There is absolutely nothing more important then paying attention to depth in fantasy sports. Getting the right players for the right positions at the right time is key to success in fantasy sports, specifically in baseball. One of the most depthless positions over time has been the second basemen. For years, the number of elite second baseman has been hard to come by, causing problems for many players.

This year is slightly different, new players entering the league, and some older vets continuing on their prowess, the second base position is getting to be a bit deeper. Although not nearly as deep as 1B or OF it is passing both the Catcher and Shortstop position in depth, which will allow you to grab other positions first, but tread carefully.

Top 5 Second Baseman to Draft in 2012

It was hard to choose the order of these top 5. Each of these players has the ability to do amazing things at the position. In the end, it comes down speed. A lot of players can put up power from different positions, but not a lot of players have the ability to steal bases and that’s why Ian Kinsler (2B, TEX) is atop my 2B rankings. For Kinsler his .255 average wasn’t new territory but it wasn’t his norm either as his career average is .020 points higher, what boosts Kinsler’s value here was the rest of his numbers. For the second time in his career Kinsler surpassed 30 stolen bases and 30 Home runs (both times he did it in the same year). For the first time in his career Kinsler scored more than 102 runs, and he had his second highest runs batted in total of his career. What was really nice to see was his increase in walks with 89 nearly 30 more than his previous career high. A power, and speed combination can often times be hard to come by but Kinsler has it and if he can continue to get on base with walks his value can only grow.

Dustin Pedroia (2B, BOS) had a bit of a career year in 2011 and a lot of that had to do with Jacoby Ellsbury’s (OF, BOS) and Adrian Gonzalez’ (1B, BOS) amazing seasons. The former AL MVP hit .307 only the third time in his career over .300, and had career numbers in runs batted in (91), stolen bases (26) and home runs (21). Pedroia also scored 102 times in 2011, the third time he was able to hit the century mark in his career. Most Yankee fans may hate me for placing him above Robinson Cano (2B, NYY) (as a Yankee fan myself, I kind of hate myself just for writing this) but his ability to steal, while also going deep catapults Dustin slightly ahead of Robinson. Ellsbury and Gonzalez are still there and as will Pedroia’s production.

Robinson Cano has just about every offensive category that any fantasy baseball owner would want except for stolen bases which is what distinguishes him from the two above. Cano has always had a knack for putting the ball in play, just not necessarily getting on base, which hurts his value a bit more than his speed does. Just imagine if Cano got on base more, his 100+ runs could easily break 150 with the offense that hits behind him in that line up. Despite not being known for his speed, Cano had a career year in stolen bases with 8, which helps but not enough to put him at the top of this list.

Dan Uggla (2B, ATL) had one of the most unimpressive first halves of baseball you could imagine. The one constant however was his ability to put the ball over the wall. Uggla hit a shocking .185 in the first half of the 2011 season but was able to hit 15 big flies, drive in 34 runs and score another 43 in 340 at bats. The second half was a completely different story. Uggla put up higher numbers in runs, home runs, rbi’s, and was able to decrease his strike out totals, all in fewer at bats (260). The most shocking of his second half numbers was the near .300 average Uggla mashed for showing that his first half was more of an aberration than an every year thing. 2011 marked the 5th straight year of at least 31 home runs, 80 RBI’s, and 80 Runs scored. Uggla seems to be in prime position to do it again in 2012.

Brandon Phillips (2B, CIN) had one of his best seasons in 2011. Posting a .300 avg for the first time in his career, Phillips also mashed 18 HRs, the 5th time he has had at least that many in a season. Phillips was also able to drive in 82 runs and score another 94 on his own while posting an .810 OPS second highest of his career. A bit more troubling has been the reduction of stolen bases over the last two seasons, over that span Phillips swiped 30 bags, his career high in a season is 32. Brandon has the wheels and the pop to be known as one of the top second basemen in fantasy baseball and should make strong considerations for your team on draft day.

Notable Second Baseman to consider:

Other second basemen I would consider drafting would include, Jason Kipnis (2B, CLE), Howie Kendrick (2B, ANA) and even Eduardo Nunez (2B, NYY).

Kipnis got the call to the show mid way through the year, and showed that with an entire season he could be problem. With 5 stolen bases, and 7 homers in 36 games played in 2011, he could seriously be considered for a 20/20 candidate in 2012.

Nunez stole 22 bags last season in just 112 games played, most of which were spent pinch running. The Yankees infielders are getting older and with that come injuries, with injuries comes more opportunity for Nunez to play. Nunez can see 30+ thefts in 2012 with an increased role on the team.

Kendrick had career highs in runs scored, home runs, and stolen bases. He hit a respectable .285, the 5th time in his career to do that. But, he struck out 119 times nearly 30 times more than his previous high, which is a concern. Albert Pujols (1B, ANA) will absolutely help Kendrick see better pitches which will help him put up better numbers resulting in a pretty decent second base draft pick.

Written by Justin Mandaro, exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com

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(October 26, 20112011-10-26 16:00:00 – Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images North America)