HOUSTON - Jeff Kent 35 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 SF 159 587 196 41 7 33 114 125 90 107 334 424 596 12 9 2001 SF 159 607 181 49 6 22 84 106 65 96 298 369 507 7 6 2002 SF 152 623 195 42 2 37 102 108 52 101 313 368 565 5 1       Question: How will Jeff Kent hit without protection from Barry Bonds? Answer: Who cares? Kent had an amazing season, one that started with near-disaster in the form of a mysterious wrist injury. But he turned things around and played almost as well as he did in his MVP season. It seems hard to believe, for those of us who have followed his career, that Kent could be emerging as a viable Hall Of Fame candidate. But how many second basemen have put up the kind of numbers he has?       This year will be his first in Houston. He will turn 35, so you have to be worried about the start of decline. On the other hand, he is moving from Pac Bell, a truly awful hitters' park, into the friendly confines of Forever Enron Field. He should have a good year.

NEW YORK METS - Roberto Alomar 35 S/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 CLE 155 610 189 40 2 19 111 89 64 82 310 378 475 39 4 2001 CLE 157 575 193 34 12 20 113 100 80 71 336 415 541 30 6 2002 NYM 149 590 157 24 4 11 73 53 57 83 266 331 376 16 4       Among the All-Time Great Mets Second Basemen, Alomar ranks somewhere in the middle of a list that includes Ken Boswell, Doug Flynn, Ron Hunt, Felix Milan, Wally Backman, Gregg Jefferies, Charlie Neal, Carlos Baerga and Tim Teufel. Who would have thought that Alomar would become just like all the others? Jeff Kent also played for a couple of years, before he became a star; Edgardo Alfonso, of course, is the best second sacker the team has ever had, so they moved him to third.       Alomar's alter-ego, Craig Biggio, had almost the exact same season at the same age. The year after, Biggio hit .292 with 20 homers. That's my prediction for Alomar.

SAN FRANCISCO - Ray Durham 31 S/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2002 CHW-OAK 150 564 163 34 6 15 114 70 73 93 289 374 450 26 7       A big deal was made when the Giants lost Jeff Kent, but the guy they're replacing him with is some kind of player. Last year may have been the best of Durham's career; he has seven straight seasons of 150+ games played, and has scored over 100 runs in six straight years. Durham does a little bit of everything at the plate and is a good baserunner; he's also four years younger than Kent, and at least as good with the glove.

MONTREAL - Jose Vidro 29 S/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 MON 153 606 200 51 2 24 101 97 49 69 330 379 540 5 4 2001 MON 124 486 155 34 1 15 82 59 31 49 319 371 486 4 1 2002 MON 152 604 190 43 3 19 103 96 60 70 315 378 490 2 1       Vidro has now played extraordinarily well the past four years, and has to rank as one of the best second sackers in the game. He's a switch-hitter who does everything well, and is in his prime. He is also a Puerto Rican; I'm guessing that he will be a big hit with the home crowd this summer.

ARIZONA - Junior Spivey 28 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 AAA 28 117 33 8 4 3 21 16 11 17 282 341 496 3 1 2001 AAA 54 194 45 6 0 6 25 27 27 32 232 326 356 9 6 2001 ARI 72 163 42 6 3 5 33 21 23 47 258 354 423 3 0 2002 ARI 143 538 162 34 6 16 103 78 65 100 301 389 476 11 6       Who was the best bargain in baseball last year? Well, Junior Spivey made $215,000, and was one of the best second basemen in baseball. He was an MVP candidate the first half of the season; he slipped a bit after the break, but it was still a wonderful season, much greater than anyone could have expected.       There is good reason to think that last year was a fluke. Spivey had never shown in the past that he could play this well; he was also 27 years old, a common age for fluke years. I think he will still be a quality player, will hit around .280 with a bit of pop, and will continue to do a good job of getting on base.

ST LOUIS - Fernando Vina 34 L/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 STL 123 487 146 24 6 4 81 31 36 36 300 380 398 10 8 2001 STL 154 631 191 30 8 9 95 56 32 35 303 357 418 17 7 2002 STL 150 622 168 29 5 1 75 54 44 36 270 333 338 17 11       Vina's third season in St. Louis was a mixed bag. He was durable at second base and won a Gold Glove, but he also did a poor job of getting on base, and incredibly scored only 75 runs despite batting over 680 times in the leadoff spot. His base stealing was poor and his power numbers fell; it was a tough season all around.       Vina was a brilliant defensive player 4-5 years ago, but I doubt that he is the best defender in the league right now, certainly not when Pokey Reese is in the lineup. But I don't begrudge his Gold Glove Award; he just got it a few years late, that's all.

FLORIDA - Luis Castillo 28 S/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 FLO 136 539 180 17 3 2 101 17 78 86 334 418 388 62 22 2001 FLO 134 537 141 16 10 2 76 45 67 90 263 344 341 33 16 2002 FLO 146 606 185 18 5 2 86 39 55 76 305 364 361 48 15       There were some good times, including a 35-game hit streak and a .341 batting average at the All-Star break. And there were some bad times, namely a .260 average in the second half. Castillo has had his share of ups and downs and is still only 28; he has no power, but his durability, speed and ability to get on base make him a solid player.

CINCINNATI - Aaron Boone 30 R/R

YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 CIN 84 291 83 18 0 12 44 43 24 52 285 356 471 6 1 2001 CIN 103 381 112 26 2 14 54 62 29 71 294 351 483 6 3 2002 CIN 162 606 146 38 2 26 83 87 56 111 241 314 439 32 8       The Reds have more third basemen than second basemen, so manager Bob Boone has solved the problem by moving son Aaron to the pivot. Boone has played two games at second base in his career, and his only chance resulted in an error... ATLANTA - Marcus Giles 25 R/R YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 AA 132 458 133 28 2 17 73 62 72 71 290 388 472 25 5 2001 AAA 67 252 84 19 1 6 48 44 22 48 333 387 488 13 5 2001 ATL 68 244 64 10 2 9 36 31 28 37 262 338 430 2 5 2002 ATL 68 213 49 10 1 8 27 23 25 41 230 315 399 1 1       Giles had a tough season. He's a power hitter who can play second base, and the Braves were hoping for big things from him. He had a terrific April, but slumped badly in May. At the end of May he severely sprained his ankle, and did not return until August. A week after he hurt the ankle, his baby daughter was born 26 weeks prematurely; she died two weeks later.       He's still only 25, he's still the best option that the Braves have at second, and he's still capable of hitting 25 home runs this season. I expect that he will have a good year. PHILADELPHIA - Placido Polanco 27 R/R YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 STL 118 323 102 12 3 5 50 39 16 26 316 347 418 4 4 2001 STL 144 564 173 26 4 3 87 38 25 43 307 342 383 12 3 2002 STL-PHI 147 548 158 32 2 9 75 49 26 41 288 330 403 5 3       Polanco began the year with the Cardinals, playing mostly third base. He was dealt to the Phillies in the Rolen trade, and was exclusively the Phillies' third baseman. The Cardinals moved him all around the diamond, but now he gets a chance to be Philadelphia's regular second baseman. It is the position that he is best suited for. Polanco is a .300 hitter with doubles power; all he has to prove is that he can stay healthy when turning the pivot. MILWAUKEE - Eric Young 36 R/R YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 CHC 153 607 180 40 2 6 98 47 63 39 297 367 399 54 7 2001 CHC 149 603 168 43 4 6 98 42 42 45 279 333 393 31 14 2002 MIL 138 496 139 29 3 3 57 28 39 38 280 338 369 31 11       Young struggled early in the season, and appeared to be another free agent bust for the Brewers. But he sizzled after the All-Star break and finished with some decent numbers. He is durable, hits .280 and can still steal bases; he's never been a Gold Glover, and he doesn't put a lot of runs on the board, but he's a decent second baseman. SAN DIEGO - Mark Loretta 32 R/R YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 MIL 91 352 99 21 1 7 49 40 37 38 281 350 406 0 3 2001 MIL 102 384 111 14 2 2 40 29 28 46 289 346 352 1 2 2002 MIL-HOU 107 283 86 18 0 4 33 27 32 37 304 381 410 1 1       Loretta's career has been a victim of Bud Logic; though he is a lifetime .293 hitter and does a fine job of getting on base and can play several infield positions, Loretta's playing time steadily decreased with Milwaukee. I guess it's because the Brewers have so many other good players.       The Padres never figured out a second base solution last year, so Loretta will get the job this season. He's a good option, will provide a decent bat; durability is his biggest question mark. CHICAGO CUBS - Bobby Hill 25 S/R YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 A 92 290 72 11 1 2 41 25 12 63 248 279 314 11 9 2001 AA 57 209 63 8 1 3 30 21 32 39 301 396 392 20 8 2002 AAA 92 354 98 23 3 8 80 39 49 66 280 382 429 29 5 2002 CHC 59 190 48 7 2 4 26 20 17 42 253 327 374 6 1       A highly touted prospect before the season began, Hill played just OK at Iowa and also got a bit of playing time with the Cubs. He's not going to be a star but he can get on base and steal some bases and could become a solid player if things break right for him. Basically, he does everything that his backup, Mark Grudzielanek, doesn't. PITTSBURGH - Pokey Reese 30 R/R YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 CIN 135 518 132 20 6 12 76 46 45 86 255 319 386 29 3 2001 CIN 133 428 96 20 2 9 50 40 34 82 224 284 343 25 4 2002 PIT 119 421 111 25 0 4 46 50 41 81 264 330 352 12 1       At the plate, Reese had his best since 1999 (and was much, much better than his 2001 performance). He doesn't do a lot with the bat; he is an excellent base stealer, but last year stole only 12 bases. Defensively, he has more range at second than anyone in the world. LOS ANGELES - Joe Thurston 23 L/R or Alex Cora 27 L/R YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS THURSTON 2000 A 138 551 167 31 8 4 97 70 56 61 303 380 410 43 25 2001 AA 134 544 145 25 7 7 80 46 48 65 267 338 377 20 18 2002 AAA 136 587 196 39 13 12 106 55 25 60 334 372 506 22 9 CORA 2000 LA 109 353 84 18 6 4 39 32 26 53 238 302 357 4 1 2001 LA 134 405 88 18 3 4 38 29 31 58 217 285 306 0 2 2002 LA 115 258 75 14 4 5 37 28 26 38 291 371 434 7 2       Decisions, decisions... Cora had a dreadful season in 2001 and lost the shortstop job to Izturis. Last year he split his playing time between short and second base, and was the Dodgers' best infielder.       Meanwhile, on the farm... Thurston had an lousy season in 2001, but last year put up some impressive numbers at Las Vegas. He's only 23 years old, and the Dodgers are hoping that he and Izturis can combine to form a dynamic young duo up the middle.       Thurston deserves a chance to play, but my advice to the Dodgers is not to forget about Cora. Everybody hits at Las Vegas, so Thurston's numbers should be taken with a grain of salt. He's a better hitter than Izturis, but not by much. COLORADO - Ronnie Belliard 28 R/R or Brent Butler 25 R/R YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS BELLIARD 2000 MIL 152 571 150 30 9 8 83 54 82 84 263 354 389 7 5 2001 MIL 101 364 96 30 3 11 69 36 35 65 264 335 453 5 2 2002 MIL 104 289 61 13 0 3 30 26 18 46 211 257 287 2 3 BUTLER 2000 AAA 122 438 128 35 1 8 73 54 44 46 292 356 432 1 3 2001 AAA 65 272 91 20 3 7 51 38 15 26 335 375 507 4 2 2001 COL 53 119 29 7 1 1 17 14 7 7 244 287 345 1 1 2002 COL 113 344 89 18 4 9 55 42 10 40 259 287 413 2 6       Belliard had a horrible season with the Brewers, which is disappointing because I've always kinda liked him as a player. He is still fairly young, so a comeback is probably in the cards, though he has a reputation for poor conditiing.       For Belliard, the good news is:       1) He's getting the hell out of Milwaukee, and       2) He's going to Colorado       The bad news is that he will have to fight for a job with Brent Butler. Butler is four years younger but can't play; Belliard has, at least, shown in the past that he is a good player. The Rockies would be advised to give Belliard a solid opportunity to play on a regular basis. SECOND BASE - BOTH LEAGUES 1 Jeff Kent 11 Todd Walker 21 Brandon Phillips 2 Roberto Alomar 12 Adam Kennedy 22 Pokey Reese 3 Ray Durham 13 Luis Rivas 23 Mike Young 4 Jose Vidro 14 Orlando Hudson 24 D'Angelo Jimenez 5 Alfonso Soriano 15 Marcus Giles 25 Jerry Hairston 6 Bret Boone 16 Placido Polanco 26 Damian Easley 7 Junior Spivey 17 Mark Ellis 27 Carlos Febles 8 Fernando Vina 18 Eric Young 28 Joe Thurston 9 Luis Castillo 19 Mark Loretta 29 Brent Abernathy 10 Aaron Boone 20 Bobby Hill 30 Brent Butler