Top 15 Fantasy Baseball 2B For 2011: An Extremely Early Second Look

It’s been nearly two months since we checked in on our second baseman rankings for 2011 and things certainly have changed.  Rickie Weeks has entrenched himself among the top 2B in the league. Chase Utley, Dustin Pedroia and Ian Kinsler have all been placed on the DL.  Brian Roberts returned to the field.  Let’s take a look at how things currently look. Remember, these remain extremely early rankings and will likely significantly change as the season progresses.

1. Robinson Cano - New York Yankees
2. Chase Utley - Philadelphia Phillies
3. Dustin Pedroia - Boston Red Sox
4. Ian Kinsler - Texas Rangers
5. Brandon Phillips - Cincinnati Reds
6. Rickie Weeks - Milwaukee Brewers
7. Ben Zobrist - Tampa Bay Rays
8. Dan Uggla - Florida Marlins
9. Aaron Hill - Toronto Blue Jays
10. Martin Prado - Atlanta Braves
11. Brian Roberts - Baltimore Orioles
12. Howie Kendrick - Los Angeles Angels
13. Kelly Johnson - Arizona Diamondbacks
14. Chone Figgins - Seattle Mariners
15. Gordon Beckham - Chicago White Sox

Thoughts:

• The thumb injury…  The hip injury… Can we trust Utley at all at this point?  We don’t know if the injuries will linger and affect his play next season, dropping him from the top spot.  If he comes back and proves that he can produce, we certainly will reevaluate this.
• Pedroia and Kinsler have had very similar seasons, both spending time on the DL.  The major difference is that Kinsler always seems to be spending time on the DL, significantly hurting his value.  The power was also significantly down this season, and hitting in the middle of the order there isn’t as many opportunities to run.
• It’s amazing how quickly things change, isn’t it?  Weeks is hitting .272 with 23 HR, 71 RBI, 78 R and 7 SB.  If the Brewers ever allowed him to run a little bit more, he’d be a complete monster.  The underlying statistics are all believable, so maybe this may finally be his breakout campaign.
• Could Kendrick be 2011’s version of Weeks? He is going to be 10/10 this season (has 9 HR and 10 SB) and has the potential to be much more then that.
• Where Roberts fits into the rankings is going to depend a lot on how he finishes the season.  The fact that he’s playing everyday certainly helps.  He hasn’t fully gotten things going yet, but he does have 4 SB and 7 R in 16 games.  If he can get back to what he’s capable of, he’ll return to being a Top 10 option.
• Placido Polanco and Casey McGehee are among those not included on this list due to not playing enough games at 2B to be eligible there next season.
• Beckham barely edged out Neil Walker for the last spot on this list, but that could change by year’s end.

What are your thoughts on these rankings?  Who is being overvalued?  Who is being undervalued?

Make sure to check out our other extremely early 2011 rankings:

• Catchers
• First Basemen
• Third Basemen
• Shortstops
• Outfielders
• Closers

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