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Arizona Diamondbacks Ryan Roberts (Projected Value: $0) Roberts hit .279 with seven home runs and 25 RBI as the Diamondbacks' regular second baseman after the midseason trade of Felipe Lopez. Will Roberts (30) keep his job going into 2010? Watch to seee if the Diamondbacks acquire a more experienced second baseman before the season begins. Atlanta Braves Martin Prado (Projected Value: $27) Prado (26) batted .307 with 11 home runs and 49 RBI over 128 games for the Braves in the '09 regular season. His .307 average seems legitimate, and he qualifies at multiple positions. Consider him a solid back-end mixed-league option at 2B/3B/1B. Omar Infante (Projected Value: $7) Infante hit .305 with two home runs, 27 RBI, and two steals over 70 games (203 AB) in '09. He batted a combined .296 over the past two seasons. You can use him to bolster your team's batting average. Baltimore Orioles Julio Lugo (Projected Value: $0) Since having knee surgery, Lugo (34) has not demonstrated that he has the range to be an every-day shortstop. He showed that he can still hit for a decent average (.280 with the Red Sox and Cardinals last year). He might also get double-digit steals if he plays at least semi-regularly. Brian Roberts (Projected Value: $0) Roberts (32) hit .283 with 16 homers, 79 RBI, 110 runs scored, and 30 stolen bases - one of the best stat lines for a second baseman - again. He can snag another 30 bases and put up other decent stats. Boston Red Sox Dustin Pedroia (Projected Value: $27) Pedroia almost hit .300 (.296 - close enough) with 15 HR, 115 runs (AL-best), 72 RBI, and 20 steals. Expect him to continue to evolve in 2010. Chicago Cubs Mike Fontenot (Projected Value: $0) Mike Fontenot is more than willing to take a few grounders at shortstop. Whether or not he can handle the position could determine who will make up the Cubs' bench. The Cubs' starting eight is set, with the exception of second base. Fontenot and Jeff Baker are competing for regular playing time there. Piniella also said if shortstop Ryan Theriot was out for a significant amount of time, 19-year-old Starlin Castro would get the call. Mike Fontenot (Projected Value: $0) Fontenot earned the starting second base job with the Cubs last year, but lost it to Jeff Baker. Fontenot (29) had shown promise the prior year, and he still has time to show that he can hit .300 and provide some pop. Jeff Baker (Projected Value: $0) Baker has found a home with the Cubs – probably at second base. Once his sprained left hand was healthy, he batted .305 with an .810 OPS over 69 games for Chicago. He finished the year with a .288 average, four homers, 24 RBI, and 27 runs in 226 at-bats between the Rockies and Cubs. Cincinnati Reds Brandon Phillips (Projected Value: $25) Phillips (28) delivered his third consecutive 20-20 campaign in 2009. He finished the year batting .276 with 20 homers, 98 RBI, and 25 stolen bases. Expect more of the same in 2010. He remains a top-flight option at second base. Cleveland Indians Anderson Hernandez (Projected Value: $0) Hernandez started at shortstop for the Mets during their stretch run while the regular shortstops were injured. He batted .251 with three homers, 37 RBI, and 7 seven stolen bases for the season. He probably will not play regularly this year. Luis Valbuena (Projected Value: $0) Valbuena (24) contrbuted to the 2009 Cleveland offense, hitting in spurts and also fielding second base well enough to hold down the job during the stretch. He hit .250 with 10 home runs, 31 RBI, and 52 runs scored over 368 at-bats. He might swat close to 20 HR in 2010. Jayson Nix (Projected Value: $0) Nix will probably settle into a utility role with the White Sox; regular at-bats do not seem warranted. Major League pitchers started to figure him out last year and his performance faded as the year progressed. He can probably maintain the level that he settled into by last September. Asdrubal Cabrera (Projected Value: $0) Cabrera (24) batted over .300 and had 17 steals in 2009. He showed that he can hit, and surprisingly, can steal. Don’t expect a power surge, but he can drive in close to 75 runs. That he can play good defense does not hurt the amount of playing time that he will get. Colorado Rockies Ian Stewart (Projected Value: $14) Because Garret Atkins struggled at 3B for Colorado in 2009, Stewart (25) got regular AB. He displayed the power (25 HR) that scouts expected of him when he was a prospect. Consider Stewart a sleeper at second or third base who can hit for power (but not for average). Clint Barmes (Projected Value: $4) Despite a marginal .245 average (.205 after the ASG), Barmes (31) showed nice pop (23 HR and 76 RBI) with some speed on the base paths (11 SB) in his first full season of action. Check to see how well he does during Spring Training before drafting. Kazuo Matsui (Projected Value: $0) Matsui (34) batted .250 in 2009 with nine homers, 46 RBI, and 19 steals. He played in a career-high 132 games, but fell short of expectations, especially with batting average. He continues to have steals potential, and needs to rebound with his batting average to have fantasy value. Eric Young Jr. (Projected Value: $0) Young (24) can play the outfield or infield, but the Rockies currently have many players blocking the upward mobility of this base stealer. (Someone has to get traded.) He had 58 steals in Triple-A in ‘09 and hit .299 with seven home runs, 43 RBI, and 118 runs in 472 at-bats. He will display elite baserunning skills when he gets a full-time job at the Major League level. Detroit Tigers Ramon Santiago (Projected Value: $3) In a utility role, Santiago batted .267 with seven home runs and 35 RBI last year. He might get significantly more time at second base in 2010 if rookie Scott Sizemore needs to spend more time to develop in the Minors. Scott Sizemore (Projected Value: $0) Between stints at Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo Sizemore (24) hit .308 with 17 home runs, 66 RBI, and 21 steals over 130 games to earn the Tigers' Minor League Player of the Year award. He fractured his left ankle in fall league action, but no reports have come out to say that his recovery is delayed. The Tigers want Sizemore to succeed because he will not drain the team financially. Florida Marlins Dan Uggla (Projected Value: $26) Uggla (30) hits for power. He finished 2009 by hitting .243 with 31 homers and 90 RBI. He became the first second baseman to have three consecutive seasons with 30 or more homers. Couldn’t you use a middle infielder who hits for power - consistently? Kansas City Royals Chris Getz (Projected Value: $1) Getz (26) might get the second base job in KC. He had a good rookie year in Chicago with the White Sox who traded him to the Royals. Getz batted .261, with two homers, 31 RBI, and 25 stolen bases in 27 attempts over 375 at-bats. He should steal 30-plus bases. Los Angeles Angels Howie Kendrick (Projected Value: $21) Kendrick (26) batted .291 with 10 homers, 61 RBI, and 11 stolen bases in 2009. Expect the same again only because he has a tendency to get injured, or to even go through a prolonged slump, which warrants a trip to the minors. Make no mistake about it, this guy is gifted. He might break out this year, but, like his buddy, Brandon Wood, he has yet to show truly what all the hype was all about. Albert Callaspo (Projected Value: $17) Callaspo (26) stepped up to the plate last year. He ended 2009 by having a .300 batting average, 11 home runs, 73 RBI, and 79 runs scored. (So why did the Royals acquire another second baseman - Chris Getz - from the White Sox?) Callaspo should get full-time at-bats next year, and should hit .300 again. Maicer Izturis (Projected Value: $2) Izturis made the most of his time on the field last year. He stayed healthy enough to get 387 at-bats and to bat .300 with 13 stolen bases. He will still get plenty of at-bats for the Halos in 2010 because of injuries and with expectations too high for Brandon Wood at third base, and Howie Kendrick at second base. Kevin Frandsen (Projected Value: $2) Frandsen's current status is turned inside out compared with last year's. Despite coming off a season of near-total inactivity, save for an Arizona Fall League stint, Frandsen entered Spring Training 2009 with a chance to start at second base. But Emmanuel Burriss claimed the Opening Day job by outperforming Frandsen in the Cactus League. By contrast, Frandsen entered this spring thoroughly prepared, having played 154 games with Triple-A Fresno, the Giants and the Gigantes de Carolina in the Puerto Rican Winter League. Yet he appears to have almost no chance of playing every day. Juan Uribe is the likely replacement for injured Freddy Sanchez as San Francisco's Opening Day second baseman. This has forced Frandsen, 27, to compete for a utility role with Burriss and Ryan Rohlinger. He has a Minor League option remaining, leaving him vulnerable to another trip to Fresno. Los Angeles Dodgers Ronnie Belliard (Projected Value: $0) Belliard had become a part-timer in Washington, but the Dodgers' Joe Torre traded for him, and Belliard proved that he can indeed hit well. He took the second base job away from Orlando Hudson, a decent player in his own right. Draft Belliard for some power and average in a middle infield position. Milwaukee Brewers Rickie Weeks (Projected Value: $28) Weeks (27) had season-ending wrist injury in May. Prior to that, he hit .272 with nine homers and 24 RBI over 147 at-bats. He still has potential, but consider him an injury-risk. Casey McGehee (Projected Value: $18) McGehee (27) made the most of his opportunity in Milwaukee after the Brewers picked him up off waivers. He hit 16 home runs with 66 RBI and batted .301 in only 355 at-bats. He might have maxed out; if you draft him expect him to repeat same offensive output if he has 500 plate appearances. He had minor knee surgery in the Off Season. Craig Counsell (Projected Value: $0) Counsell (39) made 90 starts at three different positions in 2009. He started at second base (44 games), third base (27 games), and shortstop (19 games). He batted .285 with four home runs and 39 RBI over 130 games - totally unexpected good production. He does not plan to retire yet. Minnesota Twins Orlando Hudson (Projected Value: $18) Hudson (32) hit .283 with nine homers, 62 RBI, and 74 runs scored in 2009. He hit extremely well through May (.332), but became a virtual backup player by the time that playoffs started. He might be showing the signs of a decline – not that he cannot contribute good defense and a respectable average. Nick Punto (Projected Value: $2) Punto (32) posted a .228 average with one homer, 16 steals, and 56 runs scored in 2009. You do not know what to expect from him at the plate - because he can hit .290 or .210. You know that he plays good defense at many positions - so he will get time on the field (position flexibility) - and he will steal a few bases. Alexi Casilla (Projected Value: $0) Casilla (25) has a solid Minor League track record, but he sat on the Twins' bench a lot last year after the ASG. He might show that he can be a sleeper source for steals. New York Mets Luis Castillo (Projected Value: $0) Castillo (34) hits for average and can still steal bases. He batted .302 with one homer, 40 RBI, 77 runs scored, and 20 stolen bases in 2009. Considering his age, he might have overachieved last year. New York Yankees Robinson Cano (Projected Value: $48) Cano (27) hit .320 with 25 HR and 85 RBI in 2009, bouncing back from an uneven 2008. He avoided his perennial first-half slump and produced a remarkably even season during which he hit for both average and power. Expect him to continue to improve. Oakland Athletics Mark Ellis (Projected Value: $4) Ellis (32) produces when he plays, but he gets injured a lot. If he can get 500+ at-bats, like he did in 2007, he can hit 20 HR. If he gets 350+ at-bats, he can hit 10 HR and steal 10 bases. Philadelphia Phillies Placido Polanco (Projected Value: $14) Polanco (34), who played second base for the Tigers last year, will play third base for the Phillies in 2010. (He had played for Philadelphia from 2002-05.) Polanco batted .285 in '09 after hitting .341 in 2007 and .307 in 2008. Expect close to a .300 average with a dozen home runs. Chase Utley (Projected Value: $13) Utley (30) did great in 2009. He batted .282, scored 112 runs, swatted 31 homers, drove home 93 runs, and stole 23 bases in 23 attempts. He will benefit from a full off season of rest after having hip surgery over a year ago. He remains the top fantasy second baseman. Pittsburgh Pirates Delwyn Young (Projected Value: $0) Young (27) batted .266 with seven home runs and 43 RBI last year. He has multi-position (2B/OF) flexibility. He has yet to develop his potential. Akinori Iwamura (Projected Value: $0) Iwamura (30) comes to Pittsburgh from Tampa Bay where batted .290 with 19 extra-base hits and 22 RBI in 69 games in 2009. A left knee injury shortened his season. Expect positive things in the batting average department only. San Diego Padres David Eckstein (Projected Value: $2) Eckstein batted .260 with two home runs and 51 RBI, with 64 runs scored last year. He offers inexpensive value at a middle infield position. San Francisco Giants Juan Uribe (Projected Value: $16) Uribe (31) hit .289/.329/.495 last year with 16 home runs and 55 RBI. He will probably serve in a super-utility role with the Giants this year, getting plenty of action all around the infield. Freddy Sanchez (Projected Value: $1) Sanchez (31) hit .293 with seven homers and 41 RBI in 111 games for the Pirates and Giants last year. He can bat .300 and give you 10-Plus homers and 70-plus RBI if he stays healthy. He has knee and shoulder concerns. Eugenio Velez (Projected Value: $0) Velez (27) split time in '09 in San Francisco at second base and the outfield. He has a history as a base stealer (11 SB in ’09) and he batted .267 to go along with his five homers, 31 RBI, and 38 runs in 84 games. You can draft him for position flexibility and steals potential. Seattle Mariners Jose Lopez (Projected Value: $3) Lopez (25) has increased his production in each of his past four seasons, an encouraging sign for the second baseman who is entering his prime. He ended 2009 with a .272 average, 25 home runs, and 96 RBI. Why expect any less in 2010? St. Louis Cardinals Skip Schumaker (Projected Value: $3) Schumaker (30) batted .303 last year, performing virtually the same as he had the year before. He will probably do it again, and score 80+ runs. Aaron Miles (Projected Value: $0) Miles (33) batted under .200 in part-time duty for the Cubs last season, but he has a career average of .282. He will likely serve as a utility infielder for the Reds this year. Tampa Bay Rays Ben Zobrist (Projected Value: $27) Zobrist (28) had a career year with Tampa Bay in ‘09, affecting all the major offensive categories in a good way. He became one of fantasy's top middle infielders and also qualifies as an outfielder. Consider him an elite second baseman. Willy Aybar (Projected Value: $1) Aybar (27) can play just about anywhere in the infield and has hit double-digit home runs (10, 12) in a part-time role over the past two years. Consider him a late-round AL-only pick. Texas Rangers Ian Kinsler (Projected Value: $25) Kinsler (27) packs a punch. He batted .253 with 31 homers, 86 RBI, 101 runs scored, and 31 stolen bases in 2009. He put together a 30-30 season despite missing more than two weeks because of a strained hamstring. Despite the lower-than-expected batting average last year, consider him a legitimate first round draft pick. Toronto Blue Jays Aaron Hill (Projected Value: $4) Hill (28) had a career year in 2009, batting .286 with 36 homers, 37 doubles, 108 RBI, 103 runs scored, and six stolen bases. He did all that after suffering a serious concussion in 2008. He will probably move to the three-spot of the 2010 lineup. Expect him to duplicate his 2009 numbers (maybe not so many home runs, but maybe the same number of RBI). |