I felt that second basemen was the deepest position heading into this fantasy season and it certainly seems to be the case with several young players such as Jason Kipnis and Jose Altuve stepping up this season. On the flip side, it has been a disappointing year so far for Dustin Pedroia, Rickie Weeks, Howie Kendrick and Jemile Weeks.
Here is a look at the top 18 second basemen for the first half of the 2012 fantasy baseball season.
1. Jason Kipnis - on pace for 20 home runs and 30+ stolen bases and there is some room to grow if he can improve against left-handed pitching (.219 average) and hit better at home (just four home runs in 170 at bats).
2. Robinson Cano - on course to set a career high in home runs with 20 at the All-Star break, while his average sits at over .300 for the fourth consecutive season.
3. Ian Kinsler - power this season is just like in 2010 when he hit nine home runs in 391 at bats, as he sits with nine long balls in 362 at bats and 15 stolen bases.
4. Brandon Phillips - his lack of stolen bases takes a small bite out of his value, but a .280 batting average with 10 home runs and 48 RBI helps to rank him fourth at second base. Hit .311 in June with 21 runs batted in.
5. Aaron Hill - the move to Arizona at the end of last season is paying big dividends this year. Hill is batting a robust .349 at home with seven home runs and 26 RBI.
6. Ben Zobrist- has a shot to join the 20-20 club for the first time in his career, but will need to improve his success rate on stolen bases after going 9-for-15 the first half of the season.
7. Jose Altuve - has fulfilled his projection so far with 48 runs scored, a .303 average and 15 stolen bases.
8. Neil Walker - pretty much on pace to replicate his 2011 season with a few more stolen bases. Has yet to hit a home run against left-handed pitching in 81 at bats this season.
9. Dan Uggla - the good news is he is on pace to set a career high in walks. The bad news is he is on pace to set a career high in strikeouts and is batting just .221. Has struggled to hit at Turner Field with a .195 average and just four home runs in 133 at bats.
10. Kelly Johnson - racking up too many strikeouts with 93 in 297 at bats, but still has 10 home runs and seven steals. Don’t expect a rebound in batting average until his pitch selection gets fixed.
11. Omar Infante - has already matched his home run total from last season in 289 fewer at bats and his eight stolen bases are the most since he swiped he nabbed 13 in 2004.
12. Danny Espinosa – his seven home runs and 14 steals are nice at second base, but his batting average is sitting in the .230 range again just like last season.
13. Daniel Murphy - solid batting average and a good amount of RBI (43) despite hitting only three home runs. His six stolen bases have been a nice bonus.
14. Dustin Pedroia – currently on the disabled list with a sprained thumb, he went homerless in June and batted just .194 with one stolen base.
15. Gordon Beckham - home run numbers are up with nine already in 300 at bats, but his lack of strike zone judgement leaves him as a .240 hitter with little speed.
16. Marco Scutaro - is hitting a nice .311 at home in Coors Field, but he has supplied nothing on the road with a measly one home run and 11 runs scored in 161 at bats.
17. Howie Kendrick – only reached double digits in runs scored or RBI in one month this season coming in May. Has just been very average this season.
18. Dustin Ackley – outside of May when he hit .255 with 19 runs scored, three home runs, 11 RBI and five steals he has produced very little.
