer better value than Schumacker as a last round guy? I am assuming that he gets 500+ AB's.

[woodson_28]

The only thing to keep in mind is how terrible he is against LHP (.168 avg last year in 119 AB). I guess the good news is a majority of his AB's will be against RHP (.340 avg)

[Neato Torpedo]

Platoon 2B in deep leagues, that's about it.

[kab21]

I think waiting is a good plan but I'm not sure that Skip should be the primary target. Aaron Hill, Felipe Lopez, Alexi Casilla, Orlando Hudson, or even Asdrubal Cabrera seem like better options imo.

It's more likely that he hits .285-.290 and his 8 and 8 aren't that great considering it's not a guarantee that he can hold a starting position (either due to his 2B defense or due a crowded OF). Don't get me wrong I like him and he's solid but nothing spectacular.

[jake_twothousandfive]

I understand passing on the top second basemen and trying to find good value later in drafts, but I'm not sure it's necessary to take it to this extent. At the end of drafts you should be picking your backups...so it's probably not a good idea to be trying to find someone you'll have to use on a regular basis this late.

There are still a lot of great options at second base that come at good value. Jose Lopez is under appreciated, Felipe Lopez could be solid, Kaz Matsui is a decent option, Mike Aviles has great upside and is still going relatively late in drafts, Kelly Johnson, etc.

You can still find good value at 2B without waiting until the very end.

[abrage22]

I want to say yes since im batting like .400 with him on my ps2

[AussieDodger]

He makes heaps of contact has a good eye.
But unless they let him run he's no more then a bench guy or pick-up-when-hot guy.

[smoovethug]

If Polanco doesn't rank above Weeks, Kendrick, Matsui, etc. I don't see how you can justify it for Schumaker when they're basically mirror images of each other.

Polanco: 542 ABs, 84 R, 7 HR, 59 RBI, 5 SB, .316
Schumaker: 540 ABs, 87 R, 8 HR, 46 RBI, 8 SB, .302

I'd throw him at a MI in a deep league but that's about it. I prefer waiting for a 2B too though, I usually end up with Matsui, Aaron Hill is another sleeper 2B that I wouldn't mind starting.

[Maris09]

I say pair him with Fontenot and you should be able to get at least one of them vs a RHP each day of the week.
That sounds like a better pairing to me than Weeks, though Weeks is obviously a guy who you could hit the lottery with that late.
I'd say the Weeks pairing is more of a way to be able to take a shot at Weeks, but also have a safety net of basically Polanco.

[Pogotheostrich]

Schumaker at 2nd is looking less and less realistic. LaRussa has given him a pretty long leash but the defense isn't coming along that well.