Second Base Sleepers

Second base is one of the thinnest positions in fantasy baseball. There are not enough top players to ensure every team in a standard, 10-to-12 team league gets one. Thus. it's an awfully good idea to have a few sleepers in mind as you head into your drafts, just in case the top few tiers (Chase Utley, Ian Kinsler, Dustin Pedroia, Aaron Hill, Robinson Cano, Ben Zobrist, and Brandon Phillips) are off the board before you get a chance to fill the spot in your lineup. No, I didn't include Brian Roberts in that list because I think his back problems are too much of a red flag. To that end, allow me to offer up my three favorite second base sleepers.

Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick has the potential to develop into one of the better hitting second basemen in the game; however, a slow start to the 2009 season and inconsistent playing time resulted in a surprising trip back to the minors last year. He was hitting .231 at the time he was sent down to the farm, but he was not playing every day and that made it difficult for him to get on track. The demotion did not last long, but it did significant damage to his fantasy value in the minds of a lot of owners, especially those who drafted him in '09.  To Kendrick's credit, though, he turned things around in a hurry after being recalled and hit a blistering .351 over his final 51 games of the season to finish at a very respectable .291. Kendrick's .302 career average is legit, and with the starting second base gig nailed down his first 500 at-bat season is very likely. Given that many at bats, he could also threaten to become a 20/20 player.

Milwaukee's Rickie Weeks has worn out fantasy owners who have been awaiting his big breakout season.  He has never played in even 130 games in a season and has only twice topped 100 games since making his big-league debut in 2003 as a 21 year-old. He's still only 27, and this could/should be the season he puts it all together. He just needs to stay healthy...where have we heard that before? Despite the number of games he has missed, Rickie has career highs of 16 home runs and 25 stolen bases (both in 2007) leading me to believe that a 20/30 season is not out of the question as he enters his prime and gets 500 at bats for the first time.  Through 49 spring training at bats, Weeks is batting .306 with two homers, three steals, and a team-high 12 runs. Best of all, he's healthy. Knock on wood.

My deep sleeper at second base is Tampa Bay's Sean Rodriguez. Yeah, I know you probably have his teammate, the aforementioned Ben Zobrist, penciled in among the upper echelon of fantasy second basemen already. That being said, Zobrist can also play in the outfield and the Rays need some help in right. For that matter, Rodriguez qualifies as an outfielder, but the current thinking as we finish up Grapefruit League play is that Zobrist might spend a lot of time in right field and Rodriguez could be the every-day second baseman. Rodriguez could also get some time in the outfield and can also play third base if Evan Longoria needs a day  off.  The bottom line is that Joe Maddon has to find a place for Rodriguez's bat in his lineup. He has been the Rays' best hitter this spring, which is saying something.  In fact, he has been arguably the Grapefruit League's best hitter. Believe me, I realize that we should never overreact to spring training stats, but it's hard to ignore when a player has a .439 batting average, 1.344 OPS, 17 runs, and a major-league best six homers through 57 at bats.  Maddon could announce his lineup plans any day now and it would stun me if S-Rod is not a big part of those plans.