The debate over who is the best fantasy second baseman was covered by Ross here last week and I covered my overall second base rankings here. Jeremy covered the second base breakout candidates here.
Now here are my AL/NL-Only second base rankings for 2011, starting with the NL:
NL Only
Chase Utley, PHI
Dan Uggla, ATL
Rickie Weeks, MIL
Brandon Phillips, CIN
Kelly Johnson, ARI
Martin Prado, ATL
Neil Walker, PIT
Danny Espinosa, WAS
Jose Lopez/Eric Young Jr, COL
Orlando Hudson, SD
Bill Hall, HOU
My AL-Only and commentary after the jump:
AL-Only
Robinson Cano, NYY
Dustin Pedroia, BOS
Ian Kinsler, TEX
Aaron Hill, TOR
Ben Zobrist, TB
Gordon Beckham, CHW
Chone Figgins, SEA
Brian Roberts, BAL
Howie Kendrick, LAA
Sean Rodriguez, TB
Mike Aviles, KC
Tsuyoshi Nishioka, MIN
I go back and forth on who I like at #1, but will side with Cano right now. Something tells me that Utley could be on the downside of his career. Dan Uggla is the Adam Dunn of second baseman, consistent power at a position now know for 30+ HR hitters. Danny Espinosa could go 15-15, and some have projects a 20-20 season from him this year, but he had his hammate bone removed in the offseason and I wonder how much it will affect his power production this year.
I like Rickie Weeks to have another solid season at the plate and think he can go 20-20 in 2011, with a shot to go 25-25. With new manager Ron Roenicke at the helm, Weeks will be running more this year.
Cano is as solid as they come at second base, and he is younger than Utley, so he is my #1. Dustin Pedroia and Ian Kinsler had their 2010 seasons cut short by injuries and will look to stay healthy this year. Is 2011 the year Gordon Beckham breaks out? Is he the Matt Wieters of second baseman?
I like Aaron Hill to improve his BA this year with 20+ HR production, and think Chone Figgins will also improve his BA for fantasy owners. A couple prospects to keep your eye on come late May and early June are Jason Kipnis and Dustin Ackley. I like Kipnis more than Ackley and wrote about it over at Minor League Ball here.