2011 MLB Fantasy Baseball Preseson Second Base Rankings

Second base has improved over the past five years as there are now two guys who play the position that could be drafted in the first round.  There are also another six guys who will be a very good option for your fantasy team. 

However, there is a nice group of young guys coming into the position like Danny Esposito, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Gordon Beckham, and Sean Rodriguez that could break out and could far exceed their draft positions. 

So, of course you would be best off taking one of the elite options, but if you wait until the middle of the draft you still should get a guy who won’t crush your stats on a daily basis. 

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1. Robinson Cano, New York Yankees
.319 average, 29 homers, 109 RBI, 3 SBs, 103 runs

Cano went from a solid second baseman to one of the league’s best players in 2010 and he looks to improve on that season a little more in 2011. 

I’m not sure how much better he can get, but I also don’t think that the numbers last season were a fluke at all.  The Yanks always thought that Cano would be a guy who could win a batting title, but I don’t think they expected a guy who hit 30 homers as well. 

Of course the ballpark helps out some, but Cano is just an elite talent.   Even if he falls off 10 percent in the power numbers he is still hitting 26 homers and driving in nearly 100 runs.

There is a small drawback in the fact that he doesn’t steal bases, but a guy who plays second base with these numbers is someone worth a first round pick. 

2. Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies
.275 average, 16 homers, 65 RBI, 13 SBs, 75 runs (115 games)

It has been a long time since I have taken Chase Utley off the top of my second base rankings, in fact, I would say that this is the first time he hasn’t been at the top of the list. 

He has had some injury concerns over the past couple of seasons , but Utley has remained a consistent force from a fantasy perspective.  He has slipped a little recently but he is still an elite fantasy player as he very well could be in the best lineup in baseball. 

He still should be a late first round pick, or at worst one of the first three picks of the second round and he will give you incredible value.  Utley and that quick swing should be back over the .300 plateau and approach the 30 homer mark as well. 

3. Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox
.288 average, 12 homers, 41 RBI, 9 SBs, 53 runs (75 games)

A foot injury cost him most of the season for the Red Sox last year, but he was on his way to another great season. 

The Great White Hope makes us all feel good since he is a big time major leaguer and is just 5’9” and 180 pounds, and both of those are probably generous. 

Pedroia should be a lock for a .300 average, 17-20 homers, 20 steals and 70 runs.  With the additions of Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, look for Pedroia to also score 110 runs. 

He won’t be the MVP again, but Pedroia is going to be healthy and effective on the field this season.  I haven’t been too high on him in the past, but I am driving the bandwagon for Pedroia this season and believe he will be worth an early round pick. 

4. Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers
.286 average, 9 homers, 45 RBI, 15 SBs, 73 runs (103 games)

If you pick Kinsler, your leaguemates should immediately give you a pack of Rolaids to go with it as you will need it as he is guaranteed to be day-to-day a lot and be on the DL at least twice. 

However, you will still pick him because of his exceptional talent.  Kinsler is an awesome combination of speed and power, and is a goldmine in roto leagues...when he is healthy.  He is capable of having a .300/30/100/30 season if he can stay on the field and he should be taken in the first three rounds. 

He nearly hit .300 with three homers and nine RBI in 16 postseason games last year and you might be able to get him at a great value considering his recent injury troubles. 

5. Dan Uggla, Atlanta Braves
.287 average, 33 homers, 105 RBI, 4 SBs, 100 runs

Uggla hit 30 home runs for the fourth consecutive season, but it was his vastly improved batting average that made him a fantasy stud in 2010.  He still strikes out WAY too much, but it is hard to argue with that kind of production at second base. 

He not only is going to a new team but got a nice new contract so we will see how he responds to that double pressure.  He is now going to a smaller home ballpark so I don’t see his power numbers diminishing all that much, but I can’t say I expect him to replicate his career numbers from last season.

Look for Uggla to be in the 28-30 homer range and hit around .265.  You can fill in a few other positions in the early rounds before you grab Uggla and get great rewards from him a couple or rounds later. 

6. Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds
.275 average, 18 homers, 59 RBI, 16 SBs, 100 runs

His home run total dropped for the third consecutive season, and his RBI total fell by nearly 40.  He did score 100 runs for just the second time in his career, but I think the days of him hitting 30 home runs are certainly a thing of the past. 

He could be leading off for the Reds this season which could have his home run numbers suffer again, but then his stolen base numbers would improve again which could be risky since he was caught 12 times and was only successful 16 times in 2010. 

While a few years ago I thought Phillips was one of the top two or three second basemen in the league, he has slipped down some but is still a great option for your middle infield.  A 20/20 season is well within his capabilities if he can stay healthy with the talent around him in Cincinnati. 

7. Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee Brewers
.269 average, 29 homers, 83 RBI, 11 SBs, 112 runs

2010 was an incredible season for Weeks after he had never played 130 games in his entire career.  In fact, he had only played 100 games in three of his six full seasons in the majors. 

I am still really surprised that even when healthy he hit for that kind of power, but not as surprised as I am that he stayed healthy the whole year. 

Even with all of the good things he did last season he still struck out a whopping 184 times, all the more reason that you can trust him to do this again.  Even on the one in a million chance that Weeks stays on the field for 140 games again in 2011, I can’t see him hitting over .250 or surpassing 20 home runs. 

Someone is going to take Weeks in the first three or four rounds, but I implore you not to be that guy and let someone else get burned by taking him with an early round pick. 

8. Howie Kendrick, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
.279 average, 10 homers, 75 RBI, 14 SBs, 67 runs

Another injury riddled career, Kendrick had never played more than 105 games in a season before 2010 but was able to be fully healthy last year. Kendrick has been a batting champion waiting to happen his entire career, and then the first year he was healthy he hit .279. 

He is at that magical fantasy baseball age of 27, which some believe means he will have a big breakout season this year, but I don’t know how much stock I put in that.  If he is able to stay healthy I fully expect him to hit over .300, but I can’t see him hitting more than 15-17 homers and driving in 80 runs. 

He is a viable starting second baseman in my opinion, and could be a very strong contributor to his team.  He has had his share of time on the DL, but hopefully 2010 was a step in the right direction and he will be able to stay on the field going forward. 

9. Brian Roberts, Baltimore Orioles
.278 average, 4 homers, 15 RBI, 12 SBs, 28 runs (59 games)

Roberts had back and oblique troubles last year that cost him the vast majority of the season, but when he came back he did pretty well considering the nature of his problems.  I didn’t expect him to do as well as he did, especially steal as many bases as he did considering the back injury. 

Roberts says he will be fully healthy heading into 2011, which means he should be ready to do what we have come to expect from him.  You can look for Roberts to again hit around .290 with 12-15 home runs, 60-70 RBI, and 35+ steals. 

He is a little risky given his age (damn, he is younger than me) but overall I think you should be good to go if you have Roberts as your starting second sacker. 

10. Neil Walker, Pittsburgh Pirates
.296 average, 12 homers, 66 RBI, 2 SBs, 57 runs (110 games)

Walker was a great surprise in the second half of the season as he hit over .300 with 54 RBI after the All-Star Break.  He had a couple of nice seasons in the minors and could be a guy who gets up to 20 homers on the season with the job for the entire season. 

He isn’t going to bring you any speed, but he is going to go off the board in the middle rounds and you aren’t going to be getting 30/30 guys at that point.  If you don’t get one of the elite players, Walker should be a nice fallback option for your second baseman. 

11. Danny Espinosa, Washington Nationals
.214 average, 6 homers, 15 RBI, 16 runs (28 games)

Espinosa had a rough cup of coffee as far as the batting average is concerned, but he did show the power that he is capable of.  He likely isn’t going to compete for the batting title any time soon, but Espinosa is a guy that you can target really late in drafts and he is capable of a 20/20 season. 

He is going much later than guys listed later in these rankings but should outperform them.  Being in Washington isn’t the ideal situation for any young player, but Espinosa should be successful early in his Major League career.  In my early drafts he is going incredibly late and should be a great sleeper heading into 2011.  

12. Gordon Beckham, Chicago White Sox
.252 average, 9 homers, 49 RBI, 4 SBs, 58 runs

He was a colossal disappointment in the first half of the season, but Beckham did much better after the All-Star Break even if it wasn’t enough to make up for April through June.  He hit .310 after the break and six of his measly nine homers came after July started. 

He has all the talent in the world and is going to be a massively successful fantasy player in the near future.  He might struggle again in 2011, or maybe for the first half, but Beckham is going to be a guy who regularly hits 22-25 homers and drives in 90 runs. 

You are taking a mild risk with selecting Beckham, but I have supreme confidence that he is going to do vastly better this season and can be your starting second baseman. 

13. Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Minnesota Twins
.346 average, 11 homers, 59 RBI, 22 SBs, 121 runs (in Japan)

Nishioka led the Japanese Leagues in batting average, hits, runs, and total bases in 2010 and had pretty good power numbers for a guy his size as well.  He is a nice combination of all the skills needed to be successful and will be starting right away for the Twins. 

He appears to be a poor man’s Ichiro without the incredible bat control, but the desire to hit for a little more power.  He should sit right at the top of the Twins order and that should give him the chance to do a lot of running. 

Nishioka isn’t going to dominate or hit .340 here in the Major Leagues but should be a viable fantasy player and could have a decent fantasy impact this year.  There is just a lot of unknowns with a player coming to a new team and a new country, but the talent is undeniable.  

14. Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays
.205 average, 26 homers, 68 RBI, 2 SBs, 70 runs

Many lost faith in Hill after his very slow start, and although his batting average turned out to be disastrous, the rest of his year turned out to be pretty solid.  Everything was a far cry from where it was in 2009, but if he didn’t have that huge season I think most people would have been happy with the season he had last year.  

Hill has turned himself into a prolific power hitter over the past couple of seasons at a traditionally weak hitting position and I also expect his batting average to improve by at least 50 points.   I think he remains around the 25-27 homer mark and is a great option at second base if you take your time at filling the position.

15. Kelly Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks
.284 average, 26 homers, 71 RBI, 13 SBs, 93 runs

Johnson had a very good first month of the season and a very good last month of the season, and the middle four months there wasn’t much to get excited about. 

In April and September he had 16 of his 26 home runs and 30 of his 71 RBI.  This was a total aberration of power for Johnson and if you draft him and expect him to repeat these numbers I warn that you will be sadly disappointed. 

Outside of one season in Single-A, Johnson had never approached this many home runs, and in the majors he had nearly as many in 2010 as in any other TWO seasons combined.  He is a serviceable player and a good option if you require a middle infielder, but there will be no league where I draft Johnson to start at second base for me. 

16. Sean Rodriguez, Tampa Bay Rays
.252 average, 9 homers, 40 RBI, 13 SBs, 53 runs

This is a guy that I am really excited about.  Rodriguez has had some big time power numbers in the minor leagues, but for some reason has never really been given a full chance in the majors just yet. 

However, with Jason Bartlett out of town, it appears that Rodriguez should be the every day guy for the Rays in 2011.  He showed in spotty at bats that he is capable of generating a lot of power and also capable of running the bases intelligently. 

He still needs to work on his plate discipline some, but I think that Rodriguez could have a nice fantasy impact this season.  There is still enough risk that he is better off being your second stringer or middle infielder, but he is absolutely worth a spot on your roster. 

17. Dustin Ackley, Seattle Mariners
.267 average, 7 homers, 51 RBI, 10 SBs, 79 runs (in the minors)

Rated the 11th best prospect overall in 2010 by Baseball America, Ackley didn’t do great in his first year in the minor leagues.  He was an unbelievable hitter in college, and even gave the extra element of speed while he was at North Carolina. 

He does project to get some more power as he matures, but Ackley is never going to be a big hulking home run hitter, especially when he is 6’1” and 182 pounds.  Unfortunately for Ackley, there isn’t going to be a lot of other talent in the Seattle lineup, so he likely won’t be driven in a lot or given the opportunity to drive in runs. 

The kid has some talent and will improve over time, but I don’t think that he is someone that you want in your starting lineup every day. 

18. Juan Uribe, Los Angeles Dodgers
.248 average, 24 homers, 85 RBI, one SB, 64 runs

Uribe set career highs in home runs and RBI for the Giants on their way to the World Series Championship and took his talents to the rival Dodgers. 

There isn’t a whole lot to be said about Uribe that isn’t already known.  For most of his career Uribe has been a guy who has always hit a good number of home runs for a middle infielder, but his average was borderline on embarrassing. 

I don’t see any reason that you won’t get similar numbers again from Uribe although he is more likely to be down around 18-20 homers and 65-70 RBI.  I can’t imagine that your team is set up that you need a lot of power out of second base and you have batting average sewn up everywhere else, so I would say that Uribe is best left at a middle infield, utility, or even a bench spot. 

19. Mike Aviles, Kansas City Royals
.304 average, 8 homers, 32 RBI, 14 SBs, 63 runs

He finished the season incredibly strongly as in August and September he hit nearly .330 with six of his eight home runs and 17 RBI.  That performance certainly will warrant him being the starter at second base for the Royals this season, but you have to wonder what to expect from Aviles this season. 

He was great in his rookie season, and then awful and injured in his sophomore campaign.  He didn’t start 2010 in the majors but came through down the stretch.  I would like to say that I have confidence that Aviles will be good again this season, but there is no telling what he will do. 

20. Bill Hall, Houston Astros
.247 average, 18 homers, 46 RBI, 9 SBs, 47 runs

He didn’t even have a regular role for the Red Sox last season but still ended up having reasonably good stats outside of his batting average.  Hall has always been a fringe fantasy player over the past four years, and he now goes back to the NL Central and a hitters friendly home ball park. 

Houston doesn’t exactly put up a lot of runs so there isn’t a lot of hope for Hall to do much, but he could possibly hit a decent number of home runs, but other than that there isn’t much to expect from Hall. 

21. Freddy Sanchez, San Francisco Giants
.292 average, 7 homers, 47 RBI, 3 SBs, 55 runs

He is a long way from anything exciting, but Sanchez does have seasons where he has a great batting average every few years.  He won the batting title in 2006 and has hit at least .290 in three seasons since. 

He isn’t going to bring you much in the way of power or stolen bases, so unless you are in a roto league that rewards a high batting average, there isn’t much use for Sanchez in 2011.  You can do worse, but you can almost certainly do better too.

22. Carlos Guillen, Detroit Tigers
.273 average, 6 homers, 34 RBI, one SB, 26 RBI (68 games)

It is more likely to be his contract situation more than his talent that will put Guillen at second base to start the year for the Tigers as his best days are certainly behind him.  Injuries have certainly had a lot to do with this, but Guillen hasn’t been the same since 2007 when he hit 21 homers and drove in 102 runs. 

You will be extremely lucky if you get half of those numbers from Guillen, and that has a lot to do with the fact that you will be lucky if he is able to stay healthy and on the field.  I would steer clear of Guillen even though there is a possible nice reward if he is out there. 

23. Jose Lopez, Colorado Rockies
.239 average, 10 homers, 58 RBI, 3 SBs, 49 runs

Lopez has had a couple of really good seasons as far as middle infielders go, but he has been in a steady decline over the past two seasons.  At this point there isn’t even a guarantee that he will be playing every single day for the Rockies. 

He has the capabilities to hit 20 homers and drive in 80 runs, but the way he has been going lately I don’t think you can predict that with any confidence. 

Avoid Lopez on draft day, but keep your eye on his play. If he gets off to a hot start he could be worth picking up later on during the season. 

24. Blake DeWitt, Chicago Cubs
.261 average, 5 homers, 52 RBI, 3 SBs, 47 runs

DeWitt was a reasonable option in 2008 for the Dodgers when he was a rookie, but has been unable to stick in the majors since then. 

He did pretty well after coming over to the Cubs, but I am not sure that I see anything in his skill set that leads me to believe that he will ever be a solid contributor in batting average, power, or stolen bases. 

He might be someone you can grab if a starter goes down with an injury for a few weeks, but even as a middle infielder, I would not feel great with DeWitt in my lineup. 

25. Orlando Hudson, San Diego Padres
.268 average, 6 homers, 37 RBI, 10 SBs, 80 runs

The O-Dog has always been much more valuable to his teams in real baseball than he is in fantasy baseball.  He always hits for a decent average (except last year), and is around 10 home runs (except last year), and steals a handful of bases. 

He could get you through if your second baseman or middle infielder goes out with an injury, but Hudson is no fantasy player and shouldn’t be considered one either. 

26. Mark Ellis, Oakland Athletics
.291 average, 5 homers, 49 RBI, 7 SBs, 45 runs

Ellis had been a reasonable fantasy player for quite a while, but really fell off the cliff last season.  He never really starred at any one category, but was decent enough at everything to keep him on rosters. 

He is now 33 years old and on the downside of his career, and with such a huge drop off in 2010 I have to say at this point he is only worth considering in deeper AL-only leagues. 

27. Omar Infante, Florida Marlins
.321 average, 8 homers, 47 RBI, 7 SBs, 65 runs

Infante came over in the Dan Uggla trade, and will be looked upon to be the catalyst in the Marlins offense.  He did well last season in less than a full season of at bats, but I don’t think that you can expect him to hit .320 again.  He will likely give you 10-12 homers, 60 RBI, and a dozen stolen bases. 

All of that isn’t bad, but it is nothing to get overly excited about.  Infante could have value in small doses during the season, but he won’t be consistent enough to have on your roster all season long. 

28. Luis Valbuena, Cleveland Indians
.193 average, 2 homers, 24 RBI, one SB, 22 runs (91 games)

2008 was a good year for Valbuena as he hit 10 homers in the majors and looked like the second baseman of the future.  He was completely awful last year as his average dropped 60 points and he only hit two home runs. 

I think if he wasn’t cheap and the Indians had any reasonable second option he might not even be starting this season.  Unless you are in a desperate state, you shouldn’t have Valbuena on your roster. 

29. Skip Schumaker, St. Louis Cardinals
.265 average, 5 homers, 42 RBI, 5 SBs, 66 runs

Are you still actually reading this article?  If you still need a second baseman and you are down in this area you are in a whole lot of trouble. 

Schumaker really kinda sucks at everything and outside of maybe picking him up to play on a day where you don’t have someone playing if you are trying to win a matchup on the last day, there’s not much of a reason to even consider Schumaker. 

Even in NL-only leagues, having Schumaker is kind of a stretch. 

30.  Luis Castillo, New York Mets
.235 average, 0 homers, 17 RBI, 8 SBs, 28 runs (86 games)

The only real reason he is on this list is because he is a starter, but Castillo has been a total disaster since he came to New York.  He has spent most of the time either on the DL or in the fan’s doghouse as he has been a complete disaster. 

He generally hits for a terrible average, has NO power, and his stolen bases have gone down as he gets older and the injuries mount.  There is absolutely no reason to consider having Castillo on your team, unless you are in a league where you only draft Mets, or guys named Luis.

31. Brendan Ryan, Seattle Mariners
.223 average, 2 homers, 26 RBI, 11 SBs, 50 runs

Ryan played a very good utility role for the Cardinals over the past few years, and while he doesn’t really excel at any one category, Ryan is a very smart ballplayer and exceeds his talents. 

There is a chance that he starts if Seattle decides not to bring up Dustin Ackley, but I think that the Mariners will bring up their young star.  Ryan could possibly be used as a middle infielder role or at least a bench player if he is the starter, but there is no way that I select him on draft day.

32.  Robert Andino, Baltimore Orioles
.295 average, 2 homers, 6 RBI, 1 SB, 6 runs (16 games)

Andino has had a couple of good seasons in the minors, a couple with a little bit of pop, but mostly his main weapon is his legs.

He stole 15 bases in 110 minor league games in 2010, and if something were to happen where Brian Roberts was going to be injured again (a likely possibility), Andino could be looking at regular at-bats for a while. 

Definitely not someone to consider drafting, but a guy to keep on your radar in case the aging and fragile Brian Roberts were to end up on the DL. 

33. Jed Lowrie, Boston Red Sox
.287 average, 9 homers, 24 RBI, 1 SB, 31 runs

In small doses, Lowrie has proven that he could be a productive major leaguer if he was given the opportunity.  From August on Lowrie put up the numbers you saw above when Dustin Pedroia was injured, but there doesn’t appear to be a spot for him to play everyday. 

I think he is a better player than Marco Scutaro, but given the contract situation I find it hard to believe that the Sox will unseat Scutaro.  Lowrie is another guy to keep on your radar in case his situation changes, as he could be a viable fantasy player if he gets everyday at bats. 

34. Jonathan Herrera, Colorado Rockies
.284 average, one homer, 21 RBI, 2 SBs, 34 runs

Herrera has been toiling in the minor leagues for a long time, but could be finally seeing his chance to start in the major leagues.  He hasn’t shown any real great ability over the years, which explains why he has spent eight years in the minors, but he does have great speed and is a pretty good baserunner. 

The Rockies could use a little catalyst at the top of their lineup, unless Dexter Fowler ever proves that he can be consistent.  Keep tabs on Herrera and if he starts getting regular at bats and you need stolen bases, he could be worth a look. 

35. Emmanuel Burriss, San Francisco Giants
.292 average, no homers, 13 RBI, 11 steals, 18 runs (61 games in 2009)

Burriss missed most of last season due to injury, but he does have ridiculous speed, and even stole 50-plus bases one year in the minors. 

He won’t have a starting spot in 2011, but if something were to happen to Sanchez at second base, Burriss could be a guy that you can grab that can help you bridge the gap if you need some stolen bases.  Burriss will struggle to get on base consistently, but once he is on base he can certainly fly. 

Others to consider:  Scott Sizemore, Detroit Tigers; Akinora Iwamura, Oakland Athletics; Ryan Roberts, Arizona Diamondbacks; Chris Getz, Kansas City Royals; Eric Young Jr, Colorado Rockies; Will Rhymes, Detroit Tigers

Others likely to have 2B eligibility:  Martin Prado, Atlanta Braves; Casey McGehee, Milwaukee Brewers; Melvin Mora, Arizona Diamondbacks; Alexei Ramirez, Chicago White Sox; Chone Figgins, Seattle Mariners; Ian Stewart, Colorado Rockies; Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay Rays