By Dan O’Shea
With Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues opening for sign-up a few days ago, it’s time to catch up on our position rankings.
I’ve already mentioned my top 10 overall picks and my top 10 first basemen.
This time around, we visit the rest of the infield – including a few players from the local nines.
SECOND BASE
1. Robinson Cano, NY Yankees.
A Top 10 player overall should repeat last year’s great performance.
2. Dustin Pedroia, Boston.
Coming off a foot injury, but showed new power last year.
3. Chase Utley, Philadelphia.
Fading a bit, but still very productive.
4. Dan Uggla, Atlanta.
Dissed as a slugger with no average, he fought back with .287 last year.
5. Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee.
Injury-prone, free swinger finally paid off last year with 29 homers.
6. Ian Kinsler, Texas.
Fading slightly. His injury problems hamper his multi-category talents.
7. Brian Roberts, Baltimore.
Missed most of last year, but look for a rebound on an improved team.
8. Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati.
Reds won the division, but his stats fell across the board.
9. Martin Prado, Atlanta.
Will play more 3B with Uggla in town, but could have best average among 2Bs.
10. Neil Walker, Pittsburgh.
Surprise pick here. Showed HR and extra-base power in his rookie campaign.
2B sleeper: Gordon Beckham, White Sox.
I gave him hometown love last year and he barely stayed in the majors, but seems to have made the adjustments and could hit .300 and score a lot of runs.
SHORTSTOP
1. Hanley Ramirez, Florida.
Stolen bases are getting to be his top stat, but overall value still high.
2. Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado.
Blooms late in the season, but when he does, watch out.
3. Jose Reyes, NY Mets.
Would like to downgrade him further, but stolen bases save this ranking.
4. Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia.
Maybe a risk, but all stats should rise with a full season of play.
5. Ian Desmond, Washington.
Another, probably bigger risk, but I like his HRs, RBIs and moderate SB numbers.
6. Stephen Drew, Arizona.
Tired of ranking him this high and being disappointed, but more power must be lurking, right?
7. Alexei Ramirez, White Sox.
Another slow starter, but experience could give him an RBI, SB boost.
8. Elvis Andrus, Texas.
Thinking 30-plus SBs again, and hopefully more than zero HRs.
9. Derek Jeter, NY Yankees.
Lower on my list than elsewhere, but the writing is on the wall isn’t it?
10. Starlin Castro, Cubs.
Surprised? Sophomore jinx is possible, but with Cubs committed to him, he has nothing to lose in attacking the ball.
SS sleeper: Reid Brignac, Tampa.
Should see more at-bats with Jason Bartlett departing. Pencil him in for 16 HRs and 90 HRs based on last year’s 300 at-bats projected for a full season.
THIRD BASE
1. Evan Longoria, Tampa.
I like him for 30-plus homers and above .300 average.
2. David Wright, NY Mets.
Bounced back last year; great power, speed, average threat.
3. Alex Rodriguez, NY Yankees.
Aging out of the SB category, but power keeps him in top three.
4. Ryan Zimmerman, Washington.
His power numbers fell last year, but average jumped.
5. Adrian Beltre, Texas.
Power stroke returned in a near-MVP year, and Texas is a great place to continue that rebound.
6. Pedro Alvarez, Pittsburgh.
Another shocker, but 3B gets questionable after the top five and his power is for real.
7. Jose Bautista, Toronto.
Hitting 54 HRs made other stats irrelevant, but that won’t happen this year.
8. Aramis Ramirez, Cubs: Fading and too injury-prone to be trusted, but you know he’ll get his RBIs come August.
9. Casey McGehee, Milwaukee.
Breakout year may be followed by stat declines, but could still boost HRs, average.
10. Mark Reynolds, Arizona.
Despicable .198 average last year, but still 30-plus HR power.
3B sleeper: Michael Young, Texas.
Not clear where he’ll play and with Beltre in town, he wants to be traded, but is always a consistent hitter and extra-bases machine.
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Comments welcome.
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See also:
* Dan O’Shea’s Beachwood baseball blog SwingsBothWays
Posted on February 16, 2011