imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap imagemap
CHICAGO WHITE SOX - Ray Durham 30 S/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 CHW 153 612 181 30 8 13 109 60 73 105 296 373 435 34 11
2000 CHW 151 614 172 35 9 17 121 75 75 105 280 361 450 25 13
2001 CHW 152 611 163 42 10 20 104 65 64 110 267 337 466 23 10
      Durham's numbers dipped a little in 2001, but it's hard to complain about a second baseman who plays everyday and bangs out 72 extra-base hits. Durham now has six straight years of 150+ games played; he is extraordinarily durable and consistent, especially for a second baseman. He should play a big role in a White Sox revival in 2002.
      MID-SEASON UPDATE: Durham is quietly having a good season. His OBA is at .386.
SEATTLE - Bret Boone 33 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 ATL 152 608 153 38 1 20 102 63 47 112 252 310 416 14 9
2000 SD 127 463 116 18 2 19 61 74 50 97 251 326 421 8 4
2001 SEA 158 623 206 37 3 37 118 141 40 110 331 372 578 5 5
      He should never have left Seattle. The Mariners were regarded as fools when they traded Boone away eight years ago; he looked like an all-world second sacker who could hit homers and turn the double play. The deal turned out well for the Mariners; they got some quality players, and Boone never came close to becoming a great player.
      Until last year, that is, when he returned to Seattle. If he plays anything like he did last year, then obviously he is the AL's best second baseman. On the other hand, he is turning 33, and a repeat of last year's performance would be a surprise (see Jay Bell, 1999).
      MID-SEASON UPDATE: Batting .229. It was good while it lasted.
NEW YORK YANKEES - Alfonso Soriano 24 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 AA 89 361 110 20 3 15 57 68 32 67 305 363 501 24 16
2000 AAA 111 459 133 32 6 12 90 66 25 85 290 327 464 14 7
2001 NYY 158 574 154 34 3 18 77 73 29 125 268 304 432 43 14
      An outstanding young player; Soriano began the season swinging at everything, and he still needs to improve his plate discipline. But he has power and speed and appears to be very durable; his future looks very bright.
      MID-SEASON UPDATE: Is on pace for your typical 200-hit, 50-double, 40-homer, 40-steals season.
CLEVELAND - Ricky Gutierrez 32 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 HOU 85 268 70 7 5 1 33 25 37 45 261 354 336 2 5
2000 CHC 125 449 124 19 2 11 73 56 66 58 276 375 401 8 2
2001 CHC 147 528 153 23 3 10 76 66 40 56 290 345 402 4 3
      Gutierrez had another good year for the Cubs, and was acquired by the Indians to replace Alomar at second base. He's made some real improvements, but he's 32 years old, and is going to play a new position for a new team. How often does that work out? If he can avoid getting hurt when turning the double play, then he might be okay.
MINNESOTA - Luis Rivas 23 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 AA 132 527 134 30 7 7 78 49 41 92 254 309 378 31 14
2000 AA-AAA 123 485 132 37 7 6 89 65 49 62 272 346 414 18 8
2000 MIN 16 58 18 4 1 0 8 6 2 4 310 323 414 2 0
2001 MIN 153 563 150 21 6 7 70 47 40 99 266 319 362 31 11
      One of the big reasons for the Twins' surprising season was the rapid development of Rivas into a quality player. He is very young, and with any luck will continue to improve.
ANAHEIM - Adam Kennedy 26 L/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 STL 33 102 26 10 1 1 12 16 3 8 255 284 402 0 1
2000 ANA 156 598 159 33 11 9 82 72 28 73 266 300 403 22 8
2001 ANA 137 478 129 25 3 6 48 40 27 71 270 318 372 12 7
      Kennedy doesn't have much power, and could do himself some favours by improving his plate discipline and base stealing. But he is young and has raised his batting average each year; he's a quality young player.
      MID-SEASON UPDATE: Batting .298. He's been good, but he still needs to improve his plate discipline.
BOSTON - Jose Offerman 33 S/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 BOS 149 586 172 37 11 8 107 69 96 79 294 391 435 18 12
2000 BOS 116 451 115 14 3 9 73 41 70 70 255 354 359 0 8
2001 BOS 128 524 140 23 3 9 76 49 61 97 267 342 374 5 2
      Offerman has now had two sub-par seasons with the bat, and he isn't getting paid for his defence. To be fair, he is still a better hitter than your typical second baseman, but he is getting older and slowing down. The Sox used him in 43 games at first base... my guess is that his versatility, if you can call it that, will keep him in the league a little longer, but with diminished playing time.
OAKLAND - Frank Menechino 31 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 AAA 130 501 155 31 9 15 103 88 73 97 309 403 497 4 5
2000 OAK 66 145 37 9 1 6 31 26 20 45 255 345 455 1 4
2001 OAK 139 471 114 22 2 12 82 60 79 97 242 369 374 2 3
      A life long minor-leaguer, Menechino got a golden chance to play when the Athletics decided they couldn't use the rookie at second base. Menechino didn't do much except get on base, but that's probably all they asked him to do, anyways. He has served the Athletics well without costing a lot of money; chances are, he'll find himself back on the bench before too long.
DETROIT - Damian Easley 32 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 DET 151 549 146 30 1 20 83 65 51 124 266 346 434 11 3
2000 DET 126 464 120 27 2 14 76 58 55 79 259 350 416 13 4
2001 DET 154 585 146 27 7 11 77 65 52 90 250 323 376 10 5
      Easley was healthier last season, but his power stroke continued to disappear. His job is probably safe until the Tigers find someone better, and that take a long time.
TORONTO - Homer Bush 29 R/R or Orlando Hudson 24 S/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
BUSH
1999 TOR 128 485 155 26 4 5 69 55 21 82 320 353 421 32 8
2000 TOR 76 297 64 8 0 1 38 18 18 60 215 271 253 9 4
2001 TOR 78 271 83 11 1 3 32 27 8 50 306 336 387 13 4
HUDSON
1999 A 132 513 137 36 6 7 66 74 42 85 267 322 402 8 6
2000 A 96 358 102 16 2 7 544837 42 285 354 399 9 5
2000 AA 39 134 32 4 3 2 17 15 15 18 239 320 358 3 2
2001 AA-AAA 139 500 153 36 11 8 82 79 60 76 306380 470 196
      Homer Bush should be a bench player. He has a mix of obvious strengths (he's fast, can play several positions, can hit .300) and obvious weaknesses (no walks, no power, doesn't steal many bases), plus he always gets hurt. A good manager should spot Bush carefully, get the most out of his strengths, hide his weaknesses and try to keep him healthy.
      For the moment, Bush is still the starting second sacker in Toronto, but the Blue Jays are anxious to get Orlando Hudson into the lineup. Hudson was just another prospect before he a big season at two levels of ball last year. If his improvement is for real, then he should become a terrific player; I would not be surprised to see Hudson playing for the Jays by midsummer.
TAMPA BAY - Brent Abernathy 25 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 AA 136 577 168 42 1 13 108 62 55 47 291 355 435 34 15
2000 AAA 119 449 130 27 2 5 61 50 37 43 290 341 392 23 15
2001 AAA 61 252 76 20 0 4 45 23 16 23 302 346 429 11 4
2001TAM 79 304 82 17 1 5 43 33 27 35 270 328 382 8 3
      Another young player whom the Devil Rays inexplicably left at Durham while Rome burned. Abernathy did manage to get some playing time in Tampa, and did a solid job. He's a good young second baseman, can hit .300 with more walks than strikeouts. Not much power, and still needs work on stealing bases. But he should be a solid citizen at second for the Rays for at least a few years.
KANSAS CITY - Carlos Febles 26 R/R or Luis Alicea 37 S/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
FEBLES
1999 KC 123 453 116 22 9 10 71 53 47 91 256 336 411 20 4
2000 KC 100 339 87 12 1 2 59 29 36 48 257 345 316 17 6
2001 KC 79 292 69 9 2 8 45 25 22 58 236 291 363 5 2
ALICEA
1999 TEX 68 164 33 10 0 3 33 17 28 32 201 316 317 2 1
2000 TEX 139 540 159 25 8 6 85 63 59 75 294 365 404 1 3
2001 KC 79 387 106 16 4 4 44 32 23 56 274 320 367 8 6
      Since his promising rookie season in 1999, Febles has been beset by injuries, and his hitting and baserunning have both regressed. He's probably capable of being a good player, but might be too fragile for the position. Alicea has had his ups and downs, was a decent player last season but can't be counted on to handle the bulk of the playing time if Febles is hurt again.
TEXAS - Mike Young 25 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 A 129 495 155 36 3 5 86 83 61 78 313 389 428 16 5
2000 AA 134 533 155 37 10 7 81 68 79 100 291 383 437 25 8
2001 TEX 106 386 96 18 4 11 57 49 26 91 249 298 402 3 1
      Young's rookie season was a disappointment. He was supposed to be a guy who could get on base, but he showed very poor plate discipline. He also showed little speed on the basepaths. He has talent, but needs to show more this year to keep playing regularly.
BALTIMORE - Jerry Hairston 26 R/R
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1999 BAL 50 175 47 12 1 4 26 17 11 24 269 323 417 9 4
2000 BAL 49 180 46 5 0 5 27 19 21 22 256 353 367 8 5
2001 BAL 159 532 124 25 5 8 63 47 44 73 233 305 344 29 11
      Hairston was the regular second baseman in Baltimore. He didn't play anywhere near as well as he is capable of. Hairston looked like a good player in 1999 and 2000; if he can duplicate those numbers over a full season, he can be a quality player. I expect that he will have better years.


SECOND BASE - BOTH LEAGUES
1 Roberto Alomar11 D'Angelo Jiminez21 Marlon Anderson
2 Craig Biggio12 Ricky Gutierrez22 Pokey Reese
3 Jeff Kent 13 Luis Rivas23 Homer Bush
4 Jose Vidro14 Adam Kennedy24 Brent Abernathy
5 Ray Durham15 Jose Offerman25 Carlos Febles
6 Bret Boone16 Frank Menechino26 Todd Walker
7 Fernando Vina17 Craig Counsell27 Jose Ortiz
8 Alfonso Soriano18 Eric Young28 Mike Young
9 Luis Castillo19 Damian Easley29 Mark Grudzielanek
10 Marcus Giles20 Delino DeShields30 Jerry Hairston