Second base seems to be one of the more misunderstood positions in baseball. Popular conception is that offensively a second baseman is a small, wiry, speedy guy who hits eight in most lineups. However, many of these second baseman have become middle-of-the-order hitters and can provide power, as well as speed. There are currently 8 top-100 second baseman in Yahoo! rankings, just as many as third base. (Michael Young included in both lists, and note that Chase Utley is not currently in the top 100.)
At the top of most rankings for this season you will find Robinson Cano. The 28-year-old is one of the best homegrown Yankees in years and has already racked up 1,169 hits, 259 doubles, and 130 home runs in his 7-year career and is on pace to match his excellent numbers from last season.
He started out the season extremely hot and then slumped in June, but in his last 24 games he is hitting .344/.408/.548 with 2 HR, 7 doubles, 3 triples, and 15 RBI.
Overall in 2011, Cano is hitting .294/.343/.519 with 14 HR, 54 RBI, 52 R, 19 doubles, and 6 stolen bases. The steals are already a career high for Cano, who has never been known for his speed.
Playing for the Yankees has always been a plus for any fantasy hitter and that has helped Cano rack up more RBI's and runs than he would for most other teams. The way that we've seen how players like Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera treated, it's safe to assume that Cano will continue to benefit from this for a very long time, something else that is a plus for keeper league owners.
An honorable mention after the jump...
Honorable Mention: Rickie Weeks
Cano just beats out Weeks who is basically matched with Cano in every major category except for RBI, where he trails by 20. Weeks had one of the best college careers ever, which prompted the Brewers to draft him 2nd overall in 2003. Plagued by injury and inconsistency throughout his career, he's been a model fantasy player for the last two years... finally. He doesn't steal nearly as many bases as he used to (just 7 this year, he had 25 in a 118 game season in 2007) but he hits for more average and power than he used to, which makes him more valuable than that version of Rickie Weeks.