Here is a look at my 2010 final fantasy baseball rankings for the position of second base. Several players are included in the list that did not start the year at second base, based either on games played or where I expect them to play in 2011.
1. Robinson Cano – despite being the fourth second basemen drafted in most fantasy baseball leagues in 2010, he ended up on top of the rankings at the end of the season. Home runs and RBI went up for the second straight season making his 2008 season a blip on the radar.
2. Dan Uggla - one of the easier players to project from year-to-year for the most part because he is so consistent outside of his batting average which tends to fluctuate. Hit a career high .287 this year which helped boost his ranking.
3. Rickie Weeks – no real surprise for the performance from Weeks, only shock was that he was healthy all season. Combine his 2008 and 2009 numbers and it puts him close to his 2010 campaign except for the drop in stolen bases. With Ken Macha gone, he might get a chance to run more depending on who the new manager is. Could also slide down in the batting order if Prince Fielder is traded in the off season.
4. Kelly Johnson – stats were similar to what he posted in Atlanta in 2008 except for the 14 home run jump overall, thanks to the home ballpark in Arizona where he hit 16 of his 26 home runs.
5. Martin Prado – built on his season from 2009 and kept hitting this year. Move to lead off was a big reason for his jump in stats. In 299 at bats batting there, he scored 54 runs, with 11 home runs and 31 RBI with four steals.
6. Brandon Phillips – it was a mixed year for Phillips who scored 100 runs for the second time in his career, but lost 39 RBI from the previous year and missed stealing bases because his success rate was 57%. RBI was impacted by only nine RBI in 180 at bats while hitting second.
7. Chase Utley – limited to 425 at bats held his ranking in check. Power dropped off as he was on track for only 21 home runs if healthy. Batting average dropped for the third straight season.
8. Howie Kendrick – I guess it was a testament to how good he was in 2009 that he put up almost the exact same numbers in 2010 despite having 242 more at bats, though he did manage to hit 41 doubles. Batting average declined for the third straight year.
9. Ben Zobrist – biggest disappointment based on where he was drafted in fantasy baseball leagues. Home runs plummeted from 27 to 10 and batting average dropped 59 points. Stolen bases went up so that saved him slightly. Second half numbers were brutal with a .177 average in 232 at bats with only five steals.
10. Chone Figgins – his first year in Seattle did no go well. Lack of punch in the Mariners offense cost him 52 runs from the year previous and his batting average dropped 39 points. Struggled the second half on the base paths, going only 18-for-29 on stolen bases.
11. Juan Uribe – got over 500 at bats for the first time since 2007 and came away with his typical 500 at bat numbers. His 20+ home runs with sub .250 batting is what you are going to get from him if he gets his plate appearances. Likely to lose at bats in 2011, but with so many players over 30 on the San Francisco roster, he will still get a good share of at bats.
12. Ian Kinsler – has been injury prone throughout his career and it happened again in 2010. Only has one year in his career with over 130 games played, that coming in 2009.
13. Omar Infante – injuries helped get him in the line up full-time the second half of the year and he responded, hitting .313 with six home runs and 23 RBI in 278 at bats.
14. Mike Aviles – started off the season in the minor leagues and did not start seeing playing time until May. Turned it up on the base paths the second half of the season, stealing 12 of his 14 bases.
15. Neil Walker – the lack of performance from Akinori Iwamura opened a spot in the Pittsburgh lineup that Walker took full advantage of. Hit .306 with 9 home runs and 54 RBI in 74 games after the All-Star break.
16. Ty Wigginton – set a career high for at bats this season at the age of 32. His ability to play several positions makes it likely he will get 400+ at bats again next season.
17. Ryan Raburn - finally got a chance to show what he could do as a full-time player after the All-Star break and he responded, hitting .315 with 13 home runs and 46 RBI in 251 at bats.
18. Jeff Keppinger – solid batting average plus a career high in at bats allowed him to pile up some okay counting stats although he was not spectacular in any one category.
19. Ryan Theriot – was playing okay with the Chicago Cubs before being shipped to the Los Angeles Dodgers where his numbers saw a drop across the board. Ran very little the second half of the season, going 4-for-9 on stolen base attempts.
20. Orlando Hudson – Hudson missed roughly 30 games due to injury, but still managed to score 80 runs and steal 10 bases while hitting .268.
