Fantasy Baseball 2012: Top 15 Second Basemen from This Point Forward

The following countdown touts my picks for the top 15 second basemen in fantasy—from this point forward.

To clarify, this listing is not necessarily a celebration of those who posted stellar stats from April 4-June 13 or those who were prominently featured in the preseason rankings.

It's simply a compilation of the best assets moving forward. It's also a rundown of the 15 most appealing 2B-eligible hitters to pursue in trades for the stretch run.

When originally crafting the list, I was surprised that neither Jemile Weeks nor Dustin Ackley made the final cut.

But in a season where the real depth of second base runs almost 25 deep, hard choices had to be made somewhere.

Enjoy the show!

Special Mention: Aaron Hill, Arizona Diamondbacks

(June 21 addendum)

For this countdown's intital publishing date of June 14, Aaron Hill had been squeezed out by the Cubs' Darwin Barney for the final spot—a ranking that may seem laughable now.

In the last 30 days (May 22-June 21), Hill has five homers, 16 RBI, 14 runs, two steals and a .385 batting average. In the 15-day window, Hill's batting average has spiked to a glorious .408.

But therein lies the beauty and blemish of executing timeline-based rankings: What looks good one week can appear foolish the next.

So, in this rare case, I wanted to acknowledge Hill's statistical reckoning...without minimizing Barney's contribution.

15: Darwin Barney, Chicago Cubs

2012 Stats: (through June 13) 3 HR, 20 RBI, 27 Runs, 4 Steals, .274 BA

Skinny: Darwin Barney gets the countdown nod over Howard Kendrick, Dustin Ackley, Kelly Johnson, Rickie Weeks, Jemile Weeks and Danny Espinosa, among others, for three main reasons:

1. Barney has maintained a .298 batting average for both the 15-day and 30-day periods.

2. He currently ranks in the top 12 for batting average (.274), on-base percentage (.325) and doubles (seven) among second basemen.

3. Short of a fire sale involving the club's best veteran assets, I expect the Cubs to play their way out of the National League Central cellar...or at the very least, chip away at that daunting hole of 21 games below .500.

Barney, in turn, should have a key role in Chicago's summertime rebound.

14: Neil Walker, Pittsburgh Pirates

2012 Stats: (through June 13) 4 HR, 28 RBI, 20 Runs, 5 Steals, .271 BA

Skinny: From a 30-day and seasonal perspective, Walker has posted modest numbers with the pennant-contending Pirates.

But the real breakthrough dates back to May 31, with Walker hitting at a .320 clip with two homers, 11 RBI and three steals.

Bottom line: Walker may have difficulty matching last year's output in runs (76), but he has a reasonable chance of eclipsing the marks in homers (12), RBI (83), steals (nine) and batting average (.273).

Of course, he needs to get on a little run soon...in hopes of boosting that .322 on-base percentage.

13: Gordon Beckham, Chicago White Sox

2012 Stats: 8 HR, 27 RBI, 31 Runs, 1 Steal, .233 BA

Skinny: Power-hitting middle infielders batting well above .300 in the last 30 days can only languish on waivers for so long—regardless of their track record for prolonged slumps and monthly tallies of .245 batting.

Whether the new-and-improved Beckham (six homers, 18 RBI, .263 batting since May 15) is here to stay for the next 45 days remains to be seen.

Fantasy owners, especially those with a 2B/SS slot to fill, must take a leap of faith on Beckham's capacity for making on-the-fly adjustments to major league pitching...while playing a prominent role on a first-place club.

12: Mike Aviles, Boston Red Sox

2012 Stats: 8 HR, 33 RBI, 37 Runs, 7 Steals, .263 BA

Skinny: I'm really torn on Aviles here.

By all accounts, he'll likely post career highs in runs, homers, RBI and steals this season; and in 38 games with the Red Sox last year, he batted .317 (with a .340 on-base percentage).

But is the mojo or mystique of Fenway Park really that essential to Aviles's real-world and fantasy prospects? Or are his 15 minutes of fantasy fame coming to an end soon?

Yes, Aviles has a plum spot in one of baseball's most vaunted lineups, but that's still no reason to go all-in on a 31-year-old journeyman with 34 career homers and 44 steals.

Hence, the conservative (and likely unfair) ranking.

11: Omar Infante, Miami Marlins

2012 Stats: 6 HR, 20 RBI, 31 Runs, 7 Steals, .295 BA

Skinny: Given his strong stats in all five categories, Infante probably deserves a higher ranking here.

However, I'm a little concerned about his progress report over the last seven (zero homers) and 15 days (.220 batting). Plus, he has only cracked the thresholds of 66 runs, 10 homers, 55 RBI and 10 steals once in his career (and not at the same time).

That's a tiny, but revealing red flag working against Infante.

Of course, I could be singing a totally different tune if/when Infante bats above .300 from June 14 to next month's All-Star break.

10: Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay Rays

2012 Stats: 8 HR, 26 RBI, 34 Runs, 6 Steals, .229 BA

Skinny: Zobrist might have the most deceptive low batting average of any player over the last 20 years.

How else to characterize a productive dual-position asset (2B/OF) with a .357 on-base percentage and excellent walks-to-strikeout ratio (41/42)?

This is the stealth beauty of continually churning out blog pictorials—it forces fantasy gurus to really delve into a player's statistical trends, and all signs point to Zobrist enjoying a substantial turnaround in the coming weeks and months.

OK, so maybe Zobrist won't replicate last year's 99 runs or 91 RBI, but he's a worthy candidate to break the 2011 marks in homers, steals and (maybe) batting average.

Bottom line: By any reasonable means, I highly recommend trading for Big Z.

9: Marco Scutaro, Colorado Rockies

2012 Stats: 3 HR, 16 RBI, 36 Runs, 6 Steals, .280 BA

Skinny: Marco Scutaro's seasonal stats are all nice and good, but he's been killing the baseball of late, batting .389 with two homers and nine RBI since May 31.

It's the kind of prodigious run that normally would be linked with Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki or Michael Cuddyer—not a player the Red Sox traded to the Rockies for a bag of balls during the offseason (or something like that).

Along those lines, Scutaro has a .314 batting average and .351 OBP in the last 30 days—monthly figures that can only be topped by Jose Altuve and Brandon Phillips.

Bottom line: There's really no downside to making a trade play for Scutaro. He's guaranteed to log 25 at-bats every week and his dual-position versatility (2B/SS) makes him far more valuable than most of his brethren at second base.

8: Dan Uggla, Atlanta Braves

2012 Stats: 11 HR, 41 RBI, 46 Runs, .260 BA

Skinny: For six-plus seasons in the majors, Uggla has been a lock for 27 homers and 82 RBI. But never once has he posted an on-base percentage above .370—let alone his current number of .386.

At first blush, one would think that a free-swinging power hitter like Uggla (six homers since May 15) wouldn't have enough plate discipline to maintain such high marks.

But his excellent walks-to-strikeout ratio (27/28) and otherworldly OBP (.417) in the last 30 days suggest that Uggla is primed to have a significant breakout in the coming weeks—and hopefully, the coming days.

It's gonna happen.

7: Michael Cuddyer, Colorado Rockies

2012 Stats: 9 HR, 42 RBI, 35 Runs, 7 Steals, .284 BA

Skinny: It's vital to mention that Cuddyer doesn't qualify as a second baseman in every fantasy league.

But for the ones that accommodate his three-position versatility (1B/2B/OF), Cuddyer has been golden in the last 15 days (.333 batting) and 30 days (five HRs, 16 RBI, 20 runs, two steals, .303 batting).

6: Jason Kipnis, Cleveland Indians

2012 Stats: 10 HR, 40 RBI, 44 Runs, 15 Steals, .279 BA

Skinny: From a 30-day perspective, Kipnis ranks first in runs, first in steals, third in RBI, fifth in hits, fifth in homers and eighth in batting average among second basemen.

So, how in the world does he have a No. 6 ranking?

Other than lauding the greatness of the elite assets in this countdown—sorry, Rickie Weeks didn't make the cut—I can only say that Kipnis is the victim of an unfortunate numbers game...where someone had to rank outside the top five.

Looking at the numbers, he's certainly closer to being a top-notch player than just some random guy who's been stuck in fantasy purgatory since mid-April.

From that hint, Ryan Raburn didn't make the top five, either.

5: Jose Altuve, Houston Astros

2012 Stats: 4 HR, 22 RBI, 40 Runs, 11 Steals, .321 BA

Skinny: There will be no humble-bragging on my part regarding Altuve's standing in the fantasy realm.

In this case, I am happy to take full credit for the kid's overnight success story, morphing from fantasy afterthought to top-five second baseman with the steadily improving Astros.

(Kidding.)

While no one could have foreseen Altuve's three-category dominance back in March, it's worth noting that he didn't go more than three games without a base hit in 2011; and when extrapolating last year's stats over 150 games, he could have been in line for 75 runs, 20 steals and a .285 batting average.

Not bad for a 21-year-old kid, huh?

Well, now that he's one year older and plenty wiser to the ins and outs of the major leagues, it would be criminal to suggest that Altuve will encounter a major drop-off in production from this point forward.

4: Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds

2012 Stats: 7 HR, 34 RBI, 33 Runs, 2 Steals, .284 BA

Skinny: Fantasy owners should ponder two questions before pursuing Brandon Phillips, via trade:

1. Is Phillips in the initial stages of a statistical decline in his age-31 season?

2. Or did he just need a few extra weeks to find his rhythm in all hitting phases?

I could be way off here, but Phillips' early-season lethargy reeked more of bad luck than an eventual physical decline (although steals are a legitimate concern).

His 30-day numbers (five homers, 22 RBI, 19 runs, .317 batting) are up and the first-place Reds are steamrolling to a playoff berth.

My advice: Take a leap of faith on Phillips' fantasy prowess, sooner than later.

3: Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox

2012 Stats: 5 HR, 25 RBI, 33 Runs, 3 Steals, .275 BA

Skinny: If we had to prioritize the supposed buy-low options of this countdown, Pedroia would rank at the top of the list.

Sure, he has endured previous slumps of 4-for-31 in his stellar career; but when paired with his .167 batting average since May 31, Pedroia owners might soon feel pressure to unload a high-end talent before he finishes with career lows in all five major categories.

Pedroia's seasonal numbers to date may be indefensible, compared to other elite hitters. But assuming full health, it's impossible to believe he won't be a highly productive asset over the next three months.

As a result, owners in dire need of middle-infield excellence should explore Pedroia trades from every angle.

2: Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers

2012 Stats: 7 HR, 31 RBI, 47 Runs, 8 Steals, .275 BA

Skinny: I haven't devoted much editorial space to Kinsler; and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Without a doubt, he's a long shot to replicate last year's 32/30 output in homers and steals, but Kinsler is also on track for 107 runs, 75 runs, a .275 batting average and—fingers crossed—a .350 on-base percentage.

And if forced to choose which category will offer the greater surge from July to September, steals or homers, I prefer Kinsler's potential in thefts.

As a function of that, AccuScore.com has Kinsler tabbed for 14.9 steals and 13.4 homers from this point forward (June 14-Sept. 30).

1: Robinson Cano, New York Yankees

2012 Stats: 11 HR, 30 RBI, 41 Runs, 1 Steal, .294 BA

Skinny: Cano may be on equal footing with Houston's Jose Altuve in the current race to determine the fantasy MVP at second base, but there's no debate on the better asset from this point forward.

Even with solid, but not spectacular numbers through 62 games, Cano remains the surest bet for statistical excellence from mid-June to late September.

Just look at the indicators: Cano boasts supreme marks with on-base percentage (.348) and slugging (.522); and from a categorical standpoint, he's a good bet for 25 homers, 100 runs and a .300 batting average.

On the negative side, you can bet the farm that Cano won't replicate last year's output in RBI (118) or steals (eight).

Still, those are minor annoyances for a player who's sure to offer plenty of fantasy goodness throughout the summer.