1. Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers
He was on his way to an MVP season in 2008 before a hernia injury cut his year short. But Kinsler has the speed and power to have a 30/30 year if he stays healthy.
2. Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies
Utley was also having an MVP season in the National League before a second half slump. It might have had something to do with a hip injury that needed off-season surgery. He still led all second basemen in homers (33) and RBIs (104). Utley would be Number 1 on this list if he were guaranteed to be healthy, but his hip is a question mark heading into 2009.
3. Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox
Pedroia was an MVP last season, leading all second basemen in batting average (.326) and finishing second to Utley in extra-base hits (73). The only thing keeping him out of the top two are a lack of elite home run power (17) and speed (20).
4. Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds
Phillips was a 20/20 man last season (21 homers, 23 steals) and a 30/30 man in 2007. That kind of speed and power combo is rare. Now if only he got on base more often (.261 batting average and .312 on-base percentage in 2008).
5. Brian Roberts, Baltimore Orioles
Roberts doesn't have the power of the top players at second base, but he gets on base, scores a ton of runs (107 last season), and blazes the base paths (40 steals).
6. Alexei Ramirez, Chicago White Sox
Ramirez tore it up as a rookie. The Cuban import had 21 homers and 77 RBIs in just 480 at-bats last season. He'll enter 2009 with a starting job. Though I'm not sure we can count on another four grand slams in 2009.
7. Robinson Cano, New York Yankees
He never quite broke out after his early-season slump in 2008. But Cano did manage to hit .307 after the All-Star break, and certainly has the talent to hit .300 in 2009.
8. Dan Uggla, Florida Marlins
He swings for the fences all the time. Uggla may never hit .300, but he'll challenge Utley for most home runs among second basemen again. Uggla hit 32 last season, and 31 in 2007.
9. Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee Brewers
With his speed and power, Weeks could be at the top of this list. But he's incredibly injury-prone (he's missed at least 30 games in each of his four seasons) and strikes out far too much to hit for a high average.
10. Mark DeRosa, Cleveland Indians
He's penciled in to play third base every day for the Indians. His glove has always been a question mark, but DeRosa's bat is solid. He hit 21 homers and drove in 87 runs with the Cubs last season.
11. Jose Lopez, Seattle Mariners
While seemingly no one in Seattle could do anything right last season, Lopez emerged as a big-time bright spot. The 25-year-old had a career year, hitting .297 with 17 homers and 89 RBIs. Bigger things could be on the way for Lopez.
12. Placido Polanco, Detroit Tigers
Polanco is a rock at second base, hitting .300 or better in three of the past four seasons. Unfortunately, he doesn't deliver much when it comes to speed and power. He hasn't had double-digit homers since 2004, and hasn't had double-digit steals since 2003.
13. Howie Kendrick, Los Angeles Angels
Kendrick has the sweet swing of a batting champion. He has hit .306 over 945 career big league at-bats. But he doesn't deliver much power (just 12 homers in his MLB career) and can't seem to stay healthy. Kendrick hasn't made it through 100 games in a season yet.
14. Kelly Johnson, Atlanta Braves
Johnson is a solid hitter at the top of Atlanta's lineup. He'll hit for a good average, and has just enough speed and power to reach double-digits in homers and stolen bases again.
15. Orlando Hudson, Los Angeles Dodgers
Hudson is certainly capable of repeating his .305 batting average. But unfortunately, he has never developed much power (just eight homers last season), and doesn't do much running (four steals in 2008).
16. Alexi Casilla, Minnesota Twins
Casilla has finally earned the trust of the Twins. He was solid in his first full season last year, hitting .281 with 58 runs and 50 RBIs. With his speed, he could steal 20 bases in 2009.
17. Asdrubal Cabrera, Cleveland Indians
His 2008 season got off to a nightmarish start, as Cabrera hit just .184 in the first half and was demoted to the minors. But he came back and showed the promise that made him Cleveland's second baseman of the future. Cabrera hit .320 with 32 runs and 33 RBIs after the All-Star break. For the 23 year old, that was more like it.
18. Akinor Iwamura, Tampa Bay Rays
Iwamura isn't a great hitter. But he's capable of posting a decent batting average (.274 last year) while stealing 10-to-15 bases. Plus, as Tampa's lead-off hitter, he could score a lot of runs (91 in 2008).
19. Eugenio Velez, San Francisco Giants
Velez can't to much besides run. But man, can he really run. Velez could be a poor man's Chone Figgins, capable of playing multiple positions and stealing a lot of bases. He only reached base 97 times last season, but managed to swipe 15 bases.
20. Felipe Lopez, Arizona Diamondbacks
Lopez had a huge finish to 2008. After getting waived by the Nationals and signing with the Cardinals, he hit .385 over 40 games with St. Louis. He's not that good a hitter. But as Arizona's starting second baseman, he's capable of hitting for a solid average while reaching double-digits in RBIs and runs.
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