Second Basemen: Early Top-10 for 2014

Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports

Just a couple years ago you’d flip a three-sided coin between Robinson Cano, Ian Kinsler and Dustin Pedroia to determine the #1 second baseman.

So, it just bears to reason that those would still be the top 3, right? Well, the manscape has changed somewhat, but 2nd base is still an uncertain position, so let’s take a look. Before we do: In case you missed them please have a look at our early looks at catcher and first base. 

1. Robinson Cano Despite a potential change in scenery and a monstrous contract that will make all good Irishmen immediately resent him, Cano is still the best bet for the top spot at the position and a worthy fantasy 1st round draft pick.
2. Jason Kipnis He put together another fine season, erasing doubts about his late-season slide in 2011. Not only has he shown 30+ steal speed but there is room for him to grow in the power department. The gravy on top is that he’s hitting in a surprisingly improved Cleveland lineup.  We profile him here.
3. Dustin Pedroia All sympathies to Nash, but his favorite player saw his peek during his 2008 MVP season. It’s not that Pedroia isn’t still a great player – he is – it’s just that his game has no room to grow. Plucky doesn’t win fantasy championships.
4. Matt Carpenter Carpenter will be over-drafted after his sick 2013 season. He was expected to be an OK contributor, but he matched, then blew past, the highest projections made for him. He’s an example that fantasy baseball isn’t just numbers on a spreadsheet, but also players on a field. Expect regression, but he’s worth this slot, particularly in OBP leagues.  We compare his value to Daniel Murphy here.
5. Ian Kinsler It’s likely he’ll not come near another 30 /30 season, but fantasy owners are just hoping for a 15/15 here, amirite? Between a drop in production, the always injury concern and a fluctuating batting average, Kinsler is no longer in the discussion for top 3.
6. Brandon Phillips He had a great season knocking in runs, but there’s little certainty he’ll hit in the same lineup spot in 2014. He has had 18 home runs for 4 straight seasons, so there’s that, but the stolen bases are all gone.
7. Ben Zobrist I almost slotted him above Kinsler for the extemporized reason that I really like Zobrist, but at this point in his career he brings similar to Kinsler, but with much less upside.
8. Chase Utley He showed in 2013 that when he’s on the field he can still produce. But the knee injury isn’t completely going away and he’s not getting any younger. Don’t overpay, but you could be rewarded if he plays 125 games in 2014. We profile him here.
9. Aaron Hill Hill is injury prone as well, but he’s another that can produce when he’s on the field. However, I would never draft him without really taking a peek at his health status in Spring Training.
10. Jose Altuve Most of his value comes from an opportunity to make height jokes at his expense, but he does a solid average and 30+ stolen bases. If you’ll notice, steals are in short supply at second base.  We profile him here.

Just missed: Jurickson Profar (he’ll take a step forward in 2014), Martin Prado (too meh), Jedd Gyorko (power is legit), Brian Dozier (Overlook him at your peril! He is profiled here.), Daniel Murphy (you saw his career year in 2013).