Fantasy Baseball Week 2 Rankings (4/11-4/17): Top 20 Second Basemen

It’s early, so I will update these as needed throughout the week.  In the early goings, there certainly have been some second basemen who have made their presence felt.  Did anyone expect this type of start from Brian Roberts or Howie Kendrick? 

Let’s take a look at how things shake out for the coming week:

1. Robinson Cano, New York Yankees: vs. Bal (3), vs. Tex (3)
2. Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox: vs. TB (3) vs. Tor (3)
3. Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers: @ Det (3), @ NYY (3)
4. Dan Uggla, Atlanta Braves: vs. Fla (3), vs. NYM (3)
5. Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee Brewers: @ Pit (3), @ Was (3)
6. Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds: @ SD (3), vs. Pit (3)
7. Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay Rays: @ Bos (3), vs. Min (4)
8. Gordon Beckham, Chicago White Sox: vs. Oak (3), vs. LAA (3)
9. Brian Roberts, Baltimore Orioles: @ NYY (3), @ Cle (3)
10. Howard Kendrick, Los Angeles Angels: vs. Cle (3), @ CWS (3)
11. Neil Walker, Pittsburgh Pirates: vs. Mil (3), @ Cin (3)
12. Martin Prado, Atlanta Braves: vs. Fla (3), vs. NYM (3)
13. Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays: @ Sea (3), @ Bos (3)
14. Kelly Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks: vs. Stl (3), vs. SF (3)
15. Chone Figgins, Seattle Mariners: vs. Tor (3), @ KC (4)
16. Danny Espinosa, Washington Nationals: vs. Phi (3), vs. Mil (3)
17. Juan Uribe, Los Angeles Dodgers: @ SF (3), vs. Stl (4)
18. Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Minnesota Twins: vs. KC (2), @ TB (4)
19. Sean Rodriguez, Tampa Bay Rays: @ Bos (3), vs. Min (4)
20. Omar Infante, Florida Marlins: @ Atl (3), @ Phi (3)

Thoughts:

• Gordon Beckham has looked good early (.471, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 5 R, 0 SB), and has six games at home for the coming week.  It certainly is hard to keep him down in the rankings, isn’t it?  I considered pushing him above Zobrist as well, though the extra game for Zobrist certainly has to be taken into account.
• No matter what Dustin Pedroia is doing (and he’s struggling thus far with just one run and zero RBI), he’s almost a lock to be in the top three of these rankings all year long.  That’s what happens when you hit second in an offense that some people feel can put up over 1,000 runs this season (despite their struggles over the first four games).  There is just too much potential production there.
• Any time a hitter goes against the Phillies, you have to consider sliding him down the rankings.  However, Danny Espinosa has gotten off to a fast start and brings an intriguing mix of speed and power.  Still, the other guys on the list have too much upside at this point to be using Espinosa over them (at least for now)—especially when Espinosa has matchups with Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Yovani Gallardo this week.
• Howard Kendrick and Brian Roberts have really shown off some power early, haven’t they?  Neither should be considered for real (at least in the power department), but Roberts still brings more to the table overall, which gives him the slight edge over Kendrick.
• Three home runs in the first three games for Ian Kinsler?  Really?  Is anyone still concerned about his power outage from 2010?
• Wasn’t Aaron Hill supposed to bounce back?  Obviously, it is still early, but a 3-15 start with four RBI, one run and one SB certainly isn’t helping his cause.  At this point, you want to consider other options until he warms up (which should happen).  If he shows signs early, he’ll be bumped right back up before the end of the week. So make sure to keep checking back.
• With Evan Longoria injured, Sean Rodriguez is expected to see plenty of at-bats at third base (sharing with Felipe Lopez).  With his speed/power potential, he’s worth considering in the deepest of formats.

What are your thoughts of these rankings?  Who’s too high?  Who’s too low?

Make sure to check out our other Week Two Rankings:

• Top 20 Catchers
• Top 20 First Basemen

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