Ever wondered why Ian Kinsler and Chase Utley are being drafted in the first round of many drafts? Take a look at the next best option, and there is your answer. Second Base has less depth than most kiddy-pools. If you don’t get a top Second Baseman, here are some bargains that you can snag later in the draft:
1. Kelly Johnson, Atl. Being a Chase Utley-Lite is not such a bad thing for Johnson, considering Johnson can be drafted 150 slots later than Mr. Utley. I don’t want to be as bold as predicting Kelly to outproducte Chase Utley. However, looking back at the end of 2009, I think we will be saying Utley produced like a 3rd-5th round draft pick, while Johnson produced like a 4th-7th rounder. At 27 years of age, Johnson is entering his prime, and is ready to become a top five Second Baseman for the foreseeable future. Holding out for a Second Baseman like Kelly Johnson will allow you to stockpile plenty of mashers and pick up a few aces in the process. Drafting Johnson anytime after 140 will turn out to be a steal by the end of the year.
2. Rickie Weeks, Mil. Weeks has proven to be a fragile little thing, but his flashes of brilliance keep you wanting more. Last season, Weeks set his career high in At-Bats with 475, but he also hit .232/.342/.398. After four seasons of lackluster performance, many are placing Weeks into the “bust” or “didn’t live up to expectations” categories, I’m not buying it. Weeks is merely 25 years old, and only has 1600 Career At-Bats in the Majors. I’m going on the record right now when I say Rickie Weeks will post the coveted 20-20 this season.
3. Felipe Lopez, Ari. Felipe Lopez now calls Chase Field his home, after being traded to the D-Backs this Off-Season. In 24 Career games as Chase Field, Lopez has posted a .341/.420/.506 in the triple-slash categories. Hitting lead off fin a hitter-friendly park should help Lopez regain some of the numbers he had back in 2005. I think it’s safe to assume 10 HR – 15 SB at the bare minimum, not bad for a last round draft pick.
4. Ian Stewart, Col. Stewart is more of a deep sleeper, but a sleeper none the less. He still has no guarantees on whether he’ll even make the Major League squad or not. Although not his primary position, Stewart has 2B eligibility to compliment his 3B eligibility, making him slightly more useful as a utility player. Posting a 30 HR 101 RBI season at the age of 19 may have resulted in too much hype on Stewart. Don’t give up on this 23 year old prospect, though. His bat still has a lot of pop in it, and may just give you 20+ Home Runs this season from a 2B eligible free-agent pickup.
5. Chris Getz, CWS. Getz isn’t the “sexy” pick with upside through the roof, but he could serve to be a nice surprise seeing that he has the starting role for the Sox. Getz holds the single-season Big Ten record for Hits in a season, so you know he can make contact. This has be proven in his time spent in the Minors as well, posting a 0.86 K/BB ratio. Being a part of Kenny Williams “youth movement”, Getz will get plenty of At-Bats. Getz currently isn’t being drafted, but keep an eye on him, he could end up hitting 10-15 Home Runs while posting a solid Average.
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