Breaking down second basemen is usually pretty boring — you're basically stuck evaluating all the guys who couldn't stick at other positions. This year's class, however, brings something entirely different. With the likes of Dustin Pedroia and Asdrubal Cabrera already making a big-league impact and intriguing minor leaguers like Matt Antonelli and Co. still down on the farm, the current crop of early-20s second basemen is going to be fun to watch.
Notes: The level that appears following each player's name is the highest level where the player has registered over 100 plate appearances. We used an age cutoff of April 1st, 2008.
1. Dustin Pedroia, BOS (8/17/83) – MLB
Dustin Pedroia is living the good life. The pride of Woodland, Calif., Pedroia went .317/.377/.442 for the Red Sox last season, netting a .359 wOBA to go with his 1.12 BB/K rate. For his efforts, the 5-foot-9, 180-pounder's performance landed him 2007 American League Rookie of the Year honors — and helped Boston to win a World Series, too. A sensational contact hitter, Pedroia should be bringing more of the same to the dish in the future.
2. Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE (11/13/85) – MLB
The Indians didn’t get much from Josh Barfield in return for Kevin Kouzmanoff — other than an opening at second base. And Asdrubal Cabrera has filled the void. Following a quick stop in Triple-A after breezing through Double-A (.310/.381/.454), Cabrera found his way to the show last August. Hailing from Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela, Cabrera went .283/.344/.421 in 186 plate appearances with Cleveland to close out the ’08 campaign. Don’t expect the 6-foot, 170-pounder to hit for much power (MiLB SLG: .416), but do expect him to be a solid offensive player regardless, as well as an excellent defender — we expect him to move back to shortstop by the 2009 season.
3. Alberto Callaspo, KC (4/19/83) – MLB
In Alberto Callaspo’s 1,044 career Triple-A plate appearances, something good has happened far more often than not. The 5-foot-10, 175-pounder has played in Triple-A for parts of three seasons, combining to go .333/.390/.475. He also basically never struck out — just 5.5% of the time. But in Callaspo’s 203 career MLB plate appearances, something bad has happened far more often than not. A native of Maracay, Venezuela, Callaspo has gone just .220/.272/.280 in the bigs — but that's due to irregular major league playing time, not his abilities. Dealt from Arizona to Kansas City on Dec. 14, we fully expect Callaspo to show what Triple-A has suggested he can do with the Royals this season.
4. Matt Antonelli, SD (4/8/85) – AA
With Pedroia and Cabrera graduating to the big leagues last season, Matt Antonelli holds down the fort as a the top second base prospect in the game today. But he might not be eligible for that destinction too much longer, either. After combining to post a .307/.404/.491 vital between High-A and Double-A a season ago, the former first rounder (’04 Draft, No. 17 overall) is in the Padres’ thoughts for ’08. Although we think he could use some seasoning in the upper minors to start things off, expect Antonelli and potential power bat at second to break into the bigs some time this season.
5. Howie Kendrick, LAA (7/12/83) – MLB
Howie Kendrick is overrated. Sure, he managed a .332 batting average last season, but there's not too much to be intrigued about with Kendrick after that. In 636 career plate appearances in the bigs, the 5-foot-10, 195-pounder has hit just nine homers and has only walked 18 times, which has led to downright bad BB/K (0.15) and BB (2.8%) rates overall. The Jacksonville, Fla. native strode to the plate just 355 times in ’08 thanks to a hand injury, which may have affected his power a tad, but certainly not his lack of patience at the dish. If Kendrick doesn't post a batting average north of around .330 every year or blossom into some kind of a power hitter, he's a slightly above-average player at best.
6. Danny Richar, CWS (6/9/83) – MLB
After being traded to the White Sox for Aaron Cunningham, Danny Richar finished out his Triple-A season (.305/.365/.505 line overall) by dominating Charlotte — playing in one of the best home run parks in the minors — to earn a promotion to the White Sox lineup. While his .230/.286/.406 (206 plate appearances) showing didn’t exactly impress, a Triple-A line like Richar’s doesn’t happen by accident. We still like him to become at least a league-average second baseman. However, being expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a rib cage fracture after reporting to camp late with visa issues isn't helping him too much right now.
7. Tony Abreu, LAD (11/13/84) – MLB
There’s nothing wrong with a .287/.338/.392 vital, but we’ll take .355/.399/.517 over that any day of the week. That spike in production represents Tony Abreu’s development between Double-A in ’06 and Triple-A last season. His dominant Triple-A showing landed him a 179 plate-appearance stint with the Dodgers, where the then 22-year-old fell back to earth a bit (.393 Triple-A wOBA vs. .305 in the majors). Still, that was only a 179 plate-appearance sample — the 5-foot-9, 185-pounder profiles as an average to above-average big league second baseman.
8. Jemile Weeks, MIA (1/26/87) – NCAA
Like his older brother, Rickie, Jemile Weeks has been bitten by the injury bug in the past. And like his brother, Jemile shows a world of potential when healthy. After going .293/.393/.489 for the Hurricanes last season, the 5-foot-9, 180-pounder is off to a ridiculous .429/.481/.843 start to the ’08 campaign. However, you shouldn't expect that kind of pop from the Altamonte Springs, Fla. native as a professional — he's a line-drive hitter, not a power hitter. The linked source also says that Weeks is a defensive liability at second, suggesting that an eventual move to centerfield is likely in order.
9. German Duran, TEX (8/3/84) – AA
If Abreu’s improvement from ’06 to ’07 was impressive, German Duran’s may as well be fictional. After going .284/.331/.446 in the California League in ’06, Duran improved to .299/.359/.524 in Double-A a season ago; his IsoP advanced from .162 to .225. However, the majority of the 5-foot-10, 185-pounder’s other metrics stayed pretty consistent — his LD rate went up 6%, though — meaning that the ’08 campaign should give us a good idea about just how much power he was really working with last season.
10. Adrian Cardenas, PHI (10/10/87) – A
The No. 37 overall pick in the ’06 Draft, Adrian Cardenas wasted little time making a professional splash by tabbing a .318/.381/.442 (177 plate appearances) vital line in his first season as a pro. And in his first full season as a pro last year, the 6-foot, 185-pounder impressed once again, netting a .295/.353/.417 line in 566 Low-A plate appearances. He had a .313 wOBA at home in a difficult park to hit in, but had a .357 wOBA on the road. The Monsignor (Fla.) High School product had 30 doubles to go along with nine homers last year, suggesting that Cardenas holds decent power potential at a largely powerless position.
11. Nick Noonan, SF (5/4/89) – R
You have to try pretty hard not to be intrigued by Nick Noonan. A combination of pop and speed with the ability to reach the base paths, Noonan showed each of these attributes in his first year as a pro (No. 32 overall pick). The San Diego, Calif. native has a physically advanced body for someone his age, and went .316/.353/.451 with 18 steals in 21 attempts. While he didn’t walk too often (5.4% BB), he didn’t strikeout (8.9%), either. It’s certainly early in his development, but Noonan is a prospect worth keeping watch on.
12. Tony Thomas, CHC (7/10/86) – A
After the Cubs took Tony Thomas in the third round (No. 97 overall), the Florida State product was looking to make an instant impact. Going .176/.250/.412 in 20 rookie league plate appearances wasn’t what he had in mind. That performance was, however, enough for Thomas to earn a promotion to Low-A, where he posted a stellar .309/.404/.547 line in 213 plate appearances. The 5-foot-10, 180-pounder also stole 28 bags in 30 attempts, rounding himself out as an all-around offensive threat.
13. Chris Coghlan, FLA (6/18/85) - A+
There are good splits, bad splits, and then downright funky splits — and Chris Coghlan's 2007 performance falls into that third category. After he seemed to destroy the ball in Low-A (.325/.419/.534 in 364 plate appearances), he then then fell off the face of the earth in High-A (.200/.277/.331 in 148 plate appearances). Maybe that's because the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder didn't exactly dominate Low-A — he dominated Low-A at home (.369/.452/.625 vs. .276/.384/.434). The 22-year-old needs to start producing numbers some of those stronger numbers in High-A and Double-A this season to prove he can be a consistent hitter.
14. Jarrett Hoffpauir, STL (6/18/83) - AAA
Jarrett Hoffpauir's major league ceiling is one of the easiest to predict of any player on this list. He has the potential to be a league-average second baseman — and here's why. In 461 combined plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A a season ago, Hoffpauir posted a strong 1.41 BB/K ratio. Don't expect too much power from the 5-foot-9, 165-pounder in Triple-A or the majors — he slugged .416 in Triple-A last year — but do expect Hoffpauir to land a starting job in the majors at some point.
15. John Tolisano, TOR (10/7/88) - R
Selected with the No. 85 overall pick in June, John Tolisano has developed power beyond his years. The Estero, Fla. native posted a .192 IsoP rate in 211 plate appearances last season. His ability to be a contact hitter, however, is still a up for debate (10% LD rate, 19% K rate). The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder did post a solid 12.3% BB clip, resulting in a .240/.332/.432 vital line. Tolisano still has a long ways to go before he reaches the bigs, but if he can become a better contact hitter along the way, the end product will be a pretty intriguing prospect.
Honorable Mentions: Scott Sizemore (DET) and Jose Lopez (SEA)
Adam Loberstein can be reached at aloberstein@projectprospect.com.