Post by Erbes on May 12, 2013 15:53:29 GMT -5
[glow=purple,2,300]Top 10 MLB Second Basemen[/glow]
Time for second basemen! Typically a position without a ton of power hitters, but that all changes here in BBSBL! Value, value, value. Remember that!
Top 10 MLB Second Basemen
10. Michael Young, St. Louis Cardinals
Age: 22
Ratings: G/G/A/F/F/G, C range
1999 season: .275/.316/.399, 11 HRs, 50 RBIs, 0 SBs, 65.7 RC
Mike Young kicks off my 2B rankings. The newly promoted 22 year old is showing that he can handle MLB pitching just as he handled AAA pitching. His value definitely derives from the fact that he's only 22 and still has 5 season of team control. Throw in the fact that he has a .700+ OPS as a rookie and he's clearly top 10 value. Personally, I'd prefer more speed out of my middle infielders, but if he can transform into a .300+/.350+/.425+ kind of guy I can look past the snail speed. C defense is solid, but not great. Bosoxi needs to get that up to a B for him to be awesome.
9. Roberto Alomar, Baltimore Orioles
Age: 31
Ratings: A/A/A/F/F/G, A range
1999 season: .340/.387/.476, 12 HRs, 59 RBIs, 39 SBs, 112.5 RC
Oh Roberto! Dude is putting up a. .862 OPS right now! Like whatttt? Craziest part is that this isn't even his best season! Robby isn't just all bat though. He plays stellar defense and probably saves Jah's pitching staff a ton of runs. He'd be higher on the list if it weren't for his age and mediocre ratings. I think both of those things would bring down his trade value in the long run. I'm also a little hesitant on the contract, but I understand giving a guy like this that kind of deal. You're going to pay $6-7M more on the open market for this kind of production at this position. Hopefully Alomar can carry Baltimore into the playoffs this season.
8. Rich Aurilia, San Francisco Giants
Age: 28
Ratings: G/G/F/G/A/A, D range
1999 season: .271/.341/.432, 16 HRs, 70 RBIs, 0 SB, 66.3 RC
Rich is listed as a SS, but primarily plays 2B for the reigning World Series champs. He may not have the stats of guys below him on the list, but he has the ratings and the age to be more valuable. I love guys who outplay their ratings. Rich may only have an average in strikeouts, but he hits like he's good/brilliant. I've said it before: putting the ball in play is so valuable. Guys who don't strikeout will always be more successful. He's also going to get you 20 dingers each season, another huge bonus from a 2B. If he could steal a few bases, he'd be prime for the top 5.
7. Bret Boone, Philadelphia Phillies
Age: 30
Ratings: G/A/F/B/A/A, B range
1999 season: .275/.331/.460, 21 HRs, 67 RBIs, 2 SBs, 70.1 RC
Power! Boone has it. He's being slightly misused as a 2 hole hitter. I don't think his OBP says top of the order hitter, but his power screams clean up. There aren't many middle infielders out there with a brilliant rating in home runs. I think it would behoove bigbuhner to pour some love into those ratings to really make Boone a superstar. In addition to the power, he plays great defense and doesn't have an unmanageable split. More speed would always be nice (another category bigbuh should bump), but it's not the end all, be all I'm making it out to be. The contract is a little rough and is one reason why he's here on the list. I'm not sure how many teams would want to add that contract at this point in his career.
6. Luis Castillo, Chicago Cubs
Age: 23
Ratings: G/F/A/P/A/B, B range
1999 season: .286/.341/.342, 0 HRs, 39 RBIs, 52 SBs, 70.1 RC
Luis is your classic lead off hitter. All speed, no pop. And that's perfectly fine. He doesn't have the awesome OBP you look for, and I like that Play puts him in the 2nd spot because of that. What I find most encouraging about Castillo is his ability to be better each season he plays. His BA, OBP, and SLG have gotten better each of the 4 seasons he's played in at the big league level. That's awesome. He's quick on the base paths for sure. I tend to let guys run wild if they succeed at a 75% clip - Castillo is right at it and he should have the green light all the time. It'll be interesting to see what kind of extension/contract in free agency Luis commands after next season. I think he's going to get lots and lots of money.
5. Eric Young, Colorado Rockies
Age: 32
Ratings: A/G/A/F/G/B, A range
1999 season: .279/.360/.417, 8 HRs, 50 RBIs, 75 SBs, 82.3 RC
Ugh did I overrate EY? Probably. Just like most hitters in Coors EY puts up numbers well beyond his ratings. But wait... here's the catch - he puts up better numbers on the road! I tricked you didn't I?? He does a very good job of getting on base and when he does get on base... look out! He stole 106 bases last season and he's already up to 75 this year. At an 84% success rate he's easily the fastest and most valuable base stealer in the league. I think the contract is okay. The money doesn't scare me too much, but his age does. He's entering those years that one bad PD could kill all of his value. Shale would be smart to try and recoup some value on him soon.
4. Chuck Knoblauch, Boston Red Sox
Age: 31
Ratings: G/A/A/A/G/B, C range
1999 season: .291/.365/.450, 12 HRs, 66 RBIs, 68 SBs, 102.9 RC
Knoblauch is a great blend of speed and OBP. This is probably the type of player I see Luis Castillo turning into at some point. Chuck is very close to matching the numbers he put up in 1996, a season that turned him from an average rated 2B, to an elite one that performs well beyond his ratings. He's only 31, signed to a cheap contract, and plays solid, but not stellar defense. I actually think his value is still on the rise because of those reasons. I wouldn't be surprised to see him traded for Albert Pujols, Victor Martinez, and Grant Balfour next season. It would make total sense.
3. Ray Durham, Chicago White Sox
Age: 27
Ratings: G/A/G/G/A/B, C range
1999 season: .320/.373/.517, 14 HRs, 81 RBIs, 42 SBs, 97.1 RC
Excuse Ray-D while he plows some Latina hottie. Alright he's done. Good job bro! This dude is 27, gets on base like nobody's business and steals bases like a thief. Before I shoot my load though, Ray has a tough time with lefties. This pretty bad split keeps him out of the top two. I also see quite a few 4's and 5's in his good ratings so that scares me a little. In my eyes he's outperforming his ratings right now. I'd like to see those numbers jump up to match his stats. That'll raise his face value. I also think waldo needs to let him run free. An A/A guy should easily be grabbing 70-100 stolen bases in this league right now. Other than that, Durham is a prototypical 2B who will stick in the lead off hole for years to come.
2. Wil Cordero, Houston Astros
Age: 27
Ratings: G/G/F/B/A/B, A range
1999 season: .316/.361/.536, 18 HRs, 71 RBIs, 8 SBs, 90.8 RC
Another top 3 player for Chris. Unreal at his lineup right now. He absolutely fleeced Minnesota for Cordero. Chris was able to take him out of chilly Minnesota and plunk him in a great lineup. With hitters around him Wil is having a great season. He's making some 1B, 3B, DHs blush with that .536 SLG. Already with 45 doubles and 18 homers, Cordero could finish somewhere in the 55/25 range. Wow. He's got great range at 2B and has saved Roy and Co. lots of runs this season. With no discernible split, Cordero is the complete hitter at this point. Toss in a pretty team-friendly extension and he's most likely a top 20 value player in the league.
1. Alfonso Soriano, Montreal Expos
Age: 23
Ratings: G/B/F/G/A/A, B range
1999 season: .283/.335/.494, 23 HRs, 70 RBIs, 19 SBs, 91.1 RC
This should come as no real surprise. Soriano is going to be a stud. He's a rookie putting up an .800+ OPS with 23 homers. I could stop there and be justified, but I won't. He's got 19 stolen bases and takes those at a 68% success rate - not awesome, but perfectly okay. I'm not exactly sure why styro is leading him off. Just because he has speed doesn't automatically mean he leads off. If anything he should be hitting clean up or fifth with his low OBP. Anyhow, Soriano is hands down the most valuable second baseman. The combination of his age, 5 more years of team control, and the numbers he's already putting up are ridiculous. He'll be a constant threat to win MVPs for years to come.
Guys who just missed the cut: Warren Morris, Marlon Anderson
Top 5 Second Basemen Prospects
5. Adam Piatt, New York Yankees
Age: 23
Ratings: A/G/F/G/A/G, D range
MLB ETA: 2000
Classic homerism right here. Actually not because there are like no 2B prospects out there. Piatt is horrible defensively, but he looks like he'll be able to mash. I'll toss some money into him and make him super legit soon.
4. Brian Roberts, Detroit Tigers
Age: 21
Ratings: G/B/F/P/A/G, B range
MLB ETA: 2001
Roberts has awesome ratings. He needs some time to marinate at AAA even if he might be ready by next season. The prone injury rating scares me. His good mix of speed and defense should make him an instant starter.
3. Jerry Hairston, Jr., Pittsburgh Pirates
Age: 23
Ratings: G/A/F/F/G/G, D range
MLB ETA: 2000
Jerry can literally play every single position. That's so valuable! Crazy! He's also raking in the minors right now. He should see action with the Pirates next season. The question is: at which position?
2. Orlando Hudson, Florida Marlins
Age: 21
Ratings: G/G/G/F/A/G, B range
MLB ETA: 2001
O-Dog is hawt bro. He's got very awesome ratings, coupled with good production right now. I like that he's young and pretty ready. I put 2001 because I think Ashes is going to tank for one more year and there's no reason to waste a season of Hudson on a tank year.
1. Brandon Phillips, Anaheim Angels
Age: 18
Ratings: G/G/F/G/F/G, C range
MLB ETA: 2002
Probably the furthest from the bigs, Brandon takes the cake with the most overall value for a prospect. He can hit homers and is actually doing a solid job of getting on base even with a fair in walks. I'll take a second here to commend jmich on the job he's done so far with the Angels. Solid team with a bright future.
Soooo close: Drew Meyer (MIL)
Cool! Third basemen tomorrow night!!!
