Midseason Position Rankings: Second Base

Now to the other side of the middle infield, and probably my favorite position if only because it is the one I once played. While second base is traditionally considered a weak offensive category, the slot is called home by power hitters Chase Utley and Dan Uggla, along with all-around batters Brandon Phillips and Ian Kinsler alongside speedsters Chone Figgins and B.J. Upton. Because of the relative diversity in speciality, it's tough to rank these guys. Consider this a flexible list, because different guys will have drastically different value based on your team's needs.

Tier One:

• Chase Utley

This one is easy; Utley is in a class of his own. Granted, his numbers have been down in comparison to his hot start, but with his track record and a scary Phillies lineup, Utley blows away the competition. There's really not enough I could say about the slugger, but its worth mentioning while he is a lock for 100 R and 100 RBI, he's got a good shot of 45+ homers and 20+ steals on the season (add to that a BABIP 35 points lower than his career numbers and better isolated power numbers than last season).

Tier Two:

• Brandon Phillips
• Ian Kinsler
• Brian Roberts
• B.J. Upton

If I didn't have FanGraphs.com available, I would be more smitten by this group. In truth, the ordering isn't much better than if I had arbitrarily assembled the tier, but that because all of these batters have BABIPs around .350 except for Brandon Phillips. Phillips will probably get his 100 RBIs but an Adam Dunn trade will cost him a good shot of scoring 100 times himself. Kinsler, already with 82 runs, will easily accomplish that feat, but his average right now is a fluke. If Roberts is traded I would probably place him above Kinsler, provided he stays in the American league and isn't blessed with the rare pitcher on base to drive in. Upton hasn't been great so far, but last season's power must be in there somewhere and he could easily steal fifty bags.

Tier Three:

• Dan Uggla
• Chone Figgins
• Robinson Cano
• Dustin Pedroia

If you can pull it off, trade Uggla for Cano and someone decent, because they could easily put up similar numbers in the second half. I've mentioned Uggla as an overperformer, and a lot of it has to do with his insanely out of whack BABIP and HR/FB. In only his third year, the power could be legitimate, but when half your hits are flyballs the slightest drop in power means a drastic drop in average. Figgins has been a disappointment, but as he distances himself from early season injury his steals should come back. Cano last season sat at .274, 6 HR, 2 SB, but posted a Post All Star of .953 OPS and 13 HR. Again, he is a talent that is just underperforming, but is quickly establishing himself as a second half hitter. Pedroia is a catalyst in one of the best offenses, and once Big Papi returns he should score even more often while batting for a respectable average.

Tier Four:

• Placido Polanco
• Howie Kendrick
• Mark DeRosa
• Kelly Johnson
• Orlando Hudson
• Mark Ellis
• Ty Wigginton
• Alexei Ramirez
• Jose Lopez
• Kazuo Matsui
  
• Clint Barmes
• Ricke Weeks
• Alexi Casilla
• Yunel Escobar

I probably forgot someone, but at this point it really doesn't matter. I'm tempted to finish the list with Eugenio Velez, but he needs more time in the minors. Really, just base your picking from here on team needs, because the only balanced players sit in the top four, and they aren't anything special. I wish I had more faith in Kendrick, but with leg woes his preseason expectations of 30 SBs are a pipe dream. Also, I could have easily forgotten someone, so let me know.