| Second Baseman Rankings |
| Rank |
Team |
Player |
Avg. |
Runs |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
| 1 |
 |
Chase Utley |
.332 |
104 |
22 |
103 |
9 |
|
Utley was on his way to another monster season, and possibly an NL MVP Award, before a broken hand cost him a month. He's still the clear-cut Number 1 at second base.
|
| 2 |
 |
Brandon Phillips |
.288 |
107 |
30 |
94 |
32 |
|
The only man who could challenge Chase Utley for second base supremecy. Phillips was one of only three 30-30 players in baseball last season. |
| 3 |
 |
Robinson Cano |
.306 |
93 |
19 |
97 |
4 |
The 25-year-old Cano bounced back after a slow start, and it looks like he's developing more home run power. He hit .343 with 13 homers in the second half of 2007.
|
| 4 |
 |
Brian Roberts |
.290 |
103 |
12 |
57 |
50 |
As the old saying goes, "Speed doesn't slump." Roberts may never have 30-homer power, but he should be among the league leaders in stolen bases again.
|
| 5 |
 |
Rickie Weeks |
.235 |
87 |
16 |
36 |
25 |
|
His batting average can be scary, and he strikes out way too much. But Weeks draws a ton of walks, which will keep him in the leadoff spot for Milwaukee. He also has a rare combination of speed and power for a second baseman. After suffering through a wrist injury for most of last season, Weeks bounced back to hit .284 with 11 homers and 13 steals over the final 40 games of 2007. |
| 6 |
 |
Ian Kinsler |
.263 |
96 |
20 |
61 |
23 |
|
Kinsler is coming off a big 20-20 season. But he hit nine of those home runs in the first month of the season.
|
| 7 |
 |
Howie Kendrick |
.322 | 55 | 5 | 39 | 5 |
|
Kendrick doesn't have a ton of speed or power, but the 24-year-old is a future batting champion. He hit .357 over the final month-and-a-half after returning from a broken finger. He should start to develop more power.
|
| 8 |
 |
Dan Uggla |
.245 |
113 |
31 |
88 |
2 |
|
Uggla's batting average should remain ugly since he strikes out far too often (167 times last season). But he has big-time power for a second baseman. More than half of his 155 hits last season went for extra bases. |
| 9 |
 |
Placido Polanco |
.341 |
105 |
9 |
67 |
7 |
|
Polanco is a line drive machine. He'll hit for a high average and score a lot of runs batting second in Detroit's high-powered lineup. Just don't expect a lot of speed or power.
|
| 10 |
 |
Orlando Hudson |
.294 |
69 |
10 |
63 |
10 |
|
Hudson won't put up spectaular numbers, but he helped in all five categories last season despite missing more than 20 games.
|
| 11 |
 |
Luis Castillo |
.301 |
91 |
1 |
38 |
19 |
|
Castillo is a risky pick because of a recent history of back and knee problems. But he put up great numbers after joining the Mets at last season's trade deadline. Castillo scored 37 runs and stole 10 bases in one-third of a season with the Mets. Over a full year in their powerful lineup, he could steal 30 bases and be among the NL leaders in runs. Just don't expect any production in the power categories.
|
| 12 |
 |
Dustin Pedroia |
.317 |
86 |
8 |
50 |
7 |
|
Pedroia had a nightmarish start to his rookie season, hitting just .182 in April. But he bounced back to hit .333 over the rest of the season. He won't hit for much power or steal a lot of bases, but Pedroia should continue to hit for average and score a lot of bases for the high-powered Sox.
|
| 13 |
 |
Kelly Johnson |
.276 |
91 |
16 |
68 |
9 |
|
Johnson faded a little down the stretch in his first full season as a starter, but he still showed a nice combination of speed and power. He draws a lot of walks, leading to a high on-base percentage and plenty of runs scored.
|
| 14 |
 |
Jeff Kent |
.302 |
78 |
20 |
79 |
1 |
|
Kent showed there's still some home run power left in his bat. But there's no telling how much longer the 40-year-old Kent can keep up with big league pitching.
|
| 15 |
 |
Kaz Matsui |
.288 |
84 |
4 |
37 |
32 |
|
Last season, Matsui finally looked like the star everyone thought was coming from Japan four seasons ago. He posted great numbers for Colorado despite missing about one-third of the season with a back injury. Still, a lot of his success came from the hitter-friendly park in Colorado. Matsui hit .330 at home, but just .249 on the road. His new home, Houston's Minute Maid Park, is friendly for home run hitters. But not for singles hitters like Matsui.
|
