RADIO
The first two months of the 2013 fantasy baseball season are complete, and we've gotten a good look at which players are establishing themselves as contributors and which guys are struggling. Every month, RotoBaller will update our original preseason rankings at every position. Today, we're going to look at second basemen, a position where we've seen some significant changes in value, like Kelly Johnson leaping up several tiers and Rickie Weeks continuing his free fall.
All the ranks below are compared to the FantasyPros ECR (Expert Consensus Rank), which will show you where RotoBaller differs with the expert community and by how much. Check out our tier-by-tier analysis below the rankings, and let us know where you agree or disagree with us!
TIER 1: Robinson Cano continues to be an absolute beast. If it weren't for Miguel Cabrera’s sensational season, Cano would be atop the AL MVP talk. His only downside is a diminished run total, which should improve now that Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis are back in the middle of the Yankees lineup
TIER 2: Dustin Pedroia has been terrific and is inches away from joining Cano in Tier 1. He is stealing bases, with 8 as of June 2, and rounding it out with 38 runs scored and a .333 BA. Brandon Phillips is a model of overlooked consistency. You can draft him in rounds 6 or 7 and he is guaranteed value. It looks like once again he will be right around 20 HR, 80 RBI, 90 R and a .285 BA. A recent injury appears minor and should not hold him back. Ben Zobrist has cooled off and hanging on the 2nd tier due to his past performances. His power has fallen off and without that, he doesn't have much to show. Be patient. The big jump into Tier 2 is Kelly Johnson, who produces monster seasons every couple of years. KJ is producing in all 5 categories right now.
TIER 3: Everth Cabrera makes the leap into Tier 3 based on his R and RBI production which nicely complements his speed. He had 12 SB in May and has 21 on the year. Jason Kipnis who was close to becoming a waiver-wire play has rebounded nicely, following a 1-HR, 4-RBI April with a 7-HR, 22-RBI May. You get the sense he is a streaky player. Matt Carpenter jumps into Tier 3 based on his consistent ABs and for hitting in a great spot in a very talented Cardinals lineup. Carpenter actually leads all 2Bs through the end of May with 43 runs scored. Let’s give some recognition to Howie Kendrick who is quietly putting together a terrific season: 7 HR, 29 RBI and a .298 BA, all under-the-radar on the underwhelming Angels' team.
TIER 4: Kyle Seager tops this list with solid power and RBI production. You wish he played for a better team in a better park because there is real power. But after 13 SB last year, his 2-SB total is disappointing. Daniel Descalso makes the leap into Tier 4 this month. If you need a 2B in a pinch he may be available. He will provide short-term run and BA production. Martin Prado is still treading water in Arizona. His position flexibility is tremendous, but he registered 0 HR, 5 R and 1 SB in May. His terrible May will most likely prevent him from having the year-end stats to live up to your draft-day investment position. Stay the course and if possible find a bench spot for him until he heats up.
Tier 5: Poor performers along with waiver wire pickups.
