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Home  Sports News MLB Baseball News Major League Baseball: Top Ten Second Basemen |
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Major League Baseball: Top Ten Second Basemen |
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Written by Point-Spreads.com
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Wednesday, 18 April 2007 |
 Last week, I profiled some of baseball’s best outfielders. Being a huge Ryne Sandberg fan, and with the league paying tribute to Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson this past weekend, I thought I would profile the top players in today’s game at one of the most underrated positions.
The Phillies’ Chase Utley tops my list. Utley pulled off the unthinkable last season putting up numbers that only 12 other players in major league history have ever done. He torched opposing pitchers all season with 200 hits, 100 runs, 100 RBIs, 30 homeruns, and 15 stolen bases. How fitting that of the 12 players on this elite list prior to Utley, two were second basemen (Rogers Honsby and Alfonso Soriano).
The Brewers’ Rickie Weeks will be a terror in the National League Central for years to come. He hit .305 against the Central Division last season on his way to becoming its elite lead-off hitter before going down to injury. Expect this guy in the All-Star game in 2007.
The Yankees’ two-bagger, Robinson Cano, had the highest batting average of any second basemen in baseball last season (.342). In fact, it was the highest of any in over thirty years when Rod Carew batted .359 in 1975.
The Diamondbacks don’t have many recognizable names in their batting order, but Orlando Hudson should be one of them. This 2006 Gold Glove-winning second baseman hit .338 against lefties and we can expect his proficiency against right handers to increase in 2007 which will make him an even bigger threat at the plate.
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Ian Kinsler might not be the most familiar name to you either unless you live down in Texas. The Rangers’ middle infielder, in his rookie season, finished only second to Cano with an .801 OPS. This guy was the most feared rookie in the AL last season and we can expect his homeruns to be in the 20’s in 2007.
We here a ton about one of Baltimore’s middle infielders, but what about Brian Roberts? In 2005, he was brilliant hitting .314 with 18 round trippers and 73 RBIs. He dropped off some in 2006, but his 36 stolen bases, which were 11 more than any other second baseman in baseball, made up for some of his power numbers. I expect him to be back on the incline this year.
The Mariners’ Jose Lopez led American League second baseman in RBIs last season. This young talent is just 23 years of age and was brilliant in September. If the Mariners can find some more starting pitching in the near future, we might be able to see how good this kid is in October.
Felipe Lopez moves to second base from shortstop in 2007 for the Nationals and I think this move has success written all over it. The last time he played second base was 2005 and he saw his best number sat the plate in that season hitting .291 with 23 homeruns, 85 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases. He took his speed game to a new level in 2006 stealing 44 bases and will probably be the best two-bagger in baseball at getting swipes this season.
If you’re looking for consistency out of your second baseman, you really can’t look too much further than the White Sox’s Tadahito Iguchi. You can nail 15 homeruns and 70 RBIs write in the wall every year and he will likely do better than that this season.
I’ll round out my top ten list with the Reds’ Brandon Phillips. This guy went into 2006 with the lowest career batting average (.206) among active non-pitchers with at least 400 at bats. He ended the 2006 season with a 276 average, 17 homeruns, and 75 RBIs. I think base running is underrated in the majors so I also have to mention his impressive 25 steals. His confidence should be soaring in 2007.
I didn’t mention guys like Dan Uggla, who had a breakout year for the Marlins who I expect to slump this season, or Marcus Giles, who keeps steadily declining, or even Craig Biggio, who is great but no longer a top 10. The old saying is no guts no glory. Well that doesn’t exactly seem to be true with second baseman. These guys all seem to have plenty of guts and never receive enough of the glory.
It was good to see Mr. Robinson, one of the game’s all-time greats, honored this past weekend. That’s my two cents worth at two-bag. If you are a fantasy player and have any of these guys you should be in pretty good shape.
Point-Spreads.com contributing sports expert Jeff Alexander started handicapping to ensure that the average sports bettor has the best chance at making a profit. Nobody outworks Jeff and the result is winning season after winning season. 2006 showed unmatched success by hitting 65% in the NFL and nearly every big game he put out. |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 18 April 2007 )
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