Second base has some great players this year. While not as deep as 1B, there are some players that can help you across most categories.
First Tier
Chase Utley – Phillies - Like the cheese, Utley stands alone at 2B. Last season, Utley brought .282/31/93 with 112 Rs and 23 SBs to boot. While the general lack of depth at 3B steers me toward A-Rod for # 3 in my mocks, you can’t go wrong with Utley.
Second Tier
Ian Kinsler – Rangers - Kinsler came into his own last season with .253/31/86 with 101 Rs and 31 SBs. His lack of average (down from .319 in 2008) keeps him out of first tier range, but it is tough to find this production at this position.
Third Tier
Brandon Phillips, Brian Roberts, Robinson Cano, Dustin Pedoria
Phillips puts up very similar numbers to Kinsler (.276/20/98 with 78 Rs and 25 SBs). If you don’t want to spend a high pick on Kinsler, Phillips is a great substitute.
In my drafts, I find myself picking Brian Roberts a lot. With a 2009 line of .283/16/79 with 110 Rs and 30 SBs, he helps you with SBs without hurting you at RBIs. Even in a weak Orioles line-up, a guy who hits 56 doubles will still be able to get you some runs. You can grab him with your 4th pick depending on the size of your draft.
Aaron Hill, Ben Zobrist, Dan Uggla, Jose Lopez
Hill and Zobrist worry me, as their numbers last season seem ready made for fall to earth this season. I would rather waste a higher draft pick on a sure thing, but if I had to pick, I would grab Zobrist as
Uggla’s awful batting average (.243 in 2009) scares me every year, but he has hit 31 or more HRs since 2007. You could do much worse at 85.6 ADP. Lopez is in the same category. In drafts where I am looking behind on RBIs, I have taken Lopez, who had 96 RBIs last year and will now have Chone Figgins hitting ahead of him.
Howie Kendrick – LA Angels
Yahoo’s Preseason Ranks have him at 9. Why? Despite a good 2nd half (.358 AVG), he has yet to put together a full season and does not seem to stand out at any category.
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